Lunar Rising

Ch.8 Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter 8 Dark Side of the Moon

"Henry!" Meera gasped, her eyes widening in panic as she saw the sunlight bounce off the steel of Henry's sword, creating a glint that made her chest tighten. In her immediate worry, she grabbed Zeya's arm, attempting to pull her back, but Zeya stood with her feet rooted to the ground, her gaze locked on Henry with unwavering intensity, as if he were merely an inconvenience.

"This won't end well for you," Zeya said, her mouth set in a thin line, displaying a level demeanor that contrasted sharply with Henry's seething anger.

"It doesn't look too bright for you either," Henry jeered, his face twisted with rage.

"Henry!" Neftali's voice boomed as he hurried down the steps of the throne. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stay back!" Henry shouted, shocking everyone in the room with his audacity to command a king. Neftali's eyes widened, his face growing red with a mix of anger and disbelief.

"Henry," Neftali asserted, his voice commanding. "I command you to lay your sword down. Lady Zeya is a guest."

"A guest," Henry sneered with disgust. "Eryx was a guest. Look what that got us into."

As Henry spoke, his fury pushed him over the edge, and the tip of his blade grazed over Zeya's collarbone, piercing her smooth, delicate midnight skin.

Meera heard the girl hiss with irritation. Before she could react, Zeya swiftly pulled out a golden dagger from the folds of her dress, ready to face the escalating confrontation. The room buzzed with tension, and Meera felt a surge of panic as the situation threatened to spiral out of control

"My goodness!" Marcella screamed, her voice slicing through the air as Zeya expertly knocked the sword out of Henry's hand, the heavy weapon clattering loudly on the marble floor. The echoing sound reverberated like thunder, and everyone in the room gasped in collective shock.

"Lady Zeya, that's enough!" Neftali stepped forward urgently, just as the massive doors to the throne room swung open, and Ozmen rushed in, accompanied by guards.

"You drew Vorean blood," Zeya's eyes darkened as she pulled Henry's hair back, exposing his throat to the glinting blade of her dagger. "You laid hands on a Princess. You threatened Helios... the list of your crimes keeps growing."

"Lady Zeya, please," Meera cautiously stepped forward, her words laced with a plea for reason. "There's been too much violence. We can all be civilized."

"Civilized?" Henry scoffed. "What do Voreans know about being civilized?"

Meera shut her eyes momentarily to rein in her temper, her hands balled into fists. When she opened her eyes again, she peered at Henry with loathing.

"Will you shut up for one goddamn second, Henry?" she seethed through clenched teeth. "You idiotic moron. You got us into this mess in the first place."

"Meera," Iris looked horrified, her eyes widening as she paled at the words coming from Meera's mouth.

"Lady Zeya," Meera ignored her aunt's disapproval, redirecting her attention to Zeya. "Please. I apologize on behalf of Prince Henry."

Zeya's knit brows relaxed, and she took several deep breaths as her grip on Henry's hair loosened, and she lowered her blade.

"Only because you asked so kindly, Princess Meera—"

Before Zeya could finish her final word, Henry whirled around and callously shoved her down to the floor. Shocked, Marcella dove in to catch Zeya, but Henry's hand lashed out, slapping her across the face.