Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
Remember, efficiency and accuracy over power. The shield should be no larger than necessary, and only last as long as it’s required.
“I know, I know.” My next shield wobbles, barely materializing in time to block Tommy’s fastball. The boy has scary good aim for a six-year-old. He got me in the butt once, and my eye another time.
Another projectile comes from my left. I spin, conjuring a shield the size of my palm. The snowball splatters against it, sending icy spray across my face.
“Ha! Got you wet!” Penny bounces up and down, her pigtails flying.
Partial hits still count, Grimoire says, as if I care about the score. The kids do, of course. Grimoire has a little scoreboard going for them. Focus on placement.
My arms are starting to feel like lead weights. Even these tiny bursts of magic drain more energy than I expected. Without my usual reserves to draw from, each shield requires precise control.
The more I do, the more mental exhaustion takes its toll.
Plus, I have to infuse my mana into the air around me, so I get advance warning before a snowball hits. My natural skills aren’t high enough to avoid what I can’t see; my magic has to fill that gap.
It drains my magic every second my magic pulses around me, and I only have about a five-foot radius of awareness protection.
“You’re doing great!” Marcus calls from his position near the kids. He and Greg volunteered to supervise the “ammunition makers” after the first snowball fight devolved into chaos.
They both are thrilled with this training regimen, because it’s something that actively works on my self-defense.
Two more snowballs fly at me simultaneously. I manage to block one with a perfectly sized shield, but the second catches me in the shoulder. It’s a tiny, icy rock, the snow packed densely by tiny little hands.
“Direct hit!” Tommy pumps his fist in the air. “Did you see that? I got you, Luna!”
“Very impressive,” I say, unable to hold back my smile at his pride. This training session is not only helping my control, but it’s helping my bond with my pack. The mothers of these young pups are thrilled to have them interacting with their Luna, and the kids are over the moon to be a part of the fun.
Another yawn ambushes me. My next shield flickers and dissipates before the snowball reaches it, leaving me with a face full of snow.
Perhaps we should end here for today, Grimoire suggests. You’ve made excellent progress.
“I think we’re done, kids.” The suggestion fills me with relief; I’m exhausted, and way too many snowballs have gotten through my defenses. While many of them are just fluffballs that explode into harmless powder, some of them—like Tommy’s little bombs of ice—sting a little on impact.
Pathetic, Selene mutters in my head, and I can feel her doggy disapproval from wherever the hell she is, hunting down some rabbit trail.
“No!” Five voices protest in unison.
“Just a little longer,” Sierra pleads, already packing another snowball with her tiny hands. “Please, Luna?”
My heart melts at their eager faces. “Five more minutes,” I concede. “Then hot chocolate for everyone.”
The promise of hot chocolate sparks a flurry of activity. They’ve once again ditched the snow fort, having more fun assaulting me from different angles.
I brace myself as my young attackers prepare their final assault, determined to make these last minutes count.
A volley of snowballs arcs through the air. I summon shield after shield, each one exactly where it needs to be, no larger than necessary. My timing has improved greatly from earlier this morning, when I couldn’t get a shield up in time for the life of me. Thankfully, the projectiles were just snowballs and not something more life-threatening.
But fatigue makes my reactions sluggish, despite the clear improvement.
Better. You’re learning to anticipate trajectories instead of just reacting.
“Thanks, I—” A snowball catches me in the back of the head. I spin to find Selene in wolf form, looking far too pleased with herself, next to a guilty-looking Greg.
“That doesn’t count!” I protest. “You’re not part of the game.”
My wolf just wags her tail, already nosing another pile of snow.
The kids dissolve into giggles at my indignant expression. Greg holds up his hands, clearly caught between his Luna and her obstinate husky-wolf. Even Marcus struggles to maintain a straight face.
“All right, time’s up!” I announce before Selene can launch another sneak attack via some random pack member. For all I know, she’ll get a kid in on it. I thought she was out hunting her favorite furry prey; clearly, she took advantage of my busy brain to sneak back in and get one over on me. “Who’s ready for hot chocolate?”
The clearing I’ve co-opted for my snowball fight training empties in record time as small bodies race toward the cafeteria.
Grimoire clears his throat. You did well today. Your control is improving.
“Hot chocolate delivery!” Lisa’s voice carries across the clearing, and I turn to see her balancing a large tray of steaming mugs.
The kids swarm her like hungry puppies, but Lisa navigates through them with practiced grace. Her skin looks almost translucent against her dark sweater, and shadows pool under her eyes.
“Thanks for the assist.” I help her distribute the mugs, making sure each child has a secure grip before letting go. “Careful, it’s hot.”
“Blow on it first,” Lisa reminds Tommy as he tries to gulp his down.
We settle on a nearby log while the kids huddle in small groups, sipping their treats and chatting about their successful hits during training. Lisa’s hands tremble slightly as she wraps them around her mug.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.” Lisa takes a careful sip. “Why?”
“You don’t look fine. You’re pale as the snow.”
Lisa’s free hand flies to her cheek. “Really? I feel fine, though.” She presses the back of her hand against her forehead. “No fever or anything.”
“Then what have you been up to?”
“Oh.” Lisa brightens. “I was actually training with something new the Grand Sage created.” She extends her pinky finger, showing off a delicate silver ring. “What do you think?”
I squint at the unremarkable piece of jewelry. “It’s… pretty?”
“It’s not much to look at,” Lisa admits. “But it can send up an emergency flare if I’m in trouble. It also has a secondary function, though. It can send a ten-second recording to a paired ring that the Grand Sage has. He’s been fiddling with the technology from the magic watches he created.”
“Hmm.” Not sure how to respond, I take a sip of my hot cocoa.
“It’s kind of neat. Nothing super crazy, but it might be useful.”
“Could be,” I agree, though I’m a little confused on why it would be more useful than the magic watch Lisa already has. Why send a limited voice recording with a tiny ring when you can just use your magic watch to call someone?
But I guess it might be helpful in an emergency. Still doesn’t seem that great, though.
“It also doesn’t need to be charged as often. And I can send a video of this right now. It’s pretty much undetectable, he says, so it can all happen under the nose of any vampire or Fae. This way, if I get kidnapped again, it’ll be easier to find me.” She pauses. “In theory.”
Oh, a video recording… That would make more sense. “How does that work? Wouldn’t it need a camera or something?”
“No, because it’s magic video. And no, I don’t understand any of it, so don’t ask. I can’t control where the focus of the video is, so he’s hoping to figure that out, but he did manage to get the locator working. He could find me anywhere in the compound just from using the paired rings.”
Now we’re talking. “That sounds amazing. As soon as Lucas hears about it, he’ll probably put one on every finger.”
“Every finger and toe,” Lisa agrees with a grin.
Steam rises from our mugs as we watch the kids chase each other through the snow. They’ve finished their drinks in record time, with the immunity to tongue burn that only little kids seem to have.
Tommy shows off his snowball-making technique to the group, his chest puffed with pride. He’s landed the most hits on me.
Fifteen out of twenty-eight, Grimoire reports.
“Why bring the hot chocolate out here?” The question slips out as I notice the elaborate setup. Tables and chairs, as if it was planned. “The cafeteria would have been easier.”
Lisa’s face twists. “Ivy’s back.”
My grip tightens around the ceramic mug. “What? She shouldn’t be back for at least another week.” The travel time alone should have kept her away longer.
“Her wolves were attacked.” Lisa’s voice drops. “She was the only one who made it back. Lucas and Kellan spent all morning questioning her.”
“I hadn’t heard anything about this.” A frown tugs at my lips. Why wouldn’t Lucas mention something this significant?
It isn’t common knowledge yet, Selene says softly. At least, it wasn’t until about thirty minutes ago when she showed up in the cafeteria to eat.
“How do you know that?”
Because I’m listening to the gossip right now.
I blink, realizing Selene isn’t anywhere near us. The mental image forms of her sprawled under a cafeteria table, ears perked as she eavesdrops on conversations above.