Losing The Light Of The Moon

The Demonstration, Part I

Chapter 25: The Demonstration, Part I

TATIANA

It was the morning of the demonstration and Crescent Moon—especially Aruna’s wing—was bustling with visitors and excitement. The Council were all present, as well as their mates—it had been some time since I had seen Altalune and Celestia, who had come with their sons to watch Umar. As I was preparing myself to act like I was just meeting them while finishing up my battle outfit, I heard a knock on my door and opened it to find Horacio on the other side.

Slowly strolling into my room, he whistled under his breath, looking up and down at my form-fitting black thumbhole shirt and pants, capped off with a thick black leather belt, knee-length black boots, and my favorite long maroon fitted overcoat, before teasing, “Talk about a distraction! War boots and all! You’re not playing, are you, Fairy Queen?”

“You have seen this look before, Horacio,” I grinned, walking over to the nightstand to grab my emerald ring and long sparkling beaded necklace with a small potion bottle on the end that held a piece of rolled paper inside with an intricately scrolled ‘Believe’ written in glittering black, “I have worn it to many a battle. I find a little distraction works quite well.”

Give me another once over, Horacio kindly replied, “Mission accomplished. How about some breakfast? Everyone is gathering in the great room.”

Taking in a deep breath, I nodded as he opened my door and we exited my room towards the main living area. As soon as I walked in, Guntur looked over wide-eyed, exhaling out, “Wow! It’s official! Our guys aren’t going to last five minutes!” 

I had to stifle a laugh as Umar smacked him upside his head and Celestia reached out to yank hard on his ear as Guntur’s face instantly scrunched up in discomfort from his parents’ actions. Shooting me a helpless gaze, Celestia quickly apologized, “Have you ever had to deal with raising teenagers?”

I felt all the worried gazes on me as I swallowed uncomfortably, forcing a pleasant tone in my reluctant reply, “No, I haven’t.”

“Count yourself lucky, it ages you quickly,” Celestia laughed out before sincerely stating, “Though, I have to say, you are even more beautiful than my flirtatious oldest son has been telling everyone you are!”

“Thank you,” I cordially replied, “Umar is an incredibly lucky man himself! I’m sorry I’ve kept him away from home so long.”

Guntur opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Umar’s hand, which quickly covered his mouth from behind as he lightly warned, “I wouldn’t recommend a snarky reply, Guntur. Why don’t you go find your brother and Mattias in the main house? It might be safer for you there.”

We all held back our laughter as Guntur sheepishly nodded and quickly exited the room. After he left, Altalune, who was sitting beside her sister, looked over at Aruna, amusingly stating, “I’m glad Mattias wasn’t here. I can only imagine what he would have said and it’s been nice not having to lecture him incessantly for the past week.”

“I just hope his current focus is a permanent change in that boy,” Soren gruffly said, “That’s why I sent him to see Nicholas, hoping he can encourage Mattias a little.”  Looking over at me, Soren slyly grinned, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your war boots, I had forgotten about them! You are planning a good show, aren’t you, Tati?”

Altalune peered over at him curiously, her eyes narrowing at his choice of words, “Exactly how long have you two known one another, Soren?”

“Tatiana and her sisters have been around for many years, Sister,” Aruna smoothly diverted, “We have been fortunate to talk them out of retirement to help with Raven’s training.”

“I’ve been quite curious about that, actually,” Altalune thoughtfully replied, “You are so well versed in the gift, Loa, and powerful in your own right. I’m surprised it was necessary for Tatiana and her sisters to assist.”

Shifting uncomfortably beside Mahan, Loa hesitatingly replied, “Uh, well—that is true, Alta—”

“Oh, this is nonsense!” Soren sighed out, “As there are only two in this room who remain oblivious, I don’t think it will do any harm for them to know the truth.”

“I agree,” Priscilla coolly stated, her knowing eyes on me, “Everyone here can be trusted.”

Altalune and Celestia were both staring at me with confounded expressions as Altalune harshly pressed, “Trusted with what, exactly?”

Horacio leaned down to quietly urge, “Alta is not Aruna. I don’t think there is any going back at this point, Tati.”

“Umar?” Celestia cautiously asked, looking at him with deep concern, “What are all of you keeping from us?”

Clearing my throat, I assured her, “I can clear all of this up quickly, Celestia.” Extending my hands out, a cloud of green quickly appeared before the two women, slowly moving through them as I restored their memories.

Her eyes widening, Celestia exhaled out brokenly, “T-Tatiana? What—why—I-I don’t understand! Where have you been all this time?” 

Altalune was still sitting silent with a shocked expression before she finally spoke up in a hushed whisper, “It is good to see you, Tati, but I would appreciate knowing that as well.”  

After giving them the details of the battle at Mystic Fire and our self-exile afterwards, Altalune’s expression hardened slightly as she reluctantly asked, “So, Reina and Persephone—they are—”

“They are here as well, Alta,” Priscilla stoically replied, “Seems they have been fortunate on their return, they have been gifted mates—Ronan and Artem.”

“Well, that is an unexpected twist,” Alta disapprovingly sighed out, “How fortunate for them, indeed, while our Tati has had to deal with so much misfortune—again.”

I felt Horacio’s unsettled gaze on me after Alta’s statement, attempting to ignore it as I pleasantly defended, “I appreciate your concern for me, Alta, but I am quite happy for my sisters. And truth be told, I feel very fortunate—I’m home with my Jace and all my loved ones. Plus, Aruna has been kind enough to request that I live here, which has enabled us to bond with one another again.”

“Yes, I have been quite pleased with that unexpected twist,” Aruna sweetly said, “Though hopefully, my son will not keep her too busy. Between this demonstration, Raven’s training, and the integrated army workouts, we haven’t had as much time together as of late.”

“Well, you know my feelings, Tati,” Altalune smiled warmly, “So it will come as no surprise that I, too, am very pleased that you will be here with Aruna. I may have to make more visits myself!”

‘That would be lovely, Altalune,” I warmly replied, Horacio’s curious gaze continuing to weigh heavily on me from the side. Our conversation was understandably confusing to him, as well as Umar, Celestia, and Loa—all their quizzical gazes looking between us.

Suddenly, Celestia’s hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped out, “Oh, Tatiana! I—I am so sorry! My comment earlier about teenagers! I—”   Umar immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close before tenderly kissing the side of her head.

I attempted to ease her mind straight away, “Please do not distress yourself, Celestia. You have nothing to apologize for, especially since you were unaware until just now.”

Her eyes drifting to Horacio, Celestia gratefully stated, “As usual, you are very kind. I do hope you will at least accept a heartfelt thank you for saving my overgrown teenager for a second time.”

“Are you sure you want to thank me for that, Celestia?” I amusingly retorted, pointing at Horacio, who looked down at me curiously, “I fear this one is a lifelong teenager. Wouldn’t you rather age gracefully?” 

Through a cynical grin as the room filled with laughter, Horacio looked over at Celestia, harshly breathing out, “Not true!”, then immediately turned to me, “And not funny!”  Looking over at the rest of our group, he urged, “Breakfast, everyone?”

As we walked towards the table, Horacio privately linked, Seems there are some hard feelings towards your sisters. Care to share?

Another time, perhaps, I reluctantly replied, Let’s just concentrate on today, shall we?

***********

JACE

Raven was kind enough to place a barrier around us so we could talk freely during the demonstration as our inner circle gathered together. As I saw the large number of warriors gathering below, I was even more grateful that our conversations could be kept out of earshot. 

Standing beside Mother, I murmured, “By any chance will you reveal any of these secret moves of yours? Help put your son at ease?”

“I’m afraid there is no time,” Mother gleefully replied, “But do not worry about me, Jace! You know I can handle myself. Now, I should probably go down to Soren and his group for an introduction before we get started.”

“Behave yourself, Mother,” I affectionately warned. 

A mischievous grin across her face, Mother lovingly replied, “Jace, my darling, I’m a witch—I’m supposed to be a little wicked!” My aunts and Constance, who were standing between us, giggled in response.

“That’s what I’m worried about!” I anxiously called after her as she headed down the hill.

Pausing for a moment, Mother turned back around, but her amused statement was directed at someone else, “Oh, and Nicholas? Please do not despair. All will be well in the end, I promise!”

“I don’t think I like the sound of that...Auntie, what do you have up your sleeve?” Nicholas apprehensively called after her before turning to worriedly look at me as I shrugged in response.

“Soren did tell her to shake things up, Nicholas,” Lorenzo knowingly warned, “You can blame him.”

Leaning forward, Nicholas accusingly shot back, “Blame him for what exactly?”

“As I know nothing for sure, I wouldn’t want to assume,” Lorenzo cleverly stated, refusing to look at him as he and Soren locked gazes before tight smiles widened across their faces.

**********

TATIANA

As I stood beside Soren and Umar, several of his men let out low whistles with murmurs of  “Wow!”, “Hello!”, “I’ve never seen a witch like that!”, “How old do you think she is?”, and a few, “She’s so tiny, we’ll take her out quick!” and “Ha! Alpha Soren thinks she will be a problem?”

“ENOUGH!” Umar furiously roared at them, causing many of the young men to jump in as it echoed loudly in the air.

Soren stood before them with an infuriated expression, barking out directly after, “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Tatiana, who will be leading this demonstration. There will be three waves in this workout, containing eight warriors of my choosing. However, while the purpose of today is to show you the benefit of having witches on the field, if I hear one more word of disrespect, I will simply allow Tatiana and her army, which includes your now highly irritated Beta, to teach every single one of you a very different kind of lesson!"

Clearing my throat, I pleasantly greeted, “It is nice to meet all of you and I hope that after today, you will see that there are witches that are not only on your side, but who can be of great assistance to you in battle.” Winking at them, I laughed out softly, “Please don’t take any of this personally!”

Looking over at Umar, I prompted, “Shall we?”  Nodding, Umar and I walked onto the field where my warriors were waiting for us with eager beaming smiles, each of them standing in human form on the back center platform. As we came to stand at the bottom, I extended out my left hand, sending a burst of green energy below Umar to thrust him towards the top, as Soren’s warriors watched on with widened eyes.

Nodding at Soren, I closed my eyes, building up and harnessing my powers inside, until finally popping my eyes wide open to reveal the glittering glow of green in my irises, winking at them again as I was officially ready to start the show...

***********

JACE

I wasn’t happy hearing the catcalls made towards my mother—though not surprised considering the tight outfit she was wearing. She looked beautiful and was obviously attempting to sidetrack their concentration, but I was thankful when Umar finally silenced them. I let out a laugh as I saw their expressions when Mother sent Umar up onto the platform. Another one soon followed as her eyes opened to reveal a beautiful deep green glow as her magical aura extended out to cover her entire body. 

Looking at everyone standing on the platform, however, I was a bit confused—they were still in their human forms—something Nicholas obviously noticed as well—

“They haven’t shifted yet,” Nicholas murmured under his breath, “Why?”

“Not sure,” I muttered back to him, “It is odd.”

What happened then instantly sidetracked me, my eyes slowly widening as I watched my mother’s aura take shape beneath her—in the form of thick bands of deeply hued green light that began circling all around her feet—slithering in fact...

“Ohhhh, look Sister! The snakes! It has been many years since she has utilized that trick!” Reina breathed out in awe, “I forgot how beautiful they are!”

“Priscilla’s idea, I believe,” Persephone derisively replied.

“Mother?” Alastor shockingly questioned, his eyes glued on the field, “That was your idea?”

I leaned forward to find Priscilla intently watching Mother with a satisfied smile on her face, “Your mother is always a thing of beauty to watch, Jace, but this particular spell is one of my favorites. You’ll see why in a moment.”

Turning my stunned gaze back to the field, a coil continued to form beneath Mother’s feet, slowly lifting her into the air as her small slender hands directed her ascension towards the top of the platform. As she hovered in the air, we all jerked backwards as two vicious-looking cobras intimidatingly snapped their heads around beneath her fingertips, their bodies continuing to slither and intertwine below her. After Mother brought the snakes back to gently step off onto the platform, their heads suddenly dove forward, splitting mid-air into four before landing onto the ground, quickly dividing again into eight cobras, their bodies spreading out to consume the entire field as they methodically glided their way towards the front. 

Eight of Soren’s young warriors stood at the entrance of the field, frozen in place as each of the snakes zeroed in on their prey. 

“What are you waiting for?” Soren bellowed out, loudly shouting at them, “Go! NOW!”

Nervously looking back at him, they reluctantly did as he ordered, just as Mother’s cobras powerfully raised themselves up in the air and she flicked her wrist to make her first move. Savagely spewing out a huge mass of what looked like green venom at the charging wolves, Mother's snakes sent them helplessly flying backwards into the air before forcibly lunging them forward, just as everyone on the platform sprinted forward, powerfully shifting into their wolves as they leapt off the edge of the platform. 

The enormous snakes were waiting for them, coming up behind and, with another flick of her wrist, spewed out a second round of potent venom, launching Mother's wolves ferociously forward, each of them striking one of Soren’s men with a head to the chest, obviously holding back like they had been instructed, but still decisively sending the warriors tumbling out of the ring, much to Soren’s delight and the stunned reverence of everyone watching from outside the ring.

“I have yet to see that one in training,” Raven’s stunned voice rang out, “But, I can assure you—I will be requesting it very soon.”

“I don’t blame you,” Loa admiringly stated, “That was stunning!”

Aunt Reina clapped her hands excitedly, “Indeed it was! They all executed that perfectly! Nicely done, Tati!”

Ronan wrapped his arms around her shoulders, laughing out, “Shouldn’t we feel a tad bit sorry for those young men?”

“Well, Soren did want a lesson learned,” Mahan mused, “and as we all know, he prefers a harsh lesson, which is exactly what Tati just handed them. Quite beautifully, in fact. Like Priscilla, I must admit, Tati is indeed a thing of beauty to watch.”

“Again, one of my personal favorites,” Priscilla proudly boasted, as Lorenzo softly chuckled.

The rest of us were speechless, unable to speak and unable to take our mesmerized eyes off the field as everyone reset to wait for the second round of warriors. Her mouth curled up in a satisfied grin, Mother disappeared from atop the platform to reappear on the ground below it, throwing out several small magical platforms along the field, leaving us all to wonder what she had planned next... 

********

MATTIAS

“Holy crap!” I disbelievingly exclaimed, “How can someone that little have that kind of power inside her?’

“She is amazing!” Guntur excitedly replied, “Seriously, man! Those snakes? That power? Incredible!”

“Dad said they had to learn to control the power so they don’t hurt our guys too badly,” Caelus thoughtfully said, “I can’t imagine what full force would look like—or feel like! I wonder if we will get a chance to work with her. I really hope so.” 

Looking over at his mother, Caelus anxiously asked, “She’s friends with Dad and Unc now, right mom? Maybe we should invite Tatiana to dinner or something.”

Patting Caelus on the back, Guntur chuckled out, “Now you’re thinking, little brother! What do you say, Mom?”

“I will not invite Tatiana into our home for you to hound her! This isn’t something to play around with—it takes focus, concentration, and intense training! Your father has worked very hard to prepare for this demonstration,” Celestia sternly told them, before her eyes connected with Umar’s and she quietly added, “Though it is nice, seeing him out there now and he’s so happy. He has always been strong and fierce, but it is truly amazing what your father can do with Tatiana!”