Page 107 of A Hunter for Luna

The air around me felt suffocating, but before I could fight it, sleep yanked me under. The chill of the stone against my back faded away, replaced by the familiar barren plain of my dreams.

"Luna," a gentle yet urgent voice called out.

I turned to see Olivia, her ghostly form shimmering like moonlight on water.

"Grandmother, I don't know what to do," I said, tears spilling down my cheeks. "They're going to use my baby in a ritual. I can't stop them."

Olivia's face softened with sympathy. "Youcanstop them. But you need to learn. There's still a few things more I can teach you."

She stepped closer, reaching out to touch my forehead. A warmth spread through me at her touch, easing some of my despair.

"Your magic is powerful. The dark moon's power is subtle—it can disrupt, yes, but it can also conceal. It can bend the very fabric of reality if you know how to wield it."

I met her gaze, a flicker of hope igniting within me. "What do I need to know to save my child?"

"Listen closely, then. We haven't much time..."

Olivia guided me through a series of exercises, her ghostly hands correcting my form and her gentle instructions echoing in my mind. I focused intently, feeling the dark moon's magic thrumming through my veins, sharper and more controlled than ever before.

"Visualize your power as a cloak," Olivia murmured, her fingertips brushing my temples. "Wrap it around yourself, let it conceal you from sight and sense."

I closed my eyes, picturing the magic as a shimmering, translucent veil. It rippled over my skin, cool and smooth as silk. It settled around me, hugging my form like a second skin.

"Good," Olivia praised, a note of pride in her voice. "Now, extend that cloak outward. Imagine it stretching, expanding, until it encompasses your surroundings."

I obeyed, mentally pushing the boundaries of my power. The veil stretched and grew, enveloping the barren dreamscape around us. A faint hum filled the air as the magic took hold, bending the very fabric of reality to my will. The flickering of my child's magic joined me, forging a delicate link between us.

"Remember," Olivia said, her voice beginning to fade as the dream dissolved at the edges. "The magic is yours to command. Use it wisely, and you can free yourself—and your child. Feel your son’s magic, and link with it. Together, you’re more powerful than apart."

I opened my eyes, meeting her gaze with a fierce determination. "I will, Grandmother. I swear it."

She smiled, a bittersweet curve of her lips as her form shimmered and grew indistinct. "I believe in you. Always have, always will."

With those final words, Olivia vanished, the dream shattering into a thousand glittering shards. I felt myself falling, tumbling through the void between sleep and waking. But even as consciousness beckoned, I clung to the newfound knowledge Olivia had bestowed upon me.

I gasped awake, my body chilled to the bone from the unyielding stone beneath me. But even as the cold seeped into my flesh, my mind burned with a newfound clarity—sharp, focused, and utterly determined.

The fear still lurked within me, an icy shadow that threatened to overwhelm. But it was no match for the fierce resolve that now coursed through my veins.

Pushing myself up from the floor, I brushed off the dust and grime clinging to my skin. My mind raced as I began to piece together a plan, each thought slotting into place like the intricate workings of a timepiece.

I needed to use everything Olivia had taught me in the dreamscape in her visits. Every scrap of knowledge, every whispered secret—it all had to count now. And I couldn't afford to hesitate; the ritual loomed on the horizon, my child's doom.

Pressing a hand to my belly I whispered fiercely, "I promise you I won't let them hurt you. I'll fight for you until my last breath."

The words hung in the air, a solemn vow. This child—my child—would not be a sacrificial lamb for their dark ambitions. They would know a life beyond these cold walls and cruel machinations.

I would make sure of it. When Vala and Moonshifter came for me—and they would come—I'd be ready.

Ready to fight. Ready to win.

I settled back against the wall, letting my body relax even the dark moon's power thrummed through my veins, a constant reminder of the strength I now possessed.

There would be a way out of this nightmare.

But first, I needed information. I needed to know exactly what Vala and Moonshifter were planning, and when the ritual was set to take place.

I closed my eyes again, reaching out with my senses, trying to feel for any hint of their presence nearby. The dark moon's magic rippled outwards like invisible tendrils, probing the corridors beyond my cell.

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