All Chapters of STAINED BY THE MOON : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

LILY'S POV The east courtyard was peaceful in the late morning sun, the kind of quiet I'd come to appreciate in the chaos of trial preparations. I'd come here to think, to escape the constant questions and well-wishes and barely concealed doubts. "Lily?" I turned to find Marathiel approaching, a hesitant smile on her face. She looked better than she had in weeks, the dark circles under her eyes had faded, and there was a lightness to her step that hadn't been there before. "Marathiel. Hi." I gestured to the bench beside me. "Sit?" She settled down with a soft sigh, smoothing her healer's robes. "Needed some air?" "Something like that." I studied her face. "You look... good. Better." A faint blush colored her cheeks. "I've been trying. To move forward, I mean. It's been weeks since..." She trailed off "That's good," I said carefully. "Moving forward is important." "Veyla and I..." She paused, fingers twisting in her lap. "We haven't really talked. Not properly. But I

"Sit," he said, settling cross-legged on the stone. "Face me."I lowered myself opposite him, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety in my stomach.A day to learn how to face my fears without my magic tearing the world apart."The sacred caves use dream crystals," Gavin began, his voice calm and measured. "They'll show you visions of what frightens you most. The key is staying centered. Grounded in yourself.""How do I do that when I can't even control my power when I'm calm?""That's what we're working on." He gestured for me to mirror his position, hands on knees, spine straight. "Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing."I obeyed, though every instinct screamed at me to keep my eyes open, to stay alert."In through your nose. Count to four." His voice was steady, anchoring. "Hold. Two, three, four. Out through your mouth. Two, three, four."I followed his rhythm, feeling my heartbeat begin to slow. The courtyard was warm, the sun pleasant on my face. This wasn't so bad. Maybe I coul

KIA'S POV - The monitoring room was dark except for the pale blue glow of the observation crystals. "Are you certain no one will notice we're here?" I asked, keeping my voice low."The official observers are stationed at the main post." Fenric leaned against the stone table, arms crossed. "This secondary observation room hasn't been used in years. No one even remembers it exists.""Except you."His smile was slow and devastating. "I make it my business to know things others have forgotten."Lily was deep in the first chamber now, on her knees, ice exploding everywhere. Screaming."Look at her," I murmured. "The great Luna candidate, breaking apart."Fenric moved closer, standing just behind my shoulder. "You really don't like her, do you?""She snatched Gavin from me" I watched Lily writhe on the ground, hands clutching her head. "She's cunning, using her slave status to gain Gavin's sympathy, then leveraged the mate bond to trap him.""Snatched?" Fenric's breath stirred my hair. "D

KIA'S POV "Hello, Lily."I stepped fully into the chamber, letting the shadows fall away. Her eyes widened with shock.But my attention was fixed on the other figure.The white-haired woman stood beside Lily. Calm. Unbothered. Her amber eyes met mine with an ancient quality that made my skin crawl.Perfect."What are you doing here?" Lily's voice was hoarse."Ensuring the trial is... fair." I kept my voice level reasonable. My eyes never left the woman. "And look what I find. You're not alone."The woman didn't react. Just watched me with those unsettling eyes."You sabotaged it." Lily's hands clenched into fists, ice already forming at her fingertips. "You moved the crystals in the first chamber…""Prove it." My smile widened. "Go ahead. Show me evidence.""You moved all of them! Concentrate on them!" She took a step forward, anger cutting through exhaustion. "That's not how the trial works. You tried to kill me!""Such dramatic accusations." I tilted my head, playing innocent. "I'm

GAVIN'S POV"Look at this." Marrok crouched near the center of the chamber where the dream crystals clustered. "They're all here. Every single one."I moved closer, examining the configuration.The crystals should have been distributed evenly around the chamber—positioned to create a graduated challenge. Fears building slowly, giving the candidate time to process, to adapt.Instead, they were packed together in the center."Is this normal?" I asked.Marrok shook his head. "I've witnessed three Spirit trials. The crystals are always spread around the perimeter. Never clustered."I knelt beside him, running my fingers along the base of the nearest crystal. Dust clung to my skin.I checked the anchoring points, small grooves carved into the stone floor where crystals traditionally sat. Most were empty. Only the center positions were filled."These have been moved." I traced the empty grooves. "Recently, based on the dust patterns."Marrok examined another crystal. "Look. Tool marks."