Chapter 12: The Lock and the Key
691 Words
We ran.
Boots pounded against the narrow stone steps as the chamber shook behind us. Every breath burned my lungs. The Moonstone pulsed in my hand, warm and alive, its silver glow slipping between my fingers like moonlight through water.
Behind us, the ancient chamber groaned.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
"They're above us!" someone shouted.
"Seal the exit!"
"They've taken it!"
The voices echoed through the tunnel, growing louder with every step.
Caleb reached the top first.
The old iron door burst open.
Two Blackwood guards stood outside with silver blades already drawn.
Neither hesitated.
The first guard lunged.
Caleb met him head-on.
Steel screamed against silver as the guard's blade slashed toward Caleb's throat. Caleb twisted sideways, caught the man's wrist, and drove his elbow into the guard's neck with enough force to send him crashing into the stone wall.
The second guard came for me.
I froze.
Not from fear.
From instinct.
The Moonstone flared inside my palm.
Heat surged through my arm before I could stop it.
Silver light exploded from the stone.
The blast struck the guard square in the chest.
He flew backward through the air as though an invisible giant had struck him, crashing into the abandoned coal bins with a sickening crack.
Silence.
Then pain.
A sharp ache stabbed behind my eyes.
The world tilted violently.
Warm liquid trickled beneath my nose.
Blood.
My knees buckled.
Strong hands caught me before I hit the ground.
Caleb.
"Aria."
His voice sounded distant.
"You pushed too much power through the stone."
"I'm fine."
"You are bleeding."
I wiped beneath my nose.
My fingers came away crimson.
The Moonstone dimmed immediately, as though satisfied with the price it had taken.
Caleb's jaw tightened.
"I told you power always demands something."
"I know."
"But next time," he said quietly, "let me carry the danger."
I managed a weak smile.
"We both know I won't."
For a heartbeat, the corner of his mouth almost lifted.
Then the alarm bells began.
The first bell rang from the watchtower.
Another answered from the western wall.
Within seconds the entire Blackwood estate erupted into chaos.
Torches blazed to life across the courtyard.
Wolves poured from every doorway.
"The Moonborn!"
"Find them!"
"Seal every exit!"
Caleb grabbed my hand.
"Move."
We sprinted across the courtyard.
Arrows sliced through the darkness.
One buried itself in the dirt inches from my foot.
Another tore through Caleb's sleeve without slowing him.
His grip never loosened.
Ahead, Reyna emerged from the shadows with the three scouts.
"I've cleared the east passage!" she shouted.
"This way!"
The scouts collided with the pursuing guards, buying us precious seconds.
Steel clashed.
Growls echoed.
The courtyard dissolved into battle.
Caleb didn't look back.
Neither did I.
We reached the old eastern wall.
Time had rotted the wooden reinforcement beneath its stone frame.
Caleb shoved me behind him.
"Cover your ears."
He shifted halfway.
Bones cracked beneath his skin.
Black claws burst from his hands.
With a thunderous roar, he slammed both fists into the weakened wall.
The ancient timber exploded outward.
Stone collapsed.
Cold night air rushed through the opening.
"Go!"
We slipped through the breach and disappeared into the forest.
Behind us, a calm voice drifted across the night.
"Running already?"
Every muscle in my body locked.
Richard.
He stood on the highest balcony of Blackwood Manor, dressed in black, his hands folded behind his back.
He wasn't angry.
He wasn't shouting.
He was smiling.
His pale eyes settled on the Moonstone in my hand.
Recognition flashed across his face.
Then satisfaction.
"So..."
His voice carried effortlessly across the courtyard.
"Lira trusted you to find it."
Caleb stepped slightly in front of me.
Richard laughed softly.
"Run, little Moonborn."
His smile widened.
"You may steal the stone..."
He paused.
"...but destiny has never belonged to those who run from it."
For one terrifying second our eyes met.
I saw no rage.
Only certainty.
As though this...
...had always been part of his plan.
Caleb squeezed my hand.
"We're leaving."
This time I didn't hesitate.
We disappeared into the trees while the bells of Blackwood continued to ring behind us.
- Writer
