The Blue Moon by Madeline Gottlieb (top ten books to read txt) 📕

a loud bang and he was thrown backwards into smoke and dust.

Someone's hand grabbed his hair and yanked him to his feet with a chuckle. When the smoke cleared, Zach could see Teriha and Cara and a... ship? It was large and beautiful; it looked like an actual ship, but then it didn't. It had the body of a ship, but other than that, it looked like a plane and had large white wings under it that stuck out.

"What do we have here, thieves?" The man holding him laughed and motioned for the others to follow. Within seconds, his face was on the wooden deck of the ship.

Teriha and Cara landed next to him and he got up on his knees and glared at the men. But before Zach could say anything, another man, a little older than the rest, came out from the small door to our left. He walked over to them and Zach heard Cara gasp. "Why have you brought these rats aboard my ship?"

"Cap', they were just sitting in the middle of the plains of Reiro. I have reason to think they were looking for the wityr." The man who had Zach spoke up.

Cara was on her feet in a flash and in front of the man called Cap'. "I swear to you, we are not after the wityr that you desire... father."

All the men aboard the ship gasped and Cap' stared at Cara. "Impossible, she disappeared when the war began..."

"When I was three, you brought me a stuffed bunny that I never let out of my site. I named him Fero, after you, father."

Fero stared at Cara for a few moments before throwing his arms around his daughter's neck. Zach stood next to Teriha as they watched Carla embrace the man she'd thought was dead. "Teriha, what's the wityr they were talking about?"

She kept her eyes on Fero and Cara as she answered him. "In myths and stories that were told to the children of Ahuson and Ceruhia, it was always said that wityr would be able to give man his true desire, no matter the consequences. When I was younger, my father had gone on his quest to search for it, and returned home a year later, saying that he had always had his true desire; his children and wife. But it was said that no one ever found it."

When she finished, Cara and Fero walked over to them. "My father has decided to take us to Ceruhia in his ship." She said her eyes brighter than ever before.

With a wave of his hand, all the men on the ship were moving around in a hurry, tying and untying ropes and yelling at each other. Teriha and Zach walked over to the side of the ship and watched as it slowly rose off the ground and into the sky. The ship got higher and higher with each second, and soon Zach was able to reach out and touch a cloud, or at least try. The ship flew through the indigo blue sky and through clouds.

"So, how about we sit down and you can tell me what's been happening?" Fero said, sitting on a bunch of boxes. They all joined him and Cara decided to speak first.

"After the massacre at Ceruhia, I went to Ahuson with Teriha and met Princess Eiko, who allowed me to become her Protector, even after all elves and such were banned. When Renin returned, we were sent into the human realm to find the last Warrior, Zach." She pointed at Zach. "When we returned here, John was sentenced to death and it seemed as though Eiko had changed sides, so Christian and Zach broke him out and we all went to the entrance of the Elder Woods. There, Christian took John and Meri back to Ceruhia and Chris went back to Ahuson to get Seyren. We entered the Elder Woods and came out onto the plains of Reiro and here we are."

Fero nodded, his eyes closed. "So the darkness in the prince's heart finally overtook him. Everyone knew it would happen one day." He opened his eyes and Zach realized they were the same blue as Carla's. "We will get to Ceruhia sometime tomorrow morning. I know you all need sleep; we have extra beds in my quarters." Fero turned to one of the men on deck and called him over. "Take them to the beds and then leave them."

With a nod, the man turned on his heel and they followed. In the room, three beds were next to each other, all by the window that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Teriha sat on the closest to the wall on the left side and Cara took the one on the right, which left Zach the middle one. The door shut behind them and he realized the man was gone. He sat down on the bed and let out a sigh, laying on his back and stared at the ceiling. Within moments, Zach could hear soft breathing and he looked over to see Cara asleep.

"Aren't you ever tempted?" Teriha’s voice jerked his head towards her.

He cocked his eyebrows. "Tempted about what?"

She gave Zach a sad look and frowned. "You never think of just leaving in the middle of all this and return back to your family?"

"I've thought about it... I mean, I don't know if I'll ever see my family again, but now that I've been here and my friends are here, I realize that I can't just leave, no matter how scary things get. I've learned that there's always a light, and that I will get back home one day."

"You seem like you actually believe that... like we'll actually win this war." Her voice was quiet and he could hear how broke she was inside and he remembered Charles, the man who had taken her in despite the law.

"Listen to me, Teriha, no matter what happens, I will make sure you return back home, safe."

Her silver eyes found his. "You promise?"

"I promise."

Attack In the Sky

“Christian, do you think Zach will be okay?” John asked with his hand on the hilt of his sword as they walked across the plains of Reiro. Chris and Meri were a little ahead, laughing every now and then.

Thanks to Chris, John had healed quicker than expected, and they were able to set off sooner. Though he trusted John to protect Meri with his life, Christian wasn’t sure if he was healed emotionally just yet, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s got a trained protector with him anyway.”

John knew how much Christian loved Cara and how much he worried for her. But he knew that she had trained as hard as they had and earned the title of a protector, and to them, it meant a lot.

The plains of Reiro, one of the largest plains in all of Aulinaber, and there is absolutely no where to find any shade. The dried grass seemed to stretch for miles and miles and no matter where you looked, nothing was there.

Chris and Meri came to a halt and turned to look back at the other two protectors. “Does anyone know how much longer we’ll be in this heat?” Chris asked. His eyes glanced at Meri. “I don’t know how much more I can stand.”

John shared a look with Christian, who nodded. “Chris, use some of your powers or whatever and get us some shade and water.” John ordered, sitting down on the dried grass and sand. With a nod, Chris turned around and started muttering wizard spells as Meri walked over to John and took a seat next to him. “Are you alright?” John whispered, not taking his eyes off the fire Christian had just started.

Meri smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. “I think I should be the one asking you that, don’t you?” When John just stared at her, she sighed and nodded. “I am fine, but it is you that I’m worried about.” John didn’t say anything; instead he kissed her cheek and looked back at the fire. The bruises on his face were still there barely, but Chris wasn’t able to heal the lashes on his back all the way; he would be scarred there forever.

Christian stood next to Chris and the two looked at the horizon. “How much longer do you think it will take us to get to Ceruhia?”

As Chris opened his mouth, a large shadow covered them and they all looked up. “Is that… a ship?”

John and Meri got up, making their way to the other two and standing next to them. Ropes fell from the sides of the ship and people came down them, walking towards the small group. One man in particular stood out from the rest; if not for his ears, than for his eyes and the markings on him.

“Who are you?” Chris asked, looking at the marked man with raised eyebrows.

At once, one of the other men drew his sword, but with a snap of a finger, the sword was sheathed once more and the marked man stepped forward, his gaze never on them. “My name is Rayl and I have come to help the protectors of the last warrior.”

Christian squinted his eyes, trying to figure out where he’d seen the spiraled markings before, but he wasn’t able to put his finger on it. “Help us how?”

Rayl laughed. “We heard you need to get to Ceruhia. Well, boy, this is your lucky day. The beauty right there can outrun anything, and it’s the fastest ship in all of Ceruhia.” His glazed eyes stared at Chris. “And, there is someone onboard who wishes you see you.”

John saw Chris turn to Christian and beg him with his eyes; they all knew it was Seyren. With a nod, Christian smiled. “Well, let’s be off then.”

Rayl smiled and waved his hand at one of the men, who yelled something to the ones onboard, and soon, a long wooden ladder had reached the ground. The group followed the man and his men up the ladder and onto the ship, careful to stay together. As soon as Chris touched down and straightened up, something hit him and he realized it was Seyren.

Chris pulled her to him, closing his eyes and resting his chin on her head. “I missed you so much.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Seyren pulled back some, smiling. “I couldn’t stay there any longer; Eiko was going crazy, Chris. I’d managed to get out before she put me in the dungeons.” Her one blue and green eye stared at the ground. “Renin showed up, more than once, and they talked about how they would destroy anyone who helped us.”

Chris didn’t answer; he simply pulled her back to him, wanting to never let her go.

Their friends stood together, watching as the two embraced. Christian turned to John and Meri. “We need to be ready. None of us are sure what is happening at Ceruhia right now.”

The three turned their attention to Chris and Seyren as they walked over. “Renin has been to see Eiko. They have spoken about how to get