The Rising of the Moonbrone

y of quiet, and its air was cleared of the horrible tension that had hung like a bad smell aroun

ked, his tone cu

pean cities are too large, no matter how much I ran around their halls brothers last night clung to me like a

st is a luxury we can't afford. You're not just running

shiver of anger. "Fight wha

now, and nobody's coming to save you. "If you w

sat up, reluctantly, brushing dirt from

et solid. "For now, we begin with the 

my voice. "And what in the world is this

you aren't able to handle this, you would

lipped commands slicing through the silence of the sanctuary. "Faster!" he shouted as I swung t

ation streaming down my face. "M

his face resolute. "Lightenin

red, and frustration bubbled just under the surface. But in the depths of the exhaustion, a grudging respect for Ryker emerged.

water from a flask Ryker had given me. "Why are you doing this?" I a

know what it feels like to be hunted," he said at last. "

cance. I wanted to challenge him to find out what lay behind that

, throwing me the staff ag

ets formed from rocks and branches, telling me to hit them in quick successi

I swung at my first target. I moved awkwardly, and I scored no impressi

said sharply. "You're not me, and you

rising. "What do I have, Ryker? Because

like when the weather is full of static. Ryker's eyes opened a bit wider, his

thinking, I swung the staff a second time, but this time, something strange happened. I felt primal energy rush throu

with his arm, his voi

My hands shook as I looked down at the ruined target

ooking grim. "That," he sa

elief flooding my body. "I

argument. And whether you like that power or not, it is a pa

ound, my mind swirling. Moonborne. The word was both foreign

d," he said. "Your pack, the  shadow beasts they're all attracted to your

glanced up at him and felt determination steel in my

he said. "But it's not going to be easy. You're going

d, my tone authoritative

to unfold. Hooded figures congregated around a flickering light, voicin

aid, his voice cool, an attempt to calcu

"His loyalty is to the pack and ours." H

e first one said. "The

I was already starting to disc

ames flickered across the sanctuary walls around us. The day's events left me

my own benefit. "I'll discover why Kael turned me down,

scrutable. "Then we better get to work," he sai