VELASTRA : The Prince Beyond the Broken Moon

Ash fell like grey snow over the Sunken Rift. Kaelen pulled his cloak tight, staring up at the three massive fragments of the broken moon. A sharp pain gripped his chest. He pressed a gloved hand to his throat, feeling the raised silver veins of the Moon-blight beneath his skin. Every time he used his magic, it stole a little more of his life. He coughed violently, leaving a smear of glowing silver blood on his leather glove. "You talk to the sky often?" a voice cut through the wind. Kaelen turned. A young woman in ash-grey travel clothes stood among the rocks. Her amber eyes were sharp, evaluating him. Her hand rested on the hilt of a hunting knife. "I talk to whatever listens," Kaelen replied, his voice ragged. "Then choose better company," she said, drawing her blade and pointing it at his throat. "State your name." "Why?" Kaelen asked, entirely unfazed. "So I know what to call you when I bury you." "Kaelen." Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Kaelen what? No family name?" "Not one I use," he replied softly. "It keeps conversations short." "Not with me." Before she could press further, a heavy war-horn bellowed from the valley below. Loose stones clattered down the cliffs as the rhythmic, metallic footsteps of iron war-golems echoed up the gorge. Lyra glanced over her shoulder, her grip tightening on the knife. "They found you," Kaelen observed. "They found both of us," Lyra snapped. "You were already being hunted." "Then you should have chosen a better place to stand." Kaelen moved his hand beneath his cloak. "Draw that sword," Lyra warned, stepping into his space, "and I will open your throat before you finish the motion." "If I wanted to draw it, you wouldn't have time to warn me." Kaelen held her gaze, refusing to back down. "Count the soldiers." Lyra listened to the marching boots. "Thirty. Maybe more. And three war-golems." "I can feel their corrupted magic from here," Kaelen muttered, rubbing his chest. "Good. I enjoy knowing someone else is having a worse evening," Lyra said, backing toward a narrow gap in the cliffs. "Move. Away from the army." "You are giving orders now?" "I am giving you one chance to stay alive. I'm Lyra, by the way." "I do not run, Lyra." "You're standing by a cliff with an army behind you. You're running, just with a better vocabulary." Kaelen sighed and followed her into the narrow passage. As they climbed over a ruined stone wall, another violent coughing fit shook him. Lyra stopped and looked back. "You're slowing down. How bad is it?" "I am touched by your concern," Kaelen wheezed, leaning heavily against the cold rock. "I'm concerned your corpse will block the path. What is that curse?" She pointed at the silver stains on his mouth. "Moon-blight. The royal bloodline’s disease." "The Empire says it's just dead magic. A reason to burn villages like mine," Lyra said. Her voice dropped, filled with a sudden, bitter edge. "Silver Ash had a reason too. They claimed we were hiding lunar relics." "Were you?" Kaelen asked softly. "We were hiding children." Kaelen looked away. The sharp, defensive tension between them softened into a shared, heavy silence. Lyra unhooked a small canteen from her belt and shoved it into his chest. "Drink." "Poison?" Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "Water. If you collapse, I have to carry you, and you look heavy. Drink it before I change my mind." Kaelen took a small sip. As he handed it back, his eyes locked onto a faint, pure glow coming from Lyra’s pocket. "You purified an imperial shard," Kaelen said, stepping closer. "Show me." "No." Lyra stepped back, raising her knife again. "I picked up a stone from a dead scout. That's all." "The Vanguard isn't tracking you, Lyra. They are tracking the resonance of that shard." Before she could argue, a blinding red beam shattered the stone wall directly above them. "Down!" Lyra yelled, grabbing Kaelen’s sleeve and pulling him into the dirt. Dust rained down on them. A deep, magically amplified voice echoed through the canyon. "Lyra of Silver Ash! You have nowhere left to run." Lyra froze, her breath hitching. "He knows your name," Kaelen whispered. "Commander Vane," Lyra muttered, her amber eyes wide. "The Emperor’s Hound. He knows everyone's name before he kills them." "Surrender the shard, girl!" Vane shouted. "The prince will not protect you." Lyra slowly turned her head to stare at Kaelen. "Prince? You're a prince? You let me threaten a prince?" "You didn't ask my title," Kaelen replied defensively. "You asked my name." "Your title matters! I need to know how expensive your corpse is going to be!" Despite the danger, Kaelen let out a short, rough laugh. "Was that a laugh?" Lyra blinked in surprise. "Do not tell anyone. Come on, there's a tunnel ahead." Kaelen pointed to a dark c***k in the cliff face. They squeezed into the narrow tunnel. Outside, armored boots marched past. Lyra pulled the glowing silver shard from her pocket. The light danced across a constellation-shaped birthmark on her forearm. "Put it away," Kaelen hissed, clutching his chest. "It's calling the Vanguard." "It feels calm," Lyra argued, staring at the stone. "Tell me the truth. Why are you searching for these moon fragments?" "To end the Moon-blight." "And if you do? The Lunar Court returns? The same court that abandoned everyone?" "They were destroyed before they could help," Kaelen said, his voice tight. "You dislike princes." "I dislike people who inherit power and call their failures destiny." "Then you will dislike me often," Kaelen accepted quietly. "But right now, I need that shard. I need its resonance." "You need to ask better." "Please. I am ill, and they are coming." Lyra hesitated, then nodded. The mark on her arm began to glow in rhythm with the stone. "When I tell you to drop, drop," Kaelen commanded. "Why?" "Because I am about to do something reckless. Drop!" Lyra threw herself flat against the tunnel floor. Kaelen slammed his bare hand against the stone wall, drawing on the Lunar Resonance. Silver light exploded from his palm, linking directly with the shard in Lyra's hand. Outside, the war-golems froze. Their corrupted red eyes flickered and shattered. One golem violently swung its massive iron arm, crushing three Vanguard soldiers against the cliff. "How long can you hold them?" Lyra yelled over the chaos. "Count to ten!" Kaelen gasped, falling to his knees as the silver veins rapidly crawled up his neck, glowing brightly. "Stop!" Lyra grabbed his hand, pressing the shard directly into his palm. "You're killing yourself!" "What are you doing?" Kaelen tried to pull away. "Sharing the load!" Their magic slammed together. The wild silver light stabilized. For a split second, their minds connected. Lyra felt Kaelen's agonizing physical pain, his deep isolation, and his desperate fear of failing his people. Kaelen felt the intense heat of Silver Ash burning, a child hiding under floorboards, and ten years of raw, pure anger. Lyra yanked her hand back, breaking the connection, chest heaving. "You saw nothing." "Neither did you," Kaelen breathed, his face pale. Outside, the massive golems finally collapsed into scrap iron. Commander Vane stood in the ruins, unharmed. "This changes nothing!" he bellowed. "It changes your evening!" Lyra shouted back, raising her middle finger toward the canyon. Kaelen grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the upper path. "Survival first. Vengeance later." They ran through the howling wind and ash. Lyra stumbled on a loose rock, and Kaelen quickly caught her waist to keep her from falling. She immediately pushed him off. "Warn me before you do that." "You were falling." "I was testing the ground. Keep your hands to yourself." She brushed off her coat, her sharp glare softening just a fraction. "Where are we going?" "To Whispering Ridge," Kaelen said, catching his breath. "I have a contact there. They have food. But if you betray me, prince, I will kill you." "If you betray me, I will be disappointed," Kaelen replied, meeting her eyes. "And then I will kill you. We have an agreement?" "A temporary arrangement," Lyra corrected, a faint smirk touching her lips. "Don't ruin the moment." They stepped into the dark ravine side by side. High above, the broken moon watched in silence, waiting. ~~~