Notes: HI! Welcome back to Luna's weekly update! Thank you everyone who stuck around for this, I hope you enjoy! It's my favorite chapter so far.
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“It is no secret that the moon has no light of her own, but is, as it were, a mirror, receiving brightness from the influence of the sun.”
-Vitruvius
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HUSHED VOICES TRAVELED BETWEEN THREE PEOPLE, ALL OF THEM TRYING TO MAKE A POINT WITHOUT MAKING THE ISSUE KNOWN TO PRYING EARS. If anyone would see the three now, they would think that they were up to something sinister. That was hardly the case.
The only male in the group, runs a pale hand through his dark hair, frustration causing his to grip on the locks.
A red-haired girl stood, chewing on her fingernails, constantly looking over her shoulder at the door they stood in front of. None of them wanted to go in, they were hoping that he had already known so they wouldn't have to be the ones to tell him.
"How long do you think we could stand out here bickering?" A dark eyebrow rose in question, the man's mouth was set in a firm line, his dark hair brushing his cheeks as he looked between the redhead and his sister. "He has to know. If it didn't come from us and someone else...."
He trusted them the most, out of the others. Sometimes, it was more a burden than a gift being the closest to him.
"No one's bickering, Sam." The other girl speaks quietly, her blue eyes staring up at the high gold ceilings above their heads, watching the paintings. She tilted her head down, giving Sam a look, "We're only trying to find a way to tell him without making a scene."
"He's going to make a scene either way, Sonia!" Sam snaps, anger flaring in his obsidian eyes. He was never well under pressure, always ready to snap. He turns his harsh gaze to the red head, who had been mostly quiet for the ordeal. "Do you have anything to say, or are you gonna stand there like you're stupid?"
"Samuel." It was Sonia's turn to snap at him, and Sam grunted, turned away from them and walked a little ways down the hall where he kicked at the wall.
Sonia rolled her eyes at his antics, shaking her head, the long length of her blonde hair swaying with the motion. "He doesn't mean it, 'Meera. You know he's an idoit." She says softly to the red head with a smile.
"I can hear you."
Sonia ignored him, her blue eyes which had always radiated a happy glow seemed sad as she stared at the door behind them. She sighs, and tugged her bottom lip between her teeth to worry at it for a moment. "Do you think he knows?"
Ameera glances at the door, staring at it for a moment, "Maybe."
You can never tell with him, he's well reserved, even amongst them. They can never tell what he's thinking, unless he voiced his thoughts. He said that he always have to remain a closed book, because there's always someone trying to use it against him.
They had yet to see someone try.
It was a moment now, before Sam came back, a determined look on his face, he looks between the two girls, his shoulders squared. "I'm going in." and without giving them a chance to stop him, Sam pushed the door open without even a knock. Leaving Sonia and Ameera to scramble after him.
The room was cold, and dark, unlike the other times they have been in there. The candles had been blown out, and a steady stream of smoke floated from the wicks. The three stood by the door, feeling tense.
A soft draft blew in from the open balcony doors, the silhouette of a man was painted on the ground, unmoving against the light of the moon. Sonia pushed Sam forward, and the man glared at her before stepping in on his own. The girls followed behind slowly.
Flaxen hair shone pale in the light, the man paid no mind to the trio's entrance, choosing to ignore them as they stood a little ways behind him. A sigh blew from his nose, and as he watched the moon, anger and sadness twisted his gut.
"Have you come to tell me what I already know?" His deep voice carried on the wind, as he turned to face them. Dark circles was prominent under his eyes, as though he hasn't slept in days, his fingers twitched where the were at his sides, his teeth clenched.
The trio gave him worried looks, and Sam stepped forward.
"Sol-"
"Did either of you notice the moon?" Sol questioned, his eyes narrowed as he stared them down. He turned away, his eyes on the moon, again. "Looks quite wrong doesn't it? Even the light it reflects is wrong."
"Luna is gone." Ameera says, realising he wasn't going to listen to Samuel if he spoke and he wouldn't listen to any of them given a chance. She walks towards the man, brushing off Sam's hands as he tried to keep her in place.
"I felt it, when she left," she says softly, looking up at him with furrowed brows. She was closer than she should have been, but Sol made no move to push her away.
Sol closes his eyes for a moment, as though the words she spoke weren't ones he wanted to hear. When he opened them again, sad brown eyes met blue and he sighed, "I know."
"She couldn't have just...left. That isn't like her." Sonia says, watching between Sol and Ameera, noticing the closeness of their forms, but said nothing of the matter. It wasn't important.
"Indeed it is not," Sol says, he moved away from Ameera, turning his face from her worried gaze. He walked into the room, his bare feet making no sound as he passed. With a wave of his hand, the candles reignited, blessing the room with a soft warm glow. "A few moons ago, Luna came to me with a night terror."
The trio shared a glance, not seeing how the information was anything near to dire as their situation.
"She had not properly explained it to me, most of her words were nonsense." He says, stepping over to a panel in the wall. The panel itself was well hidden, made to look like it wasn't there, a trick of the mind and eyes. Only Sol knew exactly where it was, "I had time to think on it, and I deciphered what she was trying to tell me."
Behind was a room, a room that no one was allowed to entire, it's contents were meant for Sol's eyes alone. He pressed his palm against it and muttered in ancient tongue under his breath, and with a click, the wall shifted back and to the left. The sound of stone against stone was loud in everyone's ears, and Sol motioned them forward, "Come."
A dark stairwell lead downwards, and Sol stepped in without hesitation, with Ameera, Sonia and Samuel following behind. The wall pulled closed behind them, sealing shut.
The path was narrow, only allowing them to walk one behind the other, it was getting darker by the moment, the further they ventured down. The temperature dropped as well, cold enough to have the trio shivering.
"Where are we going?" Ameera's voice echoed down the stairwell and bounced back eerily, and she had almost reached for Sol's hand.
"My study." Sol answered simply, he raised his hand and a flame came to life in his palm, lighting the way.
"Why is your study...you know what, I'm not even gonna ask." Sam says from behind Sonia, a yelp coming from his lips as he slipped on a stair. "Why the hell is it so cold down here?" He muttered lowly, but his voice sounded loud in the narrow passageway.
Sonia shushed him quietly as they approached a large golden door, bearing the crest of the sun. Sol allowed the flame to hover off his palm, and it floated ominously in the air, he moved to the door and pressed his palm against it and it shimmered gold before opening.
The room was large, with golden walls and a high ceiling that shimmered with starlight, it mirrored the night sky, cloudless and twinkling. Tall bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books, their titles and stories unknown.
The trio stood in awe by the doorway, their eyes on the ceiling. After their shock waned, they followed Sol to where he stood in the centre of the room.
He circled a stone podium, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown as he studied the gold engravings. His gaze shifted to the ceiling, watching the stars with narrowed eyes. He muttered under his breath, and walked towards one of the bookshelves with a brisk pace, his robes billowing around him.
"What is he doing?" Sonia questioned quietly as they watched him, he looked like a madman, muttering to himself as he tugged a large heavy book from the shelf. They knew better than to question him though.
Sol opened the book and flipped through the pages wildly, and every few seconds, his eyes would glance at the stars in the ceiling. He walked quickly to the podium, and placed the open book upon it, and they all watched as the book shimmered a dim purple colour.
Sol's shoulders drops, either in defeat, or realization, the trio could not tell. He turned towards them, his brown eyes glowing golden, "Luna did not leave this place out of her own will, she was taken."