The Shattered Moon (A Divine Legacy Book 1)

by Alexander J Wilkinson

  “Now countless people will suffer at the hands of a God once more. Perhaps our biggest mistake was letting that monster live. As the years have slipped away, without mother’s influence, both my powers and Shale’s have all but diminished,” she clutched her chest “, And if the ache in my heart means what I fear, then I am alone in this fight against him.”

  “Not alone,” Shaya said stepping forward.

  “So much bravery in someone so young, admiral. But this is a battle of God’s child.”

  “Child I may be, but this land is our home,” Shaya’s chest seemed to flutter inside, she felt the determination grow within. “We’ve come so far, we’re not giving up now.”

  Rayne smiled at the girl, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, her chest puffed out. Her blue eyes resolute.

  “I see in your eyes something truly extraordinary. More than your courage or your loyalty, that much is as clear as the stars in the night sky. I mean something else. You remind me so much of,” Rayne trailed off and shook her head “I’m sorry, your strength of heart will be of little help, you’ll need an army to defeat Rakmar. He has one of his own, and he’ll throw everything he has at you.”

  “Then we’ll get an army.”

  “The Royal soldiers. We must find my father, convince him of all of this,” Rowan said firmly.

  “I don’t know how, but it would appear that Rakmar’s power comes from his tomb. I would assume that is where he’s been hiding, where he has made his home.”

  “Then we’ll march on his Island,” Rowan smirked confidently.

  Rayne looked at the two youngsters in front of her “You really plan on doing this?”

  “We won’t let our homes burn, be swallowed by his corruption,” said the prince.

  “Very well, I’ll help as much as I can, but I must warn you, I’m not as strong as I used to be.”

  “I don’t know,” said Shaya rubbing her neck “You seem plenty strong to me,” she looked up at the God with a grin.

  Rayne looked stunned and guilty for a moment before she realised that the young girl was joking. She smiled faintly before the low rumble sounded and the cave shook.

  “What was that?” Jinx said as she fluttered around above Shaya’s head.

  Suddenly Rayne clutched her chest and hunched over. Even without pupils, Shaya could see the fear in her eyes. The horror-stricken deity dropped to her knees. She stared up at Shaya and the prince and with a pain in her voice, she uttered one simple word.

  “Run.”

  Rayne let go of her chest and stood up, hands by her sides, balled up

  into fits. With a loud, determined bellow, she echoed her command again.

  “Run children!”

  Before any of them could take a step, the cavern wall behind them exploded in a shower of jagged rocks. The powerful boom ripped through the cavern. Rowan took a large piece of shrapnel to the right shoulder, spinning him around before he crashed on the floor. Jinx was sent flailing past Rayne but managed to steady herself enough to make a rough landing. Shaya wasn’t sure what happened to her. The explosion had hit, and suddenly she was on the other side of the cave with a sharp pain in her left leg and a pounding headache. She was dazed, and her ears were ringing, it took a moment for her vision to stop shaking and focus. When her eyes finally decided to stop wobbling out of her skull, she saw Rowan through the thin layer of dust in the air. He was on the ground. He was moving, but barely. She shouted his name, or at least she thought she did, she couldn’t hear her own voice over the constant throbbing in her ears.

  Just before she called out again, she spotted Rayne, still stood in the same place she had been before the blast. Her fists were still at her sides, the water that made up her slender form began to rush and swirl as it had before. She was staring at the crumbling breach in the broken wall. Shaya followed her gaze, then she saw it. A towering, dark figure, still slightly obscured by the haze. It was the monstrous man she’d seen outside the castle gates, she knew it was him, Rakmar Balrok, the Banished One, the Fallen God.

  “Sister,” said the menacing voice through the settling dust cloud.

  “You no longer have the right to call me that, monster,” said Rayne, her eyes narrowing.

  Rakmar snorted dismissively and stepped through the gaping hole.

  “I know what you did,” Rayne said as she watched the hulking figure stride towards her “You killed Shale, your own brother. And now, you're here to kill me.”

  Rakmar crushed the glowing crystal scales underfoot and stepped into the pool where Rayne stood. Instantly the water began to darken, like oil snaking its way across its bright surface.

  “Yes,” said Rakmar standing inches from his sister’s face. He was taller than her and twice as broad, but Rayne didn’t even flinch.

  While the Gods spoke, Shaya dragged herself over to Rowan, he was sat up now, a bloodied hand gripping his shoulder. She asked him if he was alright, he said he was through gritted teeth. Jinx scurried over to them and landed in Shaya’s hand.

  “Surely you’ve known this day would come,” Rakmar’s gravelly voice continued.

  “Of course. I just don’t know why.”

  “You’d only stand in my way, and I can’t have that.”

  “What are you planning?”

  “The prophecy my dear sister.”

  “Mother’s prediction? It spoke of banishing the darkness.”

  “How does it say the darkness will be defeated?” He asked, knowing the answer.

  “By the light of-,” Rayne’s eyes widened, her body froze.

  Rakmar flashed a terrifying grin and looked over at the children still sitting on the floor. Shaya felt a bolt of ice shoot up her spine and flood her whole body.

  “They’re children, you can’t,” exclaimed Rayne.

  “Get them,” he said as he turned his back to his sister. From the opening in the wall came a crowd of Krarg, like a swarm of insects from their hive. All clad in their black and red armour, they scrabbled over the wreckage towards them, murderous malevolence in their yellow eyes.

  “No,” yelled Rayne. Before she could do anything, Rakmar spun around, grabbed her by the arm and slung her across the cavern. Rayne slid across the water, bent over and in a shower of sand, water and stone, she shoved her hand into the floor to stop herself from hitting the rock wall. With an angry cry, she launched herself at her brother with blistering speed.

  The first Krarg fell from an arrow to the neck, Rowan grunted in pain as he readied another bolt and pulled back the drawstring.

  Shaya tried to ignore the aching in her leg as she clambered to her feet. Quickly, she drew her sword, ready to meet the snarling swarm. She clashed blades with one of the armoured creatures. It was strong, it leaned in close as it pushed her backwards. With a mighty thrust, she sent the Krarg’s blade flying and shoved her own into a gap in its iron plating. Swiftly, she whipped it out and wheeled around to deflect another blow from a second Krarg. The screeching fiend struck again and again with its jagged blade and Shaya blocked them all, waiting for her opening. Furious, the Krarg roared in Shaya’s face, she felt the hot foul breath on her damp skin. She took the opportunity to swing at the lizard’s head. It ducked, and the girl spun around on the spot and attacked a second time, lower, across the scaly stomach. The monster had barely hit the floor before something blunt and hard smashed into the side of her head.

  Jinx saw Shaya stumble and fall to her knees, the towering Krarg sniggering as it recoiled its club-like tail. Immediately she flew over and distracted the stupid lizard by zipping around its head as fast as she could. The poor ugly thing didn’t see the arrow before it was too late. Rowan fired a second one for good measure, to make sure they’d penetrated the armoured chest plate. He was starting to run low, a quick glance over his bleeding shoulder at his quiver, five, no six left. He grabbed one, aimed and fired at yet another of Rakmar’s minions. It flew straight passed the Krarg’s face, which enraged the already angry looking creature and sent
it on a beeline right for the young prince. He reached back for another arrow, but before he even got a hold of one, the raging Krarg fell to the floor, with one of their own daggers in it’s back. Rowan looked over and saw Shaya, her arm outstretched a relieved expression on her face. She smiled at him.

  “Take the dagger,” she said, “I can’t protect you all the time,” she sniggered. Her smile faded when she saw another four Krarg emerge from the opening. She was exhausted, her head was throbbing painfully, and her leg wasn’t much better. She could tell the side of her head was bleeding, she could feel the warm liquid trickling down her jawline. The pain in her leg was making it difficult to move quickly, difficult but not impossible and she wasn’t about to throw aside her sword and drop to her knees now. She readied her sword, lifting it up with both hands and waiting for the four monsters to come closer.

  With an almighty crack like thunder and a force like a tornado, Rayne and Rakmar roared overhead. They smashed into the cavern wall, decimating it, sending the four Krarg reeling. The whole cavern shook violently. Shaya dived to the ground as a chunk of rock the size of her uncle smashed down right where she had been standing. Glancing up, it took a moment before Shaya realised that there was a small golden light shouting at her. Jinx was screaming at the top of her tiny lungs, only just audible over the shaking rocks.

  “The whole place is coming down,” she was yelling “Get out of there.”

  Shaya immediately turned and saw Rowan was not far behind shouting

  “Go, Go!”

  She grabbed him by the arm and pulled. Together they ran for the exit, which was a still wide hole in the crumbling wall. They clambered over the rubble and made it out as the whole cave buckled and toppled over like a fifty-tonne stack of playing cards. Breathless, the two quickly realised they had no time to rest. More Krarg stood looking at them, there were dozens of them. All snarling and snapping their mighty jaws. Some were armoured, some weren’t. The ones that were bare-chested were bigger than any Krarg they’d seen before. They stood screeching and pounding their chests, which were covered with black markings. Warpaint. Every one of them held swords, daggers, spears or spiked shields.

  “Are you ready?” asked Rowan, pulling the last few arrows he had left out of his quiver and sticking them in the ground. He loaded one, and his eyes met Shaya’s.

  “Ready,” she said with a weak smile and an aching in her stomach. She wondered how they’d get out of this one, or if they even could. She watched the crowd of roaring monsters and wondered if this was it.

  Well, I always wanted to be a soldier, she thought to herself as she tightened her grip on her sword. Now I am. Whatever happens, these filthy reptiles can’t take that from me.

  The horde ran at them, all yellow eyes and yellow teeth in the gloom of night. The two children stood their ground, both battered and bruised. They fired arrows, clashed blades and made sure that, if these monsters wanted to take their lives, they would have fight for them.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Across the lake Rakmar stood on a small island, no more than a few feet wide. With his smoking blade in hand, he searched for Rayne. He had landed hard on this tiny patch of dry land and lost sight of her for a moment. He flashed his evil grin.

  “It’s been a long time since I had such a good fight,” he said. “You were always the strongest of us sister,” He heard it just in time “But not anymore,” he spun around and held up his blade. Rayne had shot up behind him and swung violently with what looked like an axe made of ice. He threw her back with a hard shove, and she flew backwards landing delicately on the surface of the water. Her skin began to harden like she was encased in crystal armour.

  “The fight is not over yet,” she said as another battle axe formed from the swirling water in her other hand. She spun them around and launched herself at the shadow once again. He deflected her attacks effortlessly with a mocking grin on his face. The vile smirk angered Rayne even more. Blow after blow she let loose, a flurry of furious swings, none of which met their mark. They clashed, shadow sword on frozen axe, each one trying to push the other backwards.

  “My turn,” Rakmar hissed. With a tremendous roar, he thrust his giant sword forward knocking Rayne backwards into the oily water. There was a moment of calm before the black lake began to glow with a pale blue light, a beautiful glimmer in a sea of darkness.

  From the deaths, a shimmering diamond being exploded out of the black lake. Rayne but not as she had been. With every ounce of strength she had left, she’d focused her remaining power. The colossal creature that towered over Rakmar was a long winding snake of crystal scales. She’d taken on the form of a sea serpent, with a long reptilian face, complete with massive jaws and teeth as thick as tree trunks. It’s short arms and legs ended with razor-sharp talons. She thrashed her newly acquired, long twisting tail. Her monstrous roar echoed across the lake.

  Shaya couldn’t believe her eyes as she stared over the inky blackness. Her shock was interrupted by one of the Giant Krarg, spear in hand.

  Rakmar laughed a long deep laugh as he looked upon his sister’s new form.

  “Impressive,” he shouted up to her “But it will do you no good,” his eyes glowed red, and the shadows that enveloped him began to smoulder with orange and yellow embers. He reached out his arms, his shadow-black sword still clutched in his vice-like grip. Without saying another word, he took his weapon in both hands and leapt into the air. Rayne’s ice serpent let out an ear piercing howl and flew towards her maniacal brother. The blade struck savagely across the serpent’s long neck, a flash of light exploded on impact that lit up the night sky. Rayne swiped across Rakmar’s chest plate, leaving a jagged scratch across it. When the Fallen God came again, he was met with the force of a tidal wave as the serpents sharp spiked tail crashed into him. He was sent hurtling through the air, the giant ice-snake chased after him. When he regained control he barely even seemed to notice the might with which he’d been struck. He took another swipe at the serpent’s neck as she reached him. Rayne grabbed the blazing shadow with a crushing grasp of her talons and began to squeeze the life out of her brother. The shadow screamed as his armour started to crack. This enraged him further. His flaming skin burning red, he began hacking away at the beast’s diamond chest.

  They both spun in the air as they fought, flying across the sky. Violently they stabbed, pierced and slashed at each other, each one taking blow after vicious blow. Rakmar clearly felt more alive than he had in years and grinned and laughed as he repeatedly thrust his sword at the enormous serpent’s face and throat. He revelled in the savagery of their battle, the sheer ferocity of it as they soared over the black lake below. Every blow sent bursts of light reflecting across the poisoned lake. Bright shimmers flashed across the water below and the sky above.

  Rayne began to weaken; her movements became slower. Her ice-like skin was starting to crack and splinter under the constant barrage of attacks. She was losing her power, and Rakmar knew it. She once again flailed her tail, but this time it was a limp, feeble attempt.

  “Enough sister. Enough,” Rakmar yelled and brought his blade back over his shoulder. Flaming darkness swirled around the great weapon, and he unleashed its full force. With one mighty slice, an explosion of fire and shadow ripped through the shattered crystal skin of the gigantic serpent. In a loud echoing roar, Rayne’s body blew apart in a shower of jagged shards of silvery blue.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Shaya looked up in terrified amazement as she watched their only hope of surviving, explode into a million pieces. Even the remaining Krarg were distracted by the bright flash and ear-shattering shriek. The terrifying yet magnificent creature Rayne had become had given Shaya and her friends the strength they needed, the belief that they could win. That belief felt like a distant memory as she watched a chunk of ice fall to the ground with a splat. It wasn’t until it hit and stuck in the damp mud that she realised it was as sharp as any blade.

  “Get to cover,” she yelled. She grabbed Jin
x who was breathlessly hovering next to her and ran for what remained of the cave. Rowan let loose his last arrow into the cheek of one of the bewildered beasts and quickly followed. Another shard hit the ground inches from Rowan’s foot as he neared the mouth of the cave. Shaya grasped him by the sleeve and practically threw him inside. They hugged the walls as there wasn’t much of the roof left. The nine remaining Krarg began to scatter, but it was too late. A torrent of ice like razors fell from the sky like a hail storm. The ground shook with the force, and the Krarg fell looking like pin cushions.

  When the noise like shattering glass stopped, the children emerged cautiously from the cave. After the violence that had torn through the lake, the roars, the sounds of steel on serrated steel and the rib shaking explosions, everything seemed silent. As if the sounds of the world had been stripped away. Shaya limped out of the cave, the pain in her leg was only getting worse. She clutched a fresh cut on her arm, one of the damn lizards had been too fast for her. There was an emptiness in her stomach that she hadn’t felt before, it wasn’t pain, or hunger, even though she could eat everything she had back at home and still ask for seconds. It was a dull throbbing feeling that made her feel sick. She stabbed her sword into the ground to steady herself as she walked over the rubble of the cave.

  Jinx sat on Shaya’s shoulder, trying to catch her breath. There wasn’t much she could do in a fight; Shaya could tell that fact bothered the golden sprite no end. She had done well; however, distracting enemies so Shaya and the prince could land critical hits. The little Sprite had even shone bright enough to blind one of the creatures, which had then sightlessly swung a mace into the ribs of another.