Chapter 190 AURORA
The roars of Evander still echoed in my mind long after Dane and Trajan had finally managed to calm him. His glowing eyes finally dimmed back into the haunted gaze that we all shared. The markings on his body pulsed weakly now, a reminder that our time was ticking away.
Weight crushed down upon me, and I collapsed onto the edge of the table in the war room, my hands shaking. Morwen was brought over with a huge sigh; her wild red curls covered most of her face as her fingers flew across ancient symbols drawn into the pages. She muttered to herself, sounding like she was arguing with the text.
"Morwen," I whispered, my voice no louder than the pounding in my head.
She didn’t look up. "Not now, Luna. I’m close."
Standing behind me, Dane had placed a hand on my shoulder. His warmth was calm, but not even he could disperse this sense of dread moving inside my chest.
“What is she after?” he asked in that low voice of his.
“Answers,” I replied with a hollowness in my tone.
But in that instant, Morwen slammed her hand onto the page; I jumped.
She stood, pivoting to face us squarely, her hazel eyes shining like a mix of victory and fear. "I have it," she said, raising a finger.
“What have you got?” Dane asked, stepping closer; the tension in his frame screamed of readiness.
“The Nameless’s source of power,” she said, the tip of her finger touching the page with an almost manic energy.
I rose to my feet, my heart racing. “What is it?”
Morwen filled her lungs, her face unyielding. “He is drawing power from a piece of the Moon Goddess’s shattered essence. It’s what makes him strong, immortal, and can control the dark."
My stomach twisted. The Moon Goddess, the one being that had guided and protected our kind for centuries, defiled, her essence corrupted by the Nameless.
“How?” I managed to choke out.
Morwen shook her head. “The texts do not explain it all, but it would seem the fragment was stolen eons ago during the great celestial war. The Nameless has somehow twisted it, using it to make his kind of divinity.”
Dane tightened a fist, clenching his jaw. “How are we supposed to stop him now?"
Morwen hesitated, her gaze darting to me. “There’s a relic. An ancient artifact created by the Moon Goddess herself, designed to reclaim her essence.”
I frowned, stepping closer. “What kind of relic?”
Morwen’s lips pressed into a thin line. “That’s the tricky part. The relic isn’t just some object lying around waiting for us to find it. It’s tied to you, Aurora.”
The room fell silent.
“Tied to me?” I echoed, my voice little more than a whisper.
Morwen nodded gravely. “The dreams you’ve been having, the silver figure. They’re all connected. The relic isn’t something you should find, but something you have to wake.”
I felt the blood siphon out of my face. “Wake? How?"
Morwen sighed, massaging her temples. “The silver figure symbolizes the guidance of the Moon Goddess. This can be woken only by one she has chosen, a direct vessel of her will. That is you, Aurora.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Dane spoke first. “What does she need to do?"
Morwen turned the book to us, pointing at an elaborate drawing of a glowing artifact centered in some sort of swirling vortex of stars.
“The relic awaits, dormant, in something called the Veil of Echoes. It’s a plane between this world and that of the celestial. To get to it, Aurora will have to do a very hazardous ritual to unlock the passage. And once she’s inside…”
She paused, her voice trailing off as she let her gaze fall to the floor.
“Once I’m there, what?” I pressed, my stomach knotting.
Morwen hesitated before she met my eyes. “The Veil is a place of trials. It will test you in every way imaginable—your strength, your resolve, your heart. And if you fail…”
“Then the Nameless wins,” Dane finished grimly.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
I swallowed hard as my mind whirled. “How much time do we have before the Nameless figures out what we’re up to?”
“Not long,” Morwen replied. “The Veil of Echoes is a location of immense power. To open the portal, we will send out a ripple even he will feel.”
Dane stepped forward then, leading with his presence. “Then we need to get going. Aurora won’t do this alone.”
“You can’t go with her,” Morwen said sharply. “The Veil is meant for her alone. Anyone else who enters risks being lost forever.”
Dane’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with determination. “Then I’ll stay here and protect her while she’s gone. No one will touch her.”
“I’m going too,” Piper said from the doorway, her voice firm.
I turned to her, standing in the doorway pale but resolute. “Piper, this isn’t your fight,” I said, my voice soft yet firm.
She stepped into the room, her gaze locking onto mine. “The Nameless nearly took Aurora and Evander from me. Even Warrick… He betrayed me, but he also saved us. I owe it to him and to you to see this through."
Dane crossed his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raised in uncertainty. “And what do you propose you do, Piper? The Veil isn’t something you just walk into.”
“I know that,” she returned with flashing eyes. “I can help prepare the ritual. And if anything happens while Aurora’s gone, I’ll fight to my last breath to make sure she has a home to return to.”
I looked at Dane; he nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” I said, turning back to Morwen. “What must we do to open this portal?”
Morwen’s eyes darkened. “We will have to get the moonstone from the temple ruins outside Broken Ridge. It is the only thing powerful enough to channel the Moon Goddess’s energy into the ritual.”
I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. “Then let’s get it.”
First, Morwen outlined the journey in detail, and I couldn’t shake the unease coiling in my stomach. The Veil of Echoes sounded like a place where nightmares came to life, and facing it alone was almost unbearable.
But as I turned to Dane, his eyes unyielding and locked to mine, my heart fluttered in my chest.
“We’ll get through this,” he whispered, his hand brushing against mine.
I nodded, forcing a small smile onto my lips. “We have to.”