Moonshadow (47 page)

A wide, obviously fake, smile danced across Diana’s face. “You honor me, heart-sister,” she said irreverently. “To think that the Lady of the Raven Throne would journey so far, just to wave her powerful finger at a lowly human girl.” Diana mock curtsied. “Who can I thank for the pleasure?”

Diana looked to Terra for confirmation, but instead, found the fire mage’s face wide with astonishment. She couldn’t believe how Diana was talking to Edea, and Diana could almost detect a hidden smile forming at the corner of the former assassin’s mouth.

“I informed the Lady Raven,” the voice of Miri called out as she descended the stairs. Despite the self-righteous declaration, Diana felt the shame that gripped Miri’s heart.

“You did your duty to Endymion, and to your people, Alma Miraena,” Edea said with pride. “Your quickness may have saved Endymion, our clan, and the dominion, from perpetual ruin.”

“You haven’t already sent the Inquisitors and the Shadowstalkers after us?” Diana asked, stunned.

“Of course not,” Edea replied, seeming almost hurt by Diana’s surprise. “As much as I would like to see your head on a pike, you are now soul-bound to my brother and I love him. I will honor my previous arrangement with Endymion. If he returns home, and to his place on the High Council, I will let you live.” Diana almost sighed in relief but was cut off. “But
only
if you dispose of the abomination growing in your womb. If you refuse, there will not be a stone you can crawl under to escape my wrath. You
will
be found and made to suffer.”

Diana found the audacity of Edea’s ultimatum utterly shocking, however, she was more surprised by her own shock. Hadn’t the Lady Raven only suggested the very course of action that Diana, herself, had been contemplating since the moment she found out she was pregnant? Why did Edea’s command fill Diana with such indignation?

Diana felt her heart swell as she realized the truth. In spite everything—the changes, the danger, the unknown—she wanted this child; Darien’s child. It was the product of their indescribable love, and she wanted it to live. Diana refused to believe that a child brought into the world by something so beautiful could bring about death and destruction.

“Forgive me, my
lady
,” Diana said with resolve. “But you can choke on your offer. This child is
our
s
—
mine and Endymion’s—and neither you, nor anyone else, has the right to determine its destiny.”

Diana expected Edea’s face to be filled with fire and rage, but found her stone cold, emotionless, features much more alarming. She would have rather Edea been furious.  She certainly lived up to the name of Stoneheart.

“So be it, Moonshadow,” Edea replied, her tone ice cold. “Watcher Terraiyah, you will dispose of the creature’s child. You can take care to preserve the girl’s life, if you wish, but it’s of no consequence to me.”

Diana felt the fear welling up as she turned to Terra. Would she go through with it? Regardless of some hidden power she had yet to tap into, Diana was no match for Terra. Was this the end? After she had fought so hard to make her choice and stand against Edea?

“I am truly sorry,” Terra said with remorse. “But I must refuse your request, my lady.” Diana simply stood stunned.

Edea’s stone white visage finally flushed with anger.

“You would dare to refuse a direct command from the Raven Throne?”

“Edea,” Terra said with the pleading eyes of a close friend. “I have seen, and been through, entirely too much tragedy to separate a mother from her child, regardless of the situation.”

It was then that Diana remembered Terra’s tragic past, and the family that she had lost, long ago, in a fire of her own power’s making. Until now, Diana never truly understood the loss that Terra had felt. Instinctively, Diana rested her hands softly on her stomach, wanting to caress her unborn child.
No one is going to take you away from me.

“What’s the matter, Edea?” Diana asked in defiance. “You can throw around commands easy enough, but you can’t get blood on your hands?”

“You insolent wretch of a Tanar,” Edea seethed. “I’ve always wondered if Moonshadows were as vile and contemptible as the legends say; you have done nothing but affirm the truth. I will gladly end your life with my own hands.”

Diana felt Edea calling on her magic and she knew something deadly was about to be unleashed. Diana attempted to will something deep inside to draw on her Moonshadow heritage, but felt nothing.

She had no defense.

Bracing herself for what may come, Diana tightly closed her eyes as Edea lifted her hand.

Diana felt the metal stir against her skin, but the realization came too late.

In less than a moment, panic erupted within Diana as her windpipe tightened, closed off to the life giving air she needed to breath. Edea was choking Diana with her own necklace—the necklace that had belonged to the Lady Raven’s mother. Diana’s hands quickly went to her throat, in a vain attempt to tear it away, but she could do nothing. The symbol of Diana and Darien’s love was going to be the weapon that separated them forever.

“How dare you!” bellowed a man’s voice from the open doorway and the necklace went lose.

Diana slumped to the floor, gasping for breath, as indescribable relief filled her alongside the air she breathed into her lungs. When she was able to look up, she saw that Darien had returned.

Darien stood in the doorway, holding his hand out towards his sister, in a gesture that Diana had seen Miri perform in the past. Edea mirrored Darien’s position.

The Stoneheart twins were negating each other’s magic.

“Brother, you are being foolish,” Edea lectured. “Can you not see the consequences of your actions; not just for our clan, but for our people, as well? Let the creature and her child die and be done with it.”

“How dare you,” Darien repeated with seething anger. “How dare you attack the love of my soul and wish the death of my child—your own flesh and blood!”

Diana stood up from the ground, coughing from the esophageal trauma as she rubbed the pain in her neck.

“My flesh and blood?” Edea said, as if the words were filled with poison. “That child could destroy us all. I thank Elberon that mother and father are not alive to see what has become of their
flesh
and
blood
. What a legacy you have sired for them brother—an abomination with a Moonshadow whore.”

Diana slapped Edea hard across the face and the sound of the impact echoed throughout the house.

The force of the blow left Diana’s hand stinging with pain, but it was worth it.

Edea was thrown off balance, almost falling to the ground, but she caught herself. She brought a hand to her cheek and just stared at Diana in astonishment.

Diana narrowed her eyes at Darien’s sister and they were filled with the righteous fury she felt inside. “I don’t need to know how to use my powers to make you sorry to cross me, bitch,” she said with stern resolve. “If you
ever
threaten me, or my child, again, I
will
end your miserable existence.”

“You dare–” Edea began but Diana cut her off.

“If I were you, I would leave before I rip off that ugly dress and strangle you with it.”

As Darien smirked at Diana’s threat, his face beamed with pride.

“I would listen to her,
dina’ssia
,” he said. “The lady means it.”

Edea stared at Diana with obvious murderous intent. She wanted Diana dead, and wasn’t at all trying to hide it. If Darien wasn’t suppressing her power, Diana would no longer be among the living.

“This isn’t over, Moonshadow,” Edea seethed with narrowed eyes. “I
will
see you dead before long.” She walked to the open front door to leave, but stopped and turned to Darien. As Edea shook her head, Diana could feel her genuine sorrow. “I tried to spare you from the Nightmare,
din’issi
. It will be out of my hands when Justice finds you.” A single tear escaped the corner of the Lady Raven’s eye. “Farewell,” she said with finality, and then crossed the threshold.

In a matter of moments, Darien dropped his defenses and rushed to Diana’s side, pulling her into arms that threatened to never let her go. The unsurmountable relief Diana felt within him let her know just how much danger she had been in at the hands of Edea Stoneheart.

“Thank Elberon I returned when I did,” he said. “How did Edea find out about the child? When I left her, she knew nothing.”

“You can thank Miraena for the Lady Raven’s visit,” Terra said from behind.

The three of them quickly turned their attention onto the shrine maiden.

“Why would you do such a thing?” Darien asked, astounded and hurt by her actions. “You knew what would happen to Diana if anyone in authority found out, especially my sister.”

“I thought you were my friend,” Diana said with pain, desperate to know why Miri had been so willing to betray her.

At her words, Diana could feel Miri’s inner turmoil twisting within her and she knew the Alma was on the verge of tears.

“I—I didn’t know what else to do. I
am
your friend, Diana…but how could I know you were a—a…”

“A Moonshadow?” Diana said, finishing Miri’s sentence. “What does it matter? I’m still Diana Selene—the girl that you gave pretty dresses to, and who you told deserved love and respect.” Remembering Miri’s kindness made her betrayal all the more painful. “Do I really deserve to die, just for being more like you than a normal human?”

“No—I…I’m sorry, Diana,” she couldn’t bear to look Diana in the eye, and this time, not due to aversion. “I didn’t want you to die; I just didn’t know what to do. I just knew that Endymion’s sister would try to help him rather than punish him.”

With a pained look of understanding, Darien shook his head. “Before you judge Miraena too harshly, Diana, you should know that the Temple has done nothing but indoctrinate her into hating you, and our child. The fact that she didn’t kill you while you slept is evidence enough that she cares for you.”

Diana sighed, considering Darien’s words. He was right, of course. She had studied too much of human history not to know how easy it was for authorities, religious or otherwise, to instill fear and prejudice into their followers, all in the name of the “greater good.” Could Diana really blame Miri for being conflicted?

“I understand,” she said, moving closer to Miri’s side “It doesn’t mean that I’m not mad at you, Miri, but I forgive you.” Diana went to take Miri’s hand but the Alma flinched away.

“I…I’m sorry,” Miri said, trembling with hesitation, though finally managing look Diana in the eyes. “Your forgiveness means the world to me but—I need some time.”

Tears forming in the corners of her eyes, Miri turned away from Diana and rushed back up the stairs.

“Time we do not have, I’m afraid,” Darien said with gloom.

Feeling her anger rise, Diana turned her accusing gaze onto Darien.

“You have time enough to tell me why you felt the need to abandon me—at the most traumatic moment of my life, I might add.”

“I’m sorry, Diana,” he said, looking genuinely ashamed and apologetic “I’ll admit that the revelation was a bit too much for me, and that I made some very poor choices in how I reacted. I could only think about the worst possible scenarios—and how I might prevent them from happening. Since then, I’ve been making arrangements.”

“What sort of arrangements?” Diana’s asked, her curiosity quelling her anger for the time being.

“I had to use some of my more
unsavory
contacts to procure us some untraceable new identities; Darien Shepherd and Diana Selene will be wanted fugitives soon enough, in both Naphalei and human circles.”

Even though she felt a bit more at ease knowing Darien had rushed off to make sure he could keep her and the child safe, Diana was still hurt that he hadn’t at least told her of his plans. “I might understand why you left,” she said “But don’t think this over. We
will
be finishing this discussion once we’re safe.”

“Of course,” Darien nodded and Diana felt his anxiety grow at the notion. “But right now, we need to leave quickly. Edea will make good on her threats by the end of the day. As soon as she can make contact with the realm, there won’t be a single Ranger, Inquisitor, or Shadowstalker that isn’t hunting us.”

“I will do what I can to slow them down, Endymion,” Terra declared with resolve.

Diana turned her gaze onto the fire mage. At one time, Terra had tried to burn her to death, but now, she was probably risking everything to save her.

“Thank you, Terra,” Diana said to the former assassin, and new-found friend. “Not that I’m complaining, but why the sudden change of heart? Before, you would have eagerly followed Edea’s orders to kill me.”

Terra closed the distance between them and took both of Diana’s hands into her own.

“For that, I’m truly sorry, Diana. I thought you were just a silly human girl that would get Endymion into trouble.”

“I am and I did,” Diana said through a chuckle.