The Last Daughter

Chapter Fifty-one: Golden moon (2)

Xyra's viewpoint

   "Okay, kiddo, time for bed,"

   "But I want to play. You all are always away training and I'm stuck with boring Kamaria and Chantara," Artemis kvetched.

   "I am not boring! I just hate the kind of games you play!" This one had black hair and electric blue eyes. "Your games are too boring, right, Kamaria?" Oh, she was the Chantara and the ash blonde with dark blue eyes the Kamaria.

   The little girl was the only one with azureish white, azure mist and azure hair. Her eyes were azure too. I can swear I've seen them and her before, but couldn't remember where.

   "Let's play hide and seek," Alya suggested but they all snorted.

   "Alya, the last time we played that stupid game, she disappeared to Uncle Helios's and was busy eating sweets while we cried and searched our soul out with Alkina screaming at us for losing her baby." Amaris reminded boredly.

   "And the other time, she was peacefully sleeping in mum's room when we were searching and Alkina made us clean the cella, again!" Kamaria shouted angrily.

   "Every time we play hide and seek, we end up seeking punishment," Jaci said with a whimper, "my butt still hurts from the lightning Alkina gave me,"

   "And I don't want to lift heavy loads," Chantara cried too. They didn't even notice the girl had snuck out while giggling. They continued to complain about the hide and seek until a lady came. She looked exactly like Selene, but younger.

   The way she walked, the smile on her face and the silver crown on her head was just like Selene's. She was even prettier. "Girls," they all screamed and flinched from the new person's arrival. She must be the Alkina, the real eldest.

   "Oh, Alki, you scared us," Amaris said chidingly.

   Alkina chuckled. "Sorry, loves, it's a habit. Now, where's my little moonlight?"

   "Oh, she's right… Here?" They finally noticed.

   "Uh oh," Jaci said while Chantara gulped. The rest turned pale. Alkina's smiling face dropped and her eyes turned silver.

   "Did you girls lose her again?" She growled.

   "Lose? What? Of course not!" Amaris said nervously. "She…she…she… Alya, tell her what happened!"

   "Me? I mean, yes, Badriyah, you know the story better than I do, tell her."

   "But I just got here!" Badriyah shouted, "Jaci was the one who took her to…to…to…"

   "She disappeared!" Kamaria shouted foolishly. They all groaned and facepalmed themselves while I chuckled.

   "Seriously, Kama, lie! Don't you know how to lie!" Amaris screamed. I don't think they realise how obvious they were in the first place.

   "So, you lost her, again," Alkina said angrily. Thunder rumbled in the sky as her black hair turned to silver. If she was angry, her hair and eyes turned silver, just like they turned blue when she was happy.

Okay, how the hell do I know that?

   "Byeeeeeee!" Jaci sprinted off, leaving dust behind her.

   "Alya, let's…" Alya already disappeared. The rest of them screamed and ran off.

   "You better find my princess or I'll kill all of you!" Alkina screamed as her lightning pursued them. I touched my cheeks, I was crying. I watch as they all left the garden. Artemis came out from behind a tree and laughed.

   "Yay! I won!" She squealed, clapping her hands with joy. I heard a deep chuckle and turn to look behind me. It was a beautiful woman. Somehow, looking at her made me think of dawn.

   "Artemis, you little troublemaker," she said, walking to the sly kid.

   "Aunty Eos, did you see that? Alkina became mad again," Eos, goddess of dawn. She picked Artemis up and ruffled her hair.

   "You are a menace. Come, the golden moon is upon us," Eos smiled as she looked at the moon that was closing up, "we can't have you outside, can we, golden moon daughter?"

   "Aunty, why do I always change on each golden moon? Why does my hair and eyes change too?"

   "Because, my darling, you were born on the golden moon so you are it daughter, the bridge between the moon and the sun."

   "Does that mean I'll die?" Artemis asked excitedly.

   "No, child," she laughed, "it means you are the goddess of the golden moon, the bridge between all whose powers relates to the moon and the sun. You are Zeus's precious little sunlight," she kissed the girl's cheeks before the vision ended. I blinked my eyes, I was still crying. I knew that wasn't a vision the moment I remembered that they called her Nokomis. That was the name Selene called me and I was a moon daughter like Carswell said.

   I looked at Carswell who was still screaming from pain. A rare moon, rare powers that comes only once in years. My own moon, my birthday. I let the power consume me entirely, just following instinct. I watched my hands as they turned gold, as I turned gold.

   I walked closer to my screaming deformed mate and placed my hands on his head. His eyes turned gold in an instant and a dragon roar left his mouth. I stepped back and watch the gold flow into all his veins, easing his transformation and bringing out the beast that was also born on my original birthday.

   It made sense now, why I was the only one that could contain his powers and why he asked for me. I had always been the dragon's mate.