Ravenna Shadowmoor's Arc

Chapter 1 of 7

Ravenna Shadowmoor ground dried moonpetal into powder with steady hands. The mortar scraped against the pestle in the dim laboratory of Castle Shadowmoor. She had spent five years searching for the cure to her family's curse. The affliction turned their blood black and stole their memories before age thirty. She was twenty-seven now. The ancient texts spoke of three rare ingredients needed for the cure. She had found only one so far. Time pressed against her like a physical weight. Her fingers trembled as she set down the pestle. She needed information about where to find the others. The castle library had given her everything it could. She would have to look elsewhere. Ravenna descended the stone stairs to the castle's lowest level. The air grew cold and damp. At the end of a narrow corridor, she found what the old servants whispered about. A pond sat in a small chamber, moss thick around its edges. The dark water shimmered with strange light. Stars reflected on its surface, though no sky existed above it. She knelt beside the scrying pond. The cosmic glow brightened as she touched the water. Images rippled across its depths. Locations. Names. Sources for the ingredients she desperately needed. She pulled out her journal and began to write. The visions showed her a merchant in the eastern markets. Another image revealed a cave system three days' ride north. She copied every detail before the images faded. The pond's glow dimmed back to a soft shimmer. Ravenna stood and climbed back up to her laboratory. She had leads now. Real ones. She cleared space on her preparation bench, pushing aside glass vials and copper tools. The moonpetal powder needed proper storage before she left. She measured it into small containers and labeled each one. Her hands moved with purpose now. The bench's metal surface reflected candlelight as she organized her supplies. Tomorrow she would gather provisions. The hunt for the second ingredient would begin at dawn. Three years of her life remained. It would be enough.