The Moon Guard – Part 2

If you haven’t read Part 1 of The Moon Guard, you can begin the story here.

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As the crescent moon illuminated the sky I leaned forward with my knees slightly bent, propelling myself higher into the air. The first curve of the intricate course was approaching quickly, I dipped low to glide around the inside edge of the curve. Above me one glider slammed into another. I didn’t bother with a look back, one mistake and the opportunity to be in the Moon Guard was gone. My hair began to whip my cheeks as I leaned further forward, increasing my speed steadily. Ahead were two enormous trees that were intertwined with each other, creating a small opening between them. I knew I could maneuver through, I was small, fast, and I could balance better than most gliders. 

I glanced to my left and saw two gliders pulling in close, and to my right three more. I had a sinking feeling they knew I would go for the small opening in the trees. I weighed my options quickly and took a deep breath, as I exhaled I dispersed my cloud into an emerald mist, and began to free fall towards the ground. I focused all of my energy on my ring and as quickly as I dispersed my cloud it was back, surrounding me in comforting warmth. I leaned my body weight to the left and veered just around the outside left edge of the trees. 

“Dammit!” I heard a frustrated voice, followed by a thump of flesh hitting the tree. 

I knew one of the gliders was thrown by my move, but the tree would only slow them down for a few moments. It was clear now that the other’s saw me as the biggest threat. There were really no rules for Cloud Clashing, except not to kill each other. The goal was to win, and showcase your skills to the Moon Guard. 

There was a stretch of free space curving around the Moon Temple, a goliath of a building made with white marble, stretching higher than the clouds. Now was my chance to pull far ahead. As I was picking up speed I felt a chill down my spine, and all the hairs stood up on the back of my neck and arms. 

Suddenly a  bright light illuminated the sky, followed shortly by the crash of thunder. As my vision re-focused I checked my surroundings. My fellow gliders were paralyzed with fear, they had ceased their movement and simply floated in awe. There is no lightning here, we raised our city high into the sky to avoid civilization below, where the Lightning Heavers resided. Which meant they were here.

I shook my head attempting to banish my racing thoughts, I had to do something. I began to glide towards the source of the lightning, keeping my body positioned low with my cloud. It was then I saw our Speaker, she had summoned her purple shifting cloud and was already above me. We met each other’s gaze, and she raised her finger to her lips to signal silence. I swooped low, behind our Speaker, but I would not leave her alone. The Moon Guard I knew would follow soon. 

Speaker and I noticed a break in the white fluffy clouds at the same time. There was a dark menacing cloud above, onyx in color and radiating wretched energy. Lightning Heavers did not possess the ability to Cloud Glide, my thoughts quickly came to the conclusion they tapped into the power of the stolen Moon shard. 

As if confirming my thoughts, the menacing onyx cloud lowered, and an older man with dark flowering hair came into view. Around his neck dangled a large medallion, at its center was a large piece of the Moon, but it seemed tainted by an eerie black glow. The man’s chest armor was a glistening dark leather, and near his heart was an erratic tear in the armor, making the putrid scar over his heart visible. It was him, it was Val’Nyr, the leader of the Lightning Heavers.

“VAL’NYR!” I heard our Speaker’s voice shaking with fury. “How dare you return here!” She defensively floated between the crowd far below and Val’Nyr.

“Speaker!” His voice was a poisonous hiss. “How lovely to see you again, it’s been what? Twenty years?” He laughed maniacally and hurled another lightning bolt at the scattering crowd.

The Speaker was impossibly fast, faster than any glider ever known, and in the blink of an eye she was there. She raised her arms and deflected the lightning with a loud crack. The force of the lightning blew back her silver hood, revealing her pale eyes and white flowing hair. 

Val’Nyr cackled with laughter again. “You seem unchanged, Speaker.”

In response she changed her body position to a defensive but aggressive pose, ready for battle. I mimicked her movements, increasing the size of my cloud for protection, and prepared for the worst.

“You will not escape with your life this time, Val’Nyr.” Speaker said firmly.

…

Thank you so much for reading. Click here for the thrilling conclusion of The Moon Guard!

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