Moonshadow

by J. D. Gregory

  The battle to open her eyes finally turned into victory as her lids broke the darkness, letting in painful stabs of light. Diana instinctively shut the eyes she had just struggled to open, and after a few moments, she opened them again and allowed her vision to adjust.

  Where am I? Diana wondered as her sight began to focus on the room that wasn’t her own. And whose nightgown is this? It was light blue, silky, and quite lovely, but it wasn’t hers.

  It only took her hazy mind a moment to recognize the room as one she had slept in once before; she was still at the Shepherds’ house—but why?

  Diana’s memory was foggy, but she remembered being in the foyer downstairs sometime before her mind goes blank.

  As she struggled to reconstruct her recent history, Diana’s eyes focused on the owners of the voices that had roused her. Two people, one male and one female, were having a heated discussion by the bedroom door. Diana’s immediate recognition of the male empowered her to fully awaken.

  “Darien!” she said in excitement, his apparent safety overshadowing all thoughts of her present state.

  Diana’s sudden shout of joy ended whatever conversation Darien was having with the female—who Diana now saw to be Marjorie. He was at Diana’s side in seconds and Marjorie left them to be alone, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

  “Madaera’s Mercy; you’re finally awake,” Darien said with relief as he took her hand in his, looking Diana over. “I feared the worst.”

  “What’s going on?” she pleaded to know. “My mind is still foggy, but I remember coming here to ask about why you hadn’t come back…” Only flashing images and feelings of terror filled Diana’s memories after that.

  “I’m sorry for worrying you, my love,” he said, his voice filled with deep remorse. “Negotiations with my sister didn’t go quite as smoothly as I’d hoped.”

  “What’s the verdict?” Diana asked, hoping that her head would be allowed to stay atop her neck.

  “We can talk about that soon; right now, though, I’d like to know more about what happened to you.”

  “I would too,” Diana replied with a weak shrug. “But I can’t remember anything. How long have I been asleep? What time is it?”

  “It’s three in the afternoon,” Darien replied. “As for how long you were unconscious, Marjorie says you’ve been out for a little under three days.”

  The sudden information made Diana quickly sit up straight.

  “Three days!?” she exclaimed. “What was wrong with me?”

  “The cause of your sickness still eludes me,” Darien replied with concern. “I only just arrived last night and the others are nowhere to be found. I was hoping you could enlighten me when you awoke.”

  “That’s strange,” Diana said, finding the situation much more mysterious. “I remember having an argument with Terra.” As the memories slowly returned, she described them as they came to her. “Then I was hit by an intense pain in my stomach and I felt like I going to shiver to death. After that, everything is black and hazy; I remember Miri pleading with Terra to help me.” Diana shrugged her shoulders. “I assume she did.”

  “Yes, she did,” Darien said with a satisfied nod. “And I’m eternally grateful to her for that. According to Marjorie, Terraiyah and Miraena both disappeared shortly after you were put to bed and never returned. Anderon apparently came home at some point, but he has disappeared as well. I thought about searching for them, but I didn’t want to leave you.”

  “I hope everything is alright,” Diana said, considering the new information. She was terribly curious to know what was going on, but doubted it had anything to do with her sickness. The entire Naphalei world doesn’t revolve around Diana Selene and her tummy-aches, after all.

  Feeling better, and rested, Diana had Darien helped her out of bed and into a nice hot shower so she could was wash away the three days of sleep. She still felt incredibly weak, but she felt much better just being clean. Once out of the shower, Diana found her jeans, tank-top, and cardigan, washed, pressed, and neatly folded, waiting on the bed. Marjorie must have washed her clothes while Diana was asleep.

  When she was dressed, Diana met Darien in the dining room for an early supper.

  The smell of food nauseated her at first, but the rumblings of her ravenous tummy overpowered whatever aversion Diana had to food. Just to be safe, she decided to just eat a bowl of Marjorie’s delicious chicken soup.

  “So, are you going to tell me what happened with your sister, now?” Diana asked after she slurped down her first spoon full of broth.

  “I convinced Edea to spare your life,” Darien replied from his own bowl of soup, looking troubled by the topic. “That’s most important.”

  “There’s obviously more—I want to know what it is,” she demanded.

  With a sigh, Darien continued. “In order to convince her that you are not a threat, I had to agree to return Qir’Halzereth and take up my position on the High Council—once my time at Flinders is completed.”

  “When will that happen, and what does it mean for us?”

  “As Darien Shepherd, I’m expected to graduate from the university in May. The future of our being together is your decision, though. I’ll not ask you to give up your life for my sake.”

  “I see,” Diana said, considering the situation. “So I have the choice of either living a semi-normal human life without you, or giving up everything I know to live as your thrall in Qir’Halzereth.”

  “Yes,” Darien replied, sounding defeated.

  The gravity of the decision fell over Diana in an avalanche of emotion. Had she given her soul to Darien only for him to be ripped away from her in a few months? If Diana went to Naphalei lands with him, she would be forced to give up her human life forever. Would she even get to see her friends and family again? Her parents would be heartbroken to lose her, and so would she. They had been her life for eighteen years. Diana loved them so much, could she live her life without them? At the same time, had she really expected Darien to forsake his entire history, culture, and who he was, just to live a human existence with her? In spite of the magic of it all, Diana had been living in an unrealistic fantasy. Now, she had to wake up from it and make her choice.

  Diana felt tears begin to form in her eyes but she willed them away. “I…I need time to think.”

  “Of course you do,” Darien said with a hint of regret. “I didn’t want to burden you with these thoughts just yet, considering your current state.”

  Diana simply nodded and returned to her chicken soup, filled with emotional turmoil. They opted to finish their supper in silent reflection.

  Once they had cleared the table, Darien helped Diana into the parlor. When she was sitting comfortably on the sofa in front of the fireplace, he offered to make her a pot of tea. She happily accepted.

  Darien returned with her promised hot beverage, and an after dinner treat of lemon cake, as the sudden sound of the front door opening filled the silent parlor.

  Someone had finally returned home.

  Looking into the foyer, Diana found the sight of a fretful Miri alarming. She’d never seen the cheery shrine maiden so distraught.

  “Endymion!” Miri said in surprise once she saw them. “You’ve returned; how lovely. And Diana is awake.” She glanced briefly in Diana’s general direction but refused to make eye contact.

  Something is definitely not right. Even from where she sat, Diana could feel Miri’s aversion and her incredible desire to run away.

  “Miraena, where have you been?” Darien was eager for answers. “What happened to Diana? Why was she unconscious for so long?”

  “I’ve had urgent matters to take care of, I’m sorry,” Miri replied, obviously not wanting to discuss anything further. “Terra can tell you more—if you will excuse me.” She forced a polite curtsey and then quickly made her way upstairs.

  The sound of the slamming bedroom door echoed throughout the large house.

  “What in the world was that all about?” Dian
a asked, confused by Miri’s uncharacteristic behavior.

  “Your guess is as good as mine, my dear,” Darien replied. “Hopefully Terraiyah can enlighten us when she returns.”

  They didn’t have to wait long. Terra walked through the front door but a few minutes later, looking emotionally drained. Seeing Darien and Diana in the parlor, she closed the door behind her and made her way towards them.

  As with Miri, Diana found Terra’s stoic, and somewhat gentle, demeanor completely uncharacteristic. She actually seemed pleased and relieved to see Darien and Diana sitting in the parlor together, next to the fire. In place of the resentment and flashing flames of anger that Diana usually felt in Terra’s presence, there was a warm, almost sad, compassion.

  Am I still in the Veil? Nothing makes sense.

  “Endymion, it’s good to see you’ve returned to us,” she said with a warm smile and then turned to Diana with the studying eyes of a concerned physician. Her genuine smile widened and Diana almost fell off the sofa. “It’s good to see that you’ve recovered as well, Miss Selene. How long have you been awake?”

  “About two hours,” Diana replied, having no doubts that her extreme confusion was present upon her face. Terra, by contrast, nodded like she had expected Diana’s answer. “What happened to me?”

  Terra continued to defy Diana’s perceptions of her character by sitting next to her on the sofa and gently taking Diana’s hand into her own. The action prompted Diana to glance at Darien who, with mouth agape in awe, seemed just as astonished as she was. She gave Terra the attention her sudden tenderness demanded.

  As before, Diana could feel Terra’s heart reaching out to her own, embracing it with a kindred empathetic compassion that paralleled her hand being held in the other woman’s.

  “You are with child,” Terra said with calm concern.

  Diana’s world imploded.

  Chapter 21

  O monstrous Fate, is this thy wretched sting?

  Lost to shock, Diana was brought back to reality when she felt the intensity of Darien’s horrified surprise. She looked up to see him backing away towards the fireplace, staring at Diana in disbelief. He almost stepped into the flames before he stopped himself.

  Shadows swirled about Diana’s mind, and they had nothing to do with the Veil reaching out to her. I’m pregnant? There’s no way that’s possible—Darien said it wasn’t possible. Even if it were somehow possible for a human and a Naphalei to have a child, Diana was on birth-control, and she’d always been responsible about taking it—her ovaries didn’t produce an egg that could be fertilized.

  Diana shook her head, refusing to believe Terra’s diagnosis. “I can’t possibly be pregnant. There has to be another explanation.”

  Terra still had her hands over Diana’s, her heart and expression both full of compassion, as she shifted her gaze to Darien. “Endymion, by your reaction, you obviously haven’t been entirely truthful with Miss Selene. I suggest you tell her, now.”

  Turning her own gaze onto Darien, Diana found him more distraught that she’d ever seen him in the past. She found his emotions even more alarming. Diana knew that he’d been given an answer to an unvoiced question that he’d long agonized over, and the truth now haunted him more than the question ever had.

  “Zayla’Sin,” Darien finally forced out and then dropped to his knees. “I don’t know how, but it’s true,” he said, shaking his head, talking more to himself than Diana. “I saw the signs, but I willfully ignored them.” He finally lifted his head to meet Diana’s gaze. “Elberon forgive me, I may have damned us all, but I don’t care. I love you, Diana.”

  “Zayla’Sin…” Diana repeated before finally remembering. “Moonshadow…I am a Moonshadow.”

  “You knew?” Terra asked, looking surprised.

  “Not at first,” Diana replied softly, lost to memories. “I’ve been having Veil dreams for years, so I always knew something was different about me. It wasn’t until a Melkafir tasted my blood and called it a rare delicacy, that I started to truly suspect I might be special. When Queen Morgana called me a Moonshadow, and Darien told me it’s possible for humans to be magical, I knew that’s what I was.”

  With eyes wide with astonishment, Terra turned an accusing glare onto Darien. “By the Dawnbringer’s fiery blade, Endymion. What have you been doing?”

  Darien didn’t acknowledge Terra’s question, but rather, looked at Diana with an expression of hurt, and a fair bit of anger.

  “You should have told me all of this,” he said forcefully. “Why did you keep your suspicious from me?”

  Diana felt her own anger rising. “Gee—I don’t know,” she replied sardonically. “The Shadow Edict, maybe? Or how about the way you seemed perfectly fine with the mass murder of innocent humans? Take your pick.”

  “That’s beside the—”

  “No it’s not,” Diana cut him off. “And you have absolutely no right to be angry with me for keeping secrets. You said it was impossible for humans and Naphalei to have children together, am I right? Well, there was obviously more to it, wasn’t there?”

  Darien’s eyes filled with regret and remorse before he turned from away from her accusing glare.

  Terra sighed and squeezed Diana’s hand.

  “It’s fortunate that Endymion told you a bit of Moonshadows,” Terra began. “So this will not be too difficult to explain.”

  Diana turned to Terra. “He said Moonshadows are humans born with the ability to use magic, but most were evil and went mad, so they were all hunted down and killed. He also said that one hasn’t been seen for over a thousand years.”

  Terra nodded. “Yes; all of that is true. However, Endymion obviously failed to mention the most crucial part of their tale.”

  Diana glanced at Darien and he looked down in shame. At the sight, anger, resentment, and fear began to well up inside of her. He had kept something very important from her, on purpose.

  “Go on,” Diana said sternly as she continued to stare at Darien.

  “Moonshadows weren’t a danger simply for being able to use magic.” Terra shook her head at the notion. “That threat can be handled easily enough. The true danger was in their ability have children with us.”

  The ridiculous notion only fueled Diana’s growing anger and animosity. “What do you mean? Why do you act like a human having a child with a Naphalei could be the end of the world?”

  “Because it very well could be, Miss Selene,” Terra replied, her tone gravely serious. “Children of Naphalei and Moonshadows have been born throughout history, and each time, the unnatural child brings desolation along with it. Powerful storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions—Madaera herself trembles in fear of them.”

  Diana just sat and stared as Terra continued. “More often than not, it was our people that suffered the most. With the loss of Qir’Aflonas, our highest authorities finally decreed that the Moonshadow threat was too great and that they needed to be hunted down in an attempt to purify the Tanarai bloodlines.”

  “Whatever,” Diana interrupted, not wanting to deal with notions of genocide at the present. “That still doesn’t explain how I can be pregnant. I’m on birth-control; it shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Our conception begins in the Spirit,” Terra replied with sympathy. “A physical egg is not required. Once the new fire of life is ignited, the ovaries produce what is needed for insemination. You medications have no effect on that process.”

  I’m really am pregnant. The revelation had the effect of a punch to the stomach. Diana couldn’t breathe, and almost didn’t care if she ever took air into her lungs again. Perhaps then, it would all go away.

  “How?” she pleaded, to no one but herself. “How can this be happening? How can I be a Moonshadow if they were all hunted down and killed? How could there have not been one in over a thousand years, and then all of a sudden, I’m one and I’m pregnant?”

  Diana turned her questioning gaze onto Terra. “How do you even know I’m pregnant? I could jus
t have the flu. I haven’t missed a—” Then Diana remembered she’d been a couple days late before she collapsed. She hadn’t thought anything of it, figuring it was due to worry and exhaustion. The possibility that she could be pregnant never crossed her mind.

  Terra shook her head, as if reading Diana’s thoughts. “It’s true, Miss Selene,” she answered with compassion in her voice. “Not only have I studied under the master healers of our people, but I have studied human medicine and reproduction for over fifty years. I have assisted with countless pregnancies, both Naphalei and Tanar.” Her expression was warm, but also held pain. “I had my suspicions the night you collapsed. I recognized our kindred natures as I attempted to ease your pain. Considering your unique case, I had to be positive, so Miri and I journeyed to Qir’Halzereth to consult the archives.”

  “And?” Every nerve inside of Diana was on edge.

  “My findings confirmed my initial suspicions. When a Naphalei and Moonshadow conceive a child, the mother’s body cannot handle the pregnancy at first. About twenty-one days after conception, she goes through an intense sickness resulting in a coma. It usually takes three days for the mother’s body to cope with the pregnancy.”

  “This can’t be happening,” Diana said, again to no one in particular. She leaned forward and put her face in her hands. I’m barely an adult—now I’m pregnant? How would having a baby affect her plans for the future? She wouldn’t be able to finish college with a child, would she? No; her life, as she knew it, would be over forever.

  The life she knew had already been over, hadn’t it? Diana would have to give up everything to stay with Darien, anyway; is this that much different? Yes; of course it is. She’d had a choice before, now she didn’t. She would have had months to figure out what she wanted to do. Fate had taken that away from her.