The Last Moonborn

Chapter One: The Blood Moon The moon turned red the night Amara Vale learned that monsters were real. For twenty-two years, she had heard stories about them. Her grandmother used to whisper about creatures that lived beyond the Blackwood Forest. She spoke of witches who could command fire, wolves that walked on two legs beneath a full moon, and kings who had ruled kingdoms that no longer existed. Amara had never believed any of it. People in her village had a habit of turning ordinary things into legends. A strange light in the forest became a witch. A missing goat became the work of a beast. A storm became the anger of an ancient god. Amara had always considered those stories harmless. Until tonight. She stood outside her family's small wooden house, staring at the sky. The moon was enormous. And red. Not orange. Not pale pink. Red. Deep, bloody red. Amara slowly lowered the basket of herbs hanging from her arm. "Grandmother?" There was no answer. She looked toward the house. The windows were dark. That was strange. Her grandmother never slept before Amara returned from gathering herbs. Amara stepped toward the door. "Grandmother?" Still nothing. She pushed the door open. The room was empty. The cooking fire had gone out. A bowl of soup sat untouched on the table. Amara's stomach tightened. "Grandmother?" She dropped the basket. The herbs scattered across the floor. Something was wrong. She moved deeper into the house, checking the small bedroom. Empty. The back room. Empty. Then she heard it. A sound outside. A low growl. Amara froze. The sound came again. Closer. She slowly turned toward the window. Two golden eyes stared at her from the darkness. Amara screamed. The creature disappeared. She stumbled backward, knocking over a chair. "What was that?" Her breathing became shallow. She grabbed the nearest thing she could find—a wooden cooking spoon. It was ridiculous. She knew it was ridiculous. But fear rarely cared about logic. She approached the window. Nothing. Only darkness. Only the village beyond it. Amara exhaled. Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe— A scream tore through the night. Amara's blood went cold. Another scream followed. Then another. She ran outside. The village was burning. Flames climbed the roofs of houses. People were running through the streets. Children cried. Men carried swords and farming tools. Something huge moved between the houses. Amara stared. Her hand covered her mouth. It had the body of a wolf. But it was much larger. Almost the size of a horse. Its fur was black, its claws long enough to tear through wood, and its eyes glowed gold. Then another creature appeared. And another. "Run!" someone shouted. Amara turned. A man sprinted toward her. "Amara! Get into the forest!" "What about my grandmother?" "There's no time!" "Where is she?" The man's expression changed. He looked away. Amara understood. "No." She shook her head. "No, where is she?" The man grabbed her arm. "Amara, you have to go!" A roar interrupted them. The creature jumped over a burning house. The man pushed Amara away. "RUN!" She ran. She didn't know where she was going. She only knew she had to survive. She sprinted toward the edge of the village, tears filling her eyes. Her grandmother was missing. Her home was burning. And creatures from children's stories were hunting people in the streets. She reached the forest. For one second, she hesitated. Everyone in Elaria knew the Blackwood Forest was forbidden after sunset. People who entered sometimes never returned. But behind her was death. Ahead was darkness. She chose the darkness. Amara ran between the trees. Branches scratched her arms. Roots caught her feet. She fell once, scraping her palm against a rock. She got back up. She kept running. Behind her came the sounds of pursuit. Growling. Heavy footsteps. Branches snapping. They were following her. Amara pushed harder. Her lungs burned. Her heart pounded. She didn't know how long she had been running when something struck her from behind. She fell. Pain exploded through her shoulder. She rolled onto her back. The creature stood above her. It was enormous. Its claws slowly extended. Amara raised her hands. "Please..." The creature snarled. She closed her eyes. The world became silent. Then something inside her awakened. A warmth spread through her chest. At first, it felt like a small flame. Then it became fire. Amara gasped. Silver light burst from her body. The creature screamed. It jumped backward. Amara stared at her hands. They were glowing. Silver symbols appeared across her skin. They began at her fingertips and crawled up her arms like living veins. "What..." The creature charged. Amara screamed. The light exploded. A wave of silver energy struck the creature and sent it flying through the trees. It crashed into a massive oak. The forest became silent. Amara stared at the unconscious beast. She couldn't breathe. "What did I just do?" A voice answered from behind her. "Something you were never supposed to do." Amara spun around. A man stood between the trees. He wore black armor. A long sword hung at his side. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, as though he had ridden through the forest for hours. But it was his eyes that frightened her. They were silver. Cold. Beautiful. And completely emotionless. He looked at the creature. Then at Amara. His expression changed. For the first time, surprise appeared in his eyes. "You." Amara stepped backward. "Who are you?" The stranger walked toward her. "Prince Kael Draven." Amara's heart stopped. Everyone knew that name. Kael Draven. The Shadow Prince. Heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Veyr. The man villagers described as merciless. The prince who had supposedly executed an entire rebel army without showing mercy. The prince whose kingdom had been at war with Elaria for generations. Amara swallowed. "What do you want?" Kael stopped a few feet away. His eyes remained fixed on the silver markings covering her arms. "That depends." "On what?" "Whether you know what you are." Amara stared at him. "I don't know what you're talking about." Kael slowly drew his sword. Moonlight reflected against the black blade. Amara stepped backward. "Why are you drawing your sword?" "Because I was ordered to kill you." Her heart dropped. "But..." Kael raised the blade. His expression remained unreadable. "The Moonborn was supposed to have died twenty-two years ago." Amara's breath caught. "Moonborn?" The word felt strangely familiar. Kael studied her face. Then he looked at the markings again. "Your mother hid you well." Amara shook her head. "My mother died when I was a baby." "She didn't." Silence. "What?" Kael lowered his sword slightly. "Your mother is alive." Amara felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath her. "No." "Yes." "My grandmother told me she died." "Your grandmother lied." Amara's eyes filled with tears. "You're lying." Kael's expression hardened. "I don't have to lie." He stepped closer. "The entire kingdom has been searching for you." "Why?" "Because people believe the last Moonborn will destroy the kingdom." Amara looked at the silver markings on her hands. "I don't understand." "You will." A distant roar shook the forest. Kael immediately turned. More creatures were approaching. Dozens. His hand tightened around his sword. "We have to leave." Amara didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Kael looked at her. "If you stay here, you'll be dead before sunrise." "I don't trust you." "You shouldn't." He walked past her. Then stopped. Without looking back, he said: "But if you want answers about your mother, your grandmother, and why your entire bloodline was erased from history..." He glanced over his shoulder. "Come with me." Amara stared at him. She wanted to refuse. She wanted to run. But then she remembered her grandmother. Her mother's face, which she barely remembered. The strange silver markings on her skin. And the creature that had nearly killed her. She followed him. Neither of them noticed the shadow watching them from the trees. A figure stood beneath the branches, hidden beneath a dark hood. The stranger watched Kael lead Amara away. Then the figure smiled. "The Moonborn has awakened." A second voice whispered from the darkness. "And the Shadow Prince has found her." The hooded figure looked toward the blood-red moon. "Then the prophecy has begun." Deep beneath the earth, something ancient opened its eyes. The ground trembled. A voice older than kingdoms whispered through the darkness. "Find my daughter." Then everything went silent. Far away, Amara walked beside the prince who had been sent to kill her. She didn't know that before the next moonrise, she would discover that her entire life had been a lie. And she certainly didn't know that the man walking beside her was destined to either save her... or destroy her.