Page 7 of Bonded By Moons

Being lunar blessed creatures, our faerie form can charge the magic of our human forms, allowing us to have the size and agility of being human along with our elemental magic. It’s one of the main reasons why faeries stay in their human forms most often. We’re significantly less delicate, but can still access our fangs, wings and magic.

We flash into our faerie forms at the same time, heading for the windows, just as Amara shoots a gust of air to shove them open. The three of us hover above the courtyard to my shop, Amara's Sparkles. My loft is directly above the shop, making the commute to work a major convenience.

The gardens below which lead to the entrance of my shop, consist of natural herbs and spices which are used in some of my regularly stocked elixirs. Along with a luscious collection of peonies, poppies, and petunia flowers which bloom year round with soil rich of my earth magic. In the back, my shop contains a crystal lab, where I analyze and test the quality of each crystal. This is how I guarantee the highest quality gems, crystals and minerals for my customers. I’ve built rapport among the community and guilds. I take pride in being the most successful crystal supplier in Faerelle.

Under the sun, our faerie forms won't charge their magic. We can only charge magic under the light of the 3 moons. This means we can only fly for short distances in the sun. Otherwise, we’re draining the strength of both forms and have to await the rise of our moons before we can replenish. Or, we have to use moon charged products like bath milks, moon dust, moonstones, moon wax candles, or consume moon charged elixirs. Flying under the moons allows for faeries to not only gain access to magic in their human form, but also experience a sense of home with the stars.

Our goddesses.

Our gods.

Some say, the ancients are the moons themselves. That we are descendents of them.

The first moon, La Luka, is the smallest of the three moons. It was named after Luka Lamone, the prince of the north continent, who won the first war against Kalderr in the early years by brute strength alone.

The moon ofstrength and power.

Although we still won the second war, it was thanks to the sacrifice of the lune lovers. The last two ancient’s to walk this earth who made the decision to sacrifice themselves to destroy Kalderr and with them, destroying the remaining ancients. So we call our second moon La Lune.

The moon oflove and sacrifice.

Lastly, the third and largest moon. La Lieta is the youngest moon, gifted to our planet after the third war. Tribute to the longest and bloodiest war against the shadow king. King Morak and Queen Meelis Moonlace were the prime’s that led us to victory and restored peace to our lands. They were the last regime to rule Faerelle before the Brytons.

The moon ofperseverance & patience.

Combined, the six values of our moons create The Waning Will, a treaty binding the remaining faerie race to serve the will of the moons and stars, trusting that their path is prosperous and peaceful.

If faeries can strive to uphold the standards of each moon, then they can always be sure they’re living a life of honor for those that fought for our freedoms. The only problem is, we’re seeing more and more signs of our freedoms being taken each day. And that’s why we fight in the rebellion, in The Ascension, against The Bryton’s reign. That awful, preposterous family is a joke and continually fails to lead this realm to the peace it deserves.

Somehow, even after the third and final war, calm has not been felt in our lands. It’s as if a cloud of death and chaos is crowding over us. The family that is supposed to be protecting and leading us just continues to hide in that fucking star covered castle.

Tonight, we’re praying the moons are shining in our favor so we can gain some footing with our investigations of the murders and kidnappings taking place within the twelve districts. We suspect the reason they’re only taking place in the capital is because it’s crowded and easy to go unnoticed. The only problem we’re facing is that we fail to see them come and go each time and every time they leave a massacre in their wake.

“Okay, first we need to stop by Pete’s to grab ammunition for tonight’s run. Brooks, can I send you to The Mort to gather cloaking leaves? I’ll be able to make cloaking spells in the laboratory at the lab back at base.” I ask Brooks.

“You got it. I’ll catch you guys later. Please look after my girl, Em.” Brooks says as he leans down to kiss Amara on the forehead. He then takes off to The Mort, our local trades and goods market. Amara and Brooks have had a subtle fling for years. They’ve never fully acted on their feelings, and I suspect that’s because they’re impatiently waiting for a mate bond to register between them. In all honesty, I don’t know if it ever will since they’ve known each other since they were babes and it hasn’t happened yet. It’s been an unspoken concern for years.

I’ve managed to use my supplier connections from Amara’s Sparkles to get us access to less publicly available materials. Having earth faeries that trust my place in The Ascension has helped us tremendously as we get our footing in the rebellion. The new base was just developed by builder-talented faeries and earth elemental faeries in the Mystic Mountains, just north of Doom’s Grove. Brooks is a builder-talented faerie, making him extremely strong and a brute force to be reckoned with. Along with a faerie’s elemental powers, you can also be assigned a talent.

Talents are assigned on your 12th birthday, alongside your elemental powers when you accept the moon's essence into your soul and discover what magic you are blessed with. More common Fae are assigned one element, two elements are more rare, and three or four elements are nearly unheard of since the primes left our world.

I sorta always knew I’d be an earth faerie.

Since I can remember, I’ve had such a passion for nature, and the way things grow and die. The cycle of life.

So on my 12th birthday, when the 3 of us headed to the Cosmic Chapel outside of Estrallume to drink the essence of the moons, I wasn’t even surprised to be assigned Earth and Water powers. Alongside those elements, I was given a talent for empathy. It’s not a common talent, but it comes in handy when you’re trying to decipher what gems are real or not, or determine which vendors are lying to you about the quality of their products.

As we hover in the sun's rays just above my garden, I can only hope we gain ground tonight on the issues we face.

FOUR

Ember

Comet Cottages is a small village, the farthest away from the capital city. It’s covered in charming cottages so closely packed that most alleyways only fit one person at a time. Some people have trees growing inside their homes, and balconies on their roofs that face the moonlight. Fae orbs liter the air and provide a small glow at all times. Vines grow on all the buildings, stone pathways, and plentiful blooms of flowers surround each home. And of course, the Lumon Creek that runs through all the land glowing bright for all to see. The creek holds a new meaning for me now, reminding me of the prince I never asked to be mated to.

As Amara and I fly northwest towards the Mystic Mountains, we spot a single birch tree turning red at the base of its trunk.

I nearly flew headfirst into the closest tree at full speed.

---