Moonrise ✔ [Complete]

01 Moon (Part 2)

Together, Maeyune and Deiyu watched as the Suolani people swirled on the palace street.

"With the attacks that have been happening in Bera, we cannot take any chances," Deiyu expressed. "But remember, you must not reveal yourself."

Maeyune held the commander's steady eyes. Before she could stop herself, she remembered the long nights where she had been lost in their gaze, their color a chocolate brown under heavy lashes.

When he had sent for her and her team that evening, it had been the first time she'd seen him in over a year. While she and her team had continued their training at the temple and the celestial base, he had spent the last year away at the palace. He had made no visit and had sent no form of communication.

Despite what Meera and the others believed, he was not the same. Maeyune was the only one to see it.

Deiyu still kept his black hair neatly combed back and his uniform sharp. But she saw in his eyes the way he looked at her that he held no more of that reserved infatuation.

"I'm aware of the situation, Commander," she finally replied, ignoring the ache in her chest.

Turning away from him, she nodded at Meera and Trix. They sighed but obeyed and rose to their feet.

Maeyune met Aerylis's eyes. The tall wind celestial bowed her head in a nod and pushed off from her tree. Then with a flick her wrist, Aerylis shoved both Clover and Benny off their benches with a gust of wind. Clover swore as he woke. Benny pushed himself up to sit, rubbing sleep from his eyes with fists.

They followed the Suolani commander back into the palace, down its glossy, silver hallways and into the grand throne room.

Maeyune saw five more people in white robes standing before the room's dais. They were five of the moon temple guardians, priests and priestesses who'd helped raise her since she was a baby. Donning the white robe with gold trim was the High Priest, who turned and nodded at Maeyune in acknowledgement.

The temple guardians were gathered around a man dressed in a brilliant blue robe--Prince Chiyan, the heir to the kingdom. Chiyan's father had passed a month ago in his sleep from old age.

The prince stood conversing with his royal advisors. At his prime age, his royal robes emphasized his strong and athletic build. He wore a warm smile as he addressed those around him.

Beside him were his family: his sister, his wife and his small son who watched them all with attentive eyes.

With her right arm bent at the elbow, Maeyune extended the side of her forearm toward them and bowed at the waist. Her team followed in the formal Suolani greeting.

"Maeyune, we are happy you could join us," Chiyan's sister said as she came forward and clasped Maeyune's hands. The princess was only a year Maeyune's elder. She was a lovely young woman with hair the soft brown color of a doe's fur.

"The safety of the royal family and the people is my primary concern, Your Highness," Maeyune replied, vaguely watching as Deiyu went to stand beside the princess.

"With you as the Moon God incarnate by my side," Chiyan said, "there is nothing for which we should bear concern."

Maeyune bowed her head.

"Shall we, Your Highness?" the High Priest asked. He gestured toward the cheering crowd beyond the throne room's massive doors.

Chiyan started down the room, and everyone followed closely behind. As the palace servicemen opened the doors, bulbed light poured in, and the voices of the people enveloped them. Maeyune and the others slid their hoods over their heads as they exited the palace, masking their faces in shadow.

Cameras that functioned independently drifted nearby. Maeyune could see the prince displayed on a number of large monitors hanging along the palace street.

Suolan, one of the few countries that still held onto its magical history, was proclaiming its new leader that night. Maeyune knew that the entire world was watching.

The city grew silent as Chiyan gave his coronation speech. His voice bellowed from speakers that had been placed all across the city of Ursa. Maeyune only heard words of honor and duty as she cast her attention to the crowd.

The Silver City--the kingdom's capital, Ursa--sat proudly at the foot of the mountain. The silver-walled palace rested at the highest point of the slope.

It had taken the people of Suolan several years after the celestial war to rebuild the capital. Maeyune only knew of the city in its former glory from photographs that her aunt had shown her.

Now, many buildings stood tall with spiral forms and high arches, their shapes appearing as if they had speared through the mountain slope from underneath. Slender bridges and walkways connected buildings to one another, and against the black horizon, they shimmered like a silver spider web. Smooth, concrete roads wound their way around the city, all connecting to the center street that led directly to the palace.

She saw at the bottom of the stairs a dozen of the palace guards and four stationary automechs-robotic machines that complied via electronic remote. Two of the machines stood quietly at either end of the line of guards.

Prince Chiyan concluded his speech. A palace serviceman came forth and placed a large pillow in front of the prince. Chiyan gathered his robes and knelt on the flat cushion. He leaned his body forward over his knees and remained there for a few long seconds, bowing to the people, before he straightened again.

Another serviceman stood behind him, carrying a small pillow on which sat the king's crown. It was a silver metal band, delicately etched with an image of the Moon God's dragon form.

High Priest Enn stepped away from Maeyune and the rest of the guardians. He lifted the crown and anchored it high in the air toward the moon, to honor the Moon God and his light that which graced the land. Finally, he set it upon Chiyan's brow.

And with a loud voice, the High Priest declared, "I now proclaim, Chiyan Len Yuonis, King of Suolan, kingdom under the moon."

The crowd erupted in applause. An agglomeration of tiny, colorful paper shot into the air above the street. Below the night sky, the city turned into an explosion of color. Children gazed up and jumped with glee.

Chiyan rose to his feet, and the cameras slid closer to capture the new Suolani king. He stood tall and welcomed his people's applause with a wide smile. The High Priest stepped aside and bowed, giving space to Chiyan's wife and son to join the new king at his side.

With the celebration, Maeyune almost missed the four small black dots that appeared above the crowd. They were large and black like cameras, but as they flew closer to the palace steps, she noticed that they were not tall and boxy, but long and flat.

They hovered directly above the line of palace guards, almost disguised among the street cameras and inside the condensed shrowd of paper confetti.

Maeyune squinted. The black objects had three corners, shaped like a triangle, with three fans that kept them adrift in the air. Her breath quickened when she realized she had seen them before.

Drones.

One by one, a red light flashed at the front of each drone. Instinctively, Maeyune stepped out from formation. She tossed out a palm as the drones fired.