Shadow Princess

Prologue: The Year of the Demon King

It was the day the moon fell. Or that was how she felt as the Earth’s surface grew closer with each heartbeat. Selene Neoma straightened her posture to slow down her fall and landed lightly on the soft soil. The fresh air spun around her, making her dizzy. Trees of all shapes and sizes surrounded her, full of color as autumn began. Howls filled the sea of darkness, and the feeling of anguish of the wolves in the forest bubbled within her. She let out a gasp of horror for the pain they must be enduring. For the night sky is full of stars, but no moon.

As her memory slowly edged back, her body seemed to adjust to not being the moon. Her soul fell into place and her memories came back. “The meeting,” she whispered to herself. Selene took a closer look around her and the meeting place finally came back. Selene was a few miles away, her mind distracted by the fact she left her role. She closed her eyes and imagined the place, where the other two must be. She felt her body disappear and reappear. When she opened them, she stood at the edge of a clearing.

The clearing was huge, filled with flowers, three statues and two figures. Selene could pick them out with her heightened senses, the sound of arguing hit her ears. She moved closer, her eyes drifting to the statues that mark their meeting place. The statue’s details came to her. The closest one to her, the one she will stand by, is a carved crescent moon with howling wolves at the bottom. She got closer. The one a male stood next to was of a star, with tear drops carved off the tips. The third one is of a sun, carved with flowers at the base, for the woman.

A poem came to her, one written by their people. “Moon for the wolves to which they are bound. Sun for the Fae for they gain. Star for the vampires, for they are tethered to the night.” Her voice came out loud, startling her two companions.

The male’s eyes swiveled, taking her in. “Selene, how nice of you to finally to drop by.” He put an emphasis on the word drop.

“Smitheus, you look well,” she replied, careful to not comment on his pun. Her eyes fix on the woman, whose violet eyes were trained on her already. “Medb, you look radiant as always.”

“Late as usual, Selene. 800 years of doing this, you would think one would remember to show up on time.” the Fae goddess answered.

“Being the moon is addicting and hard to resist. Full moons are the only times I’m truly awake,” she answered.

Smitheus smirked. “We have these meetings for the peace treaty signed between us three, every century we come back to alternate the treaty due to the world changing.” He took out a cigar, lighting it carefully. “The Transit of Venus is the symbolism of this treaty and the strength it gives you to project us here. And yet, it forgets you.”

Selene smiled at the response; the same thing was said every time. “I am the moon. The moon is me. My soul is what I show up as, and the being I might be. Being the moon helps me take care of my king, to watch over them all.” At that moment, a piercing howl echoed through her. It felt so familiar, so full of love, that Selene wanted to race after it. Eyes burned into her back and she whirled around, ignoring the flustered looks from the others.

A black wolf, that is the size of a horse stood at the edge of the clearing behind her. Its brilliant blue eyes met hers, hunger and love chase each other. Selene knew by heart that this wolf followed her scent after she landed. Her soulmate, the immortal wolf. He lets out a deep growl, alerting her to news. Flashes of images enter her mind, things the wolf has seen while she was gone for a century. Startled by his announcement, he bows and raced away.

“My moon,” she breathed.
“Selene?” Medb asked, her voice coated with worry, “what is going on?”
“We have a serious problem.” She stated, turning back to her allies.

All playfulness disappeared from Smitheus’s face. “What happened?”

Selene took a deep breath, still rattled by the news. “Someone summoned Asmodeus.”

Smitheus took a step back, his eyes wide. “The Demon King?” His eyes flashed with fury.

Medb took it a little better, but her eyes were wide as well. “The only one who has the power to kill other immortals?”

Selene wanted to weep; the news was too much. “A war has broken out, our kinds versus the demons. We are failing. My mate has gathered as many wolves as he could to help. He is sending me the sighting now.”

Smitheus and Medb nodded. “Let’s go to war.” Selene stretched her hands out, letting them take it. She closed her eyes, imaging the place her mate had sent her. She opened her eyes, to find a field of dead bodies. Many wolves, vampires and Fae, barley any demons. The three of them spread out, hunting down the ones responsible for this.