Chapter 17 The shadow rise
Trees crashed down around them. Rocks tumbled down the mountain.
"Earthquake!" someone shouted.
But this was not an earthquake.
The ground split open in front of them. A huge crack appeared. Black smoke poured out of it.
"What is that?" Isla screamed.
"Dark magic," Nyra said. Her face was pale. "Very old. Very powerful."
Something crawled out of the crack in the ground. Something huge and terrible.
It looked like a wolf but wrong. Its body was made of shadows. Its eyes were empty holes. Its teeth were longer than swords.
"What is that thing?" Kira demanded.
"A Shadow Wolf," Marcus whispered. "I thought they were just legends."
"They are legends," Nyra said. "Shadow Wolves died out a thousand years ago. How is one here now?"
The Shadow Wolf opened its mouth and spoke. Its voice sounded like stones grinding together.
"The Moon Wolf has awakened. The balance is broken. Now the Shadow must return to restore it."
"Restore what balance?" Mara asked. Her voice shook.
The Shadow Wolf turned its empty eyes toward her. "Light and Dark. Moon and Shadow. For every Moon Wolf born, a Shadow Wolf must exist. You called me here when you came into your power."
"I did not call you!"
"You did. Your light created my darkness. Your power created my hunger." The Shadow Wolf stepped closer. "Now I must consume you to restore the balance."
"Stay back!" Zevran moved in front of Mara. "You will not touch her!"
"You cannot stop me, little wolf. I am older than your kingdom. Older than your gods. I am eternal darkness."
The Shadow Wolf lunged forward.
Zevran transformed and met it head on. They crashed together in a tangle of black fur.
But when Zevran bit the Shadow Wolf, his teeth went right through it. Like biting smoke.
The Shadow Wolf laughed. "You cannot hurt what has no body."
It swatted Zevran aside. He flew through the air and crashed into a tree.
"Zevran!" Mara started to run to him.
The Shadow Wolf blocked her path. "No. You stay here. With me."
Its mouth opened wide. So wide that Mara could see nothing but darkness inside.
It was going to eat her.
A gray blur crashed into the Shadow Wolf from the side. Riven in his wolf form.
"Run, Mara!" her father called. "Get away from here!"
"I will not leave you!"
"GO!"
Riven bit and clawed at the Shadow Wolf. But his attacks did nothing. The shadow body just reformed after each hit.
Luna and Kira attacked together. But their teeth and claws passed right through the Shadow Wolf too.
"How do we fight it?" Luna shouted.
"You cannot!" The Shadow Wolf's voice boomed. "I am shadow! I cannot be killed!"
It swung its massive tail. Riven, Luna, and Kira went flying.
The Shadow Wolf turned back to Mara. "Enough games. Time to feed."
It opened its mouth again. This time, darkness poured out. The darkness wrapped around Mara like chains.
She could not move. Could not breathe. The darkness was pulling her toward the Shadow Wolf's mouth.
"Mara!" Zevran's voice screamed her name. But it sounded far away.
I am going to die, Mara thought. After everything. After breaking the curse. After finding love. I am going to die.
No! a voice said in her mind. The Moon Goddess's voice. You are the Moon Wolf! You have power over darkness! Use it!
But I do not know how!
Yes you do! Remember what I told you! Trust yourself!
The darkness pulled Mara closer to the Shadow Wolf's mouth. She was inches away now.
Trust myself, she thought. Trust myself.
She closed her eyes. She reached deep inside to the place where her power lived.
And she pulled.
White light exploded from her body. Brighter than before. So bright that it hurt to look at.
The darkness chains shattered. The Shadow Wolf howled and stumbled backward.
"The light! It burns!" the Shadow Wolf snarled.
Mara opened her eyes. Her whole body was glowing. She transformed into her white wolf form.
But this time was different. Her fur shone like the moon itself. Her eyes blazed with silver fire.
"You think light can defeat shadow?" the Shadow Wolf laughed. "Shadow always returns! You cannot destroy darkness!"
"No," Mara said. Her voice was calm. Strong. "But I can balance it."
She did not attack the Shadow Wolf. Instead, she closed her eyes again and focused on her power.
The white light grew softer. Gentler. It stopped burning and started glowing.
The Shadow Wolf stopped moving. "What are you doing?"
"Making a choice," Mara said. "You said light and dark must be balanced. That for every Moon Wolf, there must be a Shadow Wolf."
"Yes!"
"But balance does not mean we have to fight. Balance means we exist together."
"What?"
Mara walked toward the Shadow Wolf. Everyone shouted at her to stop but she kept walking.
She stopped right in front of the creature made of darkness.
"You said I called you here," Mara said. "You said my light created your darkness. Then you are part of me. And I accept you."
"No! I am your enemy!"
"You are my shadow. Every living thing has a shadow. I cannot destroy you without destroying part of myself." Mara touched the Shadow Wolf with her glowing paw. "So I will not fight you. I will accept you. We will be balanced."
The Shadow Wolf opened its mouth to argue. But then something strange happened.
The darkness started to change. It became less solid. Less threatening.
"What are you doing to me?" the Shadow Wolf asked. But its voice was not angry anymore. It sounded confused. Almost scared.
"I am giving you purpose," Mara said. "You do not have to destroy. You can protect. You can guard. You can be my shadow in the truest sense."
The transformation was complete. The huge terrifying Shadow Wolf shrank down. It became smaller. Less monstrous.
In seconds, it was the size of a normal wolf. Its shadow body was still made of darkness but it looked less frightening now.
"What am I now?" it asked quietly.
"You are my Shadow Guardian," Mara said. "You are the darkness that protects my light. And I am the light that gives your darkness meaning."
The Shadow Wolf sat down. It looked at its shadow paws like it had never seen them before.
"I do not understand. I was supposed to consume you. That was my purpose."
"Now you have a new purpose. Stand with me. Fight beside me. Be my balance."
The Shadow Wolf was quiet for a long time. Then it bowed its head. "I accept. I will be your shadow. But know this, Moon Wolf. Other Shadow Wolves will come. They will not be as easily convinced as me."
"Other Shadow Wolves?" Zevran had transformed back to human. He looked worried. "How many others?"
"Three more. Each one stronger than the last. They will come for her." The Shadow Wolf looked at Mara. "They will try to kill you and take your power."
"When will they come?" Riven asked.
"Soon. Maybe days. Maybe weeks. They are waking up right now, drawn by the Moon Wolf's power."
"Can we fight them?" Luna asked.
"No normal wolf can fight a Shadow Wolf," the creature said. "Only the Moon Wolf has that power. And even she may not be strong enough to stop all three."
"Then we will make her stronger," Zevran said. He walked over to Mara and took her paw in his hand. "We will train. We will prepare. And when these Shadow Wolves come, we will be ready."
"Brave words," the Shadow Wolf said. "But the last Shadow Wolf is called the Shadow King. He is darkness made flesh. He has existed since the beginning of time. Even the Moon Goddess fears him."
"Then we will face him together," Mara said firmly. "All of us. We did not come this far to give up now."
The Shadow Wolf almost smiled. Almost. "You are brave, Moon Wolf. And foolish. But perhaps that is the same thing."
"What is your name?" Mara asked.
"I do not have a name. Shadow Wolves do not need names."
"Well, you do now. You are part of our pack." Mara thought for a moment. "I will call you Shade. Is that okay?"
The Shadow Wolf tilted its head. "Shade. I like that. Yes. I am Shade now."
Nyra walked over slowly. She stared at Shade with wonder and fear. "I cannot believe you tamed a Shadow Wolf. That should be impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Mara said. "I learned that these past few days."
"Fair point." Nyra looked at everyone gathered on the mountain. "So we have a trial to attend. A war to prepare for. And now three more Shadow Wolves coming to kill us. Does anyone have good news?"
"I do," Corin said. The spirit fox had been watching everything from a safe distance. "I found food in the safe house. Real food. With meat."
Everyone laughed. It felt good to laugh after everything that had happened.
"Then let us eat," Marcus said. "We will need our strength for what comes next."
They went back to the safe house. It was crowded with so many wolves but no one complained.
Mara sat in a corner with Zevran. Shade lay down beside her like a regular dog. But his shadow body was still unsettling to look at.
"Are you sure about this?" Zevran asked quietly. "About going to the Great Stone Circle? About the trial?"
"No," Mara admitted. "But we have to try. If we hide, we are no better than King Darius was."
"I suppose that is true." Zevran kissed her forehead. "I am proud of you. You know that, right?"
"For what?"
"For being brave. For making hard choices. For being you." He smiled. "Three days ago you were a slave. Now you are saving the kingdom."
"I am not saving anything yet. I am just trying not to die."
"That is a good start."
Mara laughed and leaned against him. The bond between them hummed with warmth and love.
But even in this moment of peace, Mara could not shake the feeling that something bad was coming.
Something worse than Shadow Wolves.
Something worse than war.
Outside the safe house, the crack in the ground was still there. Still smoking.
And from deep within that crack, something was watching.
Something old.
Something hungry.
Something that knew the Moon Wolf's greatest weakness.
And it was coming.