Of Moons and Blood

09.

"That's why you were saying Juniper's name. My magic would only be able to relocate us, but you would've bled out no matter what. You knew that if she used magic, it would bring us here so that you could heal yourself."

"Precisely."

"How did you even know that you'd get your magic back over here?" I demand in an unintentionally accusing tone.

He clears his throat. "I have—"

"Tell me that you didn't throw away my little sister's magic and risk our lives on a whim," I interject, glaring at the darkness beside me.

"Of course not!" he exclaims.

"So you've been here more than once?" I ask dubiously. 

He lets out a deep breath. "Yes, but not willingly at first. This place is a nightmare. It breaks your will over and over again until you give up your magic. After everything I went through, I never wanted to come back here."

"So why did you?" I press.

I hear him adjust his sitting position next to me. A quick breath escapes him before he starts his lengthy explanation. "I tried to warn the other Moons not to use magic on the island, but not all of them wanted to listen. Many of them disappeared right in front of me and had to learn the hard way— Dolion included." Maddox's tone grows bitter at the thought of Dolion, but he only hesitates a second before continuing. "But there was this Moonborn who wanted to fight back. She devised a plan to try and capture one of the Starborns. I did everything I could to try and talk her out of it, but she was determined. Long story short, she tried to attack one of them while they were bringing new prisoners to the island, but she ended up in this magic-sucking dimension like everybody else. The Starborn she attacked tried to retaliate, but I pulled Astrid back just in time."

"So you got dragged over here with her because you made direct contact, right?" I ask for clarification. He responds with an affirmative answer and then I proceed with my next question. "Was Astrid the only Moonborn that brought you back here?"

"No, but she was the last time I found myself over here by accident. More Moons came and I saw an opportunity. I've been on this plane of the island several times but with different Moonborns."

My jaw nearly drops. "On purpose? But you said that using magic has devastating effects on the island. You said it puts lives at risk."

"I know, but I've given my people a protocol to follow. Anytime a new Moonborn comes to the island, we all take the necessary precautions," he reassures me.

"But why?"

"Because I believe that the way out of here is on this side of the island. Every cage has a key, and I doubt that the Starborns put it in a place that isn't dangerous."

A gasp escapes me when I realize that Orion is injured and lost on the island somewhere. He won't be able to defend himself from whatever is happening on the island right now. "My brother! We have to get back there!"

Juniper groans in discomfort in my arms, gaining my attention. My heart begins to pound harder than ever when a loud, terrifying screech echoes throughout the darkness surrounding us. The dark void around us turns to daylight for half a second, then vanishes. Before I can blink, the sky flickers between light and dark once more. It's like eyes flickering rapidly. Maddox and I stare at each other speechlessly, watching each other's faces appear and reappear with the quivering light of day.

"Callie?" Juniper croaks weakly from below me.

I hold her face in my hands just as her eyes pop wide open. Her blue eyes don't leave mine, and I quickly realize that the sky has stopped blinking. "Are you okay?" I ask.