Blood Moon (Blood Rain Book 2) Read online

  Pyron chuckled. “Was that so hard?”

  Erebus glared at Pyron but didn’t say anything.

  Pyron stood up straight. “It sounds like we may be too late to stop that blood ritual from happening, but you said something about ‘Waterbloods,’ didn’t you, Beryl? Would you mind elaborating?”

  “They’re the reason I was hesitant to trust Erebus when I first met him. Even though they aren’t the same type of beast men, their abilities are very similar to those of the Blood Wings. They tend to cause problems for my people. In their natural form, they look like a mixture between a shark and a person. They always have sharp teeth, but in their beast form they have more than one row. Is that what you saw, Mirilee?”

  “I’ve never seen a shark before, but I think so. They had more than one row of teeth, entirely black eyes, and when they looked human, all of their teeth looked like canines.”

  Erebus sighed. “Certain factions of my people wanted us to ally with them when they were worried that Mercy’s people were going to retaliate against us. If what you’ve seen is true, then there really was a traitor among my people.”

  Pyron asked, “Where do these Waterbloods reside?”

  Beryl seemed hesitant to respond. “They live on the Sylvan Islands.”

  Pyron flashed him a predatory smile. “I need you to send one of your people to the dictator with a message.”

  “Just because the Waterbloods typically live on the Sylvan Islands doesn’t mean that they’re the ones responsible for the blood rain, Pyron. We need more proof than Mirilee’s vision before we tell Dictator Crevane to slaughter the islanders.”

  Mercy nodded. “We also don’t know if they’re working with the beast men. That would be like telling him to kill my people if Erebus’ colony attacked the Ashen capital.”

  Pyron kicked a loose nail across the floor in frustration. “Damn it! You’re right. We were so close.”

  Kylas looked like he wanted to pace, but there wasn’t enough room. “There might still be a way to stop the war from happening, though. At least now we have some idea of which group of beast men is responsible. That might be enough to unite the other beast men against them.”

  Erebus nodded. “Kylas is right. The question is whether word will reach them in time. In the vision, it didn’t. Beryl, do you think you could do something?”

  “I can do something right now. I’ll try to get one of my people to send a message to the other beast men telling them that we have reason to suspect the Waterbloods are involved.”

  Mercy frowned. “But couldn’t that cause the war?”

  Mirilee said, “In my vision, almost all of the different types of beast men were fighting each other. A common enemy could potentially unite them. It’s at least worth a try. Sometimes the visions I have still come true, but sometimes they can be stopped. Even doing something little is better than doing nothing. They’re visions of what can happen, not necessarily what will. Only God knows how things will turn out, but our decisions are the ones that determine our destiny.”

  Pyron nodded with approval. “Yes, and we need to get to the North, now more than ever. We need to be sure that they aren’t thinking of allying themselves to the Sylvan Islands, especially if they’re the ones responsible for the rain.”

  Mercy didn’t look at Beryl as she said, “But how do we know that they won’t side with the Sylvan Islands anyway if they know that they have that kind of power?”

  “Because the Waterbloods are enemies of my people, and my people have always been allies with the North. That was why our prince’s wedding to the leader’s daughter was so important. It was going to symbolize that alliance.”

  Erebus frowned. “It also gives the Waterbloods motive to kidnap the prince, so that the alliance wouldn’t be formalized.”

  Pyron leaned back against the doorpost again and steepled his hands in thought. “Didn’t you say something about sharks being very numerous the day he disappeared? Can these creatures change form like you do?”

  Beryl gasped. “Yes, yes they can! My god! It makes perfect sense now…”

  There was a knock at the door.

  Incenda stuck her head in and said, “I hate to interrupt, but it’s two in the morning. We need to get some sleep. Can you please move your discussion?”

  Kylas smiled, embarrassed. “Oh… sorry.”

  Mirilee yawned and said. “Well, now you know what I saw. I think all of us need at least a night to think on it.”

  The men began to file out of the room. Mercy decided it wasn’t a good time to distribute the rest of the necklaces. She would do it when the time was right – when everyone wasn’t worried and stressed out.

  Garnet looked smug again as she went to her hammock.

  Mercy rolled her eyes. “What is it this time, Garnet? I know you weren’t sleeping with any of our friends since all of our friends were in this room with us.”

  “No. I just found out that old Ailfrius’ nose is itching, and it looks like the sky is starting to take a reddish tinge to the West.”

  Incenda groaned. “Oh Lordy!”

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

  Garnet flashed a huge grin at Mercy. “It means that a big storm is coming probably in just a couple of days. I love storms. They make me feel alive, but then again, I don’t throw up every time there’s a small breeze.”

  “Oh no! Incenda, has Ailfrius’ nose ever been wrong?”

  “Not very often, but if the sky starts looking red in the morning, we’ll know for sure.”

  “Garnet, why do you hate me so much?”

  Garnet acted as though she was really thinking about it and then said. “It might partly be because of the fact that all of those guys fawn over you and you’re too stupid to take advantage of it. But, I think it’s mostly your idealism. You’re not cynical enough, especially for what they say you’ve been through. You’re weak. One day the world is going to slap you down, and I hope that I’m there to see it. In the meantime, I can be satisfied watching the storm do it for me.”

  Mirilee snapped, “You shut the hell up about Mercy. You don’t know anything if you think that she’s weak because she’s an idealist. It takes someone really strong to believe that there’s some good still in this world after everything she’s been through. You’re the weak one since you’ve already given up.”

  “Keep talking, desert whore, and the next time you have a seizure I’ll be sure that you bite your tongue off.”

  Incenda pulled her blanket over her head and sighed. “Please, I just want to sleep. Can we?”

  Garnet turned around so that her back was facing them.

  Mirilee leaned up and whispered to Mercy, “Don’t listen to her. I hate people like that. I guess when you rely on being with a man to define yourself it doesn’t give you much to believe in.”

  “Thank you, Mirilee. You’re a good friend. I made something for you earlier. I don’t think it’ll really make up for the kind of night you’ve had, but I hope you like it.”

  Mercy handed her the cat necklace, and Mirilee released a delighted squeal which drew an irritated look from Incenda.

  “Sorry, Incenda.”

  “Whatever. Goodnight.”

  “I love it, Mercy. You’re the best.”

  “I made this one out of a desert glass charm for Kylas. Will you give it to him for me?”

  Mercy handed her the other necklace and Mirilee flashed a wide grin when she saw the desert glass charm on the end of it.

  “He’ll love it! Thank you, Mercy. I noticed you weren’t sick tonight. Maybe you staved it off just in time, huh?”

  “I hope so.”

  They said goodnight, and Mercy thought about the events of the day. It seemed that everyone had their secrets that they wanted to keep. Beryl was hiding something that had to do with his people and the North. Pyron was hiding facts about his past, guarding them with the same overzealous ferocity that he hid his emotions. Kylas and Mirilee were the only two people that s
he felt weren’t hiding anything at all, and for that she was grateful. It made her feel an overwhelming love for Mirilee as she thought about her open and even blunt way of saying things. As for Erebus, she never knew exactly how he felt and she felt certain he was just as confused by his own conflicting emotions as she was. She wondered how he felt about her.

  Mercy thought miserably, “I hope we don’t split apart, not yet. I might be the thread binding the group together for now, but I somehow think it’ll take more than few necklaces and being a scapegoat to mend things once they start to unravel.”

  Eventually Mercy drifted off into a fitful sleep. Even though she had never seen Mirilee’s vision herself, she was dreaming about shark-like beast men, blood rituals, and Erebus trying to kill Beryl. Every time she awoke, Mirilee was awake as well, either staring at the ceiling or making patterns with her piece of multi-colored string. It made her wonder if the visions in her own dreams were from her imagination, or if she had somehow witnessed Mirilee’s nightmares. Either way, she knew that the next few days were going to be difficult.

  9

  Difficult wasn’t an adequate word for the days that followed. Every single day seemed to blur into the next as the thunderhead got closer to the ship and Mercy became sicker with each passing day. Even before the ominous clouds stretched across the sky, she could already hear the winds howling around her. The waves violently pitched the ship up and down making Mercy feel as though she was attempting to ride on the back of a raging behemoth. Captain Morrissey told her to stay below deck until the storm passed, but that wasn’t possible. Since it took two days for the storm to even reach them, occasionally Mercy had to get above deck for some fresh air, or at the very least to empty her bucket.

  In the evening when the storm finally arrived, everyone was assisting the Captain, taking down the sails and preparing in whatever way necessary to survive the storm. Mercy peeked above deck and felt her knees nearly give out at what she saw. The sky was so dark that it looked like night had fallen early, giving the waves the look of blackened oil. The dark blue clouds were low on the horizon and it looked as though they were reaching down to touch the sea, and the waves seemed to surge upwards to meet them.

  Mercy flinched as a wave towering the ship peaked over the side. It was only for an instant, but a layer of water several feet deep rushed across the deck, sending sailors sprawling to regain their footing before they could be swept into the sea. Most of them grabbed a hold of lines and railings to steady themselves, and with their free hands, they grabbed for the other sailors to help them up. To Mercy’s surprise, as soon as the water was clear of the deck, they went about their business as though it was routine work for them. Mercy noticed that Mirilee, Kylas, and Erebus were helping as well, and it made her feel totally incompetent.

  Off in the horizon, she could just barely see the edge of the storm, where the sky was a sickly greenish-yellow. Some of the clouds to the west were bulging and swirling in an unnatural way as though they were animals chasing each other’s tails, and then Mercy saw the waterspouts that formed beneath them! They writhed and twined around the water like suspended snakes. She wondered what would happen if one of them happened to jump in their direction and hit the ship. It wasn’t a very big waterspout. That didn’t make it any less terrifying, especially since the wind howled so loudly in their wake that she could barely hear the Captain shouting orders even though he was right next to her.

  Mercy asked, “We’re just going to weather this out? What if the one of the waterspouts hits us? I don’t want to sit below deck while my friends risk their lives.”

  Captain Morrissey was standing next to her yelling an order to Second Mate Lavirin who was securing the wheel.

  At her comment, Morrissey turned and pinned her with a stern stare, “Miss Mercy, we’ve weathered far worse than this. Are you sure that you aren’t too sick to help? I don’t want you getting in the way of the others. Do you swear that you don’t feel sick?”

  “I don’t feel sick right now.”

  “Your greenish coloration makes me feel uncertain of your truthfulness.”

  “I’d feel far sicker thinking of my friends risking their lives out here without me.”

  “Fine. Then get to work. You can help the others taking the sails down. You seem to have good balance, but mind your surroundings. Things get confusing and hard to see during a storm.”

  Mercy looked around her and took note of everyone’s positions. Erebus was in the crow’s nest, calling out the position of the water spouts and shouting if there was an incoming wave. He noticed her, stared for a moment in stunned recognition and then a look of concern spread across his face. Thankfully, he stopped looking at her quickly and got back to his job of warning the sailors of potential danger.

  Mirilee and Kylas were assisting with the uppermost sails. Mercy wasn’t surprised. She had seen Kylas scurry up to the top of a tent and stand on a pole barely wide enough to support him. From what she could tell, Mirilee had the balance of a monkey. Despite the fact the ship was being tossed back and forth, she was balancing on a long beam high in the air and carefully removing the cloth sails, tossing them down to the other sailors beneath her.

  Beryl took the most dangerous job of hauling barrels of supplies from the upper deck to the cargo hold. Mercy knew that he probably volunteered for the job because if he fell in, whether the sailors knew it or not, he could always change form and breathe beneath the waves until the danger was over. He was also scanning the deck every time that a wave seemed particularly threatening for anyone that needed help. Seeing his concern and watchful attention made Mercy feel slightly better. If someone did slip and fall overboard, he could probably keep them safe until the storm passed.

  Pyron, as usual, seemed to be overseeing the work much to the chagrin of the second mate He occasionally rushed up to help when he felt that someone was doing something wrong. Whenever Pyron saw Mercy, he motioned for her to go below deck, which made her stride more confidently towards the sails. She tried to hide the look of discomfort that she could feel crawling up her countenance as she began to feel ill. The ship was beginning to heave and roll through the waves, pitching dangerously from side to side. Whenever there was a particularly high wave, it was almost impossible to stand upright at all.

  Mirilee shouted down at her, “You look green, Mercy. You should go back.”

  “I’m here to help. What do you need?”

  “Take this line and wrap it around the outside of the sail. I’m about to lower her down.”

  Mercy nodded and caught the line as Mirilee threw it down. She was surprised at how difficult just that one task was with the wind whipping it around and making writhe like a dying snake. Mercy had no doubt that if the line snapped and hit her, it could be as deadly as a snake bite as well.

  She began to wrap the line around the sail, when she heard Erebus shouting that there was a wave cresting to port. Mercy glanced around, but in a panic, she glanced at the wrong side. The small wave of water raced across the deck and knocked her off of her feet. The sail landed on her chest, pinning her to the deck that was now temporarily under the water. She accidentally drew a surprised breath causing her to sputter and cough up the salty sea water as well as what little she had been able to eat and keep down that day.

  As she struggled to stop coughing, Mercy felt arms wrapping around her and forcibly pulling her to her feet. Her knees buckled. Pyron lifted her shirt slightly and tenderly touched her ribs.

  “Nothing’s broken, but that was a close call. Mercy, you need to get below deck. The problem with seasickness is that not only does it make you nauseous but after some time spent aboard a ship it can also make you dizzy. That waterlogged sail could’ve broken your ribs!”

  Erebus was glancing down at them. She noticed that one of his ears looked slightly elongated. He wanted to listen in, and she was distracting him from a very important job. Mercy tried to call up to him that she was okay, but she couldn’t seem to stop coughing o
r regain her footing. She managed to hobble over to the Captain.

  Captain Morrissey said in a cold voice, “I believe I told you that if you were sick you were to stay below deck. That order was for your own safety so that you wouldn’t get swept overboard, and so that you wouldn’t accidentally knock someone else overboard while you flailed around for balance. You’ve disobeyed my orders so drastic measures must be taken.”

  He signaled for Lavirin. Lavirin jumped down from the quarterdeck as soon as he was finished securing the wheel.

  “Take Mercy below deck and tie her upright. Make sure that her door is locked securely as well.”

  “Do you think the water will be an issue? It’s usually better to tie them to the stairwell.”

  “If water is a problem in the living quarters, then we’ve got bigger things to worry about than Mercy getting seasick.”

  “There’s no need for that. I’ll follow your order, Sir.”

  Captain Morrissey shook his head. “Trust me, Mercy, this is for your own good.”

  Lavirin grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down to the women’s quarters. She shouted in protest, but he didn’t listen, his grip was like a vice against her wrist and he seemed prepared to take her by force if necessary. She nearly started to kick and fight against him, but she could feel that he had no ill intent for her. In fact, he really did believe he was doing her a favor.

  “I hope you didn’t eat anything for breakfast like the Captain requested.”

  “Nothing that didn’t already come up.”

  Lavirin smiled. “Good. Then you might not get as sick as you could. I’m going to tie you upright, though, just in case. That way if you pass out, you won’t choke.”

  “You’ve done this before?”

  Lavirin nodded as he fastened ropes to her arms and legs from the hooks where the hammocks usually hung. “Yeah. Whenever we take passengers, there’s always at least one. No one is going to look down on you for it. Trust me. By staying down here you’re doing us all a favor.”