Page 44 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“You are the first Luna,” he interrupted gently, his scaled hand coming to rest at the small of her back. Heat radiated through the fabric of her gown, steadying her. “The prophecy’s fulfillment affects all of Artania, not just dragonkind.”
The guards pulled the doors open, revealing a cavernous space unlike any she’d seen in the mountain fortress. The chamber opened to the sky, with a light blue crystal panel in the center of the ceiling capturing and refracting sunlight throughout the space. Glowstones framed the walls, adding an even soft light along the room’s edges. River-smooth stone formed a circular floor with raised steps leading to a central platform.
Around this platform stood a collection of beings so diverse that Sora momentarily forgot to breathe.
“The Alliance gathers once again,” Ignis announced, his voice carrying the weight of ceremony as he guided her forward. “My friends, it’s been a long time.”
His entire council was already present—Ember standing protectively near the entrance, Asher and Cinderfell conversing quietly with a group of elegant figures, and Zalaya perched on a stone ledge overlooking the proceedings. Blaze and Enixa flanked a gleaming table of living crystal that mirrored the one in the council chamber, its surface alight with maps and glowing markers.
But it was the newcomers who captured her attention.
Creatures of myth and legend from Earth stood before her in undeniable reality—three distinct groups positioned around the chamber.
To her right stood a pair of beings with midnight blue skin and silver-white hair that fell in intricate braids adorned with a speckled dark metal—stardust—that she’d read about in the library. Their pointed ears extended gracefully upward, adorned with delicate jeweled piercings that caught and refracted light with each slight movement. The taller one’s eyes glowed with inner luminescence, pupil-less and entirely silver, while his companion’s held vertical slits of deep violet against silver irises.
Elves, her mind supplied. But nothing like the gentle forest dwellers of Earth mythology. These beings must be the dark elves of Artania, those who dwelled in the caves of the mountain sides and harvested rare metal and stones, focusing on enchantments and mastered craftingstardust.
To her left, three large individuals lounged with predatory grace. Two were covered in sleek fur—one golden with black rosettes patterning his muscled torso, the other silver-gray with subtle striping. The third possessed gray-brown fur that seemed coarser, his amber eyes tracking her every movement with unnerving intensity. All three bare chested and wore loose flowing kilts secured with ornate belts with leather straps holding various veils.
Wulfkin and Felynx. Werewolves and werecats from Earth’s stories.
And directly before her, sitting delicately upon cushions of woven silk, were beings whose gossamer wings caught the chamber’s light in hypnotic rainbow patterns. Their features were almost painfully beautiful—high cheekbones, eyes silver and gold, skin that seemed to shimmer from within like liquid metal—or those glossy fine-glitter nail polish on Earth. One appeared female with iridescent green wings and flowing emerald hair, another male with midnight blue wings and matching hair, the third androgynous with wings that shifted between rose gold and silver depending on how the light struck them.
Fae. The fairies of childhood tales made manifest in inhuman beauty. She wondered if there was any truth about them stealing children—or trading theirs—and if they knew of ways to cross between worlds.
Or were stories about them fables, meant to scare—or explain how some families may have a child that doesn’t follow their familial familiarities.
Sora felt every gaze in the room lock onto her, assessing, measuring, judging. The weight of their collective attention pressed against her skin like physical force—similar to how she felt whenever she’d given talks about her newest research discovery.
“I present Sora Valerith,” Ignis stated, his voice resonating through the chamber as his wing curled protectively behind her. “The first of the twice-born. Luna of dragon-blood.”
Silence filled the chamber. Then, the taller elf stepped forward, silver eyes narrowing as he studied her.
“This is the hope prophesied?” His voice carried the cadence of a blizzard—beautiful and soft but cold. “She appears mostly human to me.”
“Appearances deceive, Nylrion,” Zalaya called from her perch, feathers rustling as she shifted. “Look closer.”
The dark elf—Nylrion—moved with liquid grace, circling Sora slowly. His companion joined him, violet eyes tracking over her form with scientific precision.
“Show them,” Ignis murmured near her ear.
Nodding, Sora straightened her spine and extended her arms where silver scales now permanently adorned her skin. She turned her face toward the shaft of sunlight streaming through the prismatic ceiling. The light touched her, and scales shimmered across her cheekbones and temples, catching the glow and reflecting it back in metallic rainbows.
A collective murmur rippled through the gathered representatives.
“Dragon-blooded,” the violet-eyed dark elf whispered, reaching a slender blue finger toward her face but stopping short of touching her. “The pattern follows the celestial formation of the Dragon Mother.” He turned toward his companion. “Nylrion, she carries the marks.”
The larger fae drifted closer, wings creating gentle currents that carried the scent of exotic flowers. “She smells like no other,” they observed, voice like glass bell-like chimes. “Cinnamon, fire, and sweet moonflowers welcoming The Great Mother. Fascinating.”
“She’s no longer just human,” the golden felynx stated, pushing away from the wall where he’d been leaning. His movements were fluid as he approached, each step deliberately silent, like a predator hunting prey. “The Moon Goddess never mentioned her chosen would be other.”
“The prophecy speaks only of twice-born souls from the Blue Moon born as omegas on Artania,” Ignis countered, his tail shifting protectively behind Sora. “It never specified their final form.”
The silver-furred felynx tilted her head. “Perhaps this is why they are called Luna. Not merely for their connection to the Moon Goddess, but because they transform beneath her light.” Her vertical pupils fixed on Sora with predatory interest. “Are all Earth females so adaptable, I wonder?”
Heat crept up Sora’s neck. She cleared her throat and found her voice. “I can’t speak for all humans, but I suspect my transformation is unique. The dragon blood in this body was dormant until my Earth soul awakened it. The same can’t be said for any of the others who may arrive after me.”
“Ah, she speaks with a scholar’s precision,” Nylrion noted, his frigid demeanor warming slightly. “Interesting.”
