The Moon's Chosen

The voice whispered in my head at midnight. "Come to me, Luna." I sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding so hard I thought it would c***k my ribs. The orphanage was silent. Twelve other girls slept in the room with me, their breathing soft and even. But the voice was back. The same voice that had called to me every full moon since I was five years old. "Come to me.... The time has come." It wasn't a sound. It was inside me. Like someone had pressed their lips to my ear and spoken directly into my bones. My hands were shaking. "Not tonight," I whispered. "Please, not tonight." But the pull was already there. In my chest. In my blood. Like invisible strings tied to the moon were yanking me out of bed. I threw off the thin blanket. The floor was ice cold against my bare feet. I moved carefully, stepping over sleeping bodies. Mara mumbled in her sleep. Lyra turned over but didn't wake. At the window, I paused. The moon was full tonight. Impossibly bright. It hung over Ashvale like a silver eye watching us. It had always watched me. Barefoot, I slipped out the window and dropped into the grass. Ashvale was too quiet. That was the first thing I noticed. No dogs barking. No crickets. No wind in the trees. Just moonlight pouring down like liquid silver, painting every rooftop white. Something was pulling me. West. Toward the forest. I didn't walk. I ran. My nightgown caught on brambles. Cold air bit at my skin. But I couldn't stop. The voice was getting louder. `"Hurry, Luna. Before it's too late."` The deeper I went, the brighter the moon became. The trees seemed to lean in, watching. I’d lived in Ashvale all my life. I knew every path, every trail. But I’d never been here before. The trees suddenly opened. A clearing. Perfectly round. Like something had burned it into the earth. In the center stood an ancient stone altar. Vines covered it, but they weren’t green. They glowed silver, pulsing like they had a heartbeat. The air shimmered. Cold. Electric. The hair on my arms stood up. Then she appeared. One moment the altar was empty. The next, a woman stood there. She was made of moonlight. Silver robes that moved even though there was no wind. A crown of stars on her head. Her skin glowed. But her eyes... her eyes were galaxies. Swirling. Infinite. My legs went weak. I fell to my knees without meaning to. "You have grown," she said. Her voice was like wind chimes and thunder at the same time. Soft, but it shook the ground. "You are Luna Ashford." My throat was so dry I could barely speak. "Who... who are you?" "I am the one who has waited a thousand years for you." She stepped down from the altar. Each step left a footprint of light in the grass. "The last Moon Chosen died protecting the crystal. The darkness broke free. Now the world needs a new guardian." "I’m nobody," I whispered. "I’m an orphan. I clean floors and sell flowers." "You are my daughter in spirit," she said. "And you are the only one who can stop him." Before I could ask who, the sky split open. A beam of moonlight shot down and swallowed me whole. Pain. God, the pain. It exploded across my left wrist like someone had pressed a brand to my skin. Burning. Freezing. Both at once. I screamed and hit my knees. The grass scorched under my hands. Visions flashed behind my eyes. A crystal. A throne of darkness. A man with red eyes laughing. Then it was over. The light vanished. I was gasping, shaking. On my left wrist was a glowing silver crescent moon. It pulsed in time with my heart. "The Moon Mark," the woman whispered. There was sadness in her voice now. "Destiny has chosen you." I clutched my wrist. It still burned. "I don't want destiny. I want my life back." Her face fell. "Few ever do, child. But you don't get to choose when the world needs you." The ground shook. BOOM. Not thunder. Something else. From the treeline came growls. Low. Hungry. Then smoke. Black smoke pouring across the grass like water. And eyes. Red eyes. Hundreds of them, appearing between the trees. Monsters crawled out of the shadows. They looked like wolves, but wrong. Their bodies were made of darkness, like someone had cut holes in the world. Claws like knives. Jaws that could crush stone. They sniffed the air. Then all those red eyes turned to me. "Shadow Beasts," the moon woman said. Her voice was calm now. Resigned. "They have hunted the Moon Chosen for centuries. They smell the mark. They have found you." I stumbled back. "What do I do?" "I can no longer remain in this world." She was already dissolving into silver light. Particles drifting up toward the moon. "You must run. But you are not alone." "No! Wait! Don't leave me!" "Trust the Guardian. Trust the moon." She was gone. And the beasts charged. I ran. I didn't think. I just ran. Branches ripped at my skin. Roots caught my ankles. Behind me I could hear them. Heavy breathing. Claws scraping dirt. One of them was fast. Too fast. I felt the rush of air as it leaped. Claws slashed past my shoulder, missing by an inch. I tripped. Hit the ground hard. The breath left my lungs. I rolled over. Surrounded. Five of them. Circling. Saliva dripping from their jaws. There was nowhere to run. One of them, bigger than the rest, opened its enormous jaws. I could see down its throat. "I'm going to die," I thought. "I'm going to die in a forest and no one will find me." SHING! A sound like a blade cutting air. A flash of silver. The big beast's head rolled across the ground and came to a stop by my feet. I screamed. Standing in front of me was a young man. Black cloak. Silver sword glowing with moonlight in his hand. Dark hair falling in his face. But it was his eyes that caught me. Piercing blue. Cold. Focused. He didn't even look at me. His eyes were on the other monsters. "Don't move," he said. His voice was calm. Like we were discussing the weather. "I won't let them touch you." Another beast lunged. He moved. I didn't even see it. One heartbeat and his sword came down. The beast fell in two pieces, dissolving into black smoke. Then another. And another. He fought like water. Flowing. No wasted movement. Within seconds the clearing was silent except for fading shadows and the sound of my own ragged breathing. He sheathed his sword. The glow faded. Then he turned to me. For the first time, he really looked at me. His eyes dropped to my wrist. They widened. Just a fraction. "The Moon Mark," he breathed. I was still on the ground, shaking. I clutched my wrist to my chest. "You know what this is?" He crouched down, but didn't touch me. Up close I could see a scar cutting through his left eyebrow. "Yes." He looked up at the moon, then back at me. His jaw was tight. "My name is Kael Nightshade." He stood and offered me his hand. I stared at it. "The prophecy has finally begun, Luna Ashford." I didn't take his hand. "And the Shadow King is already coming for you."