Jade Moon (Celestial War Book 1)

by Julia Richards

  “Alright,” I answered. I needed time to think anyway.

  Evidence of human habitation littered the small room. Native American pottery and long- cold fire pits scattered across the floor. We made an unsteady circuit along the walls but found no clear exit. Finally stopping, we both eyed the triangular opening between two boulders through which the water flowed, fervently hoping that was not the only way out. A second circuit yielded no hidden doorway.

  I looked up the long shaft. No way for us to climb all the way out. The tantalizing light brought a wave of helplessness. Stop it, Harper.

  “Well, the good news is that we’re alive.” I said. “The bad news is that I think that’s the only way out of here.” I pointed to the dark crevasse.

  “Alright, no more chitchat. We’ve got to be almost out of here.” Using the wall to hold himself up, Mr. Silver waded into the water and ducked through the low crevasse. I moaned, but followed. I thought I couldn’t have been colder but the water hit my armpits and I learned how wrong I was. The water pulled the last bit of warmth from my body.

  The uneven floor made for slow going as a tunnel meandered gently among large boulders. The water deepened and we were forced to swim. Splashing along, I made indignant huffing sounds to vent some frustration and prevent my teeth from chattering.

  An almost imperceptible current pulled us forward into the darkness. At least we weren’t back in a raging river. The tunnel lowered overhead until it was less than a foot above the surface.

  Something moved along the ceiling ahead and we came to a full stop treading water at the sight of a nest of cave spiders clinging to the low rocks. Brown bodies as large as a human head moved atop spindly, shinning legs. In the faint, ambient light, they skittered as quickly as something so large could move. To keep my head out of the water I would have to brush up against them.

  The idea of going fully back underwater was almost equally as terrifying, but it was foolish to delay and so we took a deep breath and once again submerged. I swam as far as my already burning lungs allowed before slowly resurfacing. As my eyes cleared the water, something brushed against my head. A frantic wriggling spider tangled itself in my hair. I let out a wail and instinctively grabbed for it, palm filling with writhing spider body that I threw away into the water.

  Retching I dropped back under the water and swam as far as I could. The floor rose to meet my feet and found the edge of a pool where I collapsed onto the smooth ground.

  Mr. Silver knelt next to me muttering, “Ok lords of death, I hope I am sufficiently humiliated.”

  My cheek pressed against dry, lose dirt — not mucky clay. I luxuriated in its dryness against my battered body. From the small chamber a rough tunnel angled sharply upward. A tiny point of light shone from the shaft. Beautiful, glorious light.

  The ground of the tunnel was loose and every step began a small avalanche of rubble. The angle was so steep that we had to crawl. Small, jagged rocks tore at our pants, scraped layers of skin off our knees and palms as we scrambled upward. Mr. Silver slowed until he was barely crawling forward.

  “Come on Mr. Silver. Mambo will be waiting to see you.” I imagine the powerful woman standing in the doorway, Kaska goofy by her side.

  That seemed the right thing to say because he pulled with renewed strength, despite his wheezing breath.

  It was well over an hour of climbing, my whole body quivering with exhaustion, before we fell through a small cave opening out into a forest of Virginia trees. The glorious milky way peaking between the pines made me cry out with joy.

  To the west, deep blue contrasted to the silver stars. To the east, the faintest hint of dawn glowed on the horizon.

  Mr. Silver fell to the ground next to me and we lay on the forest floor staring at the dawn for a very long time.

  ***

  I must have drifted off because, when I came too, Raf hovered over me.

  Scrambling like a crab, I backed away from him.

  “Harper, it’s me. What the hell?”

  Mr. Silver stirred at the commotion. I helped him sit up and he glared at Raf who seemed genuinely confused.

  “Harper, what’s wrong?”

  “You expect me to believe you. How did you get away if you aren’t working with them?”

  “Working with them? Harper, I’ve been with you for the last three days!”

  He was right. But to help or to keep an eye on me? “How did you get away?” I narrowed my eyes at him, remembering the sight of his mother.

  “I don’t know. Those two guys after me got me. One of them knocked me down,” he pointed to a huge lump on his forehead, “and the other one pulled a dagger. Some creepy black glass thing. They were about to kill me, when the one who knocked me down said something in Latin. I didn’t understand, but they both stared at me on the ground forever, then they just left. I jumped up and ran off and have been wandering around out here until I heard you talking.”

  “Talking? We weren’t talking.”

  “You were, Harper. You were practically screaming.” He looked so worried I actually believed him.

  “What was I saying?” I asked.

  “‘The moon is rising,’ over and over.”

  Mr. Silver seemed to be coming around. For the first time since I’d met him, I wondered how old he was. He appeared frail, nothing more than bird bones held together by loose flesh.

  Finally I said, “Raf, they let you go because your mother is their boss.”

  Raf let out a little laugh. “Not funny, Harper.”

  “I’m not joking.”

  “What the hell? That’s ridiculous. My mom is a supreme court justice, you think she has time for evil plots?”

  “Your mother is at the head of this plot, Rafael.” Mr. Silver spoke up and we both turned to look at him.

  A range of emotions flitted across Raf’s face. Anger, disbelief, then fear.

  “That can’t be true.”

  “You know it is,” Mr. Silver said.

  Raf sat down hard on the ground. Staring at his hands as though they had just done something to betray him.

  “My mom? That makes no sense.”

  “Think about it, Raf.” Mr Silver spoke but his body shook so hard it was difficult to understand between his clacking teeth.

  “We need to get Mr. Silver somewhere we can dry off.”

  Raf nodded without looking up. “I think the road is just over that ridge.” He gestured with his chin, still staring at his hands. “I saw headlights.”

  “Raf, I’m sorry about your mom, but we need to keep moving. Get Mr. Silver to a doctor then I have something to go find.” I was vague, still not totally sure I could trust him, though his shock seemed genuine.

  “I can’t help you Harper. You’re talking about fighting my mom. She is…too powerful. Plus, she’s my…my mom.” His voice cracked.

  “Whatever, Raf. She’s the mom that told you she doesn’t love you anymore. Look at Mr. Silver. We have to go.”

  Mr. Silver was blue lipped, shuddering.

  Raf made no move to get up.

  “Fine, I’m getting him to the road.” I was about to help Mr. Silver up when a wall of fog appeared.

  “No,” I cried out, and yanked on his arm, wondering if I could get him on my back and run. Before we got to our feet, a ring of red robes surrounded us.

  Raf’s mom strode into the clearing.

  Selene

  “Selene,” Mr. Silver said so softly I barely heard it.

  Selene Aracan’s hood was thrown back, mask off, lustrous black hair cascading over her shoulders. She was statuesque, beautiful in the way that only powerful women can be.

  “Rafael, it’s so nice to hear you defending me.”

  Raf still sat on the ground. His face contorted into a grimace. “I wasn’t defending you.”

  She tilted her head sideways, “How can you possibly be my son? You got too much of your father. Because of his weak bloodline, our family may lose its seat of power.” As she spoke, her ey
es began to glow, silver light radiating off her skin.

  With tears in his eyes, Raf said, “Mom, please...”

  She shook her head is disgust, “Why don’t you just sit there like a good boy.”

  I watched with horror as Raf crumpled into a ball. He simply seemed to give up, as though his soul had turned to dust and blown away.

  I was so focused on him I didn’t realize Selene approached me. “Harper Dae, you look very much like your father.” With a wolfish grin she circled me. “But Kane is wrong about you. Poor man thinks you are the next oracle of the Sun.” She threw her head back and laughed. “He doesn’t even know the history of his own family.” She leaned so close that we were almost touching noses. “But I know the truth. You are one of us. I feel the power of the Moon flowing like a river through your veins.”

  With wet lips, she gave me a gentle kiss.

  I trembled but didn’t dare move.

  Baring her teeth in another feral smile, she stood up and took a satisfied breath in.

  “You can have unrivaled power, Harper Dae. We are trying to restore the world to it’s rightful balance. Join us and we can do it together, with you by my side.

  I finally found my voice, “Yeah, that sounds like super-villain jargon for, let’s take over the world without caring who we hurt in the process.”

  She laughed, an almost purring sound. “Still, you are your father’s daughter. But no, I have no plans to take over the world, just right wrongs done to me and my people. Ask yourself if you aren’t the same. Who are you willing to hurt to save your mother?” She sneered at Mr. Silver. “They won’t be able to teach you anything. But I can.”

  I felt sick. What if she was right? Could I have the same darkness inside of me? I thought about the kid in the library I’d been willing to strike down. My ability to destroy everything in my wake. Chaos bringer.

  But I wasn’t about to let her see me crumple like her son. Instead, I laughed at her, throwing my shoulders back as though I had not a care in the world. “You’ve kidnapped my mom, tried to kill me and my friends. Why on earth would I ever help you?”

  “Because, if you come with me, I’ll let your mom go. She can retrieve the jade disk while I teach you a few things.” She looked at me, eyes shimmering like silver lanterns.

  “No, Harper. Don’t do it. Helping her will destroy everything,” Mr. Silver said.

  One of the robed men moved in on him. I stepped between them.

  “Call him off,” I said to Selene.

  She gestured for the robed man to retreat.

  My mind whirled wildly from one idea to the next. Gritting my teeth I looked at Raf on the ground, at Mr. Silver panting in pain and fear, at Selene, smug half-smile on her red lips. She thought she had me. But what could I do?

  “I know where it is,” I said. “My mom doesn’t know, but I do. You give me time to go retrieve it and I will bring it back to trade for my mom.”

  Selene reflected on that. “Yes, that does make sense. I would have expected Marian to break by now, perhaps she really doesn’t know where it is,” she said to herself. Then to me, “I believe you little Moon child. When I sent a warning to your mother, I thought she would go running to the disk. I should have known that the only reason she didn’t was because she had no idea where to run.”

  “A warning?” my mind raced. “The car! You’re the one who tried to run me over.”

  “Yes, dear. But you survived, which is when I began to suspect that there was more to you than a clumsy half-breed. I wasn’t sure until we found you and my useless son in the woods. My pets smelled the Moon in you.”

  She paced back and forth slowly, thinking it over. “And why shouldn’t I just capture you now? Torture you until you tell me where it is?”

  “Because then I will never work with you. Plus, those protecting it will never let you have it. Show me some trust and I will return the favor. Perhaps we can work together.”

  Mr. Silver reached out and clamped a hand on my arm. “Harper, your mother wouldn’t want you to ever help this woman. These people.”

  “Well, she’s not me.” I shrugged him off. How far would I go to save my mom? I wasn’t sure, but this would at least buy me some time. Turning back to her I said, “But I won’t risk my friends’ safety, so you need to give me some space. If I see you or your people following me, the deal is off.”

  The corners of Selene’s lips turned slightly up. “Certainly, Harper. Take your time. I will keep hold of your mother until you return. I assure you, her stay will become increasingly uncomfortable, so don’t take too long.”

  In a whirl of red, she faded into the mist. Her entourage of robed thugs with her.

  “Harper.” Mr. Silver looked at me with horror.

  “Listen, I’m not just going to give it to her. But I needed to buy some time. Raf?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Raf, get off your ass.”

  Nothing.

  Mr. Silver and I began to move slowly toward the road.

  “Come on Raf.” I called back to him, trying for something soft buried under the anger in my voice. “I need help.”

  “I can’t,” he said muffled into the ground.

  “Well, you can at least help me get Mr. Silver to the road.” I could see he was hurting, but I had no time for it. My mom was still in danger. I had to figure out how the hell I was going to get to Belize and back. Plus, I was half frozen and needed new clothes.

  That seemed to work. Raf caught up, glazed eyes and mouth sightly agape. Sliding under Mr. Silver’s other arm, we managed to get all three of us to the road that was indeed just over the low ridge.

  “She threatened to kill me and my mom.” I looked at Raf, hoping for something.

  “She said she doesn’t love you,” I kept going.

  That was the wrong thing to say. Rather than getting him riled up, he crumpled again. Tears filled his eyes.

  “I want her to love me Harper. It just….hurts so much. Can’t you understand?”

  “No, I can’t.” I turned my head away.

  Mr. Silver took a long breath in. “Harper, they will be looking for the disk. You need to get there first. Don’t worry about me.”

  I looked at Raf one last time. He averted his eyes under my furious stare.

  “Fine, I guess I’m on my own.”

  A beat up yellow Volvo approached and we flagged it down. The young girl driving seemed unsure, but recognized Raf from school.

  “Hey Shannon, can we get a ride?” Raf asked, dead faced.

  She nodded but pulled out her phone and texted wildly, clearly reporting the crazy sight of Raf with a half frozen school librarian and the person she only knew as stairs-girl.

  We drove in silence all the way to town.

  “You can let me out here,” I pointed to the strip mall parking lot. To Raf, I said, “Can you at least make sure Mr. Silver gets taken care of?”

  He nodded. I gave Mr. Silver a kiss. He squeezed my hand.

  I jumped out of the car into the cold morning air. I watched them drive away feeling truly alone for the first time in my life.

  Preparations

  One of the clothing boutiques was open. I pulled out the damp, black credit card mom gave me for my birthday from the pouch around my neck and wondered if it would work. Was there even any money on it? Guess I had to try.

  The woman behind the counter gave me a dark look when I entered, so I decided to be honest. “I feel in the river and need some dry clothes. I have my credit card.”

  Clearly credit card was the magic word.

  “Oh you poor dear! In that where you got that nasty bruise?” she drew me in, showing me to the nearest rack.

  I slid a hand along my face realizing that Olivia’s makeup was long gone.

  “I really just need something practical.”

  She kept her sales face on. “Of course, dear. Let me show you the riding line. It’s styled after riding clothes and is probably the most…practical thing we h
ave.”

  We navigated through racks of sequined dresses and silky shirts to the very back where she held up cotton jodhpurs with little leather patches on the knees. Rifling through the shirts, she pulled out a simple white button-up blouse. I flipped over the price tag and tried not to snort out loud. Three hundred dollars. Well, this would be a good test for my credit card.

  “Do you carry…undergarments?”

  “We do. We also have matching boots, and this little belt thing as well.”

  “Why not,” I shrugged and she lit up, even produced a fluffy towel to dry off before putting on the clean clothes. Everything fit perfectly. The boots felt sturdy and the belt had a series of straps that could be detached or rearranged. I kind of loved it.

  As she rang me up, I prayed to the money gods that my card would go through. She slid it and the machine cheerfully spit out a receipt that I signed before anyone could have second thoughts.

  Now, to get myself to Belize.

  “Um, how would I go about figuring out what my balance is in my account?”

  She eyed me suspiciously.

  “My mom just gave me my own card for my birthday so I’ve never had one before.”

  “Well, you can call or go to an ATM and ask for your balance.”

  “Do I need a code or something?”

  “You mean a PIN, yes of course. You could just go to the bank.” She pointed across the street. The security guard was just unlocking the front door.

  Trying not to look totally out of my league, I walked through the bank’s sliding doors. Inside, little red velvet ropes crated a snaking line. Feeling like a total moron since I was the only one there, I wound through the maze all the way to the front. The teller flashed a fake smile, “How can I help you?”

  I pulled out the matte black card and handed it to her. “My mom gave me this card but didn’t tell me my balance or anything. I was wondering if you could tell me how much I have in the account?”