Jade Moon (Celestial War Book 1)

by Julia Richards

  “You have to let Olivia go as well,” I said.

  With a look of mock sympathy, Selene continued to advance. “That I can’t do. She’s a nobody. Neither a Solaris nor a Lunate. Poor beaten little thing won’t even be missed. We need a human sacrifice to activate the relic once it’s complete. I was told this girl was very cruel to you, so I brought her here.” Selene licked her lips again, still staring at the disk I held. “She is an offering to you, a sign that we are on the same side.”

  I slid the disk out of the pouch into my hand. It lit the entire room.

  Selene’s mouth fell open, eyes shone with what looked like lust. “Yes…” she whispered. “Oh yes.”

  She looked deep into my eyes with something like love, “Listen to me, Harper. You might not agree with my methods, but I am the one trying to save the world. I understand the need for sacrifice and it isn’t always pleasant, but I take no pleasure in harming these people. I’m doing what is necessary.”

  Was she right?

  I glanced over at Raf still frantically trying to cut Olivia’s bonds. His hair fell across his ernest, handsome face. He was everything I wanted to love in the world and I was overwhelmed by my feeling of gratitude that he was in my life.

  Selene was wrong. Sacrificing the innocent, even for the greater good, wasn’t right. Would never be right.

  “Is that why you treated Raf like dirt?” I asked, venom clear in my voice.

  “I might not be the best mother, but you know I’m right. We need to sacrifice the weak to ensure the survival of us all.” Selene didn’t even spare a glance for her son who looked up to watch her response.

  The hurt in his eyes made me furious. Not sure what I intended to do, I lofted the disk and Selene shrunk away in fear.

  “If you hurt me, you’ll never find out where you father is!” she shouted.

  It was a desperate ploy, but it worked. I paused. “My father?”

  “Not me! It’s his own people. I’m telling you, the Solaris are corrupted from within. Part of the reason I spared you this far was because your father stood against them. They’ve hidden him away and I’m trying to stop them.”

  I froze, uncertain. Everything clicked into place and I knew she was telling the truth. Indecision was what she’d been waiting for. Selene pulled out a moonstone marble and shouted an unintelligible command. A sickly sweet mist rose from the ground and enveloped me. I held up the disk and shouted, “Stop!” The relic flared but nothing more happened.

  “No,” Raf shouted.

  The light from the disk was easily absorbed by the fog. It felt as though my own life force was being sucked away. Ice filled my lungs, my blood turned into frozen sludge burning its way through my veins. Teeth chattering, I looked down at the jade disk that flickered faintly against the mist.

  The snarl of wolves rang around me, echoing off the hard rock creating the sensation of a thousand wolves descending upon me. The white vapor cut off my air. I gasped for breath, making nothing but a frantic squeaking sound as I choked on her poison.

  A sharp crack split the air and Raf let out a strangled cry. The fog fell to the ground like rain.

  Raf stood with his pistol out, a look of horror on his face. Selene lay crumpled atop the temple, blood flowing from her shoulder.

  I strode to her and kicked the small blue stone away from her fingers. She looked up at me, but clearly did not see me. Speaking to the sky, she whispered, “Mother Moon, I’ve failed you.” Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes.

  His gun clattered to the ground as Raf let out an inhuman cry. He rushed to his mother’s side, cradling her in his arms. Rocking back and forth, he murmured to her.

  “Harper.” My mom finally managed to cut open Olivia’s bonds. “Let’s get this girl out of here.”

  I rushed to her side.

  The ring of red robed thugs still encircled the bottom of the temple, but they shifted uncertainly now that that their mistress was down. I held up the disk. “Let us pass or I’ll use it.”

  That worked. I had a giddy moment of euphoria, though what power they thought I could wield I had no idea. For all I knew, I could shout commands till I was blue in the face and maybe it would sparkle like a pretty little firecracker in my hand.

  “You need to come with us Raf. Once we’re gone, your mom’s people will see she gets to a hospital. But, you can’t stay with her.”

  “I know.” He wiped away snot with his sleeve. He stood slowly, releasing more than just her hand.

  We were at the edge of the temple when Mr. Silver stumbled into the room. Mrs. Louie arrived next to him, eyes literally glowing with golden fire. Her black hair writhed like snakes. She wore a white robe held on by two golden medallions at her shoulders.

  Mr. Silver leaned on Mrs. Louie, his baggy cardigan and frumpy pants an almost hilarious counterpart to the splendor of his partner. “Oh thank the gods, Harper.” He said and limped toward the temple. “Are you all okay? Do you still have the disk?”

  Something was not right. A voice, spoke to me, whispering in my ear, “Listen, listen, listen.”

  Mom and Raf paused, looked at me.

  I shut my eyes, and let the voice speak.

  The Oracle

  “Listen!” I fell backward, tilting so slowly I could feel the air caressing my skin as I fell. Crashing to the floor, I felt nothing but ecstasy.

  A woman appeared above me, dark hair, violet eyes, blood red robe.

  “You’ve come,” we both said at the exact same time. She was not exactly welcoming, but sensual, warm.

  My body convulsed, little paroxysm of sensation shaking me from head to toe, pleasure and fear.

  “We’ve not much time.” She leaned so close I could feel her soft breath on my lips. “You need to reunite the Jade Moon. Corruption has spread to both sides. Neither should wield its power. You must right the wrongs done. Listen to your heart. Your words are the power.”

  I gasped, suddenly choking on bile. Raf and mom stood protectively around me.

  Listen

  Seeing me conscious, they lifted me while Mr. Silver mounted the steps.

  At the bottom I noticed all the red robed Lunates had retreated. My mind raced. Friendly Mrs. Wattana, pretty Mrs. Foster, and jolly Mr. Ransom were Lunates working with Selene. But Mrs. Louie was a Solaris, why were she and Mr. Silver together?

  “Harper, give me the disk. We can stop all of this. Your father can come back to you.” Mr. Silver climbed the temple, hand outstretched, kind smile on his face.

  I stood proud, facing him. “No.”

  Silence. No one moved.

  “Just give me the disk, Harper. It’s to keep the world safe. They’ve gone mad with power. As a neutral party, I can ensure its safe keeping.”

  I turned on him, rage blazing. “This was all you. You’ve been manipulating me to find the disk. My father trusted you.”

  I glanced to my sides.

  On one side, my mom radiated fury. She was in full on demon-mom mode, her presence filling the space around her like an old Greek titan.

  On the other side, Raf, face still wet with tears, stood strong, fists balled and ready to fight.

  For half a second I wished I could crank on some kick-ass theme music, because the three of us looked fierce.

  The pieces all fell in place as I spoke. “You’re the one who destroyed the library. You were looking for Selene’s tunnels.”

  “I’m tired of being neutral, Harper.” His face twisted from the kind, lumpy man I knew to something dark, full of hatred. “I’m sick of the never ending feuds, the power struggles, the infantile egos. I knew I could end it all. With me in charge, making sure all happened as it was meant to. All I needed was a few key Solaris leaders and we could have finished this war once and for all. Your damned father is the one who stood in my way. He felt it was a corruption of his principles.” Mr. Silver snarled as he spat out the word principles. “Bastard rambling on about balance, harmony, loving those who would stand against us. I ha
d to remove him and send you away.”

  “You took my father! You’re the one who revealed our hiding place to Selene!”

  “Yes, though to be fair, it was your dad that confided that secret with me before he understood my position. Poor Kane trusted me with his precious wife and daughter.” Mr. Silver’s entire being twisted into something I had never seen in him. “Walking the fine line between encouraging you to find the disk while keeping you focused on Selene has been an enjoyable challenge. Though, if I had known you would be this difficult to control, I would have just done away with you long ago.”

  “I don’t think so, Martin.” A voice rang from the far end of the cavern. From the opposite tunnel, Mr. Silver’s wife, Mambo rode into the room astride Kaska who moved like a lion. Mambo wore a gold circlet atop a full afro, golden snakes wound around her biceps. Her face fierce. Principal Beuterbaugh followed close behind, his knock knees making his body rock side to side but, rather than seem wobbly, he moved like a cobra preparing to strike. He still wore his ugly brown suit, but held a long staff with a swirling sun at the top.

  Mr. Silver spun around. “Mambo?” confusion flitting across his face. “My love?”

  “Martin, I can’t let you do this.”

  “But…” he faltered for a moment. “I’m helping the Solaris win the war. We can rule together.”

  “I’m sorry ,Martin. But you’re wrong. Kane Dae was right. There must be balance. No one person or faction has the right to control it all.” Mambo sat tall, flames flickering from her golden eyes. “I love you but I won’t stand by and let you destroy all I believe in.”

  Mr. Beuterbaugh stood beside her, grim faced, but rather intimidating in his gangly cobra stance.

  Mr. Silver’s mouth distorted into a grimace of betrayal and hurt. I watched something inside him break and a black shadow swept across his face.

  Selene, still bleeding, propped against the stone table tried to speak, “The Solaris, they have done such terrible things. They killed our children, Harper. My baby.”

  I looked at Mr. Silver.

  He stood up, haughty look of disdain toward Selene. “Only to prevent them from gaining too much power. Selene’s daughter was destined to take her mantle. I took the baby’s life to stop it…”

  “A baby!” I shouted at him with pure horror. The realization that Mr. Silver had killed a child, no matter what reason he might have had, was the last straw. I looked to Raf and watched emotions play across his face. Confusion, sorrow, rage. He looked to his mother who nodded. She held a hand over her shoulder, blood leaking between her fingers.

  “He killed your twin sister. She was to inherent my Anima when I pass on,” Selene managed to gasp out.

  Mambo and Mr. Beuterbaugh must have sensed the shift in Raf as he prepared to attack because they rushed the platform, war cry on their lips.

  Raf leapt at Mr. Silver, his own personal rage fueling his strength.

  Mrs. Louie, who had been silent along the edge of the platform, moved in on me. My mom struck out with flat fingers. Clearly mom had some fancy martial arts training because Mrs. Louie took the hit to her neck and stumbled backward. Mom and Mrs. Louie faced off.

  I dove for the Jade Moon. Two of the three disks were already in place. I grabbed it with both hands and slid the final disk into place.

  Mom fell backward, avoiding the hit from the small fireball that spit from Mrs. Louie’s hands. Mrs. Louie moved in on her as Mr. Beuterbaugh and Mambo riding Kaska charged her from behind.

  The final disk clicked around the luminescent center. The three disks ground against each other. Slowly they fell together and the entire relic flared like the full moon.

  The Jade Moon was complete.

  I turned on Mr. Silver. “I trusted you!”

  With a cry of frustration, he lashed out with a balled fist. As he punched toward my face, black smoke coiled outward from his thick golden ring. Enveloping his entire hand, the inky blackness connected with my cheek. My head snapped back. A cry of pain escaped my lips. I fell to the ground, smoke lingering against my cheek. Rot spread where it touched, a layer of flesh crumbling off.

  “You have my father,” I shouted, using my fury to stand back up.

  Kind, frumpy Mr.. Silver stood over me with malice gleaming from his entire body. Eyes black, smoke swirling from his ring, he transformed into something new. A being of darkness.

  His attention focused on me. Mr. Silver didn’t see Raf moving in. Raf jumped on his back, gouging at his face. Mr. Silver slapped Raf aside with ease. As he fell, Mr. Silver smashed his fist into Raf’s side and I heard bones crunch. Raf let out a sharp oof and collapsed to the floor.

  Mrs. Louie loosed another fireball and I heard my mom’s wail of agony.

  My knees buckled, rage faltering as I watched everyone I loved fall around me.

  At the far end of the platform, Mrs. Louie desperately tried to defend herself against Mr. Beuterbaugh who spun, gangly limbs full of grace. Staff giving off a glow, like an aura that surrounded him and Mambo. Kaska reared up and sunk her teeth into Mrs. Louie’s forearm. Mom lashed out at Mrs. Louise’s feet, knocking her to the ground. Locked in battle, Mambo began to sing. Her voice rang clear across the small chamber, filling it with a golden light.

  Her song renewed me. Something broke free. Love, the desire to protect. My every emotion was loosed upon the world.

  The Jade Moon Awakens

  I screamed in pain and fury. Clambering to my feet, I held aloft the Jade Moon.

  Mr. Silver paused, cringing as though my shout could hurt him. When nothing happened, he quickly recovered and smiled, a grin of pure evil.

  “Guess the Jade Moon won’t work for you. Maybe you aren’t the Oracle after all.”

  Circling Raf’s prone form, Mr. Silver stalked toward me like a victorious predator. He balled his right hand into a fist, black smoke leaking out his mouth and around his eyes. Waving his ring back and forth, he taunted, “The Lunate death ring, entrusted to my safe keeping by some naive Lunates. It has stored within it a death blow.”

  He laughed, a terrible sound. Seeing that I had nothing but a useless, glowing disk, Mr. Silver made his move.

  Rushing me, fist cocked, I stumbled backward.

  With a feral cry, Selene flung herself in the way. His blow landed on her, she fell back into my arms, warm blood running over the Jade Moon.

  Smoke from the ring wrapped around Selene’s body, swallowing her in writhing darkness. She took a long breath in, and, with barely audible voice said, “Tell Raf I’m sorry. He was brave.”

  Selene slumped against me. The last flicker of life sparked and then was gone.

  At the exact same moment, the Jade Moon burst into cold white flame, Selene’s blood the fuel burning bright. Climbing up my arms, the blinding fire filled my blood. My heart swelled, body screaming with the intensity of sensation. Looking down, I half expected my joints to be separating. Instead of tearing to pieces, my body glowed with silver splendor. The flaming Jade Moon thrummed in my hand like it was alive.

  The sound of water roared toward us and I watched the moat around the base of the temple fill with shimmering water. Encircling us, it shone like a river of stars, the moon in my hands glowing even brighter. Together, the River of Stars and the Jade Moon appeared like the night sky come alive on the earth.

  The moon was called down into my hands.

  From Selene’s body, a swirling collection of lights rose like will-o-the-wisp. It swooped to the ceiling like an animate creature, the collection of moon Anima seeking its new home. No one else seemed to see it as it swirled around Raf still prone on the ground. It danced across his skin before moving inside of him as he breathed in.

  Raf’s eyed rolled back in his head.

  “Raf!” I shouted. I felt the word leave my mouth like a solid thing. It rippled into the room like a rock being thrown into a pond. Temple stones shattered in its wake. The logs in the bonfires splintered like kindling.

  As the radiatin
g sound wave hit Mr. Silver, he stumbled back, eyes wide with terror.

  I rushed over to Raf and helped him up. He shook his head in confusion.

  “What the hell?” he asked.

  “I think you just absorbed your mom’s Anima.”

  “What?”

  “No time!” I gestured to Mr. Silver still approaching.

  Standing tall, grasping hands together for support, we turned to face him.

  My black hair blazed with white fire. My eyes became swirling disks of mercury. Lips deep red with fresh blood.

  Next to me, Raf’s face shone with something beatific, peaceful. A barely visible mist roiled behind him, faint outlines of wolves crouched protectively around him, growling a deep, basso sound that rolled through the cavern.

  Mr. Silver shrunk back, eye’s darting back and forth between us.

  Soft as a gentle breeze, I whispered, “You’re done.”

  The words radiated from my mouth and hit Mr. Silver square in the chest. It hit with such force, I heard the air forced from his lungs. His ribcage snapped as he was tossed into the air. He flew so far and so fast that he slammed into the cavern wall then fell to the floor in a heap. He did not get up.

  Raf ran back to his mom’s body.

  Mambo astride Kaska, Mr. Beuterbaugh, and my mom stood over the unconscious form of Mrs. Louie. Blood ran from their wounds and mom’s arm was singed, but they wore triumph on their faces.

  Poor Olivia sat up on the platform, woozy, and asked in a thick voice, “What in the hell is going on?”

  ***

  I rushed over to my mom. She leaned away from me as I approached and I realized I was still glowing. Gently putting down the Jade Moon, the light went out and we wrapped our arms around each other. Overcome with relief, mom cried on my shoulder. I’m pretty sure I wept like a little baby as well.

  “Mom, it’s over. We did it.”

  “Thank the gods, Harper. I can’t lose you.” She held me at arms length and looked me up and down, making sure I was in one piece. After reassuring herself that I was okay, she beamed her magnetic smile, “You sure kicked some ass there my little Wren.”