Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 28

Kyros

I needed to clear my mind. My mother's tear-streaked face was a haunting image, a rare display of vulnerability from the female who was a force of nature both on and off the battlefield. I'd only seen her weep a handful of times, and each instance was etched into my memory with painful clarity. It was her strength, her unwavering spirit, that had inspired me to become a warrior, to hone my own power, to fight for what I believed in.

The scorching sun beat down on me as I walked, my anger a simmering heat that mirrored the desert landscape. I longed for the familiar feel of Cara beneath me, her powerful strides eating up the miles, but my Wrioron companion was gone, lost in the chaos that had engulfed our world.

A shadow passed overhead, and my head snapped upwards. I recognized the silhouette instantly: Ferro, Raedon's monstrous mount, descending from the sky with a predatory grace. The Phailel's talons dug into the sand, sending a swirl of dust spiraling into the air. Raedon dismounted, his wicked smile, a chilling contrast to the harsh beauty of the desert. My teeth gritted with annoyance.

"Brother," Raedon sneered, his voice dripping with malice. His tan leathers gleamed in the pink sun as dusk approached.

"Rae," I growled, my voice a low rumble. My fists clenched, knuckles white, and the air around me crackled with the barely contained power of magic.

"What troubles you, brother?" Raedon asked, his voice dripping with a venomous mockery that made my skin crawl. He raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, his lips curving into a sneer. "Have you come to claim vengeance for dear, departed Kaelen?"

"I was actually looking for Cara," I said, my voice dangerously low. "Know anything about her being gone?"

Raedon let out a harsh laugh. "That wicked beast?" he scoffed. "She tried to rip me to shreds when I valiantly attempted to rescue Kaelen from the clutches of that moon bitch." He brushed a speck of dust from his leather vest, his gesture a calculated display of arrogance. "Father had all those monstrous lizards slaughtered. They were far too unpredictable, far too dangerous."

My fists were clenched, my knuckles white. Phoenix is not my father. The thought echoed in my mind, a stark reminder of the lies that had shaped my life, the betrayal that had shattered my family. I could feel the heat of my flames building within me, a burning inferno threatening to erupt. I needed to play it cool, to gather more information, to expose Raedon's treachery and avenge Kaelen's death.

"Is that so?" I replied, my voice carefully neutral. "What a shame. Cara was a loyal companion." I turned away, my gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape, but my mind was racing, piecing together the fragments of truth, the clues that would lead me to Estella.

"Loyalties can shift," Raedon hissed, his voice a venomous whisper that sent a shiver down my spine. He circled me, his eyes glinting with malice, like a predator stalking its prey. I felt a chill run down my spine, a primal warning that danger was near. I glanced over my shoulder, but the darkness of the brambles offered no clues, no sign of a hidden threat.

I forced myself to focus on Raedon, my own eyes narrowing. "What are you implying?" I growled, his voice low and dangerous. His words were laced with a veiled threat, a sinister undertone that made my instincts scream for caution.

Raedon smirked, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "I wonder," he mused, "Did you and Mother bond over your shared love for the Tenebrian fae? Did you share tales of how you spread your legs for our enemy? Not that I can blame you, that princess was a delectable creature."

My blood boiled and the anger got the better of me. I lunged forward, my fist raised, aiming for his smug face, but Raedon was quicker, dodging the blow with an ease that belied his slender frame. A surge of anger coursed through me, fueling my power, the flames within me roaring to life.

The desert air crackled with tension as Raedon and I circled each other; our eyes locked in a silent battle. Raedon, his form flickering with the raw power of lightning, struck first, a bolt of electricity arcing towards me with a speed that made my hair stand on end. I, however, was ready. I sidestepped the attack, my own magic surging through my veins, a shield of heat forming around me just in time to deflect the deadly bolt.

"Missed me, brother," I taunted, a smirk playing on my lips. He may have been faster, but I was stronger, my fire a force to be reckoned with.

I countered with a wave of flames, a wall of fire surging towards Raedon with a roar. But my brother was quick, springing forward just as the flames encircled him. The scent of brunt leather filled the air as he launched himself at me, his fist crackling with lightning, connecting with my chest with a sickening thud. I staggered back, the air knocked from my lungs, my vision blurring. My chest tightened and throbbed at the jolt of electricity he sent into my heart. My body was thrumming, my chest painfully tight.

Raedon pressed his advantage; his gaze filled with a predatory hunger. He towered over my hunched form, relishing in my struggle to draw breath. I cursed myself for not anticipating his cheap shot. My magic thrummed in my blood, surging to answer my pleas. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall. I gritted my teeth, pushing myself upwards just as Raedon's foot whipped towards my face.

I caught his ankle, twisting it with a sharp jerk, sending him sprawling to the ground, his ankle snapped, and he screamed out. With a growl, I rolled, pinning him beneath me, my weight a heavy pressure on his chest. I pressed my forearm against his throat, flames licking at the sand around us, a warning of the power I held in reserve. My teeth were bared and I fought the urge to rip out his throat with my elongated canines.

Raedon's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of fear momentarily replacing his arrogance. He struggled against my weight, but I was stronger, fueled by a righteous fury that gave me an almost superhuman strength. "Too bad Kaelen didn't have any of that fae strength to save him," Raedon spat, his voice strained. "I always knew you were a bastard."

The insult, though meant to wound, only fueled my anger. "You killed him," I snarled, pressing harder against my brother's throat. "You murdered Kaelen, you treacherous snake."

But Raedon, ever the viper, had a hidden weapon. He twisted, his hand darting towards his boot. A glint of silver flashed in the sunlight as he pulled a dagger free and plunged it into my side.

A searing pain exploded through my body, my grip loosening as a gasp escaped my lips. He had caught me off guard, the bastard. Raedon, seizing the opportunity, wrenched himself free, the dagger twisting deeper into my flesh as he shoved me off him. He rolled away, scrambling to his feet, his chest heaving, his eyes wild with a mixture of fear and triumph.

I stumbled back, my vision swimming. The dagger had pierced a lung, but it was the burning in my side that was the main cause of concern. Poison. I had underestimated my brother, his cruelty, his desperation. He was truly Pheonix’s son, a viper through and through.

Raedon wiped my blood off the blade onto the fabric of his leathers, staining the tan leather crimson as he prowled closer, a predator savoring his victory. He slipped the blade back into its sheath, the weapon already doing its deadly work.

I struggled to my feet, my body aching, my vision blurring. I turned to face him, my eyes burning with fierce determination. I would not go down without a fight. I pushed against the poison coursing through my veins.

The two of us circled each other, our every move a dance of life and death, a macabre waltz in the heart of the desert.

"Poison," I rasped, my breaths wet and ragged, the taste of blood filling my mouth. "Really, Raedon? You resort to poison?" I clutched my side, willing my flame to my palm in an attempt to slow the bleeding, to cauterize the wound. But the poison was already coursing through my veins, sapping my strength, dimming my fire.

"You should have stayed in the East, brother," Raedon sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "This is what happens when you defy me. This is what happens when you try to take what's mine."

Raedon, fueled by a twisted sense of triumph, launched himself at me, his fist crackling with lightning. I parried the blow, my own fire magic surging through my veins, a desperate attempt to defend myself against his relentless assault. But with each exchange, I grew weaker, the wound in my side a constant drain on my strength, the poison seeping through my veins like a venomous serpent.

Raedon, sensing his advantage, pressed his attack. He unleashed a flurry of blows, each one more vicious than the last, a storm of lightning that battered my defenses, pushing me closer to the edge. I struggled to defend myself, my movements slow and labored, my vision blurring with each passing moment.

I stumbled back, my back colliding with the thorny brambles, the sharp thorns tearing at my flesh, adding to the agony that pulsed through my body. The poison was winning, its icy grip tightening around my heart, extinguishing the flames that had once burned so brightly within me.

Raedon advanced, his eyes glinting with cold, predatory gleam. He raised his fist, ready to deliver the final blow, the killing strike that would end my life, extinguish my flame forever.

But just as he was about to strike, the wall behind me moved. The brambles twisted and slithered, their thorns retracting, their branches parting, until a decent-sized hole appeared beside us, a gateway to the shadowy depths of the forbidden forest.

A low guttural growl emanated from the hole, a sound that sent shivers down my spine and made the hairs on my arms stand on end. It was a primal sound, filled with a power and menace that I had never encountered before. Darkness seemed to leak from the gap, swirling and coiling like a living entity, its presence a chilling contrast to the harsh sunlight of the desert.

I leaned against the brambles, my hand clutching at the bleeding wound in my side. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I gritted my teeth against the pain that throbbed through my body, the poison seeping through my veins. I fought the urge to close my eyes.

I watched as Raedon, his face contorted with a mixture of fear and fury, limped backward. Fear. Actual, unadulterated fear. I had never seen my brother so vulnerable, so utterly defeated. The sight of him cowering before the darkness, the power that emanated from the opening in the barrier, filled me with grim satisfaction.

Raedon turned and fled, his whistle echoing through the desolate landscape, a desperate cry for escape. The massive Phailel, Ferro, swooped down, its talons outstretched, and grasped Raedon's arms, lifting him into the air before disappearing into the vast expanse of Eloria.

My breath came in ragged gasps, each one a struggle against the pain that lanced through my side. I turned towards the border, my vision blurring, my body swaying. A form emerged from the depths of the shadows, and my heart skipped a beat.

Estella.

My heart leaped in my chest, a surge of warmth flooding through me, momentarily eclipsing the pain. She stood bathed in the soft light of the setting sun, her snow-white fur radiating a fierce beauty, her violet eyes blazing with a mixture of hatred and protectiveness as she watched Raedon flee. Then, the large Haccu's gaze shifted to me, and the anger melted away, replaced by a wave of concern that made my heart ache.

With a flash of light, the wolf-like creature transformed, and Estella, clad in a simple tunic and trousers, rushed towards me. Her hands hovered over my wound, her touch gentle as she assessed the damage, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief and despair.

My lips moved, forming the shape of her name, a silent plea escaping into the dry desert air.

"Estella," I tried to whisper, but my voice was lost in the rasping cough that tore through my throat. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, a bitter taste of defeat and despair. Raedon must have nicked my lung.

Her head shifted, as if scenting the poison turning my blood to a boiling acid. Her eyes widened in alarm, her touch growing more frantic as she pressed her hands against my wound, trying to stem the flow of blood, to hold back the darkness that threatened to consume me.

I reached out a trembling hand, my fingers brushing against the black fabric that concealed the lower half of her face. I wanted to see her, to truly see her, to memorize every detail of her face, to imprint her image in my mind forever. But my vision blurred, and a wave of darkness washed over me, dragging me down into its depths.

I slumped against the brambles, my consciousness fading, the world around me dissolving into a hazy blur of colors and sounds. The last thing I saw was Estella's face, etched with worry, her tears falling like diamonds onto my skin, her voice a desperate cry that echoed through the fading light.

“Kyros!”

Her cry echoed in the distance as I slipped into the darkness, the warmth of her touch, the scent of her lavender and pine, the only solace in the face of oblivion.