Chapter 7: The Lunar Cipher

The cave felt smaller as the day wore on, its walls pressing in with the weight of silence and secrets. Elara sat cross-legged on the stone ledge, her laptop balanced on her knees, its screen casting a blue glow across her face. The hard drive hummed, feeding her data from the observatory—orbits, trajectories, anomalies she'd tracked for weeks. Her notebook lay open beside her, pages crammed with equations, sketches of the shimmer they'd seen, and hasty notes from Kael's stories. The fire crackled in the center of the cave, its warmth battling the damp chill, but her focus was razor-sharp, oblivious to the ache in her back or the hunger gnawing at her stomach.Kael paced near the entrance, a restless shadow against the afternoon light filtering through the vines. He'd been out twice already, scouting the ridge, his senses attuned to every rustle and scent. The wolves hadn't closed in yet, but their howls—sporadic, taunting—kept him on edge. He'd stripped off his jacket, the blood-streaked fabric tossed aside, leaving him in a faded shirt that clung to his broad frame. The stitches she'd sewn held, but fresh bruises bloomed across his arms, purple and raw from their escape."You're going to wear a trench in the floor," Elara said, not looking up, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the keyboard."Better than sitting still," he replied, voice a low growl. "They're out there, waiting. I can feel it."She glanced at him, adjusting her glasses. "Feel it how?"He tapped his chest, over his heart. "Here. Same way I feel the moon. It's a wolf thing.""A wolf thing," she echoed, a wry smile tugging at her lips. "You're full of those, aren't you?"He stopped pacing, turning to her, his golden eyes catching the firelight. "You're full of questions. Find anything yet?""Maybe." She flipped to a new page in her notebook, her pencil scratching as she jotted a sequence of numbers. "The shimmer—it's not random. It's pulsing, like a signal. Matches the moon's drift, almost like it's… responding.""Responding?" He crossed to her, crouching beside the ledge, close enough she could smell the pine and sweat on him. "To what?""Me, maybe. Or you." She tilted the laptop toward him, showing a graph—peaks and valleys spiking in sync with the lunar data. "I've been cross-referencing it with old astronomical records, stuff I dug up from a digital archive last year. There's a pattern, faint but there, going back centuries. And this—" She pulled a scanned page from her bag, a photocopy of yellowed parchment covered in runes and star charts. "I found it in a library sale, thought it was gibberish. It's not."Kael frowned, leaning in, his shoulder brushing hers. "What is it?""A text. Old—pre-medieval, maybe. Calls itself the Lunar Covenant." She traced a line of runes, her voice quickening with excitement. "It's in some proto-language, but I've cracked parts. Talks about the moon, a pact, and 'starborn blood'—humans tied to it, able to shift its power."His eyes darkened, a storm brewing behind them. "That's us. The Covenant.""Yeah." She met his gaze, her pulse skipping. "You said it's a pact with Selene, right? This says she bound the wolves to the moon, but there's a catch—starborn can undo it. Or strengthen it.""Undo it?" He straightened, tension rippling through him. "That's why Darius wants you. If you can break the Covenant—""He'd lose control," she finished, the pieces clicking. "Or gain more, if I reinforce it. Depends on what I do.""You're not doing anything for him." His voice was fierce, protective, and he gripped the ledge, knuckles whitening. "He'll kill you first, figure it out later.""Then we figure it out first." She closed the laptop, setting it aside, and held up the text. "This is our edge. I need time to translate more, but we've got a start."Kael nodded, but his jaw stayed tight. "Time's short. Those scouts—they're not just watching now. They're closing in.""Then teach me," she said, standing, her coat sliding to the floor. "You said I need to fight. Show me how."He studied her, surprise flickering in his eyes, then a slow grin spread—sharp, approving. "Alright, starborn. Let's see what you've got."They moved to the cave's center, the fire casting long shadows as Kael cleared a space, kicking dirt over the embers to cool them. He faced her, stance wide, hands loose at his sides. "First rule," he said, "don't hesitate. Wolves don't. They strike fast, hard. You do the same.""Got it." She mirrored him, feet apart, feeling ridiculous but determined. "What's the second rule?""Use what you have." He stepped closer, circling her, his gaze assessing. "You're not big, not strong like me, but you're quick. Smart. That's your weapon."She nodded, heart pounding as he stopped behind her, his breath warm on her neck. "Show me a move.""Basic strike." He took her wrist, guiding her arm up, his fingers firm but gentle. "Elbow out, fist tight. Aim for the throat, nose—soft spots. Like this." He moved her through the motion, slow, deliberate, her arm cutting the air.She followed, the motion awkward but growing smoother. "Like that?""Close." He adjusted her stance, one hand on her hip, the other on her shoulder, nudging her into alignment. "Feet wider. Balance is everything."Her skin tingled where he touched, a heat that had nothing to do with the fire. She focused, striking again, faster this time. "Better?""Yeah." He stepped back, crossing his arms. "Now hit me.""What?" She laughed, dropping her guard. "I'm not hitting you.""You will." He smirked, a challenge in his eyes. "Come on, Elara. Pretend I'm one of them."She hesitated, then squared up, swinging at his chest. He caught her fist mid-air, effortless, and twisted, pulling her against him—her back to his front, his arm locking hers. "Too slow," he murmured, lips close to her ear. "Try again."Her breath hitched, the press of his body solid, warm, distracting. She twisted free, spinning to face him, and struck—harder, aiming for his shoulder. He blocked, but the impact jolted her arm, a grin flashing across his face. "Good. Again."They sparred, a dance of strikes and blocks, his corrections sharp but patient. She landed a few hits—his arm, his ribs—each one a small victory, her confidence growing. Sweat beaded on her brow, her glasses fogging, but she didn't stop, fueled by the rhythm of it, the way his eyes lit with pride."Enough," he said finally, catching her wrist mid-strike, holding it. They stood close, breathing hard, the cave shrinking around them. "You're a natural.""Liar," she panted, but she smiled, her hand still in his grip. "I'm a mess.""A mess who can fight." He didn't let go, his thumb brushing her pulse, a slow, deliberate stroke. "You'll need it."Her throat tightened, the air thick with something unspoken. She pulled back, breaking the contact, and wiped her face with her sleeve. "Thanks. I… I feel better.""Good." He stepped away, grabbing the canteen and tossing it to her. "Drink. Then back to your text."She caught it, gulping water, the cold soothing her parched throat. She settled back on the ledge, opening the Lunar Covenant, her mind buzzing from the sparring—and from him. Kael busied himself sharpening a knife from his pack, the scrape of metal on stone a steady counterpoint to her scribbling.Hours passed, the sun dipping low, casting the cave in twilight hues. Elara's eyes ached, her fingers cramped, but she pushed through, decoding runes into fragments of meaning. "Listen to this," she said, voice sharp with discovery. " 'The starborn blood shall rise with the moon's wane, breaking chains or forging them anew.' It's a prophecy, Kael. About me."He looked up, knife stilling. "Wane—that's soon. Next week, maybe.""Yeah." She tapped the page, excitement warring with dread. "And there's more—something about a 'reckoning.' A test, maybe, tied to the shimmer.""A test." He stood, crossing to her, peering at the text. "Selene's work. She loves her games.""Games that could kill us," she muttered, but her gaze lingered on him—his nearness, the way his shirt clung to his sweat-damp skin. "We need to know what's coming.""We will." He rested a hand on the ledge, close to hers, not touching but near enough to feel. "You're getting us there."She nodded, a fragile trust blooming, but the moment shattered as a howl ripped through the dusk—close, too close. Kael whirled, knife in hand, his body a shield between her and the entrance. "Pack up," he said, voice low, urgent. "They're here."Her heart leapt, hands fumbling as she shoved the laptop and text into her bag. "How many?""Too many." He sniffed the air, eyes glowing faintly in the dimness. "Ten, maybe twelve. We can't fight—they'll overwhelm us.""Then what?" She slung the bag over her shoulder, adrenaline surging."Run. Higher ground." He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward a back tunnel she hadn't noticed—a narrow gash in the rock. "This way."They ducked through, the passage tight, scraping her arms as they squeezed deeper. The howls followed, echoing off the stone, a cacophony of pursuit. Kael led, his grip a lifeline, and she trusted him—blindly, fully, her world narrowing to his hand in hers and the promise of survival.The tunnel opened to a ledge, high above the plateau, the valley sprawling below. The wolves emerged behind, gray shapes flooding the cave, their snarls a wall of sound. Kael pushed her against the rock, his body covering hers, his breath hot on her neck. "Stay still," he whispered, claws sprouting as he braced for the fight.She clung to him, heart hammering, the Lunar Covenant burning in her mind. Whatever came next—wolves, prophecy, or the moon itself—they'd face it together. And that, she realized, was enough.