The Map Beneath the Moon

EPISODE 3

SHADOWS IN THE VILLGAE

Aren followed the girl down the muddy slope, but the questions inside his mind moved faster than his feet.

The stream rushed beside them, silver beneath the moonlight. The forest had grown strangely quiet again, except for the distant howls of the shadow hunter. Every time the sound echoed between the trees, the girl looked over her shoulder.

Aren finally stopped. “I am not going anywhere until you tell me who you are.”

The girl continued walking. “You will go if you want to survive.”

“My grandmother is still in the village.”

“She told you to run.”

“She could be hurt.”

“She could be dead.”

Aren grabbed her arm and forced her to stop. “Do not say that.”

The girl looked at his hand until he released her.

“My name is Liora,” she said. “And your grandmother is stronger than you think. If she is still alive, she will find a way to escape.”

“You know her?”

“I knew your parents.”

The forest seemed to close around them.

Aren stared at her. “You knew my parents?”

Liora nodded. “Your mother was named Selene. Your father was Cael. They were guardians of the hidden kingdom.”

“My grandmother told me they disappeared.”

“They did disappear, but not in the way you believe.”

Aren’s hand tightened around the map. “What happened to them?”

“Your father was captured. Your mother entered the shadow realm to rescue him.”

“And they never came back?”

“No.”

Aren lowered his eyes. For years, he had imagined his parents leaving because they did not want him. His grandmother had never corrected him. She had simply told him that some questions were too dangerous to ask.

Now, the truth seemed even worse than abandonment.

“What does that have to do with me?” he asked.

Liora glanced at the mark on his wrist. “Everything.”

Before Aren could demand another explanation, a horn sounded from the direction of the village.

Liora’s expression hardened.

“What is that?” Aren asked.

“The warning horn.”

“Why are they sounding it?”

“Because the shadow hunters have entered the village.”

Aren looked back through the trees. Beyond the branches, a faint orange glow flickered against the night sky.

Fire.

He stepped toward the village.

Liora caught his shoulder. “You cannot go back.”

“My grandmother is there.”

“Your grandmother gave you the map because she knew this would happen.”

“She never gave it to me. I found it.”

Liora frowned. “Then it awakened by itself.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the gate is opening sooner than we expected.”

Aren pulled away from her. “I do not care about your gate. My grandmother needs help.”

He turned and began climbing the slope.

Liora moved in front of him. “If you return, the shadow hunters will follow you. They are not attacking the village because they want the villagers. They are searching for you.”

Aren looked past her. The orange glow had become brighter. Smoke rose above the trees.

“Why me?” he whispered.

“Because you are the lost heir of Eldoria.”

The words struck him harder than the cold rain.

Aren almost laughed, but nothing about Liora’s face seemed amusing.

“That is impossible.”

“Your parents hid you in the human world when Lord Veyr conquered the kingdom. They sealed your memory and placed a mark on your wrist. The mark protected you until the map awakened.”

Aren shook his head. “I am not a prince. I live in a small village. I repair fences, gather firewood, and help my grandmother sell herbs.”

“You are still the heir.”

Another horn sounded.

This time, it was followed by screaming.

Aren looked toward the village, his whole body trembling.

Liora drew her sword. “We have to leave now.”

Aren wanted to argue, but the map suddenly grew hot. A bright image appeared across its surface. He saw his grandmother standing inside a ring of silver fire. Behind her, the shadow creature raised one long arm.

Then the image disappeared.

“She is alive,” Aren said.

“For now.”

Aren turned toward the mountains. “Then we find the hidden kingdom. We find a way to save her.”

Liora nodded once.

Together, they left the stream and entered the deeper forest.

Behind them, Aren’s village burned beneath the dark sky. Ahead, the mountains rose like black towers, and somewhere beneath them waited a kingdom that had been hidden for seventeen years.

Liora walked silently beside him.

At last, Aren asked, “What happens if I refuse to become this heir?”

Liora looked at the glowing mark on his wrist.

“Then the darkness will choose for you.”