The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert Read Online
Chapter 74
Lachlan had been truly terrified a few times in his life, but this one was probably the worst. Going into that battle, he knew that not everyone would return.
However, seeing a full-size dragon with dark blue and green scales flying right above their heads and taking out most of the werebirds in one go paralysed the mighty Beta with fear for his new mate. Feathers were flying everywhere- red, blue, white, black, and every other colour imaginable. The sight was so beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Whenever a black feather landed in front of his eyes, he wondered if it was Zara’s, and the anger seethed in him. He had already lost a mate once. He couldn’t do it again.
Lachlan dug his teeth into an enormous white bear who tried to K*ll one of his men. These beasts were so big now, almost invincible, but the hate and the painful agony made the Beta blind to the unequal power distribution between them. He did not care. He would fight and d*ie here if he absolutely had to. Especially if Zara…
He did not get to finish that thought as a huge black hawk reappeared to claw his enemy’s eyes out. Just the glimpse of her allowed him to breathe again, and he deepened his canines into the white beast.
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Zara was making short, tactical attacks, where she dived down, trying to hurt the enemy’s vision, and then flew back up quickly to avoid their claws. Only to return to repeat everything until her goal was achieved. She did not let herself think of the flock that was once hers.
She did not let herself dwell on the fact that she was the one who brought them here. Most of them had d*ied, and there was nothing she could do. Although they considered Joran taking part in the war, they did not expect a flying freaking dragon. No one had seen one for so long…
And now she was angry. Angry that her attempt to help cost so many lives, angry that her part of the plan failed, angry that she couldn’t do anything.
But she could do one thing and that was fight by her mate’s side until death indeed parted them today.
Ash ignored the blood trickling down his side as he was surrounded by two gigantic foxes that looked like they were a product of some crazy scientist’s experiment. Joran’s blessing looked like a mutation on them. If he didn’t know any better, he’d take them for demons from hell, not foxes. But unfortunately, that knowledge did not help him during his fight. They were too strong, too fast for him.
Although usually, he could defeat a couple of red furs with his eyes closed.
He charged at one of them, aiming for his neck, but missed again. And what was worse, the other one jumped on top of him, nailing him to the cold frosty ground. This was a position impossible to get out of for a wolf, especially since the first fox prepared to deliver the final blow.
A bolt of quick pink lightning flashed before his eyes, and Ash’s heart sank. Petra threw herself at the fox on top of him, knocking him off with a growl. The beast was about to pounce towards her when a huge white bear appeared, scaring him off.
Ash tore the throat of the fox in front of him like it was nothing, although he was struggling just a few seconds ago. Seeing Petra against this bear made his blood boil in his veins.
The bear recognised his mate. He did not plan to K*ll her. He wanted her and was now trying to back her into the woods. This realisation made Ash more furious than he had ever been. The Alpha in him couldn’t let this happen. The Alpha in him did not want to share. The Alpha in him knew that this little black and pink wolf belonged to him.
Petra was his, and the bear was a dead beast walking.
Ash knew he would protect her no matter what.
Although everyone begged him to stay with Riannon for protection, Kyle had to politely decline the offer because of the one woman who had been on his mind for a while now.
Even if she did not want it and objected every step of the way, even if she would reject him when everything was over as she promised to do many times, he couldn’t leave her alone on the battlefield.
Claude and Chloe were more than capable of taking care of the footage and the coverage, and his Queen agreed that she did not need him for protection, leaving a few other lycans by her side.
Besides, in a ma*s*sive war like this, every warrior was priceless.
And this… this was so much worse than their previous battle with the foxes that he started to think that he wouldn’t make it. One of the bears had already injured his foot, but as a lycan, he could still work with that.
However, after the bloody dragon destroyed one of their main advantages, the majority of the werebirds, he couldn’t help but feel pessimistic. Especially as he watched the witches who came to help them now simply defending themselves with their magical shields. If no one would get there soon, they would all be dead. So much for an alliance…
He could smell Evelyn and tried to follow her scent through the battlefield, searching for Petra’s scent as well. If Evelyn was here, she would still be trying to protect her girl.
Kyle could feel that she was near, but in the chaos of wolves, cats, bears and foxes, and other creatures, he couldn’t move fast.
Someone was constantly attacking him, life hanging by a thread, blood spraying the frozen field. They had to manoeuvre between the colossal ice spikes with the biggest bears’ bod*ies pierced on top of them. The work of Amarok for sure. It was a mess, and he couldn’t get through, no matter how much he tried.
Though he tried to brush them away, gloomy thoughts were not leaving his mind. It did not look like they would be able to win today despite everything they did and tried.
Three white bears circled around him, trying to cut him off from everyone else. They were attacking lycans in groups, while foxes and brown bears were taking care of werecats and werewolves. That was a smart decision because, in the past hour, Kyle saw a few of his friends lose their lives because of that tactic.
He bared his teeth, demonstrating to them that it wouldn’t work with him. He’d make them bleed before they…
His thought was cut short when a red wolf knocked one of them off their paws, digging his canines in a death grip around his neck. And before Kyle could act again, something absolutely unexpected happened, and one of the two remaining bears attacked the other.
This temporarily stopped him from advancing as he took a quick glance around the battlefield. Now bears were fighting other bears, and this… this was new.
Aspen did not believe in Brigit’s words and promises. It did not matter what her little sister told him. His mate… his ex-mate was not to be trusted.
Once, he was ready to give everything for one smile of hers. He was ready to love and cherish her, to k!ss the ground she walked on, but she chose to betray him. His blind faith in her cost him his human legs. Now he would be a cripple until the day he d*ied. Which, by the look of things, would be today.
He was looking for her, knowing that although her sister promised them that Brigit would turn the tables in the middle of the fight and join them with their father’s old clan, those were just empty words. The same as her confessions of love during their one and only passionate night together.
Empty.
Useless.
Lies.
When he smelled her presence, he left a trail of dead foxes behind him and charged straight at her, seeing how she was going to attack that western pup alongside two of her comrades-in-arms. He wanted it to be a clean K*ll.
One good blow and the turmoil of his life would be gone.
She deserved it for all the betrayals.
He wanted this more than anything. He wanted to be done with her.
And yet… at the last moment, he pounced at a different white bear, knowing very well that it wasn’t her.
However, when he was done with that one and turned to look for Brigit again, he saw her fighting her own kind. He saw how many other white bears followed her lead.
This could have been their turning point now….
However, he did not see his King or his Queen. Moreover, the Western Lycan King was gone as well. And all this did not promise anything good.
Riannon was expecting the Serpent. It was the only reason why she wasn’t on the battlefield now, and she was happy that she had interpreted yet another vision of hers correctly. However dangerous that was.
The Serpent needed answers, but so did she. And Ria knew she would be safe until he got what he wanted. Maybe even later if she played that right.
“Welcome, Joran,” the Luna hopped off the desk she was sitting on as the intruder took in the empty room, and an understanding smile curled his l!ps.
“So, you’ve been expecting me,” the deity brushed his hand through his dark blonde hair and sneered at the Western Queen. “It’s for the best, I guess. Saves us time.”
“And lives,” Riannon added, remembering her first vision of this encounter. In her dream, the deity K*lled several people to clarify his point. Luckily, Riannon already learned that knowledge was power and that with its help, she could alter the future. She had done it before, and she was doing it now.
“I was probably in a worse mood in your visions,” the man chuckled. “I hate having to explain the obvious. This is why I think we would work great together. You already know everything I want to ask. So, why don’t you just give it to me.”
“I wouldn’t say so,” she shrugged nonchalantly, biding for time. “My visions are usually very hectic and leave more questions than answers.”
“I’d still take everything you have to tell me, Seer,” Joran insisted.
“Well, I know you are not getting that firstborn,” Ria arched her brow at the man that was now too close to her. “He is already promised to someone else.”
“Who?” the Serpent gritted his teeth.
“I think deep inside you know your answer.” This time it was her time for understanding smiles.
“We’ll have to see about that. I have broken many prophecies before. I am sure I will find a way to break this one too.” Joran slowly walked around the room, not watching Riannon at all. He was more interested to see the monitors and what was on them now. A smirk.
appeared on his face when he noticed how many of them were not working anymore. “Excuse me for destroying your drones,” he said, returning his attention back to the Luna in front of him. She was now within his reach but did not try to escape him. Which both amused him and concerned him, “I was aiming for the birds. It was a good idea to involve them, by the way. Yours?”
“Savannah’s,” Riannon answered, tilting her head slightly. It was the first time she was this close to what could be considered a God.
Her empathic nature could feel waves of power radiating from him. It was stronger than anything she could have imagined, but she tried to restrain the fear. She knew he would be able to smell it otherwise.
“I think this was enough of small talk,” the Serpent insisted lazily, but she could feel how agitated he was. “Give me the information.
I want, and I will let you live.”
“As I have already told you, it doesn’t work like that for me.” Rhiannon tried to stay calm. Everything depended on her self-control now.
“Perform Seidhrthen!” the man snapped at her.
“If only I knew what that is.” Ria had no idea what he was talking about, but she was curious. Very curious.
“Lucky for you, I’m a great teacher,” Joran sneered, but the woman in front of him furrowed her brows as he backed her into a desk, cutting her ways of escaping.
“Fine.” She held her head high and met his gaze differently. The Queen that she was, she wasn’t going to grovel before him; she wasn’t going to give up or beg for mercy. She was going to profit from this. “Lucky for you, I’m eager to learn.”
“Admirable,” he muttered under his breath and grabbed her hand, pulling the Luna closer. “It’s going to be an express lesson. Seidhr is ancient magic that goddess Freyja herself used to see the future with. And sometimes alter it. Yes, some visions come naturally to Seers like you, and I bet the connection between the Moon Goddess and your wolf helps a lot. I can see it with my eyes closed. But often, if you need answers to particular questions, and the answers don’t come easily, there is another way. Fast and foolproof.”
“Seidh,” Riannon repeated the word she had heard for the first time in her life. This wasn’t something Selene taught her wolf, but she knew she had to try it. Because she craved answers just as much as Joran did.
“What do I have to do?” she asked, tensing slightly.
“There are different ways to perform seidhr,” the Serpent chuckled darkly, taking her chin into his hand. “Most require close
contact. A k!ss or interc0urse-”
“Hard pass,” the Luna yanked her face away in disgust. She couldn’t imagine anyone other than Gideon touching her.
“Was worth a try,” Joran snorted. “If we are this picky, then I guess I can spare some blood of mine for you to consume.”
The thought alone repulsed Riannon, but it wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things. After all, species like vampires used blood to access their magic all the time.
“Fine,” she agreed reluctantly and the man stretched his hand to her, offering his palm. Ria grew the nail on her index finger into a sharp claw and, looking into the deity’s eyes, slowly cut his skin to draw blood. The wound healed almost instantly, but a few drops were left on the tip of her claw, and she knew this was more than enough for their purpose.
She brought the finger to her l!ps as Joran watched her every move, but then she paused and c****d her brow up.
“And now let’s speak about the conditions,” she offered, ignoring how desperate he was. It was evident that he probably needed this more than she did.
This did not make the Dragon God in front of her happy, and he frowned.
“The condition is you tell me what I want to know, and maybe I do not slaughter you here today!” He growled menacingly as the air in the room became suffocating.
“Not good enough,” the Luna retorted, shrugging. “This is what I have now anyway. What is the point of giving you what you want, then?”
“Let me tell you something, Queen of the West!” an ominous shadow ran over Joran’s eyes. “You think you’re so smart! But you’re not even ranking high on the list of the Queens before you. And there were so many before you.
There will be many after you as well. You will be replacing each other in this post while I will keep reigning over the skies in the seas, ruling them from the divine realm you will never enter. I lived for thousands of years and I will leave for thousands more.
And this is why when I tell you to do something, you’d better do it at once without trying to outsmart me. Because, trust me, Queen,” he almost spat those words out, “You aren’t going to. You probably thought that thanks to your gift you would get me to back away from this war, but it’s not going to happen.
If you don’t tell me where my dragonfly is, I will make sure that you live while I carve your baby out of your stomach and K*ll it before your eyes. It’s a boy, by the way. Congratulations.”
She was not able to breathe while he said those words, entranced by the darkness that appeared in his eyes and showed her that.
She knew she couldn’t risk the baby. Maybe her son was still unborn, but he was already loved. The primal instinct to defend her pup overcame her, and she licked the blood drops off her claw, closing her eyes.
“Tell me where is my dragonfly,” Joran repeated calmly, but at the same time, he grasped the woman’s shoulders and squeezed them tightly.
Riannon was falling through the stars and galaxies… She did not have any control and did not know if this was ever going to end. She was just a tiny spec in the universe that travelled through times.
She saw a palace made of white moonstone and a couple reaching for each other in the darkness while nobody saw them. However, they were wrong about that because Joran was there too, watching the two of them greedily…
Ria fell again. Through dark, ominous clouds and rain, through soft white clouds and blinding sun rays. The world was changing, and she was falling still. Until she saw a giant Serpent thrown into the sea. The creature did not want to leave his home, but he had no choice.
“Dragonfly!” Joran’s voice cut her journey short, and she fell again.
She saw a woman with light silver hair taking her clothes off in the woods and a dragonfly tattoo shining on the left side of her back. Riannon tried looking for signs of where that woman was, but all she saw were the trees that surrounded her.
She made a fire and threw all her clothes into it, watching it burn to ashes. The dragonfly took a plastic bag from under one of the tree roots and put on a fresh pair of jeans and a bra. Then, she went back to the fire and took out one of the thick branches inside of it that was still smouldering.
Not wasting any time, the woman placed the hot end on her skin where the tattoo was situated and let out a snarl as she burned that place to the point that the skin became visibly charred. She threw the stick away when she was done with it and leaned over a tree, breathing heavily.
Riannon wished to see the girl’s face, and at the same moment, she turned, making the Luna gasp at the sight of Astrid, one of the Luna Trials contenders.
Astrid was in pain, but determination was painted all over her face as she got a black t-shirt out of the plastic bag and pulled it on, throwing everything else in the fire too. The last thing she did was get a little velvet pouch out and turn it upside down, making a little shining ring fall onto her palm. The Crescent Ring with a tiny star that Riannon had seen in so many dreams before tonight. The one she had been looking for.
Astrid cautiously looked around and put the fire down, walking away with just a little crossbody bag over her shoulders. There was no snow where she was, and Ria noticed a few more things she wished she didn’t.
But it was too late because Joran shook her with f0rce, making her open her eyes.
“You saw her!” he stated.
Not asked.
She wanted to lie to him so badly, knowing now that she couldn’t give this person away.
“My dragonfly or your child, Riannon!” The Serpent grasped her neck now as if he was reading her mind. It was so tiny in his large palm that it was enough to press just a bit harder to snap it. “Choose!”
“She is going to the Eastern border,” the Luna whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek from all this helplessness. She was saving one person she loved but condemning another.
“How do you know?” Joran wanted proof.
“The trees around her are still northern pines,” she said, her voice hoarse. “And moss on them grows facing the North. Besides, she was walking towards the rising sun. She is heading East.”
“See, Riannon, it wasn’t that hard!” The deity scoffed and threw her across the room as it she weighed nothing. Ria managed to cover her belly, protecting her child, and tilted her body so that the impact with the wall hit her back. She knew that she was lucky and this was just a light demonstration of what could have happened to her now.
“You recognised her, didn’t you?” The Serpent scoffed, stepping onto the windowsill he used to arrive here.
Riannon nodded quietly, knowing there was no point denying the obvious.
“Then you’d better forget.”
The deity was about to shift and leave when Riannon stood up, clenching her trembling fists. A cruel smile was playing on her l!ps when she told him.
“I hate to inform you, but you have way bigger problems than her now,” the Luna taunted, and his gaze travelled back to her with a glint of annoyance in it.
“Oh, really?” A wicked laugh rumbled through his chest. “Enlighten me, Riannon.”
“Your brother is here,” she couldn’t hide her smirk when his dropped. “Can’t you feel what he is doing now?”