The Midnight Moon [ONC 2024]

Chapter 16: The Midnight Moon

It was by the light of the midnight moon, an almost full moon, that we set out from the agency that night to save not only Mistaria Heath, but the whole of Morteton.

Vanteray and Tomasina remained behind to copy out the letter I had written a number of times, before heading off around the town to hand it over to those important enough to be able to act on it.

What did it say? Very little, but hopefully enough. It spoke of a plot uncovered, and a danger to those living within the town, as well as potentially the fate of the town itself. It said that we were heading towards Lunalea, and if they could spare men, to send them there.

We hoped that half of those visited might take the letter seriously. Vanteray and Tomasina both knew what to say to try to persuade those who were not convinced to think at least in terms of it's better to be safe than sorry. Whether it would do any good was anyone's guess.

I retrieved my horse from the stables on South Gate Street. Darius was intending to transform himself into a wolf once we were beyond the town walls. Jack flew, while Bella curled up in a bag I held protectively on my lap. At first Darius and I insisted the familiars remain in Morteton, but they argued they could do more use with us. After all, once at Lunalea, what was more natural than a crow and cat, dashing in and about a tumbled down farmhouse?

We had no problems getting out of the town gates, even though it was the middle of the night. We even stopped to share news of what was going on with the town watch, hoping that they would spread it and thus ensure the town was prepared for whatever might come. We were surprised that the guards took us seriously. They didn't laugh. They didn't question. Instead they asked what they could do to help. This reaction bolstered our resolve to no end, and our hope that those receiving the letters Vanteray and Tomasina would soon be handing out, might react likewise. It was pretty obvious at this point, hope was all we had.

Lunalea was eight miles from Morteton. It was going to take an hour, maybe more in the dark to reach the farmhouse. I tried not to think how long it might be before reinforcements from the town arrived. If they arrived.

Darius changed as soon as we were beyond the town walls, just like he said he would. I carried his spare clothes in a saddlebag. I had never seen him as a werewolf before. I had never seen any werewolf before. When I had worked with Darius in the past, he had always been in his human form. Anything that required him changing was done at night, when everyone else had gone home.

We headed towards the forest, staying on the main forest road for half of the journey, before branching off on to smaller and smaller roads. We eventually stopped about half a mile from the moon-shaped clearing, to take stock and tether my horse. We walked the rest of the way, stopping only when we reached the edge of the trees.

Darius changed back into his human form and quickly dressed. It was easier for him to communicate as a man rather than a wolf, and now was the time for us to formulate our plan.

Light spilled out of all the windows from the farmhouse. They were not even slightly concerned that anyone would find them all the way out here, it seemed. Looking out from the edge of the forest, we could see two large barns, and another two smaller outbuildings.

'How do we proceed?' I asked. Inside the town, using my skills as a puzzlesolver, I had more confidence in my ability to determine our next steps. But out here, in the wild, I felt that Darius had the advantage. Not to mention a whole host of magical capabilities that I lacked. As I've said before, I know my limits.

'We need to check all those outbuildings and work out where the majority of the people are. And hopefully avoid them. We also need to work out if they have posted guards.'

'What are we going to do when we find Mistaria and the others?' Bella asked.

'Free them and get them to safety.'

'You make it sound so easy,' I muttered.

Jack fluttered his wings. 'Let's hope it is.'

'Let's also hope,' I added, 'that Mistaria, Fletcher and Doric are not so incapacitated that once they are freed, they will be able to help us get them to safety.'

'And,' Bella said, 'If Mistaria can break the familiar spell, we will be able to change, and thus help too.'

I was about to say that this plan was more than fifty per cent hope, but decided we didn't need to hear anything that increased our internal doubts regarding our ability to come through this unscathed.

Darius turned to the familiars. 'Do you think you can do a bit of spying?''

The cat and the crow agreed enthusiastically.

'Go slowly. Take your time. We have a good few hours before dawn. And be on the lookout for magical traps and trips. It doesn't look like they take their security seriously, but you never know. Just because from here they appear arrogant and overconfident, doesn't mean they are.'

We watched in silence as Bella and Jack headed down the meadow, the cat slinking through the long grass, while the crow took to the inky sky.

'Working with you has been much better than I thought it would be,' Darius admitted.

'I too thought it might have been more difficult,' I agreed. 'You certainly seem more amenable than I remember.'

'Vanteray...you and she still appear to be on friendly terms.'

I tensed. This was territory I was not comfortable straying into at any time, let alone, here, now, in conversation with Darius.

'Tell me to mind my own business–'

'Don't take this the wrong way, but mind your own business.'

Darius chuckled. 'She bewitched me too, brother.'

We spent the remaining time waiting for Bella and Jack in silence. When they returned, they had lots to tell us, all of it good. The tide had finally turned in our favour.

'There are only two guards walking an outer perimeter,' Jack said. 'And another two checking the outbuildings.'

'I got inside three out of the four buildings. Two were empty but Mistaria, Fletcher and Doric were being held in the third. There were only a handful of guards inside, three I think. I couldn't get any closer to determine what state they were in. I don't know what was in the fourth building. There was a lot of activity in the farmhouse though. It doesn't sound like they are sleeping, but rather working on something. I didn't dare go in in case they could sense an unfamiliar familiar in their midst.'

'Good work,' I said looking at Darius. 'What do you think?'

'I'm wondering if Jack might be able to find a way in through the roof of the building Bella couldn't get into?'

'I can try. Bella, which one was it?' She pointed it out to the crow, and we watched while Jack went to see what he could see.

'Bella, you know where Mistaria is. You're going to have to guide us and show us where we are going,' I explained. 'But first, we need to take care of the four guards.'

'Leave that to me,' Darius said. 'You and Bella head straight to where the captives are. We will get Jack to perch somewhere as a look out. We don't want any nasty surprises because once we are down there, there is no going back until we are done.'

I drew my dagger and hefted my staff. Darius disappeared back into the trees and shifted back into a wolf. It was then Jack returned, to declare the final outbuilding was empty. It was time to go.

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Chapter word count: 1317

Story word count: 19,489