The Rise of Lunar's Light (The Story Before Mateless)

Celine’s Pov:

“Uhm… What?” I asked. Because the utterly calm demeanor of the Goddesses confused me, especially after I agreed to help with the destruction of their plan. A warm smile washed over the Woman as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

“In your heart we see fear because you heard your voice agree to help Amelia. But we recognize that’s not what your heart wants. What we need to learn now is, did she tell you when? The rest for the moment is unimportant,” the Woman whispered.

A flood of relief washed over me. “Yes, she said she needed to take the Ambrosia when her full powers awaken. That way, she will be even more powerful than you predicted,” I recounted.

“I see, not much time. Yet it’s time enough, as we know that moment better than anyone. Celine, you are at an advantage here. You will receive your powers before she does. Go for now, we must speak with the Reining three,” the Girl smiled as my bedroom walls wrapped themselves around me. Unsure of what to do, my heart raced as I sat on my bed with a million thoughts spinning through my mind.

Amethyst’s Pov:

“Amethyst, leave us, we will deal with this,” the Girl hissed at me with an anger I’ve never felt from her before. My jaw nearly hit the floor at her words. “Yes, Goddesses,” I got out with some semblance of words. Fear crept into the back of my mind while I tried to calmly sit on my throne.

“Where is Celine?” Timothy growled with intensity. Something which I never felt from him before. His anger reignited my own. “With the Goddesses, as they requested,” I snapped back, which made poor Madeline step between us.

“In the name of the Goddesses, you both need to calm down. Now what happened, Amethyst?” Madeline demanded. “I explained what Celine had told us, including agreeing to help Amelia. I thought they were going to forgive her, but then they told me to leave. Now I am not too sure.” I whispered as the stress of the situation came crashing down on me. If they believed Celine had ill intentions, I could lose my only child and my last link to Joseph.

“Good, you are all still here. There is much to be discussed and some of which is not to be explained at this moment. Trust that this is our will,” the Woman’s voice filled the temple. The sweet smell of vanilla filled the air. Moments later, the smell of wildflowers. Confused, I glanced at Timothy for answers. “The Goddesses, they, too, have scents just like us. Only they control theirs. Usually, it’s used as a mask to hide in plain sight,” he linked me, understanding my look.

“We’ve known for a while that Amelia will betray us. Thanks to Celine, we know when, where, and how,” the Woman started with a solemn expression on her face. “None need to know all the details, just our plan. Celine will take the trials a week ahead of her powers coming in. She will succeed. That way when Amelia makes her move, we are already ahead of her,” the Girl added. “But Celine will not have her full powers, nor is she as strong. How can she succeed in these trials?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

The Woman smiled sympathetically. “Because of Joseph,” she replied with a softness in her eyes. Her words hit me hard, almost as if something punched me in the stomach. My lungs suddenly stopped working.

Timothy’s eyes burned into me, which forced my eyes to his. He understood her words when I did not. How was Joseph going to be of any help? He’s been dead for nearly 13 years. “For now, that’s all you need, other than we will train Celine more aggressively,” the Girl stated as they vanished.

“One other thing for you alone, Amethyst,” the Woman’s voice entered my mind. “Celine was not responsible for the agreement to help Amelia. That was me, a shield, if you will. Celine was meant to say whatever Amelia wanted, to keep her safe from Amelia’s wrath,” she explained. Guilt invaded my heart; I should have trusted Celine would never betray the Goddesses’ love.

To all our surprise, Timothy stormed out without so much as a glance at any of us. “Never mind the wolf. He has always cared for Celine. I fear his worry is getting the best of him,” Madeline offered, trying to calm my nerves.

“You cannot blame your child Priestess, she did what she needed to warn us. If she had disagreed, she may not have lived to tell us the tale,” Lyra insisted, once again reminding me of my failures as her mother today.

“She is your baby, your last tie to the man you loved so dearly. You are right to worry about her, but she is a young woman who must make her own choices, forge her own path. She will not be the same High Priestess as you were, but you heard the Goddesses. She will take your title,” Madeline sighed, almost as she understood the dark thoughts which crossed my mind. “Now that it’s been written. I can die happy,” she smiled.

Celine’s Pov:

Over the past few weeks, I’ve witnessed Amelia’s power increase almost tenfold. While I’ve asked her if she has taken the ambrosia, she insisted she has not. She will not risk her plan, as my mother is an unknown wrench. It’s common knowledge that no witch can hold the power of the Goddess for long. Yet my mother has held it for just over 225 years, without so much as a single grey hair, and didn’t look a day over thirty. Amelia was smart not to underestimate her or her strength.

With our trials just a week away, my mind wandered back to the story both Timothy and my mother tell of hers. Every witch has a unique trial, which puts them in peril. More than one priestess has met her death, attempting to harness the power of the Goddesses. Amelia and I’ve spent little time together since the day she told me her plan. She insisted I follow my mother’s instructions to train harder, as it would only strengthen me for when I became her High Priestess.

“Celine, you are to come to the Temple at once,” my mother’s bitter voice rang through my mind. The coldness of her words took me by surprise, as it was rare for her to call me to the temple when we were not training. “Portal here. Make sure no one sees you,” she growled. “Of course.” I sighed, annoyed at all her secrecy lately, but I did as I was told.

I closed my eyes and envisioned my mother on her throne. A bright, blinding light burned through my eyelids. The warmth of the air enveloped me, putting me at ease. I blinked my eyes relentlessly as I attempted to adjust to the light. Once adjusted, I couldn’t believe the sight which laid in front of me. A frail-looking woman with silver eyes and white hair stood before me. She walked around me while her eyes dragged themselves over my body, as if she was judging me.

A sour look crossed her face for a moment. “The daughter of the weak blood comes to claim her mother’s title. How lovely for you both,” she growled. “I bet your mother or that jerk Timothy never spoke of me, but I am…”

I let out an excited shriek as I realized who it was that stood before me. “Gretchen,” I beamed excitedly as dismay covered her face. “We all know about you. My mother teaches every priestess about the first one,” I gushed. “So, the weak blood has not forgotten me,” she whispered with just a hint of awe in her voice as a tear welled up in her eye.

“Yes, I am the first priestess. I am your first trial. Walk with me a moment, will you?” She groaned. “Of course, Priestess.” I bowed to her, which made her study me once more. Thanks to my bow. A slight smile crested her face. Gretchen took my hand and clasped it tightly as we walked through the nothingness of the brilliant light that surrounds us.

For what seemed like hours, we said nothing, just walked. “Dammit, child, why did you have to be like that?” she finally yelled, exasperated. I dropped her hand and took a step back. “I am sorry, Priestess. What is it I’ve done?” I asked, petrified I’ve already failed.

A soft look washed over her face as she peered into my eyes. She raised her hand and gently cups my face. “Nothing child. My heart still holds a little jealousy because your mother is a far stronger witch than I could have ever been. In you, I sense an even greater, yet more familiar, power. Unlike your mother, you are calm, rational and, dare I say, more patient. All things needed to be the High Priestess. You must be more like your father than your mother,” she grinned.

“Go forth with my blessing. You will be the finest priestess to exist,” she beamed, pulling my forehead to her lip kissing it softly. “We got more in common than meets the eye, Celine. It has been a pleasure to meet you. Please send my love to Timothy and my respects to your mother and, above all else, my thanks. I don’t deserve to be in her lessons. I was not the best teacher for her,” she whispered, as a few stray tears left her eyes.

At Gretchen’s last words, the ground vanished from nowhere, and I fell. My mind raced for a way to stop my fall. “Goddesses, how could I forget?” I whispered. Gretchen’s spirit dwells in a star. I am falling back to the ground at an alarming rate. Closing my eyes, I return my thoughts to my mother, who was expecting me in the temple. Unfortunately, I hit the ground with a hard thud. For a moment, I sat on the ground, the sun shining on my face, praying I didn’t break anything. “You should have pictured yourself standing, but you stopped your fall and made it to me,” the Girl laughed.

My eyes bolted open. I was still in the nothingness which the Goddesses called home. Unable to believe what I was witnessing, I stared at her in disbelief. “I am trying to get to my mother,” I admit. “You will arrive when I mean for you to. You are on your third trial, me,” she smiled brightly, motioning for me to follow. “Goddess, why am I doing my trials now? I am not 18 for another week,” I asked. The Girl patted a seat which appeared next to her. “Because things change,” she stated dryly.

I stared at the ground, wondering what to reply. The Girl’s gaze burned into me as she read every inch of my soul. “Amelia’s plan, it changed everything. I need to stop Amelia before she takes the Ambrosia, as I come into my powers first, don’t I?” I asked. She said nothing, she only stared at me. Closing my eyes, the heaviness of the situation for the first time crashing on to my shoulders. “I might need to kill her,” I sighed.

The Girl’s hand stroked my back. “In anyone’s life, there are times and situations that we all wish to avoid, unfortunately sometimes we cannot. It’s these moments that help us build our character. Choices are the simple part of living. Having to live with the consequences of your actions is the hard part. Your choice to fight with us instead of against us means you may need to kill Amelia. At the very least, you will be in a direct conflict with her. I doubt she will be happy with you telling us and claiming the title she sees as hers. But these are the consequences of her actions. It very well may cost Amelia her life,” she explains.

“I understand. While it’s not my wish to harm her, if it is what I must do to keep order, then it is what I must do,” I stated with conviction. “It pleases me to hear this. Wisdom is needed to be our Priestess, as well as the courage of a warrior and the intuition to appreciate when you need each. You’ve passed my trial. You have my blessing. Then again, there was never really much doubt in that,” she beamed, pulling my face to her and placing a kiss on my lips. “Go with courage. Timothy is next,” she whispered as she pushed me to the cold temple floor.

To my surprise, he stared at me with complete and utter shock for a moment. “Celine, where did you come from?” he asked, helping me up off the floor. For the first time, I noticed the Girl shoved me into the middle of an Elders meeting. Something which Timothy forbade us from ever interrupting. It appeared Timothy was not aware of my trial. The notion of the Girl shoving me into a situation which was meant to cause conflict between us made me laugh.

Slowly, he turned his head to the council and shrugged, utterly clueless at the situation. “Timothy, we have a meeting that requires our attention,” Gerald growled. I tried to regain my composure. “Celine, I cannot see what is so funny. You know you are not supposed to interrupt our meeting,” Timothy growled, his anger elevating slightly. “Of course, you don’t, and that’s what makes it so funny,” I giggled, earning a hard glare from Timothy.

I motioned for him to lean closer to me, so the council didn’t hear our conversation. “I am on my trials. The Girl pushed me here, telling me you were next. And you don’t seem to know,” I laughed as a hint of a smile crossed his face.

“Of course, placing you here and now would cause conflict between us,” he shook his head. “Yes, and how we handle conflict will directly affect the pack. While conflict is a part of life, how one deals with it is important,” I grinned.

Timothy placed his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Goddess, you’ve always known it’s my desire to see Celine take over for her mother,” he sighed as the room faded from view. Once more I found myself in the warmth of the Goddesses domain. The Girl’s sharp laughter echoed from somewhere behind me.

“It wasn’t really part of the trial. I just wanted to bother him,” the Girl gigged as I turned back to her. “You handled yourself with my kind of grace,” she laughed in a manner I’ve never witnessed from her before.

“Why do we make all trials for the high priestess different for each witch?” My mother demanded. “Priestess,” I bowed. “No two witches are the same. The trials are to test not only their strongest attributes but their weakest as well, pushing them to their limits,” I replied. “Yes, partly. Why is yours so different?” she asked, unsatisfied with my answer. “I, I can’t answer that. I do not understand why my trial is so different,” I sigh, feeling as if I had just failed.

“Because you’ve already shown us you are the best one to hold your mother’s title. It’s a myth the witch who takes over is the strongest in existence. You can refine your abilities. Not only that, we gift some of our powers to you. Only those who are pure of heart, pure of soul and loyal to us can call and command our Moon Fire. You Celine are just these things,” the Woman grinned.

“Many others would have attempted to deceive us. Even though you believed you would lose the chance to be the High Priestess, you still admitted you didn’t know. It’s perfectly acceptable for someone, including you, not to have all the answers. This is the beauty of life. Celine, you are not us, therefore you are not meant to have them all,” she continued.

“You, Celine, like your mother before, are our chosen priestess. You embody us, so receive our blessing and take your place at our side. At the moment of Amelia’s birth, you will inherit our powers, not Amelia,” the Woman announced as she, too, kissed my lips. “At that moment, you will take this,” the Woman ordered, placing a small sliver of ambrosia in my hand.