SWNOVELS Chapter 15
The Temple of the Moon trembled, ancient stones groaning under the assault of unseen forces. Lyra clutched the pulsing orb to her chest, its otherworldly energy seeping into her very bones. Fenris stood beside her, still half-transformed, his amber eyes darting between the chamber’s entrance and the swirling shadows within the crystal.
“We need to move,” he growled, his voice rough with the lingering effects of his partial shift. “Whatever’s coming, I don’t want to face it in here.”
Lyra nodded, forcing herself to tear her gaze away from the mesmerizing artifact. “You’re right. But where do we go? We still need to complete the other trials if we want to claim the Moonstone.”
A thunderous crash echoed through the temple, followed by the sound of splintering wood and shattering stone. Fenris’s ears pricked up, his entire body tensing. “No time for trials. That wasn’t our pursuers from before. This is something else… something worse.”
As if summoned by his words, a cold wind swept through the chamber, extinguishing the ethereal lights that had illuminated the space. Lyra fumbled in the sudden darkness, her free hand finding Fenris’s arm. She muttered a quick incantation, and a small orb of bluish light sprang to life above her palm.
The sight that greeted them sent a chill down her spine. Tendrils of inky black smoke were seeping through the cracks in the walls and floor, coalescing into writhing, half- formed shapes. The air grew thick with the scent of ozone and burned herbs – a smell Lyra knew all too well.
“Dark magic,” she hissed, her grip on Fenris tightening. “Powerful, too. We’ve got company, and not the friendly kind.”
Fenris’s lips curled back in a snarl, revealing elongated canines. “Friends of yours?”
“Hardly,” Lyra replied, her mind racing as she tried to formulate a plan. “More like bitter rivals. The Nightshade Coven has been after my family’s secrets for generations. If they’re here…”
She didn’t need to finish the thought. The implications were clear – their quest had not gone unnoticed, and now a formidable enemy stood between them and their goal.
A woman’s laughter, cold and cruel, echoed through the chamber. “Oh, Lyra,” the voice cooed, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. “Did you really think you could keep such power to yourself? The Evernight Coven has hoarded its knowledge for far too long. It’s time for a changing of the guard.”
Lyra’s blood ran cold as she recognized the speaker. “Morena,” she whispered, memories of a childhood rivalry turned deadly flashing through her mind.
The smoke began to coalesce, forming into the shape of a tall, striking woman with raven-black hair and eyes like chips of obsidian. Morena’s lips curved into a predatory smile as she regarded Lyra and Fenris. “I must admit, I’m a little disappointed. I expected more of a challenge from the great Lyra Blackthorn. Instead, I find you cowering in the dark with your pet wolf.”
Fenris bristled at the insult, a low growl rumbling in his chest. Lyra placed a calming hand on his arm, her eyes never leaving Morena’s face. “If you wanted a challenge, you should have faced me fairly instead of skulking in the shadows like a common thief.”
Morena’s smile didn’t waver, but her eyes hardened. “Always so self-righteous, aren’t you? But I’m not here to trade barbs. Hand over the orb, Lyra. You have no idea of the forces you’re dealing with.”
“And you do?” Lyra shot back, her mind working furiously to find a way out of this confrontation. She could feel the raw power emanating from the orb, knew instinctively that it was far too dangerous to fall into Morena’s hands. “This isn’t some petty coven squabble, Morena. The fate of multiple worlds hangs in the balance.”
For a moment, uncertainty flickered across Morena’s face. But it was quickly replaced by a look of cold determination. “All the more reason to ensure that power is in the right hands. Last chance, Lyra. Give me the orb, or I’ll take it from your corpse.”
As if on cue, more smoky forms materialized around them – the other members of the Nightshade Coven, their faces hidden behind swirling shadows. Lyra felt Fenris tense beside her, ready for a fight. But she knew they were hopelessly outnumbered.
In that moment of indecision, Fenris made the choice for both of them. With a speed that belied his size, he scooped Lyra into his arms and bolted for the chamber’s far wall. Lyra barely had time to yelp in surprise before Fenris crashed through the ancient stonework, his partially transformed body able to withstand the impact.
They tumbled into a narrow corridor beyond, the sounds of pursuit already echoing behind them. Fenris set Lyra down gently, his eyes wild with adrenaline. “Run,” he growled, his voice thick with the effort of maintaining control over his wolf form. “I’ll hold them off.”
Lyra shook her head vehemently, clutching the orb with one hand while grabbing Fenris’s arm with the other. “Not a chance. We’re in this together, remember? Now come on!”
They took off down the corridor, the flickering light from Lyra’s magical orb casting eerie shadows on the walls. Behind them, they could hear Morena shouting orders to her coven members, her voice laced with fury.
“We need to find a way out of the temple,” Lyra panted as they ran. “The wards that kept those creatures out before are probably weakening. It might be our only chance.”
Fenris nodded, his enhanced senses straining for any sign of an exit. “Left up ahead,” he said suddenly, pulling Lyra down a branching passageway. “I smell fresh air.”
They rounded a corner and found themselves face-to-face with a sheer drop. The corridor opened onto the side of the mountain, a dizzying expanse of mist-shrouded peaks stretching out before them. A narrow ledge ran along the temple’s exterior wall, offering a treacherous path to potential safety.
“Well,” Lyra said, trying to inject some levity into her voice despite the direness of their situation, “you did say you wanted excitement when you agreed to this quest.”
Fenris’s lips twitched in a brief smile. “Remind me to be more specific next time.”
His expression sobered as he glanced back the way they had come. “We don’t have much of a head start. That ledge doesn’t look like it can support both of us.” Lyra’s heart sank as she realized what he was suggesting. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not leaving you behind.”
“You have to,” Fenris insisted, his eyes pleading. “You’re the one with the orb, and you’re the only one who has a chance of figuring out what to do with it. I’ll buy you some time.”
Before Lyra could argue further, a blast of dark energy scorched the wall beside them. They turned to see Morena striding towards them, her hands wreathed in shadows. “End of the line, lovebirds,” she sneered.