Page 43 of A Hunter for Luna

LUNA

The sun rodelow on the horizon by the time Benedetto called a halt. I dismounted and tended Dawn. My horse had a lot of stamina, but it had been a long day. I took extra care with his grooming, wincing from the aches in my muscles as I removed his tack.

A sweet-tempered animal, Dawn didn’t protest being tied for the night. I did move him further from Benedetto’s stallion when the other horse laid his ears back and bared his teeth.

I didn't want to admit it, but this was a longer ride than I was used to. Tomorrow would be painful. My solace was that Benedetto hadn’t ridden that much recently either, so he’d be in pain too.

I’d packed salve expecting something like this.

"It's going to be a cold camp tonight," Benedetto said gruffly.

"You’ve decided it’s going to be an uncomfortable evening. How surprising. " I’d packed bread, dried meat and cheese anticipating that decision. for just such a decision as well.

He looked frustrated for a moment, my reaction not what he expected. When I pulled out my rations, he shook his head and chuckled. "Clever girl. Did you bring salve as well? I’m willing to help you spread yours if you’ll return the favor.”

The pot was in my hand as he spoke. “Once you show me you brought some as well, since we’re being equal shares.”

He laughed again, genuine amusement lightening his features. After eating and tending our aches, we settled into our separate bedrolls.

I took first watch, scanning and listening under the bright stars for any signs of danger - predators or bandits. The wind sighed through the grass, almost hypnotic, nor was it quiet. Foxes barked, the snarl of a big cat at a distance, the hush of wings above us from night flying birds combined in a tapestry of nocturnal life.

Despite darkness and uncertainty, it soothed me. When my shift ended, I woke Benedetto and gratefully sank into slumber myself.

Then I stood alone on another plain, an endless vista of tall grass rippling green in the wind. My breath misted in the chilly air. The ground beneath my feet felt unstable, like the surface of a frozen lake that might crack at any moment.

And then it did, and I fell forever, a scream bubbling in my throat, until I landed in desolation. All around me was covered in gritty white dust, the sun blazed down from an angry blue sky. Ruined houses stood within eyesight as I climbed to my feet, unhurt by the long fall.

A regal woman appeared before me, her silver-streaked chestnut hair swept up in a crown of thick braids. Shorter than me, andfine-boned, with a rounded face and a piercing blue gaze filled with uncanny wisdom.

An immediate sense of connection washed over me, strange yet undeniable.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She smiled at me, a flash of merriment that made my heart clench. I couldn’t remember the smile, but it made me feel…loved but alone. Like I’d lost it before I could remember it.

"I’m your grandmother, Luna. My name is Olivia. I've come to teach you about your magic."

Confusion and anger swirled inside me. "Why now? Why not my mother? Why not when I cried and prayed to the absent gods for anyone to help me?"

Her sigh rustled like autumn leaves. "Being dead makes communication difficult. Walls barred me, wards rooted in the buildings where you lived. This is the first you've slept in the open, my dear. The only reason I can do this is because our family has a bargain with Nightmare, a pact that allows us to pass on our teachings through dreams if there's no other way."

A swirl of darkness formed nearby, a chill breeze blowing over both of us, and my heart quickened. Unreasoning fear quivered under my skin. "A bargain with Nightmare? Why would they have done that?"

"It's not a simple gift, Luna. It's a burden, one our line has carried for generations. Your magic is tied to the dark moon, the power of disruption. Potent, unpredictable, in need of guidance."

She bears the scent.The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, filling the sky and ringing from the ground. I staggered.

Olivia spoke sharply. “So? You promised my forebears this. Sniff around for traces of Ruin’s scent but stop interfering with my granddaughter.”

With the fear pulsing inside me I had no idea how she could talk like that. Possibly being dead helped.

The fear eased as the darkness solidified into a humanoid form wrapped in shadow. “I shall.”

Olivia gestured and a soft, feathery darkness emanated from her hand, swirling like smoke. "Pay attention to me, Luna, we haven’t much time. The disruption caused by your magic doesn't have to be all or nothing. You've been using it like a hammer when it can be a scalpel. When other magic touches you, you reflexively dispel it. But if you control your power, you can use it for other purposes."

Fascinated, I watched as she manipulated the dark mist, making it dance and ripple without extinguishing the faint light around us.

I tried not to pay attention to the tall dark figure circling us in an unsettling glide.

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