Chapter 6
1359 Words
The silver door opened another inch.
Cold air rushed into the chamber.
Amara stood completely still.
On the other side was darkness.
Not ordinary darkness.
It looked alive.
It moved slowly, curling along the floor like smoke searching for somewhere to go. Beyond it, she could hear something faint.
A whisper.
Then another.
“Amara…”
Her mother’s voice.
She took a step forward.
Kael caught her wrist.
“Don’t.”
She looked at him.
“That’s my mother.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know her voice.”
“You haven’t heard her voice since you were a child.”
Amara’s expression hardened.
“And you have?”
Kael didn’t answer.
“Exactly.”
She pulled her hand away.
“You keep telling me what I should and shouldn’t do, but you won’t tell me anything.”
“Because I know what’s behind that door.”
“What?”
“Death.”
Amara stared at him.
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I wish I were.”
The whisper came again.
“Amara…”
This time, it sounded frightened.
“Please.”
Amara’s heart broke.
She stepped toward the doorway.
Kael moved in front of her.
“If that’s really your mother, why is she calling you from behind a sealed door?”
“Maybe she needs me.”
“Or maybe something wants you to believe she does.”
Amara looked past him.
“You’re scared.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised her.
“You’re actually scared.”
“I am.”
“Of what’s behind the door?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Kael looked at the silver symbol glowing above the doorway.
“Because this door doesn’t lead to the Moon Kingdom.”
“Then where does it lead?”
“The Shadow Realm.”
Amara’s stomach dropped.
“The place where the Shadow King lives?”
Kael nodded.
“Then why is my mother there?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you said she was taken by the Moon King.”
“She was.”
“Then how could she be in the Shadow Realm?”
Kael looked at her.
“That’s what we need to find out.”
Amara stared at him.
For once, he wasn’t stopping her.
He was asking her to wait.
That frightened her more.
“What happens if I open it?”
“We don’t know.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“We may never find your mother.”
Amara looked at the doorway.
Her entire life, she had believed her mother was dead.
Now, for the first time, there was a possibility that she wasn’t.
She couldn’t walk away.
“I have to go.”
Kael closed his eyes.
“I knew you would say that.”
“Then why did you try to stop me?”
“Because your mother made me promise to keep you away from this place.”
Amara’s eyes widened.
“When?”
“Seventeen years ago.”
“You promised her?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re breaking that promise?”
Kael looked at her.
“You’re not a child anymore.”
“Neither are you.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
“No. I suppose I’m not.”
Amara reached for the door.
Kael grabbed her hand.
“If we go through, you stay beside me.”
“Fine.”
“You don’t touch anything.”
“Fine.”
“You don’t follow any voices.”
“Fine.”
“You don’t trust anything you see.”
Amara looked at him.
“What if I see my mother?”
Kael’s expression softened.
“Especially then.”
The door opened completely.
A violent gust of wind swept through the chamber.
Amara shielded her face.
Kael grabbed her hand.
“Ready?”
“No.”
“Good.”
They stepped through.
The world changed.
Amara’s feet touched cold stone.
She looked around.
There was no forest.
No kingdom.
No people.
Only a vast landscape beneath a black sky.
A pale moon hung in the distance, but its light was strangely dark, almost purple.
Tall, twisted trees surrounded them.
Their branches moved even though there was no wind.
Amara shivered.
“Where are we?”
“The Shadow Realm.”
Kael’s voice was quiet.
Amara looked at him.
“You’ve been here before.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“Why?”
“To find your mother.”
Her heart stopped.
“You searched for her?”
“Yes.”
“Did you find her?”
Kael looked away.
“No.”
Amara felt a strange mixture of disappointment and anger.
“Then why did you bring me here?”
“I didn’t.”
She looked at him.
“What?”
“The door brought us.”
Behind them, the silver doorway had disappeared.
Amara’s eyes widened.
“We’re trapped.”
Kael turned around.
The door was gone.
“Not trapped.”
“Kael.”
“We just need to find another way back.”
“You said this was dangerous.”
“It is.”
“And you brought me here anyway.”
“I told you not to open the door.”
“You also came with me.”
“Because I’m not letting you go alone.”
The words were simple.
But something about them made Amara’s heart beat faster.
Before she could answer, a sound echoed through the forest.
A branch snapped.
Kael immediately pulled her closer.
“Stay behind me.”
“Again?”
“Please.”
Amara nodded.
They moved carefully between the trees.
After several minutes, Amara noticed something strange.
There were footprints in the mud.
Human footprints.
She crouched.
“Kael.”
He stopped.
“What?”
“Someone has been here.”
He examined the prints.
“They’re fresh.”
“Could it be my mother?”
“Maybe.”
Hope sparked in Amara’s chest.
They followed the footprints.
The deeper they went, the colder the forest became.
Then they reached a clearing.
In the center stood a small stone house.
Smoke rose from its chimney.
Amara stared.
“Someone lives here.”
Kael’s face became tense.
“Don’t move.”
“Why?”
He pointed toward the house.
A woman stood outside.
She had long dark hair.
A silver cloak covered her shoulders.
Amara couldn’t see her face clearly.
But she knew.
She knew before the woman even turned around.
“Mom?”
The woman slowly lifted her head.
Amara’s heart stopped.
It was her.
Older than the photograph.
Tired.
Pale.
But unmistakable.
Her mother.
Alive.
Amara took a step forward.
The woman looked directly at her.
Tears immediately filled her eyes.
“My little moon.”
Amara covered her mouth.
“Mom…”
She started running.
Kael caught her around the waist.
“Wait!”
“Let me go!”
“Something’s wrong.”
Her mother stood completely still.
She wasn’t smiling anymore.
Her eyes moved toward Kael.
Fear appeared on her face.
“Kael,” she whispered.
He stepped forward.
“Your Majesty.”
Amara froze.
Her mother looked at her.
Then at Kael.
Then toward the forest behind them.
“Why did you bring her here?”
Kael’s expression hardened.
“She opened the door.”
Her mother shook her head.
“No.”
“What?”
“She shouldn’t be here.”
Amara’s eyes filled with tears.
“Mom?”
Her mother looked at her.
“I’m sorry.”
A deep rumble shook the ground.
The trees around them began bending.
Her mother suddenly screamed.
“GET HER OUT OF HERE!”
Kael grabbed Amara’s hand.
“What is it?”
Her mother pointed toward the sky.
“It’s coming.”
The dark moon disappeared behind a mass of black clouds.
Something enormous moved above the forest.
Amara looked up.
Two silver eyes opened in the darkness.
Her mother whispered the words that made Amara’s blood run cold.
“The Shadow King has found his Moon Heart.”
Kael pulled Amara behind him.
And somewhere above them, something laughed.
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