Main Moondragon's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Main Moondragon wanted the crown of Ravyneborne, and today the crown wanted him. A guard hauled him up the wet stone stairs of the mountain castle, past waterfalls that soaked his black cape. Main straightened his silver braid and touched the bow slung across his back. He had spent years proving himself worthy of the throne, and worthy of Pip, the princess he meant to marry. Now the rulers had summoned him. He did not know if that meant reward or ruin. The throne room smelled of cold water and burning wax. Two thrones sat before him. The lord leaned forward, gray and thin. The lady beside him gripped her armrest with white knuckles. "Someone is watching us," the lord said. "A dark wizard sees through the Orbs of Sight. He knows our plans before we speak them." Main kept his voice level. "Then destroy the Orbs." "We cannot find them," the lady said. "That is why we called you." A side door opened. Pip stepped in, her lavender hair braided with drops of crystal, her ocean-blue dress catching the torchlight. Main's chest tightened. He had loved her from a distance for a long time. She rarely looked at him. Now she crossed the room and stopped an arm's length away. "Father, he could die out there," Pip said. She did not look at Main. She looked at the lord. "Every man who wants my daughter says he is brave," the lord answered. "This one can prove it." Main understood the trap and the gift at once. Refuse, and he lost the throne and the princess forever. Accept, and he risked never coming back. He looked at Pip. For one breath, she met his eyes. Her jaw was tight. She was afraid, and not only for the kingdom. "I will find the Orbs," Main said. "And I will end the wizard's spying." The lady rose. She lifted a bronze pendant from a cushion and pressed it into his palm. It was a compass framed by golden wings, its face crowded with strange runes. The needle swung on its own, then pointed toward the door. "This finds any Orb of Sight, however far," the lady said. "Follow the needle. Trust nothing else." Main closed his fingers around the cold metal. The needle pulled, steady and certain, like a hand on a leash. "When you return with proof," the lord said, "we will speak of the throne. And of my daughter." Pip caught Main's sleeve as he turned to go. "The wizard sees through those Orbs," she whispered. "The moment you point that compass at him, he will see you too." Main looked down at the needle. It had already chosen his path. He had a way to find his enemy, and no way to hide his hunt. He tightened his grip, pulled his hood up, and walked out into the spray of the falling water.