Page 172 of Moonlit Fate

“Atticus, you look like hell,” Eldan said.

Seren stepped closer, her eyes scanning me. “What happened? Where’s Aria?”

“Isn’t she here?” I asked. My voice came out strangled, each word drenched in panic.

Eldan and Seren exchanged a glance, then shook their heads in unison. “We thought she was with you,” Eldan said, his brow creasing.

“Where is she?” Seren left the young shifters to their own devices and grabbed my arm. “She hasn’t been here since she left to meet you. What’s happened?”

The confirmation of her absence was like a punch to the gut. I could barely breathe. I paced back and forth, the weight of their stares heavy on my shoulders. My lungs constricted, my throat tightening, making each breath a labor. Eldan and Seren’s faces blurred as countless reasons for Aria’s disappearance flooded my mind.

“It’s Caius,” I said, each word laced with a cold certainty that froze my veins. “I think he has her.”

Eldan’s hand clenched into a fist, his knuckles whitening. “Your father?”

“Philesia’s been holding his sycophants back. They wouldn’t have gotten past her.” I could almost see the shadows dance at the mention of Philesia, her power a silent force even now. “ButCaius is stronger than his minions. He’s using a magic that isn’t his and is hungrier for more.”

Seren’s eyes darkened, a storm brewing in their depths. “You think he took her because of her powers?”

“Why else?” I spat out. “He’s the only one who would dare.”

“What are you going to do?” Eldan asked.

“I’m going to go see him,” I said, the decision made before I had time to think it through properly. “I’ve got to find out if he has her.”

“Atticus,” Seren began, but I was already moving toward the forest.

“Stay safe,” Eldan called after me, but I was a shadow slipping through the night, gone before the echo of his words faded.

42

ARIA

The darkness pressed in on me from all sides. The air was humid, sticking to my skin. Ugh. I tried to lift my hand, but it felt like moving through molasses. My once-vibrant magic was now just a whisper.

“Come on,” I murmured, struggling to sit up. “Stay awake.”

My head spun but I forced myself to stay awake.

“Atticus?” I reached out with my mind, searching for that familiar thread that connected us. Still nothing.

“Where are you?” I said out loud this time, the words falling flat in the oppressive silence.

The bond had become such a large part of me that always been there, a constant warmth at the back of my consciousness. Now, it was gone. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to fight off the cold realization that I was truly alone.

I stood up on shaky legs. My bare feet scraped against the cold stone floor, the sound grating in the heavy silence. My fingers skimmed the surface of the wall, tracing the curves and lines of runes that I could barely see. Then I touched one directly.

“Ouch!” I jerked back, shaking my hand. A shockwave of energy buzzed through me, my magic flaring up in defense only to be crushed down again.

“Crafty,” I spat out, glowering at the runes. They were designed to sap away my power, to keep me weak. Fear knotted in my stomach, but I ignored it. I had to stay focused.

Caius had me trapped here for a reason. He had to be afraid of what I could do. Caius had mentioned seers, prophets that served him. They couldn’t have seen this coming. Not my capture. Unless...

“Wait,” I whispered, a memory surfacing. He said he had seers. Prophets. There’s no way he meant mine.

An image flashed in my mind: my seer, with eyes that saw too much, warning me of betrayal. Could it be? Did Caius know about him? Had he used him against me?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I cursed. The pieces were falling into place, but the full picture eluded me. Whatever his plans were, I needed to get out. I needed to find Atticus.

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