Chapter 18
Pitch, Erebos, and Jack had arrived at the white marble courthouse on the moon, where they met with the other guardians.
They waited for their master to appear, but they exchanged whispers of concern.
"What do you think he'll tell us?" Bunnymund asked, but Sandy gave no response and a question mark formed at the top of his head.
Finally, the Man in the Moon appeared and sat down at his marble white throne and everyone hushed.
"My fellow guardians," he spoke in a mighty voice, "I have some disturbing news. Our greatest enemy has returned after many centuries of being dormant."
There was confusion in the air and Jack asks, "It can't be Pitch, he's right here."
The boogeyman gave him a look, but didn't speak and their master replies, "It is Mora."
Then, the whole courtroom gasped in horror and surprise. Pitch at first thought it was a joke, but his master never lied, and the terror inside sunk in.
"Who is Mora?" Jack asked and everyone stared at him.
"I'll tell him," Pitch volunteered and says to Jack, "Mora is, what we call her, the queen of night terrors. Jack, have you ever had dreams where they are so horrifying that they seem real?"
Jack shook his head and Pitch continues, "Mora enjoys spreading the fear in children when they sleep. Sometimes, the night terrors are so horrifying that some children never go back to sleep."
The Man in the Moon looks at Pitch, as if to say "Tell him more."
"Well, Mora and I were once partners," the boogeyman added. "But that changed when our master chose the guardians to spread hope and over time, the children had forgotten Mora. However, she never stopped in sending the night terrors to haunt the children."
"But why aren't you with her now?" Jack asked, again.
Pitch decided to tell the truth, "She was banished to the deepest parts in the earth and you could say that I had forgotten her. I thought she was dead."
The Man in the Moon rose up from his throne and everyone looked at him.
"I have called all of you here to tell you that you must keep an extra close eye out for the night terrors. Pitch," the god said to the boogeyman, "You need to protect Grace. I believe that Mora knows of your duty to watch over her and she will do anything to terrorize Grace and her dreams."
Pitch felt a stinging sensation in his heart, it was fear. He did not want Mora to do anything that would hurt Grace, but as his master said, Mora would do anything to terrorize the girl.
"If you do defeat Mora, she will always come back," the god warned. "Be brave my guardians, I will be watching over you. Dismissed," he added and everyone headed back to Earth.
Pitch went back to Erebos, who had been waiting outside, but he knew what had happened inside. "I need your help in protecting Grace," the boogeyman said and the Pegasus nodded.
The two headed on back to Blackpool and Pitch began to pray that Mora's night terrors would not harm Grace in any way.