The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1)

by Alicia Restucci

  Black Moon’s Curse

  Black Moon’s Curse

  Alicia M. Restucci

  To mom for being my biggest supporter and the best mom a girl could ask for. To Jason for listening to me ramble on and on about different plot ideas, helping me come up with cool pirate ship names, and never complaining.

  To Erica for letting me talk your ear off and always telling me to keep writing and never stop laughing.

  Part I The Curse

  Chapter 1

  Prison. That was what she considered her home to be. Her home was her prison and soon it would be more like hell on Earth if her father got his wish granted by King Ivan.

  Emberlyn Lethorne, Ember for short, was no princess. Her name held no titles, nor was she the heir to any fortune. While she was pretty in a girly kind of way, she was not yet a woman. She’d been told that her honey-colored eyes had the tendency to shine more like gold in the right lighting. It wasn’t exactly clear if it was a compliment or not, but she accepted it as one regardless.

  Her hair was red as fire, dropping past her shoulders in waves. The tips of her curls just barely brushed against the small curvature of her spine.

  She’d be twenty -one in just a few short months, exceeding what would be a prime age for marriage in her father’s eyes. Since the year she had turned seventeen her father had begun to make suggestions to the King about her engagement with Prince Cassius. So far, they’d been lucky and King Ivan showed no interest in making the match official, but she knew her luck was running out. The announcement would be coming any time now.

  Her father was the King’s most loyal advisor, and he had the best chances of making such a deal happen. He tended to flaunt her around at the correct moment. It was to make sure King Ivan witnessed just how beautiful a woman she was becoming, how kind she was to the people of their kingdom, and how great and powerful she and Cassius could be, if they were together.

  In her eyes, Cassius held no promise of romance to her, but was rather just her closest friend. She wasn’t blind. She knew he was quite handsome. He had these dreamy emerald eyes, and his hair stuck up in just the right places naturally, although it was so perfectly placed that one would think he spent hours making his curls sit just so. His towering height annoyed her more than anything else. Not to mention, he had an easygoing grin that seemed to tease trouble.

  He was always daring her to push herself into situations that scared her, whether it was climbing trees to see who could climb higher, or swinging across the river they'd found deep in the woods. They grew up running down the same halls with her cousin and his half-brother. They were taught together, ate meals together, and became young adults together. It was destined that they would always be, if nothing else, best friends.

  Ember understood the pressure that Cassius’ father was putting on him. In addition to the already existing expectations he was held to, she knew this marriagewouldn’t make it any easier. She listened to his rants and talked him through his stressful thoughts like a good friend should, but it didn’t change how her heart felt.

  She loved Cassius Montanari, but she was not in love with him.

  Their match made the most economic sense, but it didn’t change the fact that it would be a marriage that almost all but guaranteed a lack of true love and romance.

  Looking out her window, Ember watched the not so distant waves crash against the rocks below her room. Her gaze lingered out across the sea, searching for any ships on the horizon. King Ivan’s ship was due back today with her father and King Ivan himself aboard. They’d been away on business for the past two weeks.

  A small part of her dreaded to see her father back. The other part of her couldn't help but be filled with excitement. Ember’s mother, Liliana, had been killed when Ember was just a toddler. Since then it had just been her and her father. Pirates had attacked their ship on a trip they’d made with the King to the Cane Islands and she had been one of the many unfortunate casualties. Ember had been so young at the time, barely talking let alone walking. She didn’t remember much of her mother, but she was able to gather bits and pieces from the stories her father would tell her after a lot of insisting on her part over the years.

  Queen Kailani was all too happy to play mother to the daughter she was never able to have, but it wasn’t quite the same. Even though Ember barely had any memories of her mother, she knew that Kailani, as kind as she was, would find it impossible to fill her mother’s shoes. They could pretend all they wanted, but she would never fill the void her mother’s absence had left in Ember’s heart.

  Her fingers twisted the locket around her neck nervously. It was a behavioral tick that Cassius had pointed out one too many times, and it seemed that it was most prominent when she was anxious. The locket was the last thing she had of her mother’s and she never let it out of her sight.

  A knock at the door alerted her of

  someone’s presence. Her head turned towards the direction of the intruder. Her eyes were wide in expectant startlement. For a split moment, she feared her father’s onshore arrival had slipped past her and that he was here with the news that she was dreading, that the engagement agreement had been finalized. Thankfully, it was just her maid Malia.

  “Excuse me, Miss Ember, but Prince Cassius requires your presence. I was told to escort you to him immediately” the young maid announced, bowing her head slightly.

  Confusion crossed Ember’s face at the mention of Cassius wanting to see her so urgently. Usually, if he needed to talk to her privately, he came to find her himself. It wasn't often he sent a servant to retrieve her.

  Standing up slowly, she straightened the wrinkles in her dress and nodded. “Sure, is he in the library?”

  That was his usual hiding place, after all.

  “He is. He said it was urgent, Miss Ember.”

  Cassius had a way of being dramatic and fortunately enough Ember was used to his antics. “Of course he did. Let’s go then, shall we?”

  The timid maid nodded before dropping with a curtsy and excusing herself. Ember took that as her cue to follow.

  Picking up her heavy skirts, she hurried to follow Malia. As they made their way through a maze of hallways Ember’s mind raced with all the possible reasons for this crucial conversation.

  She couldn’t imagine what this could be about, unless the King had sent a letter off ahead of them and something had gone utterly wrong. Her heart tightened at the idea of something amiss with her father and the King’s ship. What if negotiations didn’t go as planned? What if they had a run in with pirates or there was a bad storm? Anything could have happened, and she feared she was on her way to receive horrible news.

  Panic seized her thoughts, making the walk to the library feel like hours instead of mere minutes.

  As the maid pushed open the doors, Ember’s heart felt like it was going to jump right out of her chest with how hard it was beating.

  Entering the room, her eyes scanned the seemingly empty space until she found the familiar lone body sitting on the windowsill. The figure sat, reading a piece of literature while stealing the occasional glance to watch the sea below.

  Cassius had somewhat of a lanky body, but he was still in overall good shape. She knew it had a great deal to do with the sparring sessions that he engaged in, the same ones that he hid from his father. A lot of his bruises she knew he hid underneath his clothing were the result of those secret sessions. He knew she didn’t approve of the secrets. She had insisted that King Ivan wouldn’t forbid him learning to defend himself, but she knew deep down that wasn’t what worried him. It was because his bastard half-brother, Asher, and her de
vilish cousin Theo were his teachers. He was worried that if his father found out he would forbid him from learning the sport that brought him so much joy.

  After Asher’s mother died in childbirth, the Queen had decided to raise him as her own. Regardless of that fact, King Ivan would never claim him as his legitimate son. There had always been a clear distinct line between full brother and half. Asher had been allowed to attend the same parties his brother had. He could ever be seen with his brother, but it was never to be mistaken that he was anything but the bastard prince. Ember knew that fact didn’t change how Queen Kailani or Cassius saw him though. They loved him regardless of his family roots.

  As she entered the library she hesitated for a moment, noticing the deep concentration lines on Cassius’ face as he read whatever book laid upon his lap. The dark sandy blonde spiraled into curls as they fell into his face. The golden-brown color of his skin was from all his time sailing under the sun with his older brother. Gone was the gangly boy she grew up with and now here sat a man who would soon become king.

  Although Cassius wasn’t the eldest of the King's sons, he was still heir to the throne. Ember had grown up with both brothers and never thought any less of Asher. She paid no mind to the fact that his mother was a mistress and not the Queen. He was just as handsome as Cassius. Both took after their father with their emerald eyes and the taunting smirk. He was also just as annoying as her cousin Theo and just as much trouble given that both had decided they were to be her big protectors. They guarded her from boys who dared to even smile at her when they went into town, a habit that made her appear unavailable to most suitors. Of course, that only seemed to work in her father's favor more than anyone else's. If no one dared to pursue her, it meant it'd be easier for him to convince King Ivan of the match between her and his son.

  Asher acted as Cassius’s escape from palace life. Being the older brother, he was eager to show his younger sibling the ways of the world. He would sneak them out to go sailing on his boat or go down to the stables to practice fighting techniques.

  While Cassius felt rebellious for stealing a few moments of freedom, Ember knew in all reality that it was the King’s idea, at least where the sailing was concerned. She’d seen the guards watching them from the palace and on the dock. It was clear King Ivan was trying to give Cassius a childhood. As much as he could anyway before he would have to grow up much too fast and one day become king himself.

  As if conjured up by the thought alone, Asher appeared suddenly from behind one of the bookshelves. He stood a few inches shorter than his brother, but still, he too seemed to tower over her. His chest was broader, and his overall stature was beefier than his brother’s. His hair had a sandier tone to it like his late mother’s, but his dimples and that taunting smirk resembled his brother’s all too much. However, Cassius didn’t put butterflies in her stomach the way Asher’s smile seemed to. Their green eyes were both just as mesmerizing, though Ember noticed that Asher’s was but the slightest shade darker. His gaze always held a kind of mischief that Cassius’ didn’t and it made her wary. She shouldn't have noticed such a detail.

  “About time you showed up, Starfish. If you took any longer, I think our king-to-be might have gone to drag you here himself.” Asher taunted. His signature smirk was in place as he chuckled at his own joke.

  Rolling her eyes, she ignored him as she shifted her focus to Cassius, who she could tell was beginning to unravel before her. His hair was messier than usual, his eyes bloodshot with dark ringsunderneath. She hadn’t noticed it when she had looked at him initially but now that she saw it? She wasn’t sure how she could have missed it in the first place. Cassius was a mess, clearly upset about something. He looked as if he hadn’t slept, that much was obvious.

  “Was it their ship? Did something happen?” Her own panic got the best of her as her questions spilled out like bile from her mouth.

  Swallowing, Cassius tossed his feet over the side of the windowsill as he rose from his seat. His fingers raked through his curls, a nervous tick he held that she noticed but never made light of. He was unhinged from unease about something. It was just a matter of what that worried her. Cassius wasn’t easily bothered, so that made this behavior all the more nerve-wracking.

  He didn’t answer the question right away, which irked her to no end.

  Just spit it out, she thought to herself.

  “You’re scaring me, Cassius. Just tell me.” She snapped accidentally. She immediately felt guilty. “I’m sorry. You know I’m not good with suspense.”

  Sharing a look with his brother, Cassius straightened his stance. It was as if he was preparing for an attack. “Both of our fathers are fine. Their ship is actually arriving later on tonight. Mother mentioned sending a dress to your room for you to wear to the party. I think my father intends to announce our engagement during the toast before dinner,” he said as his eyes no longer met hers.

  Her stomach rolled at the mention of their engagement, but she tried to ignore it as best she could. She could tell this wasn’t what he really wanted to say. The pointed glare from Asher only confirmed her suspicions. “What aren’t you telling me?” She asked as her knuckles began turning white as she clenched them at her sides.

  He met her worried gaze finally, the guilt in his own eyes causing her concern to spike even worse. “I know why your father is pushing our engagement so badly. Asher, well both of us, we found out something... it’s about your bloodline.” If she wasn’t confused before, she absolutely was now.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Cassius rubbed his neck, his eyes shifting to his brother again. Nodding his head, he motioned for Asherto go on. Ember’s eyes shifted from one brother to the other. Asher hesitated before nodding and crossing the space between them to show her the book in his hands. As he got closer, he spun the book around so she could read it.

  Her eyes skimmed the lines,but it didn’t make sense to her. “What is this about? None of this makes sense to me. What am I looking at here?”

  Cassius never looked so dreadful before as he spoke. “Em .... when I become king, I have to kill you.”

  Ember’s breath caught, her eyes looking between the two of them confused. “You two are joking, surely. This is some kind of sick joke you two thought up due to boredom. Well I find it childish and lacking in creativity.”

  Cassius shyly glanced between her and his halfbrother across from him. “This isn’t a joke, Ember. Asher found the book here in the library. It’s real. This curse is real.” He said, his eyes begging her to believe him.

  She didn’t.

  A laughed forced its way out of her throat. “No, this isn’t real. I don’t know why you’d waste your coin to have this book made for your cruel joke, but this isn’t funny. We’ve been bored the past two weeks since your father and mine left for negotiations. Did Theo send this to you? If you truly believe this, Cassius, then your brother and my cousin are better pranksters than I’ve given them credit for.”

  She turned to the older prince, speaking before either of them had a chance. “Did Theo help you come up with this nonsense? The bit about the witches is a nice touch, I'll admit. He’s always been fascinated by the witches in Stellara. This joke isn’t even the least bit funny, Asher. It’s actually quite cruel. So, will you please tell your brother that you made this whole silly curse up already? If they’re returning tonight, we don’t have much time to prepare.”

  The attention turned to a now very quiet Asher, causing him to shift around awkwardly. His brother was waiting for him to tell her it was real, all the while she was waiting for him to tell his brother it wasn’t. She knew he didn’t like being put between their fights but in this case? He was going to have to choose a side. “This isn’t a joke, Ember. I didn’t have the book made by anyone either. I happened upon it whilst looking for another book the Queen asked for me to find for her and showed it to Cassius. I didn’t think we should tell you before we knew more, but heinsisted.” He said, sending his
brother an annoyed glance.

  Cassius returned the glance with one just as equally daunting. “She deserves to know that my father is plotting her death as we speak.”

  My father.

  That was the moment Ember saw the undistinguishable anger flash in Asher’s eyes. While they shared a father, it had always been clear their father didn’t oppose to having a favorite son. She knew it hurt Asher every time that choice was brought to his attention. What made it worse was that Cassius didn’t even seem to notice his error or how it deeply affected his half-brother.

  “Scaring her isn’t going to convince her to believe you, brother. If this curse isn’t just some fable, the fact that it was hidden away in the restricted area should have been a clue that perhaps maybe ourfather didn’t want us to know about it.” Asher snarled lowly back in return, his glare narrowing on his brother.

  The two boys continued to bicker, neither noticing Ember as she slowly backed away from them. Opening her mouth, she wanted to tell them to knock it off and not to argue. This was just all too overwhelming. She wanted Asher to crack and tell them this was all a bad joke after all. Her chest raised high with each breath, the air coming in and out now more rapidly as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat. She couldn’t find the words or the ability to speak them, so she did the only thing her body would let her do.

  She ran.

  Chapter 2

  Their calls for her to stop went to deaf ears. She didn’t wait to hear anything more about this ridiculous curse. It was absolutely jellyfish blubber, complete nonsense. There was nothing they could say to convince her otherwise. She honestly wasn’t sure she could stomach believing anything else. So, she ran away from Asher and Cassius and didn't look back. Her feet pushed her forward, away from her best friends and the palace.

  She made it all the way down to the shoreline below the docks until she found she could no longer push her legs to run any further.

  All this time she thought her father was pushing the engagement between her and Cassius to higher their position with King Ivan. Her father had always wanted to be part of the royal family, that much she always knew and understood. Deep down she knew he was using her, but she’d just chosen to ignore it. She thought he wanted her to be taken care of after he was gone and who better to do that than with the future king himself? Selfish reasons aside, she thought her father had the intention of looking out for her.