32: New Alliances
The Hollow gathered in a way it hadn't in a thousand years. Three fires burned around the Moon Throne, each flame tinted by its bearer's blood and lineage. One burned green with witchlight and earth-song, one burned silver like a vampire's oath, and one burned deep gold, pulsing with the heart of the wolfpack. Together, they lit the path to something new.
The war with Nyxar had left scars across all tribes. The witches had lost seers, the vampires had lost oldblood lords, and the wolves had lost warriors and sanctity. But from the ashes, something unheard of had emerged - unity. A tentative, fragile alliance formed not from treaties, but blood spilled side by side. They called it the Council of Three Moons, sworn to hold vigil over the veil between the mortal and the divine.
The council would not rule, but guard against gods, corruption, and each other if necessary. When the time came to choose its first High Voice, only one name was offered - Mia. She stood before them, no longer glowing, no longer wielding the spirits' fire, but more powerful than ever. She had broken Nyxar's hold, walked into the realm of a god, and come back changed.
When Mia stepped into the circle of fire, the air shifted. Kaian watched her with a warrior's pride and a mate's ache. Kira watched too, not with awe, but understanding. Mia had not wanted a throne, but she had earned a seat older than thrones. A voice that could not be silenced.
The vampire emissary bowed deeply. "You do not speak for just the wolves now. You speak for the balance." The witch matriarch nodded, her bone-charms clicking softly. "We give you no crown. Only weight." Mia smiled, tired but unbowed. "Then I will carry it with both hands."
She looked up at the darkening sky, where the three moons had begun to rise in slow harmony. "It's not over," she said quietly. "There will be more." Kaian's voice answered from the crowd. "Then we will be ready." Kira looked to the moons and didn't speak. Not yet.
That night, the Hollow didn't celebrate with wild dances or blood rites. It simply held its breath. A new era had begun, and the shadows had not disappeared. They had simply stepped back, waiting.
The Child Grows
The days grew long in the Hollow, and peace slowly returned. The Council of Three Moons met in quiet chambers, debating laws and symbols, but far from the circle of flame and diplomacy, a different kind of magic stirred. Kira grew, but she had not spoken since the temple. Not once. The healers said it was shock, but Kaian and Mia knew better. They saw it in her eyes - not silence, but watching, listening to things no one else could hear.
Mia said one night, "She's not empty, she's changing." Kaian gripped her hand, "Then we'll change with her." It happened beneath the birch tree where Mia used to tell Kira stories. Kira sat alone, tracing a blade of grass between her fingers, when suddenly she spoke. Just one sentence, so soft the wind almost carried it away. "I remember the shadow."
Mia froze, Kaian stopped mid-step, and the words hung in the air like a spell. Mia knelt slowly, "Kira... what did you say?" The child blinked, her expression unreadable. "It's still there." She tilted her small face toward the birch tree, and for a moment, her eyes darkened. "I don't want it. But it wants me."
Mia's blood ran cold, Kaian's voice cracked, "Do you know what it is, little wolf?" Kira shook her head, "No. But it's waiting. Like it knows I'm not ready yet. And when I am..." She didn't finish, but Mia knew what she meant. That night, Mia dreamed of the Veil again, and Kira stood at its edge, older, wrapped in fire and silence. Something in the dark called to her in a voice shaped like herself. "Willingly, one day."
Mia woke before the dream could finish, sweat cooling on her skin. She rose from bed and found Kaian already at the window, staring at the three moons rising again. "She spoke," he whispered. Mia nodded, "Yes." "And the shadow?" Mia's hands trembled at her sides. "She remembers." Far from their room, Kira stood by the birch again, whispering to the wind - not in fear, but in curiosity. And the wind whispered back.
A Warning
The Hollow slept peacefully, with no drums of war or cries echoing through the stone corridors. The wolves slept soundly, the witches tended to their plants, and the vampires retreated to their underground sanctuaries. But the forest remained vigilant, its trees standing guard like sentinels.
At the edge of the known land, a lone wolf stood on a jagged ridge, its fur silvered with ash and time. It lifted its head toward the sky, where the three moons hung in uneasy alignment, and let out a haunting howl. The sound reverberated through the land like a prophecy, speaking a language that few could understand.
Deep within the Hollow, a child stirred. Kira's eyes opened, and she listened intently. Far to the west, an old woman sat by a guttering candle, her hair braided with teeth from ancient beasts. She wrote in her journal, recording prophecies that had already come to pass. Now, she turned to the last page, her hand trembling as she wrote: "The Shadow Wolf sleeps again—but for how long?"
As she finished writing, the candle flickered and died, plunging the room into darkness. The old woman's words hung in the air like a warning, a reminder that the peace was fragile and the shadow would one day return. The story of the Hollow, of Kira and her family, was far from over. The darkness was waiting, patiently, for its next move.