The Moon's Chosen

THE WARRIOR'S SECRET

Midnight came fast.

I told Sister Miriam I had a headache and went to bed early. Then I waited until the orphanage was silent. Until Lyra’s breathing was deep and even.

Then I climbed out the window again.

Kael was already on the hill. Sitting on the same rock, but this time he wasn’t cleaning his sword. He was staring at the moon.

"You came," he said when I stepped into the clearing.

"I said I would."

He stood. The moonlight made his black cloak look like shadows.

"We don’t have much time," he said. "So listen carefully."

He started pacing.

"A thousand years ago, the world was covered in darkness. The Shadow King ruled everything. Then the Moon Goddess chose one girl. She gave her the Moon Crystal and the power to seal him away."

"What happened to her?"

"She died. They all die. The power burns them out."

My stomach dropped.

Kael stopped pacing. "The last Chosen was 20 years ago. My father’s sister. She sealed the King, but it killed her. And now..."

"Now he’s free again."

"Yes. And he’s looking for the new Chosen."

"Me."

Kael nodded.

I laughed. It came out broken. "I’m nobody. I sell flowers. I can’t even fight."

"Then why is it burning?"

He grabbed my wrist before I could pull away. The moment his fingers touched the silver crescent, the burning stopped.

The mark glowed under his hand.

"See?" he whispered. "It responds to you. To me. To the moon."

He let go quickly, like he’d been burned.

"I’m a Nightshade Guardian," he said. "My family has protected the Chosen for a thousand years. Trained them. Fought beside them. Buried them."

"And now you’re stuck with me."

"And now I’m stuck with you." But there was no anger in his voice.

He drew his sword. The blade glowed faintly silver.

"I can teach you to use the mark. To control it. But you have to trust me."

"I don’t know you."

"You will."

A howl cut through the night.

Then another.

Closer.

Kael’s expression went hard. "Get behind me."

From the trees, three Shadow Beasts stepped out. Bigger than the ones from last night. Their bodies rippled like smoke, but their claws were solid. Real.

"Run," Kael said.

"I can’t leave you—"

"RUN, LUNA!"

He charged.

The first beast lunged. Kael’s sword came down and split it in half. Black smoke filled the air.

The second one circled around. Kael spun and caught it across the chest.

But the third was fast. It went for me.

I screamed and threw my hands up.

Nothing happened.

The beast was inches from my face when Kael tackled it. Both of them hit the ground hard.

He was on top, stabbing down. Once. Twice.

When he stood, his side was bleeding. A deep claw mark.

"Kael!"

"I’m fine."

But he wasn’t. He was pale.

Two more beasts came out of the trees.

"Too many," he muttered. "Luna, I need you to—"

He didn’t finish. One of them hit him and he went down.

"No!"

Panic exploded in my chest.

The mark on my wrist went white hot.

I raised my hand without thinking.

Silver light shot out.

It hit the beast that was on top of Kael and it exploded. Ash everywhere.

The other one froze. Then it turned and ran into the forest.

Silence.

Kael was on his knees, holding his side.

"Did you... did you do that?" he asked, staring at me.

"I don’t know. I didn’t mean to—"

Then my vision went black.

---

I woke up to firelight.

And pain.

My wrist felt like it was still burning.

I was on a cot. In a cabin.

Kael was sitting across from me, shirt off, bandaging his own side.

"You’re awake," he said.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. The mark drained you."

I sat up too fast and the room spun.

"Easy." He was beside me in a second, helping me lie back down. His hand was warm on my shoulder.

"The mark gives you moon magic," he said quietly. "But you have no control. It takes everything you have."

"Did I kill it?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He actually smiled at that. Small, but real.

"You have power, Luna. Real power. But if you don’t learn to control it, it’ll kill you before the Shadow King does."

I looked at my wrist. The crescent was dimmer now.

"Kael... why me? There are thousands of girls in the world."

"Because the Goddess chose you."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one I have."

He stood and went to the window. Outside it was still dark.

"The Shadow King knows your name now. He knows where you are. We have maybe a week before he sends his army."

"What do we do?"

"We train. Every night. Until you can fight without burning out."

"And then?"

"And then we pray it’s enough."

He turned back to me.

"One more thing."

"What?"

"The prophecy."

"What about it?"

Kael hesitated. For the first time he looked unsure.

"`When the moon bleeds red, the Chosen must choose. Save the world, or save the one she loves.`"

My blood went cold.

"What does that mean?"

"I don’t know. But the King knows it too. And he’ll use it."

He came back and sat on the edge of my cot. Close. Too close.

"Luna. I know you’re scared. I would be too. But you’re not alone. Not anymore."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Outside, the wind picked up. The trees whispered.

And somewhere far away, a wolf howled.

Kael’s hand found mine.

"The training starts tomorrow," he said. "Get some sleep, Moon Chosen."

I closed my eyes.

For the first time since the mark appeared, I didn’t feel alone.