The Moon's Chosen

THE MARKET ATTACK

"Three days."

Kael carved the words into the table with his dagger.

"That’s how long we have before he comes."

I stared at the claw marks on our door. I KNOW HER NAME. LUNA ASHFORD. THREE DAYS.

The wood was still splintered.

"So what do we do for three days?"

"Train. Run. And hope he’s lying about the timeline."

He didn’t sound hopeful.

That morning he made me leave the cabin before sunrise.

"We’re going to Ashvale," he said, pulling his hood up.

"What? Why? It’s dangerous—"

"We need supplies. And information. If the King’s crows are watching, I need to see who else is."

I followed him through the forest. My wrist was aching. The mark kept pulsing like it had a heartbeat.

"Can you hide it?" he asked.

I pulled my sleeve down. "It still glows."

"Then keep your hands in your pockets."

Ashvale looked normal. Too normal.

People were buying bread. Kids were playing. Sister Miriam was hanging laundry.

But something felt wrong. The air was too quiet.

Lyra spotted me first.

"Luna!" She ran over and hugged me. "Where have you been? Sister Miriam is furious!"

"I was... staying with a friend."

Lyra pulled back and looked at Kael behind me. Her eyes narrowed. "The friend?"

"He’s helping me," I said quickly. "With the... nightmares."

Kael didn’t say anything. He was scanning the crowd.

We bought bread, salt, bandages. Kael paid with silver coins I’d never seen before.

As we were leaving the market, a woman screamed.

Everyone turned.

In the center of the square, the fountain water turned black.

Then it rose.

Like hands were pulling it up from below.

And from the black water stepped a man.

Tall. Pale. Eyes like blood.

He wore armor made of shadows. And on his chest, carved into the metal, was a crescent moon. Broken in half.

The crowd scattered, screaming.

"Shadow Knight," Kael hissed. "He’s one of the King’s generals."

The man looked right at me.

Smiled.

"Luna Ashford," he said. His voice echoed across the square. "The King sends his regards."

Kael grabbed my arm. "Run. Now."

We ran.

But the Shadow Knight wasn’t chasing us. He was walking. Slow.

And with every step, the black water followed him, flooding the streets.

People were trapped.

A little boy fell. The black water was inches from his face.

I stopped.

"Luna, don’t—"

I pulled my hands out of my pockets.

The mark flared.

Silver light shot from my wrist and hit the black water.

Steam hissed. The water evaporated.

The boy was safe.

But I was exposed.

The Shadow Knight turned his head.

"There you are, Moon Chosen."

He raised his hand. A spear made of shadow formed in his palm and flew at me.

Kael shoved me down. The spear hit the wall behind us and exploded.

"Get up!" he yelled, sword already out.

He charged the Knight. Steel met shadow.

The sound was like thunder.

I wanted to help but my wrist was burning so bad I could barely stand.

Kael was good. Better than good.

But the Knight was bigger. Stronger.

The Knight’s sword came down. Kael blocked it, but he was pushed back 3 steps.

"Kael!"

"Stay back!"

The Knight laughed. "The Guardian is weak. And the Chosen is weaker."

He pointed at me. "In two days, the King will take you. And your little village will burn first."

Then he dissolved into black smoke and was gone.

Silence.

People started coming out of hiding. Crying.

Lyra ran to me. "Luna! Are you okay? What was that light?"

I couldn’t answer. My wrist was smoking.

Kael grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

"We have to go. Now."

We didn’t speak until we were back in the cabin.

He slammed the door and barred it. Then he turned on me.

"What were you thinking?"

"I saved that boy!"

"And you revealed yourself to everyone! And to him!"

"I couldn’t just—"

"You could have died!"

He was yelling. I’d never heard him yell.

"Don’t you get it? He knows where you are now! He knows what you can do! In two days, not three, the King will be here!"

I stared at him. "Then why did you bring me to town?"

"Because I thought it was safer than hiding!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I was wrong."

The anger drained out of him. He sank to his knees in front of me.

"Luna. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped."

"You’re scared," I whispered.

"Terrified."

He took my burned wrist in his hands. Blew on it gently. The pain eased.

"You did good back there. With the water. With the boy."

"But it hurt."

"I know."

He looked up at me. His blue eyes were so tired.

"I won’t let him take you. I swear it."

That night I couldn’t sleep.

The mark kept glowing. Brighter than ever.

Outside, I could hear crows. Dozens of them.

At midnight there was a knock at the door.

Soft. Three times.

Kael was up instantly, sword in hand.

"Who is it?" he called.

No answer.

He opened the door slowly.

On the doorstep was a single white flower.

Moonflower.

And pinned to it with a black thorn was a note.

Kael picked it up. Read it. His face went white.

"What does it say?"

He handed it to me.

My hands shook as I read:

`You fight well, Guardian.`

`But you can’t protect her forever.`

`2 DAYS.`

`Bring her to the Moon Altar alone.`

`Or Ashvale burns.`

Kael took the note and threw it into the fire.

"We don’t do what he says."

"But what about the village? Sister Miriam. Lyra—"

"They’ll have to run."

"They won’t. They have nowhere to go."

Kael looked at me. Really looked.

"Then we fight."

"With what? I can barely control this!" I held up my wrist.

"Then we train harder."

He stood.

"Starting now."

He walked outside into the snow. Shirtless again.

"Come on, Luna. If we’re going to die in two days, we’re going to die fighting."

I followed him.

The moon was full above us.

And for the first time, I didn’t flinch from the cold.