Clover of the Moons

Two

The scent of the icy herb filled her lungs, chilling her to the bone. Her vision blackened, her entire body freezing and still. Fighting back a scream, Ali remembered the pain of shadow travel. She had fought off the pain of leaving for so long, her body wasn't used to such a cold spell.
Sputtering and gasping for breath, Ali found herself sprawled out on the cave floor, her body shaking with cold. Many normal leprechauns advised reincree to not be used often, but the Nix users like Ali knew it was worth the pain.
Standing on shaky legs, Ali rose slowly, her eyes drifting up to a brighter sky than she had seen in ages.
Ali fought off the cold, shoving a hand into her front pocket of her coat and snatching a reekay leaf. She rolled it into a pulp and rubbed it on her face and hands, warming her skin and stopping her shaking.
Finally still and moonlight in her breath, Ali walked to the edge of the cave, emerging into total calmness. Letting the moonlight wash over her, Ali turned off her disguise that she had cloaked. The truth was, Ali was a special type of leprechaun, one that was extinct, or so the others thought. Ali was the last Moon Nymph and Leprechaun hybrid.
Moon Nymphs were a creature that roamed alongside Leprechauns long ago. Ali's father was a leprechaun, and her mother a moon nymph. There didn't used to be such a conflict.
Until the war.
The war started when a moon nymph accidentally used a power from its materials on a leprechaun, killing it.
The leprechauns had made it their mission to execute all of the moon nymphs. Ali's mother had told her to stay put and taught her to cloak herself. Her mother had used her mirror's effects to predict the slaughter, so she had taught Ali everything she knew. Ali's carvings were known secret to the others except her parents, but they were long gone.
On the night before the slaughter, Ali had just fastened her cloaking device on when her mother had walked in with her moon clothing off. In fact, she had appeared in sun nymph clothing.
"Mother, where are you going?" Ali put down her training blade, quickly pressing the cloaking button on the side, turning it into a common chizel.
"I have to go." Ali's mother didn't look her in the eye, but the moonlight reflecting off her eyes shone sadness. "I've been training you hard, but the time of the slaughter has come."
Ali's mother hugged her and placed a small yellow pebble into her hand.
"It's breeno," Ali repeated. "The explosive herb." Ali rubbed her finger around the small patterns of the stone. "Why?"
Ali's mother smiled. "It's carved with the patterns of the moons. Use it to guide you as I once did." Ali's mother stood as tears threatened to spill over her eyes.
"Be good for your father." Ali's mother let out a soft sob and snapped her leaf of reincree. At once, shadows consumed her figure, and Ali was alone.
Ali's father had never come home. Ali suspected that he had been caught and killed, as many knew his relationship with Ali's mother. Ali had that small stone on her desk everyday for years after her mother had gone. She had received no word from her mother as expected, but it still felt wrong.

Wow I really love writing angst don't I? Anyways, this chapter is kind of split into two, the third chapter being a continuation of this one. So I don't exactly feel too confident about splitting it this way, but idk I tried.