The Books of the Shadows IV - Silver Moon

17

Moon has found a pattern. That was a good thing, Kaion thought. Soon he will be able to go home, just as planned. So he started to mark the timing, as reliable as the information was about that timing, anyway.

He could not find a pattern in the timing of the opening portals. There was no sequence repeatedly, there was nothing that could indicate any way that could be set in a prognostic about the next time that would happen. He spent his entire night there, in the work chamber, searching... 

While Kaion was in the House of the Sun still on the search for a way to go home, Moon was going out of the city, at night, riding towards the place she first saw Kaion stepping out of the portal. She was going on the field to look into the terrain, only to see if she could find any more information. Anything would be useful, anything they did not find so far. Maybe, just maybe, she could find some clue. 

Riding in the night was fun for her, it was one thing that could calm her and allow her to put some order in her mind, in her thoughts. And she could think... a lot... 

She got to the point where she could remember seeing him. The entire area was cleared of any grass, nothing was alive there anymore. The moon was shining over the ground, and the land seemed to be burned in a round area, in a big circle, just as the portal probably opened and the energy just burned the grass all around it. She started looking att the ground, looking... she did not even know for what... but still, looking around. 

The portal opening was pretty big actually, bigger than she ever thought about it.

When she looked at the map that Kaion worked on, she realized something and she did not tell him. The way she highlighted on his map, she figured out there was a pattern just because she knew that pattern. There were ancient temples, built by the first shadows, all along the way those portals appeared to be open, and she had been there, in every location mapped on that piece of a paper that Kaion was working on. Silver took her there in those exact spots ever since she was little. That was how she knew them by heart. She knew exactly where she was going.

The old temples were inhabited now, but at first, they were the closest thing to a fortress, that the shadows had when they came into this world. The pillars of stone were still standing. At night, they seem so impressive, filled with some kind of magic. The last portal that opened gave her the idea. This time though, instead of just stopping to research the last portal opened, she went ahead towards the next place linked in Kaion's map by her own hand. 

There was another temple in ruins, just like the other ones. What was there so important, what would it take to make an opening to the other world right in that precise place? And more important was... when will that happen??

She dismounted and left the horse's mane loose, so the horse was just following her at its own pace while she started to look around. The temple was old, hundreds of years old columns were disposed of in circular shapes like a spiral, around a platform. She has been there many times, but only this time, something was different and making some sense in the shapes and the path. The platform was a big circle, and it was only now that she noticed it, because... she could not find a reason why she could only see it now so clear, and when she was a child, running along the structures and playing with other children, she did not see it like this. Something was different... she just did not know what. It was just like... something it was on the air and she could feel it coming. 

Searching between the stone pillars carved so beautifully with hunting scenes, her horse just jumped on two feet behind her, making her wince in surprise as well. What was it that scared her horse? It was a war horse, from the royal bloodline, it was not like it was so easy to get scared! Paying attention to the surroundings around her horse, she tripped and fall on her back. She felt the blood warm on her hand and realized she hurt herself while falling. But what was it that got her horse scared? 

A shadow emerged from the trees and headed towards her. It was a slim dark body, covered in a black cloak, and the hood was on the head, so Moon could not see any features of the face. What was it? Was it human? Her horse was still, and it did not get into the defensive state, so it must not be any threat so far, but again... that was odd since she did not command anything and did not recognize the figure approaching her. Her horse should have at least posted himself in front of the person heading her way or something, not just letting it get closed.

The figure moved towards her still, and lifted a hand towards the horse, and to Moon's surprise, the horse just followed the call... What was that, who was that and why was her horse listening to that??

-Hey!! Who are you and what do you want? Moon did try to get up, and she felt pain in her hand, she could not use it as support because something just pierced through her skin. 

The dark figure approaching stopped for a second, as if the last thing on its mind was to scare her. It kept a safe distance, and threw something close to her. 

-Do not be afraid, Moon heard a familiar voice but she could not place it. Use it and open the portal. You are important and needed. Follow your heart, is always right. Do not be afraid. Remember, after rain, the sun will always come up and shine. Remember, and follow your heart!

-Who are you? Wait!!

The dark figure stepped away from her and out of nowhere, a portal opened, smaller than what Moon knew. By the time Moon managed to stand up and step forward, the figure stepped into the portal and just disappeared through it, and the portal closed. It was 

Where did she hear that voice? When? She knew that person! Who was she? That person who opened a portal all by herself! That person knew how to open them, how did she do that?? She needed to talk to her, to talk about that all, and she just left!!! How... Wait, she threw something towards her...

Moon started to search on the ground, but it was dark... she searched the area where she thought she saw the figure throw that thing... What was it... must be small... where was it?? She was sweeping the area with her hand that was not hurt, and she found something. It was something like... a stone?? She lifted it in the moonlight and what she saw, it was not a stone, but some kind of crystal. A crystal as big as her palm, a beautiful magenta rainbow flowing from its heart towards the edges, like a flowing waterfall inside of it. It was breathtakingly beautiful.