Page 156 of Moonlit Fate

We moved quickly, the familiar terrain now feeling hostile beneath our feet. The shadows whispered warnings as we made our way out of the woods.

“I have to warn Aria,” I said as soon as we were out of Crimson Fang territory. They’d be safe without me now.

“Go,” Hale said, and Mia nodded.

I held my breath, hoping the shadows would obey me again now that we were in our own territory. To my relief, they wrapped around me like a second skin. They knew where to take me, straight to Aria. Despite the world potentially crumbling around us, she was my anchor.

In an instant, I was in Aria’s room. She was awake, sitting on the edge of her bed in a silky robe. Her head swung up as I stepped out of the dark corner of the room. She must’ve felt my terror, but with my mental shields in place she wouldn’t have been able to find me.

“We need to talk.”

Aria was on her feet in a flash, closing the distance between us. Her hand found mine, gripping it tight. “Atticus, what happened?”

“My father,” I said, the words gravel in my throat. “He cornered me.”

Her other hand came up to my cheek, cool and steady. “Tell me.”

Taking a shaky breath, I let it all pour out. “It’s worse than we thought. The forest is being drained. There’s this stone... a conduit, Mia said. Binding marks. It’s him. He’s found a way to siphon magic straight from the source.”

“Magic? That means...” she trailed off, piecing it together.

“Yeah.” The word left a bitter taste in my mouth. “He’s planning to drain us next.”

Aria staggered back as if I’d punched her. She braced herself against the wall, her eyes wide with shock.

“How? How can we stop him?” Her voice quivered, but there was steel behind it.

“Carefully,” I said. “He threatened you. He’s playing dirty. He knows...” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “He knows what you mean to me and won’t think twice about leveraging it as a weapon.”

38

ARIA

The graveyard was eerily quiet, as if a blanket had been thrown over the world. I moved my hands, focusing on the flow of energy around me. It was different now, more controlled thanks to Philesia’s training. Three sessions, and already the wild currents of magic within me had settled into streams I could command. I couldn’t help it; I smiled.

“Good,” I whispered. “I’m getting better.”

I stopped to catch my breath, the whispers of the dead brushing against my senses like cobwebs. They gathered around me, their spectral forms translucent. They didn’t scare me anymore. If anything, their company was a comfort. Suddenly, the spirits became restless, whirling around me. Their faces contorted as if in warning, and the hair at the back of my neck stood on end.

I spun around, scanning the forest.

They burst from the forest, sudden and silent as death itself. Black robes, masks, the glint of knives in their hands. My heart kicked against my ribs. All that calm, all that control, wavered as the attackers closed in on me.

“Damn it,” I muttered, backing up.

My hands shook, but I forced them to steady. Magic bubbled up inside me, wild and fierce. I didn’t hold back. The control I’d fought so hard to gain vanished. I raised my arms, and the sky above turned black. Lightning cracked, a bright spear hurling toward the attackers.

“Move,” one yelled.

They scattered as the bolt hit the ground, shaking the earth, but it didn’t deter their advance.

“Come on,” I whispered.

The river nearby answered my call, its waters rising, spilling over the banks and flooding the graveyard. Trees swayed violently, roots straining against the surge.

I’d gone too far. It was too much. I had to control it.

Before I could try, Philesia appeared. Magic flowed from her, arcs of light pushing back the masked attackers.

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