Palace of Moonlight

by Payton Taylor

  It was shame that shot through him next, hot and burning, mixed with seething anger. Emotions he had no business feeling at that instant. It took a moment for the truth to register, for his brain to catch up with the turbulent emotions that set his blood racing.

  His head turned toward Noelani at the same moment a faint cry escaped her lips. Whatever she was dreaming, it terrified her. Her fear streaked through his veins, her need to bolt making him get up and move toward her before he was even aware that he was doing so.

  She cried out again and Khione and Leo sat up, rubbing their eyes. Westin woke the rest of the tent as he moved over them in his effort to get to the thrashing woman on the other side.

  Kian pulled a knife from beneath his pillow, holding it before him and Zahra before his eyes cleared and he realized there was no threat.

  When Westin reached Noelani, her face was scrunched up in terror, and her sweat-soaked hair was plastered to her forehead. Her hands flew to her throat and she gagged, her face turning red as if she couldn't breathe.

  Reaching out, he shook her arm. "Noelani, wake up." He shook her again, this time roughly as she continued to flail with no sign of waking. He raised his voice, "It's just a dream. Wake up, Noelani."

  Her eyes flew open and she sat up, moving so quickly that Westin barely dodged being head-butted. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath, her hand flying to her throat, her eyes watering. Westin frowned at the red marks that circled her neck. Those hadn't been there before.

  She leaned to the side and gagged before spitting on the ground. She wiped her mouth before the others could see, but Westin could smell the blood on her breath from her bitten tongue.

  Jo sat up beside her, rubbing gentle circles on her back. "Another nightmare?"

  Noelani hesitated and then nodded. Westin saw silvery tears line her eyes, but she closed them and took a deep breath and when she opened them, they were gone. She stared ahead, emotionless.

  Jo frowned as her sister refused to look at her. She lowered her voice, "Was it the king again?"

  Westin's eyes flew to Noelani's face, but she kept her gaze fixed on the wall. She stayed like that for several moments.

  Westin ignored Jo and the rest of the group who looked on in concern, his attention narrowing to focus only on Noelani, on the lingering fear he felt radiating from her in random waves.

  He wasn't sure what to do. Before, he would have comforted her. Held her in his arms the way he had when she'd encountered her first ghost, stilling her shivering with the tightness of his embrace.

  But now?

  Now he could only watch, hesitant to touch her. Could only monitor her emotions as they churned around the two of them. He concentrated on his own slightly steadier emotions, willing them toward her. He wondered if it helped at all. Wondered if she could even feel him.

  After a while her fear seemed to slowly ebb, allowing her to catch her breath, and she spoke.

  "It-it was different this time," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse, her words barely a rasp. The rest of the group seemed to lean forward to hear her.

  "It wasn't just a dream. He took me there, brought me to him somehow. I was in the palace and he was talking to me and it was. . . it was so real." Her expression hardened. "It was real."

  Jo's eyes filled with fright and the others looked at each other in worry.

  "You think he was controlling your dreams?" Jo asked.

  Noelani nodded. "We've gotten stronger, but so has he. I know there aren't any Dream Walkers left, but who knows, maybe he can do it now. Their abilities are similar to Murmur abilities, right?"

  Jo nodded. "From what I've learned, they're said to have stemmed from the same ability. And both are associated with Agares, the god of fear and death." Her expression turned thoughtful as she considered it. "I think it could happen. His powers are crazy strong." She looked back to her sister, "What did he say?"

  Noelani looked back down, the color draining from her cheeks. Her eyes flashed up to Westin before returning to the floor.

  "He said that ritual he did at the ceremony made us Matches. That he can feel me through our Match bond since he drank my blood."

  Zahra blanched. "He drank your blood?"

  Noelani shuddered. "Yeah," she whispered before rolling up her sleeve and holding out her arm. "Right before he carved this into my arm."

  Westin's eyes narrowed as he took in the sharp lines and corners of the symbol carved into her arm.

  Like a brand.

  As red-hot anger filled his veins, he suddenly felt the need to look away, anywhere else, as long as he wasn't looking at that mark.

  Noelani's chin quivered before she locked her jaw.

  It was almost as if Westin could hear the click of a lock, like she was locking away her emotions. Through their bond, Westin felt as if a door slammed shut in his face.

  But, when she looked to her sister, she couldn't quite hide everything. Not from him. And the expression on her face made Westin want to hit something it was so fragile.

  "Is he my Match? I-I know he isn't supposed to be, but maybe the ritual. . ."

  Jo opened her mouth, but no words came out. She obviously didn't have an answer.

  Westin's mind raced, considering if it could be true.

  He'd never heard of it before, but he hadn't paid much attention to the intricacies of Matches when they'd learned about them at temple growing up. He had been much more interested in learning about Gerra, the God of War and Combatants.

  Zahra snorted, causing everyone to look at her. "He is definitely not your Match, sweetie, don't worry." She pushed her way forward to put a comforting hand on Noelani's shoulder. "People only get one Match, if that.

  Those are the rules, made by Liebbe herself." Noelani looked at her, doubtful.

  "You can trust her," Kian spoke up quietly. "She was a priestess of Liebbe. If anyone knows the intricacies of Match bonds, it's her."

  Zahra smiled at him before turning back to Noelani.

  "I don't know what that ritual was, but it was just that.

  Some kind of spell."

  "Exactly," Leo spoke up, surprising both Westin and Noelani, "I'm sure Jo showed you the pictures I took of that book. That wasn't a normal bond. That was a binding spell, to bind servant to master. What he did was blood magic. Powerful blood magic, but I'm sure it's nothing to rival the gods." He looked to Zahra, "Right?"

  She nodded, though there was a curious look in her eye that told Westin she would have more questions for Leo later.

  She wasn't the only one.

  She turned to Noelani, "The gods are the only ones who can forge a Match bond. Azmodeous may be powerful, but not even he is powerful enough to change the will of the gods. The Match bond is absolute, stronger than any other. The gods would never put the burden of two on one person."

  Her eyes flashed up to Westin, considering him. Her stare had a weight to it and Westin felt as if she was evaluating everything about him. Her dark gaze seemed to pick him apart and assess every piece of him. "They wouldn't give someone two, even if the first was strained," her voice was quiet, and Westin's hands curled into fists as everyone looked at him. Judging him.

  But their gazes were nothing compared to Noelani's.

  Her blue eyes were black in the shadows of the tent, and expectant. As if waiting for him to say something. Do something.

  He felt her expectation, her need for him to offer some hope, some scrap of comfort.

  But those were things he no longer knew how to give, not after they had been stolen from him with every fight and hungry, sleepless night he had spent in the Wastes. Not after they had left his body, the piece of him that died when he snapped Daiya's neck and buried her in the damp mud outside of her home.

  Unable to stand it any longer, Westin pushed his way out of the tent, practically tearing the flap as he ripped it open. He needed to breathe.

  Once outside, he took a few steps away and breathed in the humid night air. Emotions roiled inside of h
im. Anger. Resentment. And the worst, helplessness.

  He heard the fabric of the tent shift and Noelani's steps on the dead leaves as she walked over to him. Funny how so much could change, but he still recognized the sound of her footsteps, even with only one ear working.

  Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "Why did you help me? With the nightmare?"

  Westin refused to turn and face her. Refused to look at her guilt-ridden face that begged for his forgiveness. "I had to," he lied. "I made a blood promise to help you and look out for you, until death or your release." He could hear the bitterness in his voice as he spoke and cursed himself.

  He was getting sick of feeling so out of control.

  Noelani stayed quiet for so long that he finally turned to face her. Her face was upturned, her eyes on the stars visible through a gap in the tree's canopy. She looked like a ghost standing there in the moonlight. She looked somehow ancient.

  At last, she spoke, her eyes still on the stars. "I'm sorry about your ear."

  Westin swallowed thickly. "How did you know?" "I notice everything about you."

  Westin was dimly aware that he felt pleased at those words, but his emotions were too raw. Too out of control.

  Noelani spoke again, her voice soft. "I release you."

  "What?" Westin asked, unsure if he'd heard her correctly.

  She tilted her head down, eyes scanning the trees around them as if it was the first time she'd seen them. "I release you, Westin, from the blood promise you made. Whatever choice you make regarding me from now on is yours to make and yours alone."

  Her gaze met his, hard and knowing, "So next time, think of a different excuse."

  With that, she returned to the tent, leaving Westin alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that rose up like a wave, threatening to drown him as conflicting emotions ate and chewed at his heart.

  He sat down, his back against a tree, and looked out into the jungle that surrounded them. Though he told himself he was keeping watch, his sole focus was on the woman he could still hear tossing and turning in the tent behind him.

  They stayed like that, him watching the trees while she fought the darkness of her dreams, until sunrise.

  The sunrise was the only beautiful thing Westin had found in the Wastes. The sky lit up with dark pinks and oranges, the rays of the sun poking through the fog that covered the trees like a blanket. It was the only time he had experienced anything close to peace in his time there. The light reflecting off the mist was almost heavenly.

  Almost.

  *****

  A dark shape moved through the lessening fog a short distance ahead of Westin, drawing his eye. He narrowed his eyes, but the fog prevented him from seeing it clearly.

  The figure came closer, moving slowly, becoming clearer as the fog burned away with the morning sun.

  Westin stood as he recognized the figure. "Kian?" he asked, his voice louder than he'd intended in the quiet of the morning.

  "He's still inside," came Leo's voice from behind him. Westin whirled to find Leo climbing out the tent, his tall form contorting at an odd angle as he maneuvered himself through the small opening.

  A chill passed over Westin, his skin prickling as he turned back to the figure in the woods.

  It was gone.

  Chapter 19

  Khione

  Writhia, 5220

  The Wastes

  "You're positive you saw Kian?" Khione heard Noelani asking Westin as she walked out of their tent.

  Warm sunlight instantly licked at her exposed skin, which was already sticky with sweat, and the scent of vegetation and flowers hit her nose.

  Khione rubbed at her red eyes and cracked her stiff back. "What's going on?" she asked.

  She straightened up as everyone turned to her, Marzanna's eyes lingering the longest. Through their bond, she felt the way her heart fluttered at the sight of her, but also, caution. An awareness of something Khione wasn't aware of yet.

  "I saw a Skifte," Westin said. His tone suggested he was trying to stay calm. His body language said otherwise.

  A ball of lead dropped in Khione's stomach. She eyed everyone critically. It wasn't that she thought he was lying, it was that a Skifte could take the form of anything it wanted. There could be one among them at that very moment.

  Noelani met her stare, eyes flashing with determination. "We need a password. Something only we'll know, so when they come, we'll know who to take down and who not to."

  "Sea Language," Seren said.

  Everyone looked at him, and he looked away. He started drumming all of his fingers against his thumb rapidly.

  "Seren, that's a great idea!" Jo said, features lighting with understanding.

  Zahra smiled brightly as she motioned her hands from side to side.

  "What did you say?" Khione asked.

  "I asked Seren 'what should we do?'" Zara replied.

  Seren smiled moving his hands and fingers in intricate patterns Khione thought were interesting to watch, and mentally kicked herself for never learning Sea Language.

  "That's perfect," Marzanna said, smiling. Her skin glistened with sweat, but it didn't dull the beauty of her smile, and, for a moment, Khione could almost forget the dire situation they were in. Marzanna's eyes latched onto Khione's, and she clamped down on the attraction. On her feelings.

  Hurt flashed through the bond before Marzanna cleared her throat and her face went carefully blank.

  Clearing her throat, she got back to the topic at hand. "You know Sea Language?" Khione asked.

  The group's eyes bounced back and forth between them at every interaction they made. It was no secret that things between them had been tense.

  Marzanna made a motion with her hand, causing Seren and Zahra to smile.

  Leo raised a brow. "I take it that meant yes?"

  "Yes," Marzanna said with a wistful smile. "My father made all of my siblings and I learn Sea Language."

  Of course she knew it , Khione thought. Just another thing to add to the list of why I need to be better for her.

  Noelani looked at Khione knowingly, and she hated that the princess was so observant and nosy. Both of them, that was. As Jo stared at her, too, and she felt wary under their powerful gaze.

  Khione looked between the two princesses. Saying they had changed was an understatement. Their hair was longer. They had bags under their eyes, and their bodies, which were now more muscular, still had a few bruises in places they could see.

  Khione felt intimidated by their stare. Not fear, no, she knew they wouldn't hurt any of them. But she could see the crazed and dead-eyed look they got in their eyes from time to time. Feel their power pulsing whenever they got too close. They'd saw too much, been through too much.

  They couldn't hide their pain no matter how hard they tried. Sooner or later they would need an outlet.

  "So, teach us the pass-" Jo started before her eyes widened in horror.

  The little hairs at Khione's nape stood on end and she instinctively turned around. Her heartbeat thumped painfully as she saw eight Skiftes identical to everyone in their group.

  Khione's natural reaction had her standing in front of Marzanna.

  Westin unleashed a knife, killing his copycat instantly, causing the others to snarl and growl, bodies poising to attack.

  "Can't say it wasn't weird to watch you throwing a knife at yourself, Airoldi," Leo said before turning them all invisible.

  Khione agreed. She felt nausea roil in her stomach as she stared at Westin's dead clone lying in a puddle of blood with a knife jutting out of its chest.

  The Skiftes spread out, nostrils flaring and mouths opening with serpent-like tongues, their chests expanding with a deep inhale.

  "They might not be able to see us, but they can still hear and smell us," Seren whispered. "They can taste the air."

  The Leo look-alike's eyes narrowed in their general direction before speaking in a sing-song voice exactly like his, "Where arrrre you?" It sniffed the air once more, "I can
smellll youuu."

  The other Skiftes started to open their mouths as well, and, as one, they all turned their heads to where Khione and her friends were standing.

  Suddenly, there was a swooshing sound, and Seren's look-alike got an arrow through the head. The arrow protruded through its skull in an explosion of matter and blood. A ringing of metal hitting metal echoed in the air as the Jo doppelganger was beheaded.

  Their bodies became visible again, Leo and Noelani too caught up in the fight to hold everyone's invisibility.

  A beautiful melody filled the air. A high soprano of notes so beautiful that everyone stopped fighting, turning to stare at Zahra in awe. Her curvy figure swayed in the light shining through the trees, lifting her arms up as if she was singing to the heavens. A come-hither look eased onto her face as she slowly took out her bolas and pinned her and Kian's clones to a tree before Kian approached them. He cocked back his long sword with a side swing, stabbing them both in the neck, finishing the job.

  "Nice teamwork, baby," Zahra winked.

  Ice oozed out of Khione's skin, causing frost to form on her hair and lashes as two sharp icicles started to take shape in her hands.

  Only, she wasn't quick enough.

  The air shot out of her lungs as her Skifte landed on top of her, straddling her. Hands wrapped around Khione's throat with crushing strength.

  Agares’ bloody bird!

  She jabbed both icicles straight into its eye sockets, causing its blood to leak onto her face.

  "Ugh!" She threw it off of her, wheezing.

  Khione's heart fluttered like a caged bird in her chest as her eyes darted around searching for Marzanna.

  Leo had just finished killing the last Skifte and everyone else was panting and checking for wounds.

  "Where's Marzanna?" Seren asked. The second to notice she was missing.

  The others straightened, scanning the dead Skiftes and the vegetation that surrounded them.

  "Where is she?" Khione's voice was rough, filtered with panic and anger.

  She should've been paying more attention to her.