Each afternoon was spent scouring the library for books that might be of use to Calathis, the dark room making hours seem like minutes as she skimmed book after book. Though she knew she was closely monitored, a shadow always a few steps behind her, being able to wander the halls was a gift in itself. Aurelia knew with such freedom came a steep price, but she planned to stretch it out for as long as possible before Dorian forced her to reside on the other side of the castle in the royal chambers.
Today was the day that Ambrose had declared their work would truly begin, beginning with a full education of Damaris and the things untold in the books of Calathis that he had promised he would reveal. Though Aurelia had combed through their library, she had only found the tidbits of information that she, Calandra, and Brina had found previously: the ability of blood magic. She was convinced there had to be another library in the castle dedicated to it with all of its secrets – and knowing Damaris, it was under lock and key.
She sighed as she trudged up the stairs after training, sweat gleaning on her brow, making her way to the bathing room where Cressida was waiting, a fresh bath waiting for her. They had gotten into a routine, the pair of them – a quick bath, Aurelia braiding her hair and putting it out of the way while Cressida tied on the multiple layers of long, flowing skirt. They relished in the peaceful silence and the occasional sarcastic joke of Cressida’s. If she hadn’t been a captive, Aurelia would’ve almost considered Cressida a friend.
Ambrose was leaning against her door frame when she made her way back downstairs, alone. Her clothes had gotten much more luxurious after the news of her engagement to the king, and thus she was now wearing long, light blue silk skirts, adorned with a white satin button-up underneath her velvety cloak. No longer could any outsider see her as a captive, but as a future wife.
“What?” Aurelia smirked. “Weird to see me out of my prison cell?”
Ambrose rolled his eyes, pushing off of the doorframe to walk towards her. “It was never a cell.” He said, a smile lingering upon his lips.
Aurelia’s teasing smile slowly faded. “No,” She finally said. “It suppose it wasn’t.”
He cleared his throat, breaking their eye contact. “I made you something.”
“Oh?” Aurelia offered, her eyes widened in surprise. She watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled a silver necklace, a small charm in the center in the shape of a crescent moon. He stepped forward, holding it out to her.
Aurelia hesitantly stepped forward. “What is it?”
Ambrose clasped his hands. “It’s a…” His cheeks turned pink. “A protective charm. I made it for you. It can’t resist mind-controlling magic, but it can certainly weaken it. I thought…with everything, it might be nice to have. For protection.”
Aurelia’s body warmed at the kindness as she accepted the gift, immediately clasping the necklace around her neck. “Thank you,” She said softly, gazing at the man before her.
He shrugged indifferently, his eyes shuttering. “It’s no big deal. I thought you needed something with Midtwilight coming up.”
Aurelia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Midtwilight?”
Ambrose looked over to her in confusion. “The Midtwilight Festival? It’s tonight. I was sure Cressida mentioned something about it by now.”
Aurelia shook her head. She had been so distracted lately, her mind completely occupied by the stacks of books she had worked through, anxious to find something to help Calathis, to escape to her grandmother. “No, I didn’t know. I hadn’t heard anything about it.”
“Oh, well.” Ambrose began. “It’s our celebration of the moon gods. A testament to their gifts, to our magic. Every year, we celebrate – with dance, music, all beneath the stars, paying homage to our ancestors. Like the Solarfest in Calathis. It’s when our magic is renewed, restrengthened. All of the lords and ladies of Damaris travel here to celebrate the occasion.”
Aurelia shook her head. “I had no idea,” She replied honestly. Her heart panged as she imagined the beauty of a celebration in Calathis, filled with the sunlight, vibrant colors, and the smell of flowers. “I was taken before I could celebrate such a holiday.”
Ambrose nodded. “Ah, yes. Of course.” He paused. “They celebrate in the spring, anyway. Midtwilight is always in the midst of the winter, on the longest night of the year.”
Though Aurelia had successfully avoided Dorian for days now, dread coiled in her stomach for this evening in which she was sure she had to play the happy betrothed for all of the Damaris kingdom to see.
“But first…” Ambrose smiled. “Our work begins.” He gestured for Aurelia to follow him as he strode down the hallway, back into the busy castle corridors.
She nodded hesitantly, falling into step behind him as they went off through the castle once more. Now that he had mentioned it, she recognized the telltale signs of Midtwilight as they walked – herds of servants scurrying around, polishing, decorating. They headed out the main doors behind the castle, in which she was sure they were setting up for a spectacular show this evening, though of what, she wasn’t sure. They passed through the main castle, slipping through the crowds of soldiers and sorcerers, making his way to the opposite wing of the castle.
He led her to the royal chambers and Aurelia couldn’t help glancing behind them to make sure there wouldn’t be any surprise appearances by the king, someone she had begun to grow weary of the longer she was in Damaris. Their steps echoed as they walked, their surroundings transforming to the elegance that radiated from the royal wing, filled with luxury.
Instead of stopping at Ambrose’s rooms where the servant had brought her the last time she had been over here, they continued deeper into this particular wing of the castle, coming to the farthest end where a spiral staircase led up into one of the kingdom’s vast towers.
Without hesitation, Ambrose began climbing up into the dark, shadowed tower and Aurelia grudgingly followed. They climbed and climbed, Aurelia’s thighs burning, but she refused to slow down to give Ambrose the satisfaction.
They went up what must have been at least twenty stories before they stopped at a padlocked door, Aurelia’s chest rising and falling rapidly. She observed as Ambrose purposely blocked her view as he fumbled with it for a moment and then the padlock suddenly clicked open, the door swinging back into the tower’s room.
He motioned Aurelia forward, pulling her into the stone tower.
Before her was a circular room with stairs spiraling around the wall leading up to a ledge with a gigantic telescope. The tower’s roof was made out of some mystery material that allowed one to see the sky above them with great, open windows, what she presumed was for the telescope. The main floor of the tower was the most intriguing of all – there were bookcases filled with all sorts of crystals, books scattered among the shelves, posters hung on the walls in ancient languages, some in avid description of the crystals that took up the majority of the room.
A few paintings hung in open spaces of what looked like past kings and queens, and on the far end, rustling through a few pages, was an older man. He was dressed in long, draping robes, and his white hair was short and choppy. He looked up in surprise as they walked in.
“Master Ambrose,” He said, taking a short bow before continuing to ruffle through the pages at the desk in front of him.
“Demir,” Ambrose greeted. “Do you mind if we—“ He gestured around the room. Demir’s gaze fell onto Aurelia, his eyes widening just enough for the pair to notice. “Oh, yes, very well,” He said quickly, grabbing hold of the book he had been browsing and tucking it under his arm. He nodded to Aurelia and strode out of the room, his robes billowing behind him.
“Who was that?” Aurelia asked as her eyes wandered around the room curiously.
“Our master of lunar magic,” Ambrose responded as he took a seat at the table in the center of the room. It was strategically placed right above the moon emblem engraved on the floor and Aurelia hesitantly sat across from him.
“So then, what is this place?” She asked, resting her chin in her palm as she looked to him. Aurelia was itching to get her hands on the books that were in this room, for she was sure they held the answers she had been looking for.
“The place we study lunar magic,” He said carefully, leaning over to grab a book on a nearby shelf and setting it between them. “It’s where my brother and I studied for our entire lives to master our lunar magic.” He paused, tilting his head. “Have you—“
“No,” Aurelia said, shaking her head. Learning to use her magic had been one thing. Mastering it would take much, much longer. She had years of studying her solar magic before she could reach the level that Rehema had.
“Very well,” he said, nodding. “Lunar magic, like solar magic, is much more complex. We, similar to you, are descendants of the gods, but of the moon. This grants us abilities that are most commonly tied to the moon, and thus have been passed down through generations, all pulling at the moon for our abilities and for our kingdom’s strength.”
Aurelia smirked. “Is this where you’re going to show me what you can do?” She wiggled her eyebrows mischeviously.
Ambrose rolled his eyes. “Not today.” He pushed the book forward. “Today, you read. To understand.”
She begrudgingly pulled the heavy book towards her, shooting him a humorous glare.
“Tomorrow,” He promised as he stood to grab another book from the wall for his own enjoyment. “Go on.”
Aurelia sighed deeply and turned to the first page. She was ready to find the answers she had long been desperate for.
The book Ambrose had given her began by reciting the same history Aurelia had already discovered back in Calathis – the long lineage of kings inheireting the throne, women tossed to the side as, like solar magic can only be harnessed by women, lunar magic is only harnessed by men. Aurelia winced at the cruel treatment that the royal Damaris daughters endured at the hands of their fathers – all desperately experimenting in hopes to release the lunar magic into their blood.
There was even more detail regarding Damaris’ golden years – the decades of trading from foreign lands that made Damaris extremely rich and filled with vibrant culture. Stories of rare spices and foreign foods, clothing, and animals filled the chapter, bringing a small smile to Aurelia’s face. She could only imagine how busy the town square used to be back then as her mind wandered back to the trip Ambrose had taken her through the village.
The Continent seemed to remain in peace, the lunar magic academy slowly growing, until King Josefin, who Aurelia remembered as the king who had turned lunar magic into the dark and twisted form it was now known for. It felt as if her eyes were glued to the page as it began to describe in detail the reign of King Josefin.
Where in previous kings Damaris had worked on establishing the lunar magic academy for men throughout the kingdom to come study, King Josefin completely altered the form of study, turning the once vibrant school into the center of dark arts. Where, according to the books, they focused on the various powers that they drew from the moon, Josefin put all of the men to work trying to find ways to become the strongest, most powerful warriors through their magic.
More specifically, through blood magic. Aurelia paled at the words as it described the dark and twisted forms of experimentation and the development of the ‘army of the dead’ that had darkened the name of Damaris. Josefin had lived a very long, cold life, enough to touch hundreds of lunar magic sorcerers, including Dorian himself.
Blood magic. What Damaris was known for. To the side, someone had written a note – with all great powers of blood magic, an equally great sacrifice must be made.
Aurelia shuddered. What could Josefin had sacrificed to gain such epic power in his army? More importantly…what could Dorian do with the wickedness he had learned from his grandfather, Josefin?
Her eyes skimmed the pages, anxious to find out more. Though it went into more detail of his various policies he had set on Damaris, essentially establishing their fall as a leading tradespost, it did not go into more detail regarding lunar magic, only comments here and there emphasizing how dark Damaris became with Josefin and eventually how Renaud, his son, took over a broken kingdom. By then, Dorian and Ambrose were teenagers and watched as their father, though did nothing to the extent of Josefin, also did not save his kingdom from bankruptcy.
And then...Dorian.The prince who sailed to foreign lands, killing for gold to keep his father’s kingdom afloat. It was where the book ended, though someone it seemed had written it to be up to date.
Renaud died of unknown causes, leaving his son, Dorian, to inherit the throne.
She scoffed. Unknown. Aurelia closed the book, grabbing the next one set out for her.
Introduction to Lunar Magic. What she had been waiting for. She turned the pages quickly, though the book itself was small, but it was what she had been awaiting nonetheless.
Lunar magic, like solar magic, had vast and widespread abilities, revolving around the moon. Where Aurelia’s solar magic allowed her to alter the light and therefore her appearance, lunar magic granted the ability of invisibility. The book boasted of the capabilities of manipulating the night, and an ability, like her and fire, with ice. It did not stop there, for those who practice lunar magic could also master the art of blood magic, which was even more terrifying than she had imagined. One could truly execute anything if they sacrificed enough.
Yet, there was another entire form of magic she had never heard of before: crystal magic. The ability to harness strong pockets of power from crystals charged by moonlight, with different colors and kinds having various purposes. For every snippet of information she gathered, she had ten more questions.
“Ambrose, I don’t understand. You don’t just have blood magic, you have crystal magic?” Aurelia said suddenly, breaking the silence that had encircled them for hours now.
Ambrose raised his eyebrows, unimpressed. “Only crystal magic is lunar magic. Anyone with magical ability is able to use blood magic.” He shrugged. “It’s generally not used, considering...well, the costs and consequences.”
Yet his grandfather had made it his mission to use blood magic to turn Damaris into a kingdom of ruthless soldiers.
Aurelia’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “But, my grandmother never said....”
Ambrose rolled his eyes. “As if Calathis would dare utter a word of such a dark practice of magic,” He said grudgingly, turning back to his book.
Aurelia felt a low sting in her stomach as his words sunk in. It was yet another thing her grandmother had not told her. Aurelia forced her feelings away, her mind spinning as she processed everything she had just learned.
“Tell me this, Ambrose. With what magic exactly did your people create the creatures that have been killing innocent citizens of Calathis?” She slammed the book shut, her eyes intense as she turned to face him, the sunlight streaming in from the windows making her auburn hair glow.
“What creatures?”
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