The Temple of the First Moon
The journey north took seven days.
Seven days of silence.
Seven days of unanswered questions.
Seven days of Isabella feeling as though the world itself was holding its breath.
The further they traveled, the more the kingdom disappeared behind them.
The roads became forests.
The forests became mountains.
The mountains became something older.
Something untouched.
There were no villages.
No signs of civilization.
Only ancient trees and forgotten paths carved into the earth.
Paths that seemed to know exactly where they were going.
Isabella rode beside Lucian, watching the landscape change.
"You've been here before."
It was not a question.
Lucian looked ahead.
"Not exactly."
She glanced at him.
"That sounds like something someone says when they d
