Romane von Blessing Ekwensi

“Mom?”My voice came out husky.I stood there staring into the deep darkness, waiting for an answer.Nothing.Then the silver light on the walls became brighter.Karl slowly got up from the ground and looked around the whole chamber.“Liam, did you hear something?”I nodded.“That was my mother.”He looked at me strangely amazed.“Your mother..but how?”“Yes.”I didn't know how to explain it. I wasn't even sure I understood it myself,but I knew it was her voice.The voice came again.“Liam…”This time it sounded closer to us like she was there.I took a few steps forward.“Karl, I think she wants me to follow her.”“Or something wants you to think it's her.”I stopped.He was right.After everything I had seen, how could I trust anything again?Rowan had told me that the Moon Realm was full of things humans didn't understand or could comprehend. Maybe this was a set up,another trap.But something inside me kept pulling me forward.It felt familiar.Like coming home to somewhere I had

The forest became quiet.Too silent.I could hear my own breathing, fast and heavy, as I stood there staring at the dark shapes coming towards our direction.There were too many of them.Their eyes glowed from between the trees, some golden, some almost black. Their bodies looked twisted, monstrous, not completely human and not completely wolves either. They moved slowly, almost like they weren't in any hurry.They knew we couldn't escape.Karl stepped in front of me immediately."Stay behind me, Liam."His voice sounded different.More serious this time.I looked at his hands and noticed his fingers were already beginning to change. He was shape-shifting. His nails were getting longer, sharper."Karl...""I'm fine."He wasn't.His breathing was getting heavier.Rowan moved closer to us, his eyes fixed on the creatures."They've found him."I swallowed hard."Who?"Rowan looked at me."The heir."My heart dropped to my stomach.One of the creatures stepped forward.It was taller than

The applause was..Slow.Calculated.Almost mocking.All that my head could tell me was run,but my legs refused to move an inch.The silver-haired man stepped out from behind the ancient Celtic stone as though he had been standing there the whole time. His dark mysterious cloak brushing against the grass, and despite looking no older than his thirties, there was something ancient in his eyes.Something mysterious Something tired.Karl stepped in front of me immediately.“Don't come any closer.”The stranger stopped.A faint smile crossed his face.“If I meant either of you harm,” he said “you wouldn't have made it this far.”The air between them grew thicker.“Do you know him.” Karl asked.“I've spent four solid centuried searching continuously for him.”My stomach clenched.“Searching for who?”His grey silver eyes remained fixed on me.“You.”I was confused.“I think you're making a mistake,I'm not the one you're looking for sir.”Without any response,no words, he simply stared deep

The first wolf pounced on him.“Karl…karl!” I shouted.He pushed me backwards just as the creature’s claws sliced through the air where my whole body had been a heartbeat earlier. The impact sent Karl tumbling across the silver grass,but he was already back on his feets before I could blink.“Run,very fast.” he yelled.“No,I’m not leaving you!”“Liam, leave now!”We heard another growl echoed through the forest.Then another growl.Then anotherAnother.A lot of golden eyes appeared between the trees,one pair after another,until I lost count.They surrounded us in absolute silence,moving through the silver mist like shadows with beating hearts.My pulse slammed against my ribs.There had to be at least twenty of them everywhere.The Black-Antlered Guardian stepped forward, placing itself between us and the approaching pack. The silver dust drifting from its antlers thickened, sparkling beneath the moonlight like falling stars.Every wolf froze.For a brief moment, no one could move.Th

The creature didn't move at all.It kept staring at us in a scary way.The silver dust kept drifting from its antlers dripping to the groundIt was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.Karl moved slowly to me shielding me with his body.“Don't stare,don't look into its eyes.”I felt a burning sensation down my throat.“Help…me,I can't”The creature kept staring at me. It felt like it was reading me.Every thought in my head. It was studying my moves.Waiting.Then I heard the voice again.Inside my mind.You carry what has been stolen.A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes.I staggered backward, clutching my head.“No...that's not true?"Karl grabbed me before I could fall."Liam!"The forest vanishedI heard his voice echoeing.For a split second. I wasn't standing in the Moon Realm anymore.I was somewhere else.A grand hall stood before me in old white carvings and with white pebbles that shimmered beneath the sky.Towering sculpted wolf creatures and strange human like statue

Those words from the Order of Silver Knights the words couldn't leave his head long after Karl stopped speaking.Silence became dominant in the room, none of us spoke to each other.The treehouse suddenly felt too small for both of us. The warmth from the lantern couldn't stop the fear from creeping over my skin like a cold hand. Every old map spread across the table,every newspaper hanging on the walls,every strange artifact scattered across the room seemed to be staring at me.I decided to speak."So... everything you've told me is real?"Karl adjusted his chair and folded his arms. There wasn't even the slightest hint of a smile on his face that showed doubt."I wish its not true.""You expect me to believe there's another entirely different world thats next to ours? Also your family have been guardians, protecting the realm for generations and people are hunting you because of who you are?""Liam I understand if you can't believe it,never expected you to believe though," he replied