Chapter 11: Luna

　　Luna found herself glad that Caden didn`t tell anyone about the meeting. She never liked the concept of senseless killing. There should always be a reason for it. For a week, she`d watched Caden on Elena`s orders. The boy was headstrong and stupid but had a lot of heart. Perhaps he really would be able to replace her.

　　Replace . . . me. Luna thought as she stood tentatively outside of Goran`s Tavern. Could I really have someone take my place? She scolded herself. Of course, she could. Anything for freedom.

　　She always felt uneasy returning to the tavern after being out all day and night. She peered through the window, and as expected, nobody was inside. Night had fallen, so many people had retired to their homes.

　　Perhaps with that meeting happening so soon, the tavern is closed completely.

　　She took a deep breath and opened the door. With a pensive step, she entered and passed the vacant tables and chairs. The entry to the side room was left wide open, and she heard voices as she scuttled toward the entryway.

　　"Are you sure this translation is correct?" Elena`s voice.

　　"I`m extremely sure. How dare you doubt my skills."

　　"And you can sketch what I asked?"

　　"Yes ma`am."

　　She`d never heard the second voice before. Past the side door was the storage room. Boxes of dried food and beverages lay scattered. The back wall was full of barrels and crates labeled with alcohol and other goodies. Luna didn`t really pay attention to what was stored back here.

　　The wall adjacent to the door had a staircase that led up to her bedroom and a glass window with a curtain pulled out of the way. To her right was an alcove where Elena placed her desk. The room was lit by a single lantern hanging above, and the air smelled of ale, sweat, and smoke.

　　As Luna moved toward the alcove, she saw the person Elena was speaking to. He looked like a Royal. He wore a nice suit coat and a top hat, but he couldn`t have been from Belmire. His hair was short and dark, and his skin was a pale white.

　　Odd. She thought. Felisha was also pale, but she was from Talvira. It`s not that pale skin was rare in Belmire. It`s just unexpected. Elena had lighter skin, although her father was from Talvira, while Luna`s father was here in Belmire.

　　I wonder what dad would think of me now. . . she thought. Some kind of masked killer? What had the world come to? Luna barely remembered her parents; it was always just her and Elena. She doesn`t even know if they live.

　　Maybe when I`m free. . . I`ll find them.

　　"I believe your sister has arrived," the stranger said, breaking Luna`s thoughts.

　　Elena exhaled as Luna came around the corner. She was still reading papers. Was this the crazy man she`d been talking about before?

　　"Come in, Luna. What is it you want?"

　　"I watched him as you asked. He`s progressing remarkably, oh, and he`s not dead."

　　"Good. Did you talk with him? Ask him to come to the meeting?"

　　She did, in fact, speak with him on a few occasions. However, the deep channeling of Isabel threw her off her game each time they interacted. On top of Caden`s heinous insults and physical attacks, she did not get any answer from him.

　　"I think so . . ." she said, "but he didn`t tell anybody about it."

　　"Good. Go and ask him to find out for sure."

　　Silence. Luna swallowed. She still had control; focus on that.

　　"Who is that?" Luna asked, pointing at the stranger.

　　"Oh, that`s just -"

　　"Ah, my apologies," the man said. He stood from his seat and turned to face Luna. He took off his top hat and bowed in a bizarre manner with a hand over his stomach and the other behind his back, "Ferris the Wayfarer, at your service, my lady."

　　Luna held in her laughter from how silly he looked. Was this really how royalty acted?

　　Ferris rose and placed his hat back on in a single maneuver.

　　"Are you royalty?" she said, giggling.

　　"Heavens, no! I`m simply . . . a traveler."

　　"I`ve called him here to assist in the job. He`s unable to meet with us tomorrow, but he`s been helping me for most of the week translating Delica Glyphs. We`ve gotten a lot of it down."

　　"Oh yes, this job is quite fascinating. I`m very interested in this narrative. It`s my first gig, can you believe it?" Ferris smiled, sitting back on his chair the wrong way. He tipped his hat. "I thought I`d never be able to work on one of these. Such a brilliant idea! Stealing the sun? How preposterous! I can`t wait to see how this all pans out."

　　"Yes, we know you`re curious," said Elena, "yet can`t even make it to the meeting tomorrow?"

　　The man spun his entire chair around to face Elena. "I told you, I have a thing. . . in a different place, past the edge of the world. But I can still help, don`t you worry."

　　Luna almost busted out laughing. Past the edge of the world? Boats can`t even go there; how does he expect to get past the torrents?

　　The continent that contained all of known civilization was called Elutia. Surrounding it was an enormous torrent of storms. This vortex connected to the blood-red clouds and surrounded the entire isle.

　　It`s as if we are all prisoners. . . Luna thought. A curse that covers the land. . . hm, perhaps the legends were true, and maybe Elena was right. If she could find a way through the storm, Elena would never be able to find her.

　　"How do you plan on getting out there?" she asked, "It`s kind of impossible. And what would you possibly find past the torrents?"

　　"Don`t play his games, Luna," Elena said. "He`s just messing around."

　　Ferris stood and faced her. Pulling a cane out from his suit coat that seemingly didn`t exist before, he said: "I have to meet an old friend and deliver this cane to him. He needs it right about now."

　　Luna couldn`t contain her laughter any longer. She threw her head back and laughed, "You have a friend living in the torrents? How? No human can survive out there?"

　　Ferris smiled like a child, "I didn`t say he was human."

　　"Are you taking a boat?"

　　"No," Ferris said. His smile broadened, and he took a step forward. "It`s quite simple, actually. You just walk. Right. On. Through." He held up his hand and used two fingers to walk across it with his other hand.

　　Yeah, this man is insane. Luna thought.

　　"Right. . ."

　　"Ferris," Elena snapped, "You should leave now. You said you could do what I asked."

　　"Of course, Elena, you`re just my favorite," Ferris laughed, "But please, do not try to use that barbaric witchcraft on me - it only affects mortals." He sighed. "To think a Shard of Sin could make that. . ." He mumbled a few more incoherent sentences.

　　Ferris turned to go, walking toward the side door, but before he left, he turned. "Oh! I almost forgot. Luna. I have a message for you." He approached her, and she took a few steps back as he attempted to corner her. For a moment, his green eyes flickered crimson. The same color as the clouds.

　　"Uh. . . for me?" Luna squeaked.

　　"Yes, indeed," Ferris took a menacing step forward. Now she stood with her back against the wall, out of the alcove and in the primary storage room again. He was inches from her face.

　　For a single horrific moment, the man towered over Luna, red eyes glowing in the dim light. The girl froze; fear crept into her and tore at her muscles to move. But they couldn`t. For some reason, when Luna saw this man, she saw death.

　　Danger. All four of her predecessors spoke at the same time. Luna swallowed harshly.

　　"If you wish to keep your freedom and your life," he spoke quietly, "do not let that Caden boy fall into darkness."

　　Luna glanced at him, the floor, her daggers, then at him again. "What?"

　　He tore away, heading for the door, "Farewell! I do hope we meet again. Buh bye!" He called as he strode into the tavern`s dining room and exited completely.

　　Luna calmed herself. What the hell was that message about? Caden falling into darkness? For what purpose. . . why? She killed those thoughts and turned to Elena. She channeled Renna for some confidence.

　　"What did he tell you?" Elena asked.

　　"Something," Luna snapped, trying to keep control.

　　"Tell me," she ordered. "Now."

　　For a moment, Luna was going to obey, but in an uncanny moment of grace, she realized she could lie. Was this. . . because of Ferris?

　　"He said I should be careful around you."

　　"He`s right."

　　She didn`t question it. Luna thought. She relaxed, unclenching her fists and shifting her weight onto one leg. She wondered if perhaps. . . Ferris had freed her completely. Something about him. . . whatever it was, Luna knew he was supernatural.

　　If she could push Elena just a little further. . . maybe she could order her to do something else, and if that also doesn`t work, perhaps she could leave.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

　　"Are you going to tell me anything about the meeting?"

　　"You know enough."

　　Luna cursed; she`d have to try harder.

　　"I`m here right now. Why don`t you tell me anything? Tell me what I have to do." Her tone was of a lost child, perhaps. . . too apparent that she was acting.

　　Take the bait.

　　Elena looked up from her papers. "Why do you wish to know about the meeting? I thought you hated this job. I tell you enough. Why don`t you tell me things? You just tried to kill me a few days ago. You expect me to trust you?"

　　"Oh please," Luna said, waving her hand, "It`s not like it`s the first time I`ve tried that."

　　"That doesn`t make it better!"

　　She`s not using her power. . .

　　"Just tell me what you want from me," Luna pouted, "I hate how you keep things from me."

　　Elena glared hard at her. "Just be silent for five minutes."

　　Luna was. She was silent for the longest five minutes of her life. Ferris`s influence was just a one-time thing. The spell had not been broken. She deflated, falling back along the wall and resting her head on her knees. It was like her life had suddenly ended; all the hope that washed over her was gone.

　　"Why must you always fight me?" Elena asked, "I`m on your side, Luna. I`m not attacking you."

　　Isabel awoke from her slumber and filled Luna`s mind with such an unbridled force it scared her.

　　"You lie," she said, using Luna`s voice. "You always lie. You`re always pulling someone`s strings or manipulating me. You never care what I want. You`re always attacking me. You are not on my side. You are not kind."

　　Luna jumped to her feet and took a few steps back. Those were her own feelings, the ones she was too afraid to say. Isabel had said them for her. She swallowed harshly and pulled on her predecessor, finally channeling her.

　　Elena glanced up at her. "That doesn`t matter. We get the job done. That`s what matters."

　　"No. You`re my sister, you`re supposed to -"

　　"Half-sister."

　　"Oh, flame off! You`re still supposed to at least act like you care about me."

　　"I do care about you."

　　"No. Freya cared about me. You think I`m just a weapon for you to use."

　　Elena put down her papers, "Freya was a narcissistic thief who used you and your powers to steal riches and hurt her enemies," Elena said rigidly, "I saved you from her."

　　Luna threw her head back and laughed, drinking up Isabel`s rage like a drug. "Saved me? Freya gave me a home, a purpose! She loved me, and she gave me a choice. She was my friend, and you let her die."

　　"I didn`t let her die. She ran back into that building," Elena snapped, "Besides, you needed to be punished for running off."

　　"Punished? I was fifteen!"

　　"You were out of line!" she screamed. "You`re still out of line. I`m trying to give you your freedom, and you`re still acting against me."

　　I am sorry that I am not there to fix this. Isabel said. I am sorry.

　　"I don`t want to argue with you," Elena said with her jaw clenched, "I told you not to push me, sister."

　　"Half-sister," Luna mocked.

　　Elena put her papers down harshly, "What is it you want from me?"

　　"I want you to treat me like a person!" She lashed out, pointing at her and pulling out a dagger. "You should apologize for what you did to Freya! You should let me lead my own life! If Isabel were here, she would have fought against you for what you`re doing to me! She would have let me stay with Freya!"

　　Elena stood up, taking a few angry steps forward: "What would you know about Isabel? You barely even met her!"

　　"I know what she tells me. I am her successor."

　　Elena paused, mouth open, "She spoke to you?"

　　"She said she`d let me go."

　　"Liar!" Elena screamed. "You needed to learn responsibility! Freya died to teach you that!"

　　Luna stomped on the floor, "You should have died in her place!"

　　"Really? If that happened, the world would be dark forever. Is that what you want? Do you want Isabel to have died for nothing? You decided to run away," she poked her sister in the chest, "If you had never met her, Freya would have lived. You killed her."

　　Luna screamed and sheathed her dagger. She put her hands on her head and took a few steps back. She pulled harshly on Isabel`s memories and emotions, and her head pulsed in pain. "I flaming hate you!" she screamed, her voice cleaving the world in two.

　　She reached out her hand, and a piece of Isabel ripped through her. A beam of pure white light radiated from her outstretched limb and flew through the room. It missed Elena but tore through the air like a comet and exploded into the bottom of Elena`s desk. The entire thing collapsed.

　　"Have you gone mad?" Elena exclaimed, rushing to her precious papers. "You could have burned and destroyed those papers! You stupid girl! This is what Isabel died for! Do you even care about her? Get the hell out of my sight before I tear you apart!"

　　Luna clung to Isabel`s rage like it was the only thing she`d ever feel again. She reached her hand out once more, and an orb of Moonlight appeared like a bright blue and white flame. To hell with this!

　　"Stop," Elena ordered.

　　The orb vanished. Luna obeyed. Isabel`s rage still poured through her, but it was nothing compared to the power of Elena.

　　"If you cast another spell like that, no God will be able to undo what I do to you," Elena snapped, brows furrowed and eyes rippling with hate. "That was Isabel`s attack. Were you channeling her?"

　　"Flame you."

　　"Tell the truth."

　　"Yes."

　　"Any new memories?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Of the day she died?"

　　"No."

　　"Then you`re still useless," Elena snapped, "Go find Caden, bring him here - unscathed - for the meeting. I want you to befriend him. I want you to sit in a seat and behave for the entire meeting. Be back here tomorrow. Now get out of my sight before I rip you apart."

　　Luna obeyed. She put her hand down and turned to leave. This uncanny rage and mysterious aura surrounded her. . . channeling Isabel was incredibly dangerous. She passed through the main room of the tavern. She thought about destroying the entire place with magic, obliterating this prison she was in. With Isabel`s new ability, she could very well do it. Destroy everything. Walk out. But Elena`s compulsion was stronger. . . whatever power she held - it was nothing compared to Elena.

　　* * *

　　Luna felt odd stalking the Dimling. But she did it for an entire night, and well into the next morning, she watched his every move. Right down until he left for the meeting. She had to return to her room only once to collect a cloak. The idiot boy decided to wear his crown knight armor to a meeting of thieves.

　　After that, it took her five minutes to find him, and it took her less time to channel Renna and pounce on him in an alleyway. She tackled him to the ground and forced his arm behind his back.

　　"I`m just here to retrieve you for the meeting. Do not fight me this time."

　　An amalgamation of screams, grunts, and other noises came out of his mouth. He squirmed and wiggled, trying to break free, but she was stronger; she was always stronger. At least here, she had power.

　　She got off him.

　　Caden coughed, pushed himself to his feet, slipped, fell, and his face plummeted into the snow below. "Why did you attack me?" He demanded, sitting on his hands and knees. He stood, then reached for the sword on his belt. After looking around aimlessly for a moment, his eyes landed on Luna, who held his sword in one hand.

　　"Hey!" he shouted. "Give me that!" He pointed. His gestures were so animated. His stance was wide open.

　　"No. Come with me. I`m here to guide you to the meeting, and here, put this on." She pulled out the cloak she`d retrieved from her room and tossed it to him. "Some people at the meeting would probably kill you if you wear that."

　　"To hell with that! You`re a bloody murderer! You`re evil! I might help Elena, but I sure as hell am not helping you, slag!" Caden shouted. He took a step forward as if he would attack her again. Every other time she`d peacefully approached him - he lashed out. Stupid boy.

　　Luna cringed and felt the pull of both Renna and Isabel, "Why, you stupid little -" she paused, calming herself with Yelzar.

　　Can I channel three at once? she thought. Yes, she could, but only while he was here. She bit her lip. Stay calm. Don`t lose your cool again. Isabel and Renna are. . . very volatile when he`s nearby.

　　"Elena is worse than I`ll ever be," she said, "If you`re helping her, you might as well listen to me." She turned, walking toward the tavern.

　　"Hey! Don`t you walk away from me! Give me my sword!" he shouted like a child, jumping up and down and pointing. "Fight me! I want a re-match! I need a good warm-up before I take out Vance!"

　　Please, he couldn`t even touch me. Luna thought. But then again& Elena needs him to be strong if he is going to replace me. . . She sighed, then dropped Caden`s sword to the ground and kicked it over to him.

　　"Fine, let`s fight," she said. "Pick up your sword, put on the cloak."

　　Surprisingly, he obeyed.

　　"What have you learned this week? You`ll need to be useful if you want to help Elena. How strong are you?"

　　"What? Why does that matter? Wait, do you know what the job even is?"

　　She nodded. "You`ll be my replacement, and in turn, I promise to be present for your duel with Vance. This taste of power will be quite useful in a duel like that."

　　"How do you know about that?"

　　"I`ve been following you."

　　He grunted. "Well, maybe I can kill you and replace you now, then," he said with a smirk. He unsheathed his sword and got into an awkward combat stance. It was unfamiliar but resembled some knight stances she`d seen before.

　　"You can try," she said. She fell into her own stance, pulling out one of her daggers. She channeled Yelzar, using his combative stance for this. She would test Caden, not kill him, so she wouldn`t need Renna. Although Isabel`s combat memories are slowly being revealed to her, perhaps she could fight like her.

　　Not the time. . .

　　Luna waited for him to attack first.

　　He charged, sword down at his side, angled for an uppercut. He has decent form but was too slow. He didn`t shout as he attacked - which was good. Some Dimlings do that. He changed form at the last second, his sword above his head.

　　Luna stepped back, dodging the downward slam, then pushed herself with Moonlight to the side. To Caden, it probably looked like she was going to parry, but instead, an invisible force threw her to the left. Caden`s sword hit the pavement, and Luna lifted her foot and slammed it on his wrists. The boy cried out and dropped his sword to the ground. The clang of metal on the pavement almost made her smile.

　　"Very sloppy," she said, then, with her free hand, pushed him to the floor. She kicked his sword behind her, then jumped back, creating distance. "You thought I`d parry but didn`t react quick enough when I dodged. You`re dead now. But, if you did manage to evade me, what`s your next move?"

　　He just got up and charged right at her, no sword, arms wide open. She kicked him in the chest and sent him flying into a pile of boxes in the alley.

　　"What are you doing? Don`t fight like an animal; fight like a scholar." She took a few steps forward; he was completely unconscious.

　　Great. She sighed.

　　A loud crash from behind caused her to spin around. She pulled out both her daggers and channeled Renna for an offensive combat stance. Her memories washed over her.

　　Did someone find us? Who was out there? What was -

　　A wave of heat, unlike anything she`d ever felt before, radiated out from behind her. She spun quickly, channeling Kellin, Renna, and Yelzar simultaneously. No blood; she`d always bled when she did that. Caden had lurched up, his right arm blazing with an orange fire. He slammed his fist into Luna`s forearm, and she slid back a good ten feet.

　　That was a decent hit, she thought as Moonlight healed her injury. Maybe he`s not as stupid as I thought.

　　He`s still highly unintelligent. Renna said.

　　"I figured you wouldn`t kill me, so I threw a bottle I spotted in the alley, thought it would distract you," Caden stammered, "Glad it worked," he gave her a thumbs up. It was like a game, fighting. And it was fun. His sword still lay on the floor in front of her, and she smiled, stepping over it.

　　"If you can pick up your sword, you win."

　　"I`ll win when I kill you, filthy vagrant," he snapped.

　　What a nuisance. Renna said.

　　The two continued to spar, Luna not using her dagger at all and Caden doing nothing but throwing repetitive punches. She had to admit to herself that it was incredible. Not only were they both not running out of energy, but they were also smiling and learning as they moved through a sea of frost and flame. Moonlight and Sunlight.

　　After about twenty minutes, Luna had to stop herself. She enjoyed fighting but knew they were wasting time. Her goal of finding out if Caden was strong enough was finished for now, but he needed to be much stronger to replace her. She could take out multiple Elite if needed, but Caden? He might be strong, but he lacked strategy. His most competent battle plan was distracting Luna - and after that, he just kept throwing punches.

　　"Okay," she said, putting her arms down and leaving her combat stance, "that`s enough fighting now. Let`s get to the tavern."

　　Caden was a mess. His hair was disheveled, and his face red. He was breathing heavily and was slouched over as if he had a hunched back. But he nodded and listened instead of fighting. Luna kicked over his weapon. Despite the spar going on for a while, he never once made it to his sword.

　　"You fight well for a vagrant," said Caden.

　　He picked up his sword and sheathed it. Through the flurry of combat, somehow, they saw eye to eye. For this one moment, he stopped trying to kill her and simply followed her lead. What was going on in his head?

　　They began to walk toward the tavern through the maze of alleyways.

　　"Your technique is interesting, academy taught, I presume?" she asked.

　　"And a little of my own thing."

　　Silence. Luna turned a corner, and Caden followed.

　　"Where did you learn? Did you ever attend the academy?" he asked.

　　"No. Everything I know was given to me. I never trained."

　　"What? That`s impossible."

　　"The last four predecessors have provided me with their memories. That`s how I was able to show you Isabel`s memory. So, everything they learned in their entire lives, I`ve learned by living their lives. I channel them, deep in my mind, and fight like they do."

　　"So, you can just watch their memories like a movie?"

　　"Kind of."

　　"So, you have access to all of their fighting styles?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Crazy."

　　Silence. The two walked to Goran`s Tavern, and no more words were spoken. Luna had been successful in her testing of Caden`s strength. He was a respectable fighter, but he`d need to be much more to replace her as an assassin. He`d need to be dark.

　　Horror struck her as she recalled Ferris`s words.

　　If you wish to keep your freedom and your life, do not let that Caden boy go dark.

　　It was almost as if he was telling her not to have Caden replace her. It hit her then as they got to the tavern. It wasn`t just a random message. . . it was a warning.