Moon Raven Rising (The Moon Raven Trilogy #3)

20. Dax

Chapter twenty

Alaric and I enter the glittering blue-hued cave slowly, as though something will jump out and attack at any moment. Now that he pointed out the magic, I can feel its heaviness lingering here. This has to be the place we are meant to be. Where we will find whatever it is we are looking for.

The further we walk through the illuminated archways that seem to be breathing with magic. Though I am no stranger to shadows, the eerie darkness hiding behind rocks and dents in the walls seems to watch our every move.

“Do you feel that?” Alaric whispers at my side.

“Yes,” I say back, matching his tone. We aren’t alone. I keep my chin dipped and my eyes focused, sweeping the area in front of us. I can sense something is going on, but I can’t figure out what it is. Water drips from the stalactites, and each drop echoes as though they are right next to us every time. Our feet struggle to carry us over the uneven ground, and though we don’t know where it is we are going, we never falter.

As we turn yet another corner in the catacomb under the land, a vibration starts in my feet, and I look back to see the shock on Alaric’s face as he braces himself on a stalagmite that juts up beside him. Tiny pebbles begin to roll from the walls and shake at our feet in the layer of water on the ground.

“This has happened before, and the land opened, swallowing me into a sinkhole—I was trapped in.” I tell him, but before he can respond, an unnatural wind picks up and magic so strong, it , comes crashing into us, nearly taking my breath away.

It sends us both sliding across the rough terrain, and we slam side by side into the cave wall before one of the huge lava drips falls from the cave ceiling and crashes, shattering where we just stood. Through one of the many pathways, a bright light begins getting brighter, like a globe of starlight caught in a bubble floating toward us. As it gets closer to the opening, the glow expands and takes up the whole space. Blinding white light floods the cavern. Bats that cling to the ceiling and rock walls take flight and are soon joined by glowing white birds. The sound of wings flapping fills my ears like a thousand hands clapping all around me.

In the chaos, I close my eyes momentarily, and my hands come up to cover my ears. Alaric does the same, unable to handle the onslaught of sound and light. When I finally open them, my gaze lands on the figure before us. Draped in white fabric, a woman, her face hidden by the gauzy veil, tilts her head as she looks down on Alaric and me.

“Dax Fornax-Ravendene, bonded king, shadow of the moon. Why do you enter this space of peace where the spirits sleep and magic breathes?” Her voice is like a song that reverberates through my entire body and all the space of the cave. She doesn’t allow my answer before she steps closer to Alaric. Her feet never touch the ground though, as she hovers a foot above it. Her gown hanging like the curtain of branches of a willow tree. “And you, son of sacrifice, the shield that binds, bringer of balance—darkness and light. Why do you come here? What do you seek? Both must answer with the will of their hearts, for balance within is where change must begin.” Though she stops speaking, her voice never quits. It echoes around us with no beginning or end.

I swallow, stepping forward. My breath caught in my throat as I think of what I am to say, but when I look at the fabric masking the face within, all the chaos around me goes silent, the unnatural wind going still. As though time itself freezes and my next words breathe life back into the magic.

“I come here for family, for the kingdom, and freedom from pain. To ease my fury and need to avenge lives that have been lost to the darkness. My own, and those around me—I come here for love.” The words come without thought, spoken without restraint, plucked from my mind, and fueled by my heart. Words I never would have spoken, had just anyone asked. The woman says nothing. Just turns her gossamer gaze to my right, where Alaric’s boots crunch in the gravel beneath his feet. He comes to a stop at my side, breathing deep and clearing his throat. He first looks at me with his brow furrowed and then at the woman, his chin lifting high.

“I’m not sure why I come here. The reason seems to be ever-changing. Once I thought it a mission, my magic guiding me to something great. I bonded with the queen and felt that it was indeed fate, but I too wish to be free of the pain of the past. I want closure and freedom. A life without the memory of death.” His words cause his brows to further pinch between his eyes, and I know he too spoke them without thinking twice. The magic pulling the truth from us without any resistance at all.

Magic fills the air of the cave, the prickling feeling of it bringing my hair to stand on the back of my neck. A sweetness fills my nose, sugar and floral cascading together, taking my breath away. The woman, her movements unnatural, tilts her head the other way as though she is considering our words. She backs up, saying nothing, and begins to fade out of existence.

Her voice comes on a whisper, like flower petals blowing on a breeze. “When you find what you seek, prepare for a fight. A battle of wills or a battle of might. When the winner is deemed, a new era proceeds. The shadowed moon shines bright as the gates rise to sight. The prophecy told brings new life to the living, but choices that have yet to be made will determine fate. An unkindness is one, but made up of many. Choose wisely your path, as it may be your last.” When I blink, the air whooshes back into my lungs. Alaric sucks in a long breath with me and as we exhale the sweet air… We know without saying where we need to look.

We walk for what feels like hours, neither of us saying another word. We stay alone with our thoughts and use the magic as our guide. The crystal-like walls glisten and glow, pointing us to where fate has deemed us worthy to go. All I can do is hope that our answers were enough. That we will finally get what we came here for, so I can return to Raelle and the others. So Raelle can claim her birthright, and I can stand at her side while she does.

My thoughts wander as we walk further into the earth. A glance at Alaric and a familiar feeling sinks in my gut. Reminding me of a time where things seemed so normal, and it causes a pain I didn’t know I had for the cousin I never knew was mine.

Sweat builds on my brow and I swipe it away on my sleeve with vigor. I pound on the metal to shape it the way that my uncle has taught me. The glowing orange of the forge brightens the room only enough to encircle my workspace, and the sound of my hammer banging matches the steady rhythm of my heart. One thought in my mind, a goal, and a purpose brings me peace. I know what the outcome will be, and knowing the result is what brings my mind to ease. A place to forget what is expected of me and focus solely on a task. Each hour I spend, I work out my frustrations, never realizing how much they have built until I am slamming the hammer down. Working to flatten each side and bring the metal to strength, but times when training has been particularly rough; not even the forge can keep me from thinking. Perhaps that is what they are aiming to do to me, molding me like the metal I forge, and I am just a man they wish to shape into a blade. Meant to aim at their enemy, cleave victory for Ravendene, and claim a crown I have no interest in taking.

“A blade is forged with patience and strength. Both of which you have, but it seems today one outweighs the other. Balance is needed to create a blade worth wielding.” He places his hand on my shoulder, but even with his presence, I can’t shake the words from my meeting with my father.

“How am I meant to be patient with a man like my father and Soren Croix demanding more than I can give? I only just came into my power, Uncle Declan. No one knows its limits or bounds. No books tell of its darkness. I worry that one day will be too much. Through our studies, I’ve learned that magic is fickle and needs balance to thrive. What if the shadows I’ve been given hides all the light?” My words are eaten by the roar of the forge, but my uncle hears them as though I’ve shouted. He pulls me into a hug, one like my father used to give, and he speaks into my dark hair. My shoulders slump at his words.

“Remember you wield the shadows, Dax; they do not wield you. And though your father and others may push you, it is your magic to uphold. Your father wishes only to understand what he does not have, though some see your magic as power, a weapon to own, but it is fear that builds that need. Fear of the unknown is just as powerful as seeing your enemy come.”

I feel the heavy press of his hand as though it is still on my skin, and when I blink out of the memory, I see the hand on my shoulder and look up to the man with the same eyes and breathe a sigh.

“Hey, where did you go?” Alaric asks, concern bracketing his eyes.

“Just into the recesses of my mind. Visiting with a man who always knew how to bring me strength.” The way that his hand and eyes fall tell me he likely is thinking of the same man, but where my memories are fond, his are just… missing. Before I can acknowledge the facts that hang between us, he stops in his tracks. His jaw-falling slack causes me to stop short too and turn to face what he sees.

Treasures of precious metals and gems shine bright at the far end of a long corridor of uneven stone… but the magic that pulses brings a skip to my heart. Its bright caress is one I’ve grown to yearn for; the light to my darkness, the moon to the night; everything Raelle is…my mate… my wife.

There is a pop in my ears as we step over the threshold, and my pulse quickens, if only in anticipation for what lies ahead. When we hear a grinding of stone, Alaric’s and my gaze snap to each other, then behind us where we just came from. There, on the left of the entrance, a boulder begins to roll. Moving to block the entrance and entrap us with the gold. Our eyes are quick to scan the items around us. We don’t know what is required, but something here has to be the answer. I try to remember what the woman in white told us.

“Alaric?” I whisper loudly, “The woman said to prepare for a fight, of wills or of might?” The ground begins to vibrate just as it did before when I was swallowed by the sinkhole and trapped until Raelle led me with her light—her magic. An idea flares inside my mind, and I grab hold of his arm. This isn’t what it seems. It’s a trick, a test from an archaic goddess. It can’t be this easy to be led to a heap of treasure. Any normal man could be swayed by all that glistens and gleams, but it’s not what we seek.

Alaric seems to snap from the trance he was in as I pull him. He staggers on his feet but rights himself just as quickly. The rumbling ground is intensified by a burst of echoing laughter, our plight bringing amusement to the goddess. Either that or she thinks we fail this one test; perhaps it wasn’t Cano or Soren who killed Raelle’s family but a goddess in the darkness as they tried to reach the secrets left by a king and a queen with only one goal. Make a deal with a goddess to protect a prophecy told.