The Elder's Bargain

The Elder’s Bargain

The elder stood tall at the door, her stature was impressive. Her silver hair fell around her shoulders, catching the faint light of the room to appear almost iridescent, and her eyes were a pale luminous that boar through Luna with intensity. 

Alec, Kade, and Jax all tensed with various expressions of caution and respect. And Luna recognized that this woman was the real deal, and felt her instincts status from within her—she was not to be trifled with. 

“Who are you,” Alec demanded, steady but cautious. 

The elder's eyes flicked toward him; her expression elusive. "I am Seraphina," she said, her voice silky and authoritarian. "And I'm here because I want to hang out in this place for a bit."

Luna swallowed. She trying to think and be serious. "You are the one? The one they said might know how to stop the Nightborne?"

Seraphina's eyes returned to Luna. "Yes. But knowledge does not come without a price."

Luna's heartbeat quickened. "What kind of price?"

Seraphina moved into the room, her form was fluid and latent. "Knowledge is never shared without contingencies."

"Of course there are," Alec muttered under his breath, yet he did not stand against her.

Seraphina's gaze was keen in her search through the room. " I have heard a whisper of a moon bearer, of untapped power. I have stood face to face, yet was tricked into thinking you fear. The Nightborne have shown interest and in turn disturbed the balance. The consequences are mine."

Jax crossed his arms, showing weighty interest enveloped in frustration. "We have no time for games. What is it you want? "

“Your focus is on a place where I can see the potential.” Seraphina's gaze rested on Jax a moment longer before shifting it once again back to Luna. "You want protection. I will give you this if you are willing to support me instead."

Luna raised her brows in surprise, “be of support? with what?”

Seraphina's gaze turned sharp. For a brief moment, Luna could see a flicker in her being—treasonously ominous and ancient, violent at heart—all the signs of its power. "There is a relic possessed deep within the forest inside the ruins of an old temple. And the relic is powerful, but lost and I need it—again—for the balance to remain between our world and the Nightborne." 

"Why in Trell's name would we help you?" Kade joined the conversation and pushed forward. “We don’t even know if you’re trustworthy.”

Seraphina’s gaze met his, and there was a brief pause before she spoke. “It is not like I leave you a choice. The Nightborne are closing in, and if you don’t act quickly, then your fate will be sealed, along with Luna’s.”

Luna felt a trickle of sweat go down her forehead. “What happens if we don’t get the relic?”

Seraphina’s lips twisted into a thin smile. “The power of the relic may demonstrate equilibrium, or lead to chaos. Without it, everything will favor the Nightborne, and you will be at their mercy. The choice is yours: help me and hope for a chance to survive, or don’t help me and surely perish.”

Luna looked to Alec, Kade, and Jax, searching their faces for reassurance of any kind. Alec’s eyes conveyed both concern and determination while Kade looked grim and resigned and Jax’s expression was a hard line, showing something serious that she was not altogether used to from him. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Alec finally said, his voice strong, “We’ll do it. But you have to tell us everything, no more secrets.”

Seraphina inclined her head slightly, her expressions neutral, “Very well. I will help you, but understand that the journey is dangerous, and you should prepare yourself for whatever lies before you.”

Luna took a deep breath, trying to center herself. “Tell us everything we need to know.”

Seraphina was intense, almost piercing as she began the explanation. “The temple you seek is hidden deep in the forest and protected by wards. You’ll have to bypass those wards to gain access to the relic. However, know this: the Nightborne are not the only concern. There are beings bound to the relic’s powers, and they will not be happy about your interrupting their presence.” 

"Wonderful," Jax muttered. "Just what we need."

"Yes." Seraphina stayed dry in his response. "All you and the others need to do is to navigate the multiple twisting, winding passages of your temple and face whatever guardians the ancients have left to guard the relic. I will not be with you but will offer a map and directions."

She removed some old parchment from her cloak, and carefully took her time to get it fully unfolded, and with experience laid it out flat on the table. The map was filled with all sorts of odd symbols and markings - enough to make Luna's head dizzy.

"This map will show you where to go - It won't follow you all the way there," Seraphina explained. "In the end, you will have to vet instinctively to move forward, along with your rising power."

Alec examined the map closely. "This has a lot to compete with too. We have to prepare for this - this is a full-scale operation."

"Prepare how you feel fit," Seraphina replied. "But please, do not delay - Time is of the essence."

As Seraphina turned to leave, before she got to the door, she turned and glanced back over her shoulder at Luna.

"One more thing," she stated, with so much weight - "the power you seek to control is not simply defensive. It can quite literally change the core of your entire being - Watch how you wield it."

With that, she left, and her presence returned to the night, as she disappeared into the darkness.

The room fell deafeningly quiet. Luna stood and stared into the map - Her mind racing and overwhelmed at the enormity of what they had agreed to. Alec, Kade, and Jax were continuing a conversation about the preparations they would need - Their voices lost in the somewhat quiet in the room.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Alec, as he gave her a serious look.

"We need to talk," he said, quietly. "Come with me." 

Without waiting for her answer, Alec striding past her and led her out, away from the others inside. The cold night air was a refreshing contrast for her to the overwhelming tension inside the cabin. They walked a little ways to a small opening in the trees behind the house, where moonlight filtered down through the scattered branches and leaves.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alec said softly, but it still conveyed concern.

Luna took a breath and tried to calm the nerves bubbling up by planting her feet firmly on the ground. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I mean, how can I face risking myself for something this powerful? Especially with everything that's been going on."

Alec's gaze remained unwavering, which was reassuring at this moment. "You are a lot stronger than you think Luna! We've already seen what you can do! You have the power, and you have us! We'll do whatever it takes to thrive."

Luna looked up at Alec, with her heart clinched in uncertainty. "What if I fail? And we are not able to get the relic in time?"

"Then we will keep fighting," Alec said strongly. "We will do whatever it takes to protect you, or to stop the Nightborne. But we have to believe we can do it, if we don't, then we are already lost."

Luna found herself nodding along, recognizing her fortitude. "Okay then, let's do it. Find the relic, and stop the Nightborne."

Alec softened a bit and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We will make it through this, together."

As they walked back across around the cabin, she felt her resolve return again. There was no denying that the road ahead would be fraught with danger and uncertainty, but she had by her side Alec, Kade, and Jax, and they would tackle that road together.  

As she lifted her gaze to the moon, it shone its sickly light on the forest, and she couldn’t get rid of the notion that something darker was hiding even more in the shadows.

And as they prepped to leave on their dangerous journey, Luna was certain of one thing: The real conflict had just begun.