Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 18

Estella

I slid from Cara's back, my legs wobbling as I landed on the scorching sand. The sun beat down on me, my skin prickling with a painful burn. Cara, her eyes filled with a deep sadness, nudged my hand with her snout before turning and disappearing back into the shimmering haze of the desert.

Alone and heartbroken, I crumpled to the ground, my sobs echoing across the desolate landscape. The sand clung to my torn, blood-stained face, a gritty reminder of the harsh reality I now faced. My family was gone.

Kaelen was gone. And Kyros... I couldn't bear to think about what might have become of him. This was all my fault. All my fault. I bowed my head and screamed into the sand, the sand clinging to the raw s***h on my face.

The world seemed to have shrunk, the vibrant colors of Tenebris and the harsh glare of the sun fading into a dull, monochromatic haze. All that remained was the crushing weight of grief, the suffocating emptiness that threatened to consume me.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke through my despair, and I looked up to see Proteus and his guards racing towards me, their faces etched with panic. The scent of Thallia, faint but unmistakable, clung to Proteus, a reminder of another life lost, another wound in my already shattered heart.

I surged to my feet and lunged for him, my arms outstretched, and he caught me in a fierce embrace, his warmth a momentary solace in my overwhelming grief. His body stiffened as he scented the blood on me. The blood that was both mine and not.

"Estella," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank Goddess you're alive."

I clung to him, my tears soaking his tunic, my body trembling with the force of my sobs. He held me close, his strength a comforting anchor in the storm of my despair.

"They're dead, Proteus," I whispered, my voice broken. "They're all dead."

Proteus's eyes widened in horror, his gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape, searching for any sign of his mate. With a grim nod, he lifted me into his arms, my weight a feather against his strength. He carried me across the shimmering border, back into the cool embrace of Tenebris. The guards followed closely behind, their weapons drawn, bodies stiff.

As we crossed the threshold, the forest around us erupted in a display of raw power. Vines, thick as trees, snaked out from the undergrowth, their thorns glinting menacingly in the moonlight. Trees twisted and groaned, their branches intertwining to form an impenetrable barrier. A green mist, thick and suffocating, rose from the ground, obscuring the shimmer in a shroud of magic.

A barrier of thick brambles and thorns blocked out all the light from the horrible world on the other side.

Queen Vega's fury was palpable, her grief and rage transforming the very landscape into a weapon, a shield against the treachery of Pheonix Trevino. The message was clear: Tenebris would not be violated again.

I clung to Proteus, my body trembling with a mixture of fear and awe. The power of my mother's magic was breathtaking, a force of nature unleashed in its full fury. It was a sight I had never witnessed before, a raw display of power that sent shivers down my spine.

At least now I was safe.