Moon Raelia's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Back in his small room, Moon could not sleep. He sat on the floor and turned a twig doll in his hands. Someone had made it like a little prince, with a paper crown and bark for armor. He had bought it from a child years ago and never thrown it out. Tonight it felt heavier than it should. Dawn came gray and cold. The standing stones rose from the wet grass, their runes glowing soft blue. The elders stood in a half circle, arms crossed. A bright gemstone sat in the center stone, marking the test ground. Moon's hands shook. He pressed them flat against his thighs and breathed. Then boots crunched behind him. Drake walked into the circle with a jeweled sword across his back. The elders stiffened. "He rides with me after," Drake said. "But first he passes. Test him." The elders called the spirit. It rose from the soil like black smoke with teeth. Moon felt his throat close. He thought of the doll in his pocket. He thought of two men dead in the wilds. He lifted his hands and spoke to the earth first. A box of stone rose around the spirit's feet. Then water, sealing the sides. Then fire, capping the top. Then wind, pressing it small. Four walls. Four locks. The spirit screamed and folded inward until it was a knot of smoke no bigger than a fist. The elders did not move. One finally nodded. It was not approval. It was acknowledgment. Drake stepped close while they conferred. "You finished it," he said. Moon looked up at him, still shaking, and kissed him once, quick, on the mouth. Drake did not flinch. "After," Moon said. "I owe you after." He walked back to the elders with the trapped spirit cupped in his hands. They had seen the kiss. They had seen the boxes. Their faces gave nothing. "We will speak," the eldest said. Not yes. Not no. Moon bowed. The test was passed. Everything else had just gotten harder.