Blood Moon

Blood Red

The kings who had departed from the castle rode silently. They were now near the borders after using teleportation spells. It was a spell that required a lot of mana and it could only take them halfway. All the carriages used the same path back to the west until they reached the crossroads that leads to the different parts of their land. They were separated from each other by a few feet, each surrounded by soldiers on their mounts.

King Xanadu sat on his carriage, an unsettling feeling nagging him. They had been moving for a whole day now and as comfortable the cushions were on his carriage, he couldn’t seem to rest. He felt it in his bones, something was about to happen. “It’s better if I give my men some rest or else they’ll be too exhausted for the rest of the ride home.”

King Xanadu pulled his curtain back and looked up at the sky. Orange streaks were now splattered on the horizon and he stomped his foot to get his men’s attention. “The sun is setting, it will be better if we make camp early.” King Xanadu said. His soldiers slowed their pace until they finally came to a stop, but before King Xanadu could step a foot outside, the light from the setting sun suddenly dimmed, as if he was being shaded by a dark cloud. The sky darkened into a scarlet hue, spreading wide like blood on cloth. “Impossible.”

The sky shone down a red hue on the earth, darkening their path. Ahead of them, the other knights also noticed the change. Their mouths hung open when they saw the sky slowly morphing into a sea of blood. “The blood moon has begun!”

The Kings who were comfortably perched on their carriages tensed, finally seeing the sky bleeding red. King Alexus pushed aside the curtain on his carriage and looked up. “Too soon…” He said in disbelief.

“Knights! Surround the King’s carriage!” All the commanders who were brought along ordered the knights to assemble, creating a protective wall around their kings. In front of them, deep in the woods, howls erupted. The smell of rotten flesh hit them like a sledgehammer and the knights staggered back. Some of them were shaking, some were wary. But King Xanadu’s knights were as composed as ever. Instead of rounding up around their king’s carriage, his knights spread wide unto the barren field, swords drawn and faces grim. They were sniffing the air, eyes closed in focus. The air started to vibrate, the baganis humming low. They were accumulating strength from the earth, bodies shaking with the beat only they could hear. Their feet stomped on the ground simultaneously, heat spreading from their head down to their fingertips. The door of King Xanadu’s carriage broke open and he went down, his curved sword unsheathed and held firmly in his hands.

The humming got louder as he stepped down from the carriage, his face set in stone. The silence continued until they heard a sound from behind the thick pile of trees. They heard branches breaking and the ground started to shake. Some of the knights fell to their knees in fear, sweating buckets and whispering prayers underneath their breath. They could see the trees starting to part, being felled by something enormous just a few meters away from them.

The carriages were pulled backwards, creating distance between them and the forest. The horses fidgeted on the reigns, as if wanting to get away as fast as possible. As the creature edged closer, the trees fell forward, landing where their carriage was just a few moments ago. When the trees were cleared, a behemoth stood in front of them. King Harold’s carriage was the one in front and his knights trembled at the sight of the humongous beast in front of them. Its eyes glowed red as it stared down at their measly bodies, a s******c flare burning behind it. Only the commander of his knights remained composed, talking to his subordinates and trying to get their attention to no avail. They were far too terrified to make sense of his words. “Cast a barrier, now!”

At his command, the others came to and started casting their spell but some remained immobile. A barrier appeared in front of the behemoth but it was flimsy, the beast brushing it away with one arm. It stepped forward, the ground shaking from its weight. “All of you, stop ogling and do your job, now!”

It was futile, some knights were now on the ground, rendered useless by the overpowering terror. The behemoth crouched down to pick one of them off the round, his breath coming down on them like a hurricane. But before its hand could close over one of them, something fast came in between its hand and the knight. Silence came, all of them looking as if they couldn’t believe what they saw. A few seconds passed and the behemoth’s hand fell. Dark sticky blood spilled from where its hand was once attached, gushing down on the green grass below. The behemoth stumbled backwards, clutching his wound. A loud roar of pain escaped the beast’s mouth, the ear-splitting sound traveling for miles. They all covered their ears, some of them passing out due to it. As some of them turned, they realized that the knight who stood before the behemoth was now standing behind the carriage. When he looked up, he saw one of King Xanadu’s men towering over all of them. “Bring your carriage to the field now!” despite him only being a knight, from another kingdom at that, they followed him without question. The carriage was led away, heading to the clearing near them.

They heard a low whistle and more of King Xanadu’s knights closed over the behemoth, and before it could recover, his feet were sliced clean off. He started to fall forward but before his body could hit the ground, its arms fell off. When he crashed, the ground shook even more, some knights toppling over. It emitted a loud roar as it lay there, quickly cut off when his head was chopped. All the kings watched in horror and amazement, frozen on their seats.

“My men are not finished casting a large barrier, we’ll have to hold out until then. Keep yourselves alert, there are more to come.” King Xanadu came forward, eyes focused on the darkness of the forest. Another howl started and the sound of low screeches and growls erupted from behind the shadows. Red eyes glowed starting from one, followed by another, until they saw uncountable demonic eyes staring at them. “This will be a long night.”

Luna’s face paled and she stood there frozen. Her eyes were wide in shock, hands shaking. The smell of blood thickened in the air and she felt her sanity slipping. Luna’s eyes turned black and her nails grew sharp. Beside her, Rigel nudged and whimpered. The sounds around her were muted, as if she was deaf. In front of her, she could see a silhouette of a man rushing towards her. A warm musky smell entered her nose and then she was suddenly swept off her feet.

She heard the sound of a door slamming shut and then she was brusquely placed on the wooden table. Large hands grasped her neck and yanked her face upward. “Wake up!”

In her head, she could hear them. All the horrific sounds they make, she could hear them all at once. She felt as if her head would split, her vision was going blurry and her throat was dry, as if she was so parched. In the split seconds where her eyes would clear up, she would see Legosi. His skin looked soft, so pale she could see the small veins underneath.

If I were to run my claw down his throat, would he bleed? How dark would his blood be?

She swallowed her saliva but her throat just seemed to become drier as she did so.

I need to get my act together.

She started pounding her fist on her head, disrupting the string of sounds and intrusive thoughts in her mind. A hand closed over her wrist, stopping her. “Luna, stop it!”

She felt her body being shaken and the haze in her eyes slowly cleared up. She finally heard what was happening around her clearly. “Are you alright?” her eyes focused again and she saw Legosi staring at her with worried eyes.

She coughed and gently pushed him away. She pulled her legs to her chest and breathed deeply. “I’m alright, this happens every year.”

Augustus slowly approached her and observed. “You are emitting a lot of demonic essence right now Luna, it must be your body reacting to the blood moon. Like any other demon during these times, you become stronger too.”

“Yes, but please, keep your distance until I get it under control.” Her face was now damp with sweat as she felt the warmth on her abdomen spread around her body. It felt as if molten metal was dripping down her innards as she sat there. Rigel quickly placed himself between Luna and the others, like he was trained to do every time Luna’s demon stirred within. Luna groaned in pain, her nails digging on to her palm. Dark red blood spilled out from between her fingers and Legosi and Augustus could only look. She trembled in front of them while she hid her face. Her eyes were switching from color to color, her emotions changing drastically. She felt her fangs pricking her lips, drawing blood out of it. She felt as if something was wringing out of her.

As she writhed in pain, blood spilled from her lips, flowing to her tongue. Something beastly came alive inside her.

Let go, Luna. Let me out.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the familiar voice, her body going stiff.

Your kind are spilling down from the mountain like flood, greet them. They call out to you…

The slight purr in the voice was pricking at her nerves, rage burning up within her. For many years she had suffered through this pain, never once had she heard this voice. But now there it was, like nails on a silver plate, making her ears feel as if it was going to bleed.

That rotten smell you hate so much, it comes from your kind. Let me out, stupid girl.

Her hands found their way to her head and she started clawing at it, trying to block the sound of the voice in her head.

Augustus started to move towards her, his hands extended and his eyes closed. He was whispering something and then his palm burned a bright white color, pointing at her. Before Rigel could push him away, Legosi held the wolf firmly in place. Augustus’ placed his hand on Luna’ head, still praying. Luna felt something cool travelling from the top of her head down to the rest of her. The hot feeling dissipated, her nails going back to its normal length and her eyes reverting back to its original color. After a while, she struggled no more. Her body slumped forward, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

“What did you just do?” she asked.

“It was only a prayer, an exorcism prayer, I hoped it could reign the demon in you temporarily, I didn’t expect it to work so well.” Luna nodded as thanks and stood up, heading to the door immediately. Outside, it looked as if a rain of blood was coming. The demons were not there yet but they could hear them approaching from the mountainside.

From outside they could hear the loud howls, the screeches and the roar edging closer. “It’s too soon, I didn’t even sense it coming.”

“I know,” Augustus had an anxious look on his face. ”Something’s wrong, I could feel it.”

“What should we do now?” Legosi held his sword in hand. “We can’t go out there now, we must come prepared. “

“The barriers you made were strong so it could last long, for now we plan.” Luna replied.

Legosi reached into his pocket and took out a parchment. “The Chief gave this to me a while ago.” He spread the parchment on the table and they all gathered to see it. “This is a map of where the shelters were placed across the village. I have placed barrier spells on them already, and the chief also placed some rations in there.”

“The demons usually come from this side of the mountain,” Luna pointed at the map. “Where the hidden passage from the west to east is placed. The behemoths are always the first to arrive, followed by low grade demons. They are easy to deal with but they usually come in groups. Their number is their strength, they’re also very persistent and have a taste for unborn children, and they will most likely flock around the Fitzgerald’s home, those darned simpletons.”

“Why?” Augustus asked.

“They decided to conceive before the blood moon so they will be the first to receive the barrier.” Legosi answered. Augustus gave a look of disbelief and disgust at his words.

“No matter how strong your barrier is, there’s a possibility that it will break. We have to take care of them first. If we kill the demons there and scatter their remains around their home, it might cover the scent of her babe. Demons also tend to avoid places where they know their kind has been killed.”

“They’ll be traumatized if they see that amount of c*****e in front of their home if they live past this.” Augustus remarked.

“I don’t give a damn.” Luna spat.

“When do we move?”

“Both of you still need to rest, so it would be better for you to rest for now. The barriers can hold out long.”

“What else? Are we supposed to just hack these demons for two weeks? And then what?” Legosi asked.

“No, there’s something else. We’re going to find out where these demons truly come from-“

From outside they heard a loud explosion. Legosi opened the door and saw a demon, laying just in front of the barrier, its body disintegrating. “What happened to it? Did your barrier do that?” Augustus stared in awe and disbelief at the sight.

“I think so, as Luna had said.”

“I’m still not certain how it does that, but it is proving beneficial.” Picked up her coat, draping it around her body.

“Where are you going?” Legosi questioned her, his brows furrowing.

“Out. I will scout the village once, just to see what we’re dealing with. The demons had changed a lot, it would be better if we’re aware of what we’re dealing with for this year’s blood moon.” She unsheathed her dagger and gestured for Rigel to follow her. Before she could get out the door, Legosi yanked her back. “Are you out of your mind? I can’t let you go out there alone.”

“I had been going out alone in the middle of the blood moon for many years now, Legosi. Why do you think we still have grains to harvest even after the blood moon? It’s because I litter the fields with demon carcass so they’d stay away. I’m also going to do the same now, it would be better if I do it early on, before more of them swarms in and it’ll be too much for me to handle. I’ll be fine.”

“But as you’ve said, the demons are acting differently, you can’t be too sure.” Augustus said, attempting to dissuade her.

“I have no plans of confronting them, I will stay hidden. During the blood moon, my scent changes. They will recognize me as their own. Trust me, I have done this many times. We can’t go out there blindly, we must know what we’re up against.” She gently removed Legosi’s hand from her arm and headed outside, closing the door behind her. Beside her, Rigel stretched. “Ready for a trip, boy?” She twirled the blade on her hand, her face stern and determined.

The wolf huffed. She perched herself on the large wolf’s back and pointed ahead. “Let’s go, Rigel.”

At the eastern place, King Michael sat in his office. His hair was disheveled, beads of sweat resting on his temples. He was too aware of the villainy happening inside his wall, but he was a magicless King, he knew nothing about spells and how they work. The foundation of his kingdom is slowly being gnawed at by these termites and he’s powerless against them, King Xanadu has made that perfectly clear.

He found hope in Sir Augustus, son of the House of Rayne. He seemed to be the only one sensible in their family. The child was talented, holy powers rivalling their head priest. If he could get the child on his side, his status in the nobility would change. He could make sure he was going to be appointed as the next duke without fear of being persecuted.

Aside from gaining support from the nobles, it would be really easier to gain favorability in the church. They may be of help when trying to investigate and dismantle the witch’s association starting to grow in his castle walls.

As he sat there wallowing in his own thoughts, he noticed the change in the light coming from his window. He removed his hand away from his face and stared slack-jawed into the sky. “The blood moon…the king!” he rose abruptly from his chair, knocking it down. “Guards!”

Five men burst in from the door and looked at the panic stricken face of their king. “Gather some witches and warlocks at the walls, now!” Before he could utter another word, they moved quickly.

“I must make sure those bastards survive, damn it!” he took his coat from his desk and headed out, fear and panic in his eyes.

“Captain Williams!” He bellowed at the hallway, his loud voice reaching up into the floor below. Seconds later, the man he called was in front of him.

“Your highness,” he bowed down.

“Assemble the best of your men, Captain. We’re going after them.”