The Moon Witch

Sensitivity Note: Questionable/Dubious Consent, Deception

The shadows laughed at me from alleyways as I passed, whispering about how hopelessly late I was. I gave the nasty spirits the middle finger, heart thumping as I neared the long line of applicants hanging out the door. I had no choice but to stop halfway down the street, staring up at the glittering castle on the hill. 

The Moon Witch’s palace was a true testament to her power, serving as a beacon of celestial energy throughout the land. With the light from a thousand stars, she created high towers and crystalline gates to keep out shadows. When the world fell into darkness, it was her magic alone that illuminated the city streets, giving the sky a curtain of stars to light the way. She was as old as the night itself, and equally as beautiful, according to the rumors. Only a select few were allowed to enter her home and bask in her presence. 

I wanted more than anything to be a chosen one. Ever since I was little, I had dreamed of kneeling at her feet and breathing in her light. I more than wanted it; I needed her power to rid me of the incessant murmurs of the shadows. They whispered false promises of reuniting me with my mother, who had abandoned me before I could even walk. I had no intention of listening to their nonsense.

I grew up without parents, kept safe by the wits of my grandmother. Like all parents in Cosmos, she urged me to receive the Queen’s blessing at my coming of age. It was a great honor to serve as one of her Night Stars; light witches with the power to repel shadows. If I could hone my radiance and become the Queen’s Star, the dark spirits that called to me would vanish. 

There were two kingdoms that made up the Night: Chaos, ruled by darkness and depravity, and Cosmos, the Moon Witch’s realm of light and order. I was lucky enough to live in her domain of celestial light, though I couldn’t stay much longer without training. Souls that failed to maintain their light were whisked away to the dark kingdom and never known to return. 

Hours passed as I waited, time I spent practicing my speech for the Celestial Queen. She was not an easy witch to please, and each aspirant was only afforded a few minutes. 

My magic had to be as precise as my speech was eloquent.

When it was my turn to walk in, I took a deep breath. The guards ushered me through the crystal gates, up the stairs and into the grand hall, where the Queen awaited. 

“Enter.” 

I crept forward, head bowed, and hands clasped into the sign of respect. I stopped when I could see the marble dais just ahead. 

“You may look at me, starling.” 

I followed her order, too curious to think much of it. Her hair was liquid silver, spilling down her shoulders like galaxies spun into thread. She lounged across the throne with crossed legs, emanating effortless light. Her eyes held the too-bright burn of stars, to the point where I had to look away. 

“Your Radiance,” I addressed her, bowing again. “I am here to request the position of Apprentice Star.” 

“I know why you are here,” the Moon Witch drawled. “What I wish to know is your name.” 

“It’s Nova, Your Radiance.” 

“What a perfect name for a Star,” she beamed. “I have never met a Nova before.” 

“Thank you, Your Radiance.” 

The Celestial Queen clicked her tongue. “I would like for you to call me by my name. Do you know it, child?”  

I hesitated, for no one but the Celestial Court dared to utter the Moon Witch’s name. It was something all night spirits knew, but never spoke. 

“You refuse to do as I ask?” She hummed. 

I frowned. “I am not worthy of your name, Your Radiance.” 

“My Stars must always do exactly as I ask, for the fate of the night depends on it. If you are to be mine, then you must not question me.” 

I couldn’t let my future pass to maintain formality. I uttered the forbidden word. “Kamari.” 

She clapped her hands with glee. “It sounds so beautiful when you say it. Now, for your next test, you must show me a bit of magic.”

My grandmother had prepared me for this moment since birth. I closed my eyes and spread my hands. The darkness in the room gathered toward me, drawn by my ethereal glow. I radiated my light as practiced, pulling in shadows that dissipated as soon as they reached my feet. I used the pull of gravity to reel in darkness, and obliterated the dark spirits as I was taught. 

“Magnificent,” the Queen praised. “I’ve never seen a more natural talent in my life.”

Murmurs of approval emerged from the onlookers in the room, and I let the first trace of a smile appear. 

Her sudden proclamation silenced the commentary. “For your third and final test, you must try and resist my power. I will attempt to enthrall you, but you cannot move. Be like a fixed point in the sky, forever unwavering.”

“Yes, Your Radiance.” 

“What did I tell you to call me?” 

“...Yes, Kamari.” 

She didn’t move, for she could pull me in without effort. I was hit by the full wave of her gravity, the most powerful in the universe, and I strained to resist. I imagined myself as a rock, fixed to the palace floor with weights. Even that became impossible when she unleashed her full radiance, the light that draws even the darkest of shadows. I groaned, feeling my feet slip on the ground slightly, and anchored myself with my own gravity. I could not lose this battle. I had to survive here, or the darkness would take me. 

After a few minutes, she released the enchantment and I collapsed to the floor. “Very good, Nova. You still have much to learn.”

…

A team of healers whisked me away before I could fully succumb to my fatigue. The staff complimented my performance as they restored my radiance, prescribing me with crystal tonics. I was given the most spectacular room that was the size of my entire house and full of star-spun threads. I slept well, knowing that darkness could never reach me there. 

When I next woke, I tugged on the official garments of an Apprentice Star. The yellow robes suited my dark skin, giving it the most radiant glow. I smiled in the mirror, feeling proud. 

The initiation ceremony for Apprentice Stars was a grand event, where family members were allowed the brief honor of entering the palace and seeing off their loved ones. I kissed my grandmother goodbye, promising to visit her soon. Then I along with all the others received blessings from the Celestial Queen herself, who looked especially radiant as she bestowed us all with a portion of her boundless light. I carried her warm glow back to my room, determined to fuel my own radiance with it. 

I trained for several weeks with the Night Stars; the masters of celestial light magic. I practiced mental fortitude, meditating for hours until the whispers of darkness faded. My radiance grew brighter and stronger than ever, to the point where shadows could no longer approach me. However, the one thing I failed to learn, despite my many weeks and countless teachers, was how to remain unaffected by the Queen’s gravity. 

She visited often, sitting in on my lessons as a spectator, and then a mentor herself. She helped me create beautiful nebulas with my hands, forming colorful clouds that danced in the air. I weaved constellations under her tutelage, designing new patterns to light up the sky. I even practiced throwing rocks across the room so fast that they left a burning trail. The Queen named the technique a shooting star. 

It was always when she pulled at me with her power that my magic weakened, and I failed to stay anchored to my spot. I put up a good fight, but I eventually flew towards her, falling into her embrace time and time again. Her radiance was a kind of warmth I had never felt, the burning kind that melted your insides and left you weightless. 

I realized too late that what I felt for the Moon Witch was not admiration. The pull she had was more than enticing; it was seductive, and I was powerless to stop it. It seemed that the Queen encouraged my desire, for every time I would fly into her arms, she would hold me there possessively.

“Call me by my name again, dear one,” she would command quietly.

I whispered her name over and over, to the point where it became like second nature. When I did, her hold would get tighter, and my head would fill completely with her bright essence. I breathed it in as I had always dreamed, endlessly fascinated. 

I began to worry when my heart thumped every time she neared. The Moon Witch was actually married to the Ruler of Chaos, the Shadow King. He was the only one with a claim to her affection, though their union was only in name. The next time I laid in her arms, breathing her in and filling myself with warmth, I expressed my doubt.

“I don’t think I should be clinging to you like this, My Queen. It’s not my place,” I admitted. 

“Do you fear my embrace, little starling?” 

I shook my head. It wasn’t her that I feared, but the wrath of the king, who was sure to hear the rumors being spread across the kingdom. Gossip of the Queen’s new lover, her favorite Star who greedily basked in her light. 

“I am free to do as I will,” Kamari said, turning my head to face her, “And my will right now is you. Tell me that you want the same.” 

I did. I wanted her so badly it hurt, that the thought of being away from her was akin to death. “I want you, Kamari.” 

“Will you lay with me, then?” 

I laid down with her, letting her fill me up to the point of overflowing. It was as she ran her lips down my neck that I felt another doubt, a stronger one this time. “Will I still be your Star after we’re done?”

“Yes, my dear Nova. I wouldn’t dream of letting you leave.” 

Kamari undressed me all at once, not wasting a moment. Every place she kissed burned, and everywhere she touched glowed like starlight. She marked every inch of my skin, leaving the kind of burning trails that only pure radiance could form. I reached beneath her dress, unsatisfied with being the only one laid bare. I felt the smoothness of her, and she let me explore as I wished, only stopping me when I tried to lift the garment.

“You must not look at my true form, Nova. It will be too much for you.” 

I frowned. “I thought you trusted me to become yours. Isn’t that why you brought me here?” 

She smiled. “You misunderstand my intentions, dear one.” 

“What are your intentions?”

The Moon Witch didn’t answer, too busy letting her essence soak into my skin. The burning trails that her fingers left grew hotter, and her embrace became overwhelming. She hummed against my throat, and I could do nothing but clutch onto her as she got warmer and warmer. 

I could feel my body becoming lighter, my very being completely weightless, as if I never had one in the first place. 

“I don’t understand what’s happening, Kamari,” I exclaimed, suddenly frightened. 

When I looked up at her, she was very different from what I remembered. Her hair was no longer spun silver, but now a dusky gray. Her once bright features were cast in shadow, and her pitch black eyes blinked darkness. Her lovely radiance was gone, replaced by the coldness of pure night. 

“I’m sorry, my dear starling. I know this must be a great shock,” Kamari said in a voice as low as it was somber. 

“Who are you?” I asked, feeling my breath barely escape me. “What happened to the Queen?” 

Kamari sighed. “I am the Queen. And I am also the Shadow King, Ruler of Chaos.” 

I tried to move, but I no longer could. I was being absorbed into the shadows, my greatest fear since childhood realized. 

“Why did you do this to me?”

He held my face, reminding me that I still had one. His touch was like the first breath of winter, a chill that seeped into my very core. “I am very old, my child. The night is long and lonely, the darkness ever unchanging. I wanted a companion, but I could not approach anyone without killing them. For my very presence is death itself.” 

Tears slid down my cheeks, and he wiped them away with an icy thumb. “I wanted to be loved, like the gods who rule daytime- the Sun and the Clouds that everyone so reveres. No one wants to be with a shadow, but everyone loves the light, because it is beautiful and warm. I sought to become light so that I might find love.

“Becoming light when one is born of darkness is not easy. It requires the souls of young stars bursting with celestial energy. Your warmth comes from the Sun Queen Cyra, your true birth mother. I have stolen you away, like all night spirits who came before you, to be my lover and light up my existence.” 

“I don’t want to be your light,” I cried as he caressed my cheeks. 

“It is much too late for that, Nova. You are already a part of me, as I am part of you. You will become my Star as you always dreamed of; a source of energy that powers this very palace and kingdom. Is that not what you desired most of all?” 

I could no longer speak enough to express my dissent. I was nothing more than a spirit now, the kind that used to whisper warnings and promises, pleas of advice that I ignored. 

The King was as beautiful as he was frightening, with his dark countenance and glistening eyes. His voice was the only thing that kept me grounded, his sorrowful song like the call of a siren. Even in this form, the Moon Witch was ethereal, and I couldn’t help but feel awe as I melted into his embrace.