The Black Necromancer-Book 4

Chapter 2

                Luna stood at a table inside, gazing at a map. She looked very different from how she used to. A silver diadem encircled her head. Her white-blonde hair was braided around it, twining through the band. She wore her silver bodysuit that she had used during the battle. She was only seven years old, but her erect posture and furrowed brow made her look much older.

                “Hello, Kayla,” she said, without looking up.

                “Your Majesty,” Kayla said, forcing herself to curtsey.

                Of course, all this formality was just a show. She didn’t have to curtsey to Luna and Luna knew it too. During her previous visit, she had been forced into the formal courtesy that everyone had to execute towards Luna. In order not to get on Europa’s bad side, Kayla gave up her pride and followed the formalities.

                “Thank you, Europa,” Luna said.

                Europa curtseyed to her and then she backed away from her out of earshot of Kayla and Luna’s conversation. Io, Luna’s personal bodyguard, followed Europa to the tent door. Both of them turned their backs as well.

                “Thank you for coming, Kayla,” Luna said, sinking down into a chair at her desk. She looked exhausted; lines were etched deeply into the porcelain skin on her forehead.

                “What’s the matter?” Kayla asked, sitting opposite her.

                Luna sighed. “The Moon Children aren’t happy with the alliance with the magicians. A fair number of them don’t want me to be Queen either.”

                “I noticed,” Kayla said. “Jupiter and the other guard at the entrance to the camp seemed to really dislike you. I mean, like really hate you.”

                “You can say that again,” Luna said, shaking her head. “Some of them hate me, some of the like me. I hope that they keep the alliance with the magicians, especially since many of them died in the Battle of Avalon, during Philip McLean’s attack.”

                “And they don’t like you much either because you’re a magician,” Kayla surmised.

                “And because I don’t have enough experience,” Luna admitted.

                Kayla shook her head in exasperation, tracing her fingers over the ornate carvings in the desk. The tent was small but neatly furnished, with the table and two chairs. Small rugs covered the grass beneath the tent. It was an office tent; Luna did all her work there.

                “You have more experience in the human world and with magician powers than many of us,” Kayla pointed out.

                “You do,” Luna said.

                “I’m over a hundred years old,” Kayla replied. “If you did know more than me, I would be pleasantly surprised and pleased to hear it.”

                Luna laughed softly. “I wanted to warn you about the shaky alliance with the Moon Children. Sapphire needs to heal more of them. I know she’s got a lot of work on her hands, but if she can’t do anything more to help them at the moment, they may think that she’s prioritizing the magicians. And they would remove the Moon Children patients from her care and that would be disastrous because some of them can’t survive without her treatment.”

                Kayla chewed her bottom lip in anxiety. Sapphire, Jared, Iris, Elliot and Mitchell, all magicians whose powers somewhat could help in the magical medical field were run off their feet in the hospital wing with the number of casualties in the aftermath of the battle.

                “I’ll do what I can to help her,” Kayla said. “But I don’t think that there’s much that any of us can do if we’re not healers.”

                Luna sighed. “Well, your best is all that I can ask from you,” she said.

                “You have a lot of guards,” Kayla noted, studying Io and Europa suspiciously from her seat. “Do you need that many?”

                “The Moon Children are concerned about my safety,” Luna explained. “I’m the first Meteorite to be born in many years.”

                “And that is?” Kayla asked; she was not up to speed in Moon Children lingo.

                “A direct daughter or son of the Moon,” Luna replied. “Europa and Io stay with me almost all the time. The rest of the guards rotate through shifts.

                “It looks troublesome,” Kayla noted.

                Luna shrugged. “I have other guards too, but not all the time.”

                Kayla nodded. “No more privacy, I guess.”

                “It’s worth it,” Luna said. “If I can help the Moon Children and magicians, it’s worth all the trouble in the world, especially if we can overthrow Varmer. Now if you don’t mind, can you go? I have to view the Moon Children’s camp.”

                “How are you going to view the camp? Surely you have guards 24/7? Kayla asked.

                Luna slipped on her camouflage cloak which Jared had made for her. She vanished from sight, but her vague outline remained visible, only when Kayla concentrated all her attention on the air. Other magicians like Tamarak would be able to see her more easily, but that was because he could turn invisible.

                “A human chameleon,” Kayla observed. “But who stays here and makes sure that you aren’t caught outside?”

                A small petite black-haired girl of about twelve, with emerald green eyes slipped out from beneath the desk. She had pale-toned skin and she wore skin-tight black clothing. Her form shimmered before shrinking and melting down to become a perfect replica of Luna, minus the cloak. She sat down at the desk.

                “Raven,” Kayla said, surprised. Raven was one of the magicians whom Troy, Dahlia and Hunter had recruited. She had the ability to shape-shift her form into other magicians, humans and animals. For magicians, she could take their powers as well.

                “Thanks,” Luna said.

                “Get going,” Raven said. “I don’t know how long I can do this. Plus, if anyone comes in, I’m not sure how well I can pull off the ‘Queen Luna’ attitude.”

                “I know,” Luna said. “Kayla, you’d better go-”

                Kayla nodded and ducked out the door with a camouflaged Luna following close behind. They hadn’t gone more than ten steps before they heard a high-pitched scream coming from the tent that they had just left.