Chapter 4
1614 Words
The creature stepped into the light.
Amara couldn’t breathe.
It was the same thing she’d seen in the cafeteria, but somehow it looked even more terrifying now. Its body seemed to shift between solid flesh and smoke, as if darkness itself had taken a human shape. Silver eyes burned beneath its hood, fixed on Amara with a familiarity that made her skin crawl.
Kael stepped in front of her.
“Don’t look into its eyes.”
Amara gripped the photograph tighter.
“Why?”
“It can enter your mind.”
That was enough.
She immediately looked down.
The creature laughed.
Not loudly.
It was a low, hollow sound that seemed to travel through the walls.
“Princess…”
Amara’s head snapped up.
Kael grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t answer it.”
The creature tilted its head.
“You really don’t remember.”
Amara stared at it.
“What did it call me?”
Kael didn’t respond.
“Kael.”
“Not now.”
“You heard it.”
“I heard it.”
“Why did it call me princess?”
The creature smiled wider.
“Because you are.”
Kael’s hand flashed with silver light.
“Leave.”
The creature laughed again.
“You still protect her.”
Kael’s expression hardened.
“She’s not yours.”
“Not yet.”
The creature raised one long hand.
The corridor darkened.
Every light above them shattered at once.
Amara screamed.
Kael pulled her against him.
“Run!”
They sprinted down the hallway.
Behind them came the sound of something crawling across the ceiling.
Amara didn’t dare look back.
They reached the stairwell.
Kael pushed the door open.
“Down!”
They raced down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” Amara asked breathlessly.
“Somewhere it can’t follow.”
“Does such a place even exist?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I built it.”
Amara almost stopped.
“You built what?”
Kael didn’t answer.
They reached the basement level.
Mooncrest Academy was old, older than most of the buildings around it, and the basement had been closed to students for years. The walls were covered in peeling paint, and the air smelled damp.
Kael ran toward the far end.
Amara followed.
He stopped in front of an ordinary brick wall.
“Stand back.”
Amara frowned.
“Kael—”
“Please.”
She stepped away.
Kael placed his palm against the wall.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then a silver symbol appeared beneath his hand.
The bricks began to move.
Amara stared.
A hidden doorway slowly opened.
“What the—”
“Inside.”
She hesitated.
“Are you coming?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Amara entered.
Kael followed and touched the wall again.
The doorway disappeared.
They were trapped in darkness.
Then candles along the walls suddenly ignited with pale silver flames.
Amara looked around.
It wasn’t a room.
It was a library.
Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with books that looked centuries old. Strange symbols covered the walls. In the center stood a large circular table covered with maps, scrolls, and what appeared to be pieces of crystal.
Amara slowly turned around.
“What is this place?”
“An old protection chamber.”
“For what?”
Kael looked at her.
“For people like you.”
Amara stared at him.
“You keep saying things like that.”
“I know.”
“And expecting me not to panic.”
“I know.”
“It’s not working.”
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Amara remembered the photograph.
She held it up.
“You said my mother disappeared.”
Kael nodded.
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t there when it happened.”
“But you said you remembered the night.”
“I remember what happened before she disappeared.”
“Tell me.”
Kael walked toward the table.
Amara followed.
He picked up one of the crystal pieces.
“Your mother was one of the most powerful sorceresses in the Moon Kingdom.”
Amara folded her arms.
“And she had me.”
“Yes.”
“Why did she leave?”
Kael looked down.
“She was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“The prophecy.”
Amara’s heart skipped.
“The prophecy about me?”
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
Kael hesitated.
“Kael.”
He sighed.
“It says a girl born beneath the lunar eclipse would possess enough power to either unite the two worlds or destroy the barrier between them.”
Amara shook her head.
“And you think that’s me?”
“I don’t think.”
His eyes met hers.
“I know.”
Silence filled the room.
Amara looked at her wrist.
The crescent mark was glowing again.
“What happens if I don’t do anything?”
“The prophecy still happens.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then someone else will decide your fate for you.”
She looked at him.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is the only one I have.”
“No.”
Amara stepped closer.
“You know more.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“You always do that.”
“Do what?”
“Look at me like you already know when I’m lying.”
“Maybe because you are terrible at lying.”
A faint smile crossed his face.
“I’ve noticed.”
For a second, the fear disappeared.
They were just standing there.
Alone.
Too close.
Amara became suddenly aware of how tightly Kael was holding the crystal.
She looked at his hand.
“Your hand is bleeding.”
He glanced down.
A thin line of blood ran across his palm.
“When did that happen?”
“Back there.”
“You were hurt protecting me.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
She reached for his hand.
Kael froze.
Amara stopped.
“What?”
He looked at her fingers.
Then at her face.
“Nothing.”
“Then give me your hand.”
Slowly, he did.
Amara found a clean cloth on the table and wrapped it around his palm.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence felt different now.
Not uncomfortable.
Just… strange.
Kael watched her.
“You shouldn’t care about me.”
Amara looked up.
“Why?”
“Because caring about me will make this harder.”
“Make what harder?”
He pulled his hand away.
“Everything.”
Before Amara could ask what he meant, the entire room shook.
Books fell from the shelves.
The silver flames flickered.
Kael immediately stood.
“No.”
Amara’s heart began pounding.
“What?”
He looked toward the hidden entrance.
“It found us.”
A loud impact shook the wall.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then another.
Something was trying to break through.
Kael moved toward the door.
“Stay here.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Amara.”
“You’re not going out there alone.”
“I have to.”
“Why?”
“Because if it gets through, it will come for you.”
“And if you go out there, it might kill you.”
Kael stared at her.
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“I’m not.”
His expression softened.
“Amara…”
“I mean it.”
Another impact.
The wall cracked.
Kael grabbed a silver blade from beneath the table.
Amara stared at it.
“Where did that come from?”
“Later.”
“Everything with you is ‘later.’”
He stepped toward the entrance.
Amara followed.
Kael turned.
“I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If the door opens, you run.”
“No.”
“Amara.”
“No.”
“Promise me.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t make promises to strangers.”
Something changed in Kael’s eyes.
“I’m not a stranger.”
The words hung between them.
Amara stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Kael looked away.
“I knew you before you knew me.”
“How?”
He said nothing.
“Kael.”
A final explosion shook the chamber.
The hidden doorway burst open.
The creature entered.
But this time, it wasn’t alone.
Three more shadow figures emerged behind it.
Amara stepped backward.
Kael raised his blade.
The first creature spoke.
“The prince has failed.”
Kael’s grip tightened.
“Get away from her.”
The creature smiled.
“You still don’t understand.”
It pointed directly at Amara.
“She isn’t the girl you were sent to protect.”
Amara’s stomach dropped.
“What?”
Kael turned toward her.
The creature continued.
“She is the reason your kingdom fell.”
Kael went completely still.
Amara looked at him.
“Kael?”
He didn’t answer.
“Is that true?”
His silence was enough to make her heart sink.
The creature laughed.
“Ask him what happened the night your mother disappeared.”
Amara’s eyes filled with tears.
She looked at Kael.
“Tell me.”
He lowered his sword.
“Amara…”
“Tell me!”
Kael closed his eyes.
Then, quietly, he said the words she had been terrified to hear.
“Your mother didn’t disappear.”
Amara stopped breathing.
“She was taken.”
“By who?”
Kael opened his eyes.
“The Moon King.”
And suddenly, every candle in the room went out.
In the darkness, something whispered directly into Amara’s ear.
“Your mother is still alive.”
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