Chapter 18: Moon Ceremony

in a cave the hooded figure is talking to its master “It’s almost time, as soon as her ceremony is over take her”. The figure nods and exits the cave

************

Four Months Ago

“Is it possible that someone still has the creation dagger?” I ask Nereus and his father. They both look very deep in thought. I have just explained to them what I found out from the book. There is a long  pause then Alpha Zander asked “what else do we know?” Both he and Nereus look at me as I explain how it was grandmother not my mother who created the bracelet and the necklace and also Shaia’s rune rock. According to the book my grandmother made the preparations beforehand because she knew that after she performed the ritual she would be powerless to send me forward in time. So she created an Orb “The theca” and when my father broke it, it activated the time spell that sent me into the future.

“But someone must have tampered with the spell” I say

“Why do you think that?” Nereus asks

“Because I got sent a lot farther into the future than my grandmother intended” I respond.

Zander lets out a sigh and there is another long silence.“We have to get Shaia” I say, breaking the silence “she could be in danger. If someone is out there with the dagger it’s not safe for her to be alone” Zander and Nereus exchange a look “what? what is it?”  I ask, Nereus walks up to me and holds my hand “something happened I didn’t want to tell you because you were already dealing with so much but Celeste, Shaia is dead” I gasp.

“When?”

“How?” 

“When did this happen?” I ask, unable to contain my shock and sadness. “We don’t know for sure, a few weeks after Lare and I got you from the cottage we sent word to your family. Your mum and Anthony went there to see her and they found ash and the whole place had been ransacked” Nereus explains “that long?” I scream “Lare figured it wasn’t the best time to you” he adds “I got over my emotional block” Nereus rubs my shoulders and planted a kiss on my forehead “and I didn’t want you to suffer another one again” he says, I am feeling a little overwhelmed by this information so I just lean my head on Nereus’ chest. “A-hem” Alpha Zander clears his throat mostly to remind us that he is still here, “we need to find out as much as we can about this dagger and with your ceremony mere months away we really need to up security” Zander says both I and Nereus nod agreeing with him “if someone is really trying to finish what Calix started, then they need you” Nereus adds “and if everything in that book is true, and someone got their hands on you after the ceremony, they would be unstoppable”

Today

“Ouch! That hurts” I say to my mum who is putting my hair in a bun “and that is unnecessary” I say to Alyssa who is trying to put makeup on me. I brush her hand away “just because you have to sleep in a moon cave overnight doesn’t mean you can’t look pretty” Alyssa says to me “again, I am not sleeping inside the moon cave, I am supposed to wait there until the goddess visits me” I tell her. “Yeah but that could take the whole night right?” she responds “trying to keep me away long enough from Nereus?” I tease her “oh no cousin, I have my eyes on his beta, he is single right?” the three of us burst into laughter.

My long awaited moon ceremony is here, the entire process basically involves me being prayed over by a sacredos and then I enter into a moon cave and wait till Selene (the moon goddess) speaks to me. Seeing as I am the very last aetherius and not a lot of people know about my existence (for good reason) my family will be playing the important roles for tonight. They arrived at the Lycian Mansion three months ago and I was so grateful to see them again after about three years. Anthony and Mirena are married now, Noah is officially a pack warrior and Greg and Hunter have something going on in the academy that they are being super secretive about. Everyone has had ample time to prepare for today and I believe having my family here is the reason why I don’t feel at all frightened. Just as my mother is done with my hair, there is a knock on the door and Nereus walks in “hey! bad Luck to see her before” Alyssa starts saying “we’re not getting married” I cut her short, Nereus gives me a look and says “yet” Alyssa looks at the both of us with a coy smile “but the rule still applies, no?” Alyssa asks “No” my mother, Nereus and I respond. “I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment” Nereus says to me, my mother and Alyssa excuse us.

“How are you feeling? Nervous? Weird tingle down your spine? Nereus asks and I giggle “I am fine I promise” I tell him. He smiles then he stretches out his hand to me, I take it and he wraps me in a hug “I know your grandmother had no intention of sending you so far into the future, but I am very grateful to whomever or whatever botched the spell. I am glad you landed in my century” he whispers in my ears “you and I both” is my response. “And to think when first I arrived, I wanted to explode your head. you should really listen to me more”  I say 

“You can’t order me around I am older than you” he responds

“I was literally born like five centuries ago” 

“Yeah then you were sent here as a baby, when you arrived I was already ten years old”

“Wow if you want to shout about how ancient you are go ahead”

“Ancient? You were born like five hundred years ago”

“Nereus are you older or not, I’m going to need you to pick a struggle my darling”

“Why you little-”

He is cut short by Alyssa coming into the room “it’s time she says”. I hook my arm to Nereus’ arm and we make our way downstairs where everyone else is ready and waiting for us.

We make our way to the cave, since we have no sacredos and Shaia is dead, my mother makes the prayer. Anthony and Mirena put the white robe on me and then I make my way into the cave, alone. I walk until I get to a small pool inside the cave. The water is so clear and the rocks inside look like crystals. Above the pool is an opening and light from the moon is shining into the cave through it, I take off the robe, then my dress and I enter into the water. The coldness of the water shocks me at first, but as I continue it begins to feel comfortable and calming. I close my eyes and immerse myself in the water, when I open my eyes I am no longer inside the water or the cave, I am in a garden and my guide is there; Selene.

************

she turns to me and she smiles, she looks like she could be my age “this is a sort of astral realm, isn’t it?” I ask and she nods in response. “Your body is still in the cave, in the water, but you; your very essence is here with me” she says, her voice is the most soothing thing I have ever heard. She walks past a tree and now she looks older, like a mother “Celeste there is danger lurking” she says “okay, great or small and how do I stop it?” She laughs. It’s a beautiful thing to hear “every thing you need to defeat it, you already have, I will not interfere. I just warn that it is a lot closer than you believe it to be” that’s not very helpful but I am not about to say that to the moon goddess. “Before I leave I wish to ask one thing” I say “you want to know how you ended up a lot farther in the future than Kairos had intended” she responds, I am a little shocked but I nod. “Your mother, couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from you, so she tried to tamper with Kairos’s magic using her’s” my brain puts the remaining pieces together. My mother wasn’t aware that she had no powers and she was merely channelling my grandmother’s energy so when she tampered it did not have the desired effect. “One more thing child” Selene says looking old now “you need the dagger to fear it will only bring death”

************

I open my eyes and I am back in the water, I swim to the surface and take in air, and calm myself. Once my breathing returns to normal only one sound escapes my mouth.

Huh?