The Blood Moons

Chapter Thirteen

Fall seemed to finally be on its way. As Cyla followed the small group, a few of the first gold and red leaves crunched underneath her boots. The swish swish of Bug’s long dress drew her eyes up to see her walking hand in hand with another vampire (she remembered being told his name was Gregor something-or-other) and Victoria (the young woman to help feed her the first time she came to the camp) walking ahead of her. The energy coming off the three of them was carefree and happy. She both envied them and was relieved for them. It was a month or two after the attack, and the people finally seemed to collectively be able to breathe. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to get the message.

While she’d become somewhat comfortable with Skyla’s voice inside her head and enjoyed her rather confusing encounters with Dinasis and Luka, she still felt as though she was being suffocated. She tried to accept her new status among the people, that she wasn’t merely a hunter anymore. But her father’s broken and bloody face continued to haunt her dreams and loomed in the background every time she tried to reconcile this new fact about her. Even now, she saw his face and felt his disappointment as she walked to work on this new side of herself.

This is a part of who you are, who you’ve always been, love. Skyla tried to reassure her for the infinite time. I’m sure, if your father knew who you were back then, he would understand now. He loved you, he always will. You just need to love yourself enough to accept it, too. Cyla felt incredulous at this. What did loving herself have to do with it? No matter how she felt about herself, it seemed there would always be a phoenix soul sharing her body. She would always have these powers. Surely, if loving herself brought acceptance and full powers, hating herself would have made it all disappear. Yet, Skyla was still there, going on and on about, now, the love of mates. Not this again.

Hush, Skyla. I’ve had so much talk about mates I might just vomit, she chastised. It was a lie, she knew. Though she was tired of the subject, the feelings in her stomach seemed to be more about attraction at the mere thought than unease.

Liar, Skyla stated before fading into the background. Cyla gritted her teeth. Before she could retort, the group stepped into the small clearing. Mercy Forest seemed to be full of these little clearings. She wasn’t sure she’d stepped into the same one twice.

“Alright, Cyla. Why don’t you take position on the far side, like last time,” Victoria said, motioning to the woman. Victoria was a witch, the most powerful one in the camp. She was a voluptuous woman with a mass of dark curls. Cyla felt a kinship with her on that struggle alone. She wore a long, high-waisted, patchwork skirt made of dark blue, purple, and black material with a matching tunic that softened the golden brown of her skin. True to all witches, she walked barefoot, connecting her to her beloved land. A bright blue shawl draped around her back, resting softly on her arms. For the last few weeks she’d been helping Cyla control this other side of the hunter, a magical side. She watched with kind eyes as Cyla took her spot, the woman’s nerves reaching her all the way across the clearing.

“You can’t still be nervous, Cyla,” she chuckled patiently. “We’ve been practicing for weeks. You’re getting better at control. Everything will be fine.”

“Speak for yourself,” Gregor muttered, rubbing his arm. Cyla grimaced slightly, remembering the battering Gregor had taken the last time they practiced. Bug stifled a giggle while Victoria merely smiled a small smile.

“Alright, Cyla. Remember, control your breathing and focus. What did we say this power is?” Victoria asked. Cyla took a deep breath, pushing feelings of doubt aside.

“Manipulation of essence and energy,” Cyla said calmly, closing her eyes. Victoria nodded.

“And what is essence and energy?”

“Everyone and everything is made of energy, and their essence is their life force.”

“Correct. So, why don’t we practice the energy balls? Remember, focus on drawing the energy towards you,” Victoria took a deep breath with Cyla, modeling the mindset she expected. Cyla felt the jitters rise again, her belly in knots.

Calm, love. We got this, Skyla said soothingly. Cyla knew the phoenix was right. They’d been able to call energy to them with little effort for a week now. But she knew it was truly a “them” situation. Without Skyla, she would be unable to do anything. That required acceptance of the animal in order to truly master her skills. And she wasn’t sure just how accepting she was of the situation, if she was being honest with herself.

“Remember, Cyla, clear your mind. Clear and focused on becoming one with your animal, feeling the world around you. Without this, you will fail.” Cyla took another deep breath and began to wipe her mind clean. The three beings in the clearing faded away, leaving only the flora and fauna around her. She listened to the trees as they whispered in the wind, felt that wind on her cheek. The sun kissed her face, its warmth barely recognizable from her own unnaturally warm body heat. Birds sang quietly--fewer were around as they started their migration for the winter months. Lastly, she pushed all feelings she had into a trunk and locked it away. This allowed the final piece to fall into place. There seemed to be a slight glow developing around her.

It came from more than one source. A soft purple all around her. She didn’t know why, but this was the color of magic, the color of essence (which was the magic of life). “Do you have it?” Victoria’s voice was soft and quiet. Cyla knew right where she was without even opening her eyes as suddenly there were three purple glows vaguely the shape of people.

“I see it,” Cyla said shakily. Her brow began to bead with sweat, the effort to use her mind’s eye taking a toll.

“Good. Now, pull them to you. Make a ball between your hands.” Cyla imagined reaching out to the grasses around her, the purple streaming lazily to her hands. “Good, Cyla. Good.” Victoria’s words made Cyla open her eyes to see a lavender colored ball the size of an apple in the space between where she held her hands up. It sparkled slightly, as though it was sizzling with power—though it made no sound. “Now, throw it.”

Cyla looked up to see Gregor standing uneasily across the clearing from her, far from Bug and Victoria. When Cyla first started practicing, Bug insisted on helping. She claimed her vampirism made her the best target, her healing ability and sturdy nature coming in handy against attacks. That quickly led to Gregor jumping in, claiming to be a gentleman unable to see a lady be in danger. But Cyla suspected there was more to it. Whatever his reason, she would do now what she had been doing for a week. With a small whisper, she said a command that sent the sphere like an arrow towards him now.

As he always did, he attempted to dodge, but Cyla had quickly learned how to redirect the sphere and did so now. It chased him for a moment, keeping up with his vamp speed, until it landed directly between the shoulder blades. This sphere was smaller than the ones she had used in the days before, so it only made him stumble. Still, when he turned back to her, he was wincing. “By The Goddess, that stings!” he whined, rolling his shoulders tenderly. Bug pouted her lip at him sympathetically, but the twinkle in her eye said she was more amused than anything.

“Wonderful, Cyla!” Victoria exclaimed. “You’re getting much better at controlling the sphere. Now, let’s try hitting something beside him--without hurting him.” Gregor grimaced, but dutifully took position beside a tree stump. He stood exceptionally close so as to make it necessary for more precision. Cyla grunted slightly as she recreated the ball.

“Good, now concentrate,” Victoria coached. Cyla focused all her sight on the stump, Skyla’s hawk-like sight acting like a telescope until she could clearly see the individual rings and grooves in the wood. “And release!” Upon Victoria’s word, Cyla repeated the same release command as before. This time, she did not waver, keeping a straight line from her to the stump. The wood exploded from the impact. It was larger than Gregor thought it would be as he yelped and jumped to the side, a piece of wood sticking out of his biceps.

“Oh, Gregor!” Cyla exclaimed, leaping towards him. Bug beat her to it, gripping the piece of wood gingerly. Cyla crouched down beside them. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for it to hit so hard.” She looked at him, a pained look on her face as the guilt began to eat at her. This had happened many times before, during her training years. She was the best but could never fight the guilt that she felt at the pain she caused to become the best. She simply learned to hide the guilt, for showing guilt always led to pain for herself. This was also not the first time that she had noticed that she was changing, allowing just a bit of her emotions to show to these people who made her feel comfortable. She fought the urge to shake her head. She was becoming soft with the development of her phoenix and powers.

I resent that sentiment, Skyla snipped, a glare in her bright eyes. Feelings are necessary for true control and power. Becoming complete, using—and actually feeling—your feelings will only make you better and stronger. Cyla didn’t have the time to reply as Bug pulled the wood out, letting a small line of blood roll down Gregor’s arm.

“It’s alright,” Gregor was saying, looking up at Bug's worry-lined face. “I’ll be healed in no time. See,” he flexed his hand, twisting his arm slightly back and forth. “It's already nearly healed.” Cyla put on her best emotionless face before standing, pulling the vampire with her.

“You should probably take a rest,” she said, stepping back a step.

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense,” Bug inserted, placing both hands on his good arm. “You rest, heal up. I want to take a turn with my little bounty hunter.” Bug turned to Cyla and smiled, her eyes lighting up with wicked glee. Cyla grinned back, her natural competitiveness taking over with equal delight.

“Alright then, you two,” Victoria said, stepping up to them. “Cyla, go back to your spot. We’re going to change things up a bit. While you’re getting faster at forming the energy balls and getting better with ranged attacks, Cyla, I feel like you are not one who normally stands back when there’s a fight. Am I right?” Cyla grimaced at the thought and shook her head. Victoria nodded. “Just as I thought. So now we need to see how you can utilize your skill during hand-to-hand combat. So, Bug,” she turned back to the diminutive girl. Her own look of excitement lit the witch’s sharp brown eyes. “I want you to attack Cyla. Don’t hold back because, Cyla, I want you to come at her with everything you have.” Cyla paused, her heart freezing for just a moment.

“I don’t want to kill her,” she said slowly, sharing a look of agreement with her friend. Victoria shook her head.

“I’m not worried about that. I don’t believe your magic is under enough control to do much damage for this first fight. Not that it won’t be in due time,” she hurried as Cyla’s face darkened for being doubted. “Just for this first time, I need you two to be trying your hardest to get a read on how much we have to work with. Understand?” Cyla nodded before she started shaking the tightness out of her arms and legs. Bug, seeing her prepping, settled herself into a crouch, arms slightly curved to her side with hands rigid into claws.

Victoria grasped Gregor’s arm, gently leading him to the side. “On the count of three, ladies.” She looked to Cyla before swinging her head to Bug.

“One.”

Cyla leaned over her leading leg slightly, willing her power to pull essence to her hands. She could feel it begin, but the buildup was slow going.

“Two.”

Bug hunkered down more, her bare toes digging into the dirt.

“Three!”

Bug took off at blinding speed, dirt flying into the air behind her as her toes found grip and propelled her forward. A snarl rumbled in her chest softly, not quite filling the air, but loud enough to announce her savage intents. Cyla waited for half a second, willing her power to work faster to fill her hands. Before it could finish the collection, though, Bug was on her, fist flying at her face. Cyla broke all concentration abruptly, barely getting her arm up to block the fist in time. All progress with her magic faded, leaving Cyla to fight on the defensive at her normal strength. Bug didn’t let up, fists flying as she circled around the woman while Cyla barely blocked a fist here and there.

Bug’s fist connected on Cyla’s check rather forcefully, causing Cyla to stumble back. What are you doing? Skyla snapped. She’s slaughtering you. Cyla growled in frustration.

I’m trying! I can’t get her to stop long enough to get the power flowing. Bug landed another hit to Cyla’s side, knocking her to the ground with a gasp for air.

Stop worrying about it. Just worry about fighting like I know you normally can and let your instincts take over. Use your emotions! Skyla pushed forward just enough to flood Cyla’s body with some of her strength. Cyla felt re-energized and focused on what her phoenix said. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bug coming in with a kick. Quicker than she ever had, she grabbed the vampire’s foot, holding it with an iron grip. With a quick tug, she sent Bug to the ground.

She moved to jump on top of Bug, but she scurried away too quickly. Vamping back a few meters, they both stood, panting heavily. Cyla only let it last for a moment before she started sprinting towards her opponent, her anger at being overwhelmed fueling her. Her hands itched for her weapons, her habits pulling at her to fight to kill. But she continued to push those thoughts away, knowing she could never kill her friend. Instead, just as Bug was sprinting to meet her, she found her hand stretching forth. Without a warning, a ball of energy leaped straight out, striking Bug on the shoulder.

The vampire stopped in her tracks, hissing as smoke rose from her shoulder. Forcing herself to focus on the fight, the arm that shot the ball out continued its path to connect with Bug’s cheek with a sharp snap. She felt the bones snap under her knuckles, a slight purple glow around her fist. She felt her body fill with energy, healing her injuries and powering her muscles. She punched with her other fist, hitting solidly on Bug’s body. The purple intensified around her fists, traveling up her arms until it was a deep royal purple all around her.

Bug stumbled, seeming to weaken as she backed away. Stepping wider, Cyla placed her hands together, forming a triangle with her hands. The next second, a line of pure purple energy headed straight for Bug.

“Stop!” Victoria yelled, stepping forward with her hand outstretched. She sent a wave of invisible power that knocked Cyla just enough to break her connection. The light around her arms flickered and stuttered before fading away. Cyla stumbled back, suddenly feeling weak herself.

That’s how you do it, Cyla! Good job. Skyla praised, cooing appreciatively. Cyla shook her head groggily, watching as Gregor inspected Bug's shoulder. Guilt suddenly washed over her.

But we almost killed her, Skyla. I know that if Victoria hadn’t stepped in, that shot would have been a killing shot. Skyla shuffled uncomfortably.

True. But you didn’t. And now you know what to do. Cyla paused, thinking over it. What exactly did she do? She went with her instincts, like Skyla told her to. So, what had she done?

“Cyla, do you know what you were doing?” Victoria asked, eyeing her carefully. Slowly, Cyla nodded.

“I think so. At first, I was pulling essence from everything around me. But then, when I made contact with Bug, I felt her essence flowing out of her and into me. It was building my power. I used it to fuel my second punch. Then I found I was able to pull it from her without touching her. I knew—I just knew that that final shot would kill her because I was weakening her by taking her essence while building up so much power that it would have obliterated her. I-I. Why didn’t I stop myself? Why did I let myself go so far?” Cyla began shaking slightly, the shock of what she’d done rattling her. “You said I wouldn’t have enough control right now in order to do any damage.”

Victoria closed the distance, laying a gentle hand on Cyla's arm while looking sheepish. “I lied. Just a little bit. Magic, especially one as powerful and unique as yours, is hard to control. This was your first time doing anything like this, don’t feel bad that it took such strong control. I thought something like this would happen, that’s why I was ready to intervene—and why I did. Don’t worry. We’ll get you strong enough to keep it under control.” She smiled comfortingly while patting her arm softly.

“Why don’t we stop for today? Try again in a few days, hmm?” Cyla had barely nodded before Victoria was gliding over to Bug and Gregor. Cyla joined them, looking at the scorched skin showing through the shoulder of her blue dress. Bug’s cheekbone was shattered, the side of her face sunken in. Dark purple and black bruises blossomed over the sunken cheek, spreading up to her eye and down her jaw.

“Bug, I-I,” Cyla tried to stutter out. Bug looked up at her, attempting to smile.

“Dun wowy ‘bout i’,” she managed to garble out. “Weally, ge’ me some bwood an’ I will be wigh' as wain.” Cyla gulped down the tears starting to form. Gregor glared daggers at her, and she couldn’t really blame him.

“Here,” she rushed out, pushing her arm out to the vampire. “I did this, take mine.” Bug looked at her with her best attempt of shock.

“I would nevuh!” Bug even seemed to lean away from her. “I could nevuh dwink fwum my favwit witul boun'y hunuh.” Gregor decided that was enough talk as he gathered Bug into his arms. He started leading her back towards the camp with Victoria following behind them after giving one last comforting smile to Cyla. Cyla watched them leave, quietly crying inside.

Buck up, love. Everything will be fine. We just need some practice, Skyla tried to encourage her. But Cyla couldn’t help feeling as if she had just morphed from one monster that hunted down victims for a greater monster to a new monster that could kill them all with very little effort. If she could do that to her best friend, to someone who was like her sister, what would she do to everyone else?