Blood Moon (Blood Rain Book 2) Read online

  Blood Moon

  Nancy Gray

  Copyright © Nancy Kolodziej 2016

  All Rights Reserved.

  Cover art by Joseph Lee

  Dedication

  This Book is dedicated to my husband, Joel, for helping me with my marketing so that I have more time to work on the final book and for believing in me and my work. Also, a special thank you to my parents, sister and brother in law, and friends for helping us through some rough times by making sure we got out to de-stress. I love you all.

  Acknowledgements

  Once again, thank you to my family and friends for being so loving and supportive. Many thanks to those who proof-read my work (especially my mother-in-law) and gave me feedback. I love you all.

  A special thanks to Joey for creating the cover art for this novel, especially since this was a particularly busy time for him when I asked. It’s beautiful, and it’s nice to see the other characters coming alive through his art too.

  And, finally, once again, thank you to everyone who has chosen to read this book and to follow Mercy through her travels.

  This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, names, and events, are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to any people living or dead are coincidental.

  Prologue

  Mercy stared at the smoke-covered horizon that drifted further and further away with every small breeze blowing against the ship’s sails. She glanced frantically through the spyglass. All she could see of Concord were people running in panic, city guards scrambling to control the fire, and a crowd staring at something within the market district, despite the fact it was filling up with smoke. Mercy was afraid that she knew exactly what they were staring at. Worry and fury fought and swirled within her mind, like a pair of belligerent betta fish. She knew that her worry was stronger than her anger, but her anger helped her forget the morbid thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her as she searched the skies for Erebus.

  It was possible that the fire had nothing to do with Erebus’ confrontation with his father, but she thought that was very unlikely, especially now that he had missed the ship’s departure. She glanced down at the water, wondering how far away the ship would get before it would be too far to swim back for him if necessary. They were already farther out than she had ever swum before, and she had never practiced in the ocean.

  Her last conversation with him played over and over again in her mind.

  She said to him, “Please, just be careful. You know that you have to get back to the ship before sunset. They won’t wait for you if you’re late.”

  “Not to worry. I’ll be there in time. I want this meeting to be as short as possible.

  “Are you sure you can do this without fighting? I only had one conversation with Carmine and I wanted to punch him.”

  “Carmine might be infuriating, but he is my father. I’m sure we can reach some sort of understanding.”

  Mercy muttered aloud, “I should’ve never let him confront him alone. We’ll be halfway across Lacern by the time he catches up, if he catches up at all.”

  Mercy’s friend Mirilee looked up, her strange golden brown eyes meeting Mercy’s for a moment as she did, but she remained stoic and silent. Mirilee looked out of place in her full desert attire, especially on a ship full of sailors dressed in a hodgepodge of fashion from Concord. From the moment that Erebus went missing, Mirilee rested against the mast close by in case Mercy needed her, but far enough away that she wouldn’t be a bother. Mercy was grateful that her friend knew when to be quiet. While Mirilee had a tendency to wear on a person’s nerves when she wanted to be difficult, she knew when situations were too tense for her playful banter or even for comforting words. Pyron, however, did not.

  Pyron sauntered over to her in his military uniform. His red eyes perfectly matched his cherry red hair, standing out sharply from his ashen gray skin. Even though she had known him for weeks, his appearance still unnerved her, even more than that of Erebus in his shape-shifted form.

  Pyron said, “I hope that you’re not thinking of jumping. I don’t want to have to jump in after you and haul you back.”

  Mercy began to pace and said, “Beryl should go and check on him. He could catch up with us easily.”

  “Mercy, we’ve discussed this. On this ship, Beryl isn’t one of the Mermen; he’s just a normal sailor. If a normal sailor jumps into the sea, usually that means he drowns. He might be able to sneak off during the night, but by then we’ll be too far away.”

  “But you said most of the sailors know that the Mermen exist.”

  “That doesn’t mean that they think seeing one is a good omen, much less actually traveling with one. Captain Morrissey is open-minded, but that doesn’t mean his crew feels the same, especially Tolbert.”

  Mercy frowned and glared in the sailor’s direction. Tolbert was a problem from the moment they came aboard. Mercy barely needed to use her gift to sense his emotions. He secreted suspicion and worry, and it followed him like the trail of slime left by a snail. He took an immediate dislike to Erebus from the moment he saw Erebus storing his belongings on the ship the night before. He said that he had “an ill luck about him.”

  Erebus’ appearance in human form was actually quite handsome. He had messy black hair and bright blue eyes, and it was impossible to discern his true nature from looks alone. It made Mercy wonder if it was jealousy that caused Tolbert’s dislike; the pudgy man bore a remarkable resemblance to a sea pig, complete with the turned up nose and straw-like brown mustache.

  Pyron put a hand on Mercy’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Mercy. Erebus will catch up. He knows that we’re headed to the Ashen capital to pick up more supplies. If we have to wait an extra day or two for him to reach us, we will.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about. Last time he fought someone in front of us, he nearly died. In front of that many people if he used magic…”

  Pyron glanced around suspiciously and hissed, “Shush! That is something you definitely don’t want the sailors to hear you say.”

  Mirilee spoke up and said, “Erebus needs to come with us to keep his promise to the beast men of the desert. He wouldn’t risk starting a war by putting himself in that much danger. Besides, I think you would feel it if something happened to him.”

  Mercy sighed but didn’t say anything. Mirilee had a point. Ever since their blood pact, she could feel it when Erebus was in trouble, just as she had felt it when she started noticing the smoke from the fire. She had a feeling that if he died she would know it instantly. Even if he was in danger, she felt that he was still alive and that, at least, gave her some hope.

  Mercy turned to Pyron, “If he flies to the ship, what are we going to do? We’re still going to try to keep what he is a secret, right?”

  “For as long as possible. I’ll figure out a way to distract the others, but you and Mirilee need to get him below decks as fast as you can.”

  Mirilee pointed and said, “Mercy, aim the spyglass up above the square. I think I see something.”

  From a distance, Erebus looked like a bat-shaped kite hovering over Concord. Still, as Mercy adjusted the spyglass, she saw him clearly. His gray fur was matted with blood, and he wasn’t flying as much as he was falling through the air like a buzzard. He was headed in their direction at a very fast rate, pumping his wings and spiraling through the air. Even though he was using the breeze pushing their sails to propel his body forward, his motions were erratic and she could see why. Several arrows were sticking out of one of his wings. One had even pierced all the way through his arm. She could tell that he had lost a lot of blood, and there was no way to tell if he would make it to the ship or fall into the maw of the ocean. Sh
e had a feeling if he did fall, then he would never resurface.

  Mercy said, “It’s Erebus. He’s hurt. He’s flying this way, starboard fast!”

  Pyron grabbed the spyglass, turned and ran to the opposite side of the ship and searched the horizon, looking for a distraction.

  He shouted with a worried expression on his face, “Everyone, The Knave is approaching Concord. Look, port side! I didn’t realize my target was so close. If she’s preparing to dock at Concord, we need to set a course to meet her.”

  Captain Morrissey frowned down from the quarter deck at Pyron. Morrissey was young for a ship’s Captain, but he looked much younger with his clean shaven face, tan skin, and whitish blond hair with dyed blue highlights. Mercy couldn’t place his ethnicity. At first, she thought that he was one of the desert dwellers, but his features were different, somehow harder, but his eyes were also a strange sea blue. Mercy could feel his doubt as he stared at Pyron.

  Morrissey was the only one that knew that Erebus and Beryl were beast men, but he had promised to keep the secret. She managed to catch his eye, and cut hers in the direction of Concord. Morrissey glanced in the direction she indicated and his eyes got wide. He nodded slightly, and then jumped down from the quarter deck, grabbing Pyron’s spyglass.

  “You probably just saw a merchant ship,” Morrissey looked through spyglass at a ship and said loudly, “Damn it! I think the Lieutenant might be right. Everyone, to the port side!”

  All of the sailors rushed to the port side of the deck. The Captain motioned for them to follow him towards’ the quarter deck, passing the spyglass back and forth between himself and Pyron. Everyone was staring in his direction, even Tolbert. Mercy and Mirilee, however, were watching as Erebus approached. He was cognizant enough to try to camouflage his skin, making it look blue-black against the ocean, and flying as close to the water as possible. Mercy knew that the Captain couldn’t keep the crew’s attention much longer. She could feel the tension of the crew slowly turning into amused banter, just as Erebus reached the boat and tumbled onboard. Mercy quickly grabbed one side of him, and Mirilee grabbed the other.

  They walked him below deck, just as she heard Morrissey saying, “That ship has orange sails, not red. I should’ve known the Lieutenant never saw anything. Those red eyes of his, must tint everything scarlet…”

  1

  Mercy quickly glanced around the girl’s quarters. Thankfully, the gunner, an ashen woman named Incenda, and the other female sailor, Garnet, were gone. Even though the room was cramped with barely the width of a hallway between the four hammocks, it would have to do. It was one of the few rooms in the ship that had a door for privacy. Mercy was glad that the wood was stained a cherry red like the wood on the outside of the ship. She had a feeling they would be leaving bloodstains behind and the color might actually hide them well.

  Erebus was already beginning to change back into human form. His conical ears were receding and the damaged flaps of skin that comprised his wings were also slowly withdrawing into his arms, becoming large gashes in his skin. He was leaving a trail of blood behind him and gasping in exhaustion.

  Mercy quickly rummaged through her backpack and found her vitula silk bandages. They were one of the few things that she had to remind her of her home and of her departed vitula mount. The giant beetle-like insects were the livelihood of her tribe, and their silk was valued for clothing and bandages. She was also glad that she thought to buy another roll from the Park region of Concord before she left. It would be awkward to go below decks and explain why she needed a medical kit and they didn’t have time.

  Mercy helped Erebus out of his torn, bloody shirt and quickly went to work bandaging his wounds, not meeting his gaze. He had several shallow gashes across his chest, some dark bruises on his face along with a large one on his side, and his left arm was slashed almost into tatters from arrow wounds. She broke the arrow sticking through his arm and pulled it through. He hissed in pain, but she blocked out her sympathy for him, trying to concentrate on stopping the bleeding and tying the wound off tightly.

  Even though he was in a great deal of pain, above all Erebus seemed to be worried about what she was thinking. She could feel his guilt, tugging at her mind like a frightened child clutching at an adult’s clothing. Mercy felt too exhausted and relieved to be angry anymore, but that didn’t mean that Erebus needed to know that, especially after the scare that he had given to everyone. Mirilee seemed to be in on the game, folding her arms like an angry parent and glaring at him.

  Erebus said, “Before you say anything, it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  Mirilee rolled her eyes. “You mean to say that you didn’t physically fight your Father and nearly burn down the entire city? Well, that’s good to know.”

  “Well, okay, maybe it was what it looked like.”

  “I’m never going to let you live this down, you know. Today marks the last day that you can call me a hothead.”

  “No, today marks the first day that I should, since it takes one to know what to look for.”

  Mercy glanced up from the bandages and shouted, “This is no time for you to be joking! What were you thinking? You couldn’t control your temper for just one more hour?”

  “You don’t know what he said to me.” His anger flashed for only a moment before he regained control over his emotions, but Mercy could feel the anger, rough like the grating of sharp gravel against a knee.

  Mercy concentrated on the bandages again, not meeting his eyes, “What did he say to you?”

  “He said that for someone who hates him so much, I’m well on my way to becoming him.”

  Mirilee shrugged, “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  Erebus scowled but didn’t say anything.

  “Mirilee, will you get Erebus some blood? I think he needs it.”

  “How am I supposed to do that? I know that Pyron loaded that little barrel himself, but carrying it up here might be kind of conspicuous.”

  Mercy rummaged through her bag and tossed her a wineskin, “Fill this up, then.”

  Mirilee rolled her eyes. “Oh, I see. You want to be alone. Well, forgive me for being the third wheel. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Should I knock?”

  Mercy gave her a dirty look which Mirilee answered with one of her infuriating grins. Then, she left them alone.

  Mercy asked, “You think your father is right, don’t you? That’s why it made you so angry.”

  “Yes. I feel like I’ve spent my entire life trying to clean up the mess he’s made of everything, and now I’m starting to understand why he did it. I’m even starting to agree with him.”

  Mercy frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “My father is much older than he looks. Mercy, I don’t know how to tell you this, but he was the one who first made the decision to take your people as slaves instead of draining them all for blood.”

  Mercy dropped the bandages and gasped. “Your father? He was the one who started giving them the choice? That’s so…”

  “I know that you think it’s horrible, but he was doing it because he didn’t want to kill them all. He had a vision for the future where one day the slaves would become equals, and one day both of our peoples would combine.”

  “He should’ve known there was too much bad blood between us for that to work. Still, I think that we want the same thing, now.”

  Erebus wiped his bloody hair away from his forehead, running his hands through it in frustration, “It was always going to be a very long process, and I don’t feel like we’ve gotten any closer. Plus, there was the problem of our abilities. We can get away with coincidental displays of our power, but blatant demonstrations of it in front of those that aren’t our kind still cause problems, even in our lair.”

  “Speaking of that, you seem to be doing better than I expected. I guess you didn’t use any of your abilities in front of any of the townspeople?”

  “No, of course not. In front of that many people, it would’ve been suicide. I thin
k my head would’ve exploded.

  Mercy picked the bandages up and started concentrating on the deep gashes in his arms, “Well, you have done some foolish things in the past.”

  “Only when I needed to keep a blood vow to someone important to me.”

  Mercy blushed but didn’t say anything.

  He sighed. “I’m not like my father, Mercy. I know what he was originally planning to do, and it was sick.”

  “You just said he wanted to make our races equal. What’s so sick about that?”

  Erebus wouldn’t meet Mercy’s gaze. “It wasn’t what he wanted that was wrong, but the way he wanted to do it. He was going to encourage the slave owners to breed with their slaves. He wanted as many mixed blooded children as he could get as quickly as possible to make the change happen faster.”

  “That’s disgusting.”

  Erebus nodded. “Especially because of the addictive qualities of our venom. Every kiss would make them more enamored, more willing. My father’s wife, Twirl, is totally addicted to him, and he doesn’t understand what’s wrong with that. He just called me a foolish idealist because I’ve never believed that the ends justify the means. ”

  “I know, and I knew that Twirl had been manipulated. She was hanging off of Carmine like a desperate animal when I left.”

  “In the colony, it’s considered wrong to breed with the slaves. I was taught that your people really were like animals. Instead of creating this utopian blending of cultures, he just made our people dependant on slave labor, by raising your people like cattle.”

  Mercy nodded, but remained silent.

  Erebus sighed heavily. “Meanwhile, I was trying to get them to stop taking slaves, to start draining everyone they capture again, but that’s just as wrong. I don’t know how to fix this now, whether I’m a member of the council or not. When I realized that most of this was his fault, I just lost control.”