Blood Moon (Blood Rain Book 2) Read online

  “I didn’t think I was so useless that you’d be better off without me.”

  “In this storm, you would be. This way, you won’t be in the way, and your friends won’t be worried about you. They’re good ship hands, and we need all the help we can get in this mess. Plus, do you really want everyone to see you getting sick all over the deck?”

  Mercy sighed miserably. “No, I really don’t.”

  “Then, we’ll see you when the storm passes. We’ll probably be going straight to the quarters ourselves once the work is done. Don’t worry, Mercy. We’ll be fine. The Captain is right; that waterspout is nothing and we’ve been through worse storms.”

  With that, Lavirin finished securing her ropes, pulled on her shoulders a little to test the knots, and then left her tied upright.

  He said as he walked away, “I’d just sag down if I was you. That way, your head won’t brush up against the back of the wall on every swell.”

  After only a few minutes, Mercy understood what he meant. The ship pitched back and forth, and there were times when she felt as if it had turned over onto its side. The nausea hit her with a force as powerful as the waves crashing against the side of the ship, and her vision seemed to go blurry in her dizzy state. Mercy gave up on attempting to keep her balance and did as Lavirin suggested, sagging against the ropes and closing her eyes. She had never felt so helpless. Even when she was fighting against the beast men in the cave, she was always thinking one step ahead, looking for an opening to defend herself. The problem now was how could she defend herself against the reaction of her own body?

  Time was a concept that Mercy couldn’t fathom as her body moved with the motion of the ship. She tried counting the minutes, but lost count every time that she gagged. It was as dark as pitch inside of the women’s quarters and Mercy’s eyes were playing tricks on her, making shapes out of the shadows. She wished that Erebus was there. If anyone could keep shadows at bay, it was him. Occasionally, a few inches of water would trickle under the door. She knew because she felt it covering her feet. The first time it happened she panicked, afraid that the ship was sinking, but when the water receded she realized it was just the remnant of a wave from above.

  Finally, when she had nothing left in her stomach to retch, she began to think strange, abstract thoughts until exhaustion overcame her and she passed out completely. She wasn’t sure how long she was unconscious. She was only vaguely aware of someone cutting her free from the restraints, picking her up and putting her into one of the hammocks. The person also wiped her face with a warm washcloth, lit an oil lamp and placed it on the small table on the opposite wall. Mercy could still hear the wind howling outside, but the ship wasn’t roiling with the same ferocity that it had throughout the first part of the storm. She somehow managed to open her eyes all the way and realized the vague, shadowy person sitting on a stool next to her was Pyron, offering her something to drink.

  10

  Pyron leaned forward and put a cup of liquid into her hands. It smelled strong, like some sort of liquor combined with ginger root. She felt a little ill at the smell, but tried to give him a grateful smile anyway.

  Pyron seemed to read her mind. “I made this out of ginger root and a few other things to soothe your stomach. It might help a little. There isn’t much liquor in it, just enough to make you feel a little warmer. After this, you need to drink plenty of water, though. You need to stay hydrated.”

  Mercy’s lips felt cracked. She was sure that they had split and were bleeding, but she couldn’t seem to stomach the thought of eating or drinking anything.

  “Just try to get something down.”

  Mercy took a few sips of the ginger root beverage. She was surprised that it actually had a sweet flavor that cut the bitterness of the ginger, but it did have a bitter aftertaste. She found herself drinking more of it than she thought possible. Pyron just sat and watched her with a satisfied expression. It reminded her of the night of the blood rain when he nursed her back to health after he found her bleeding nearly to death. It seemed so long ago now, but she knew it had only been a few months.

  Mercy managed to say in a choked voice, “Are the others okay?”

  “Yes. Mirilee and Kylas have the balance of acrobats, and we knew, if push came to shove, Erebus could transform and use his wings to fly down to help. When the storm started to die down and he saw me coming this way, I thought he was going to blow his cover just to ensure that he beat me here.”

  Mercy chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like something he would do. I wish I wasn’t so weak. I really wanted to be there to help.”

  Mercy shuddered and managed to just barely keep herself from throwing up.

  “There was nothing you could do in your condition. I think you’ll find that after this storm, you’re going to adjust to being on the ship just fine. It doesn’t get much worse than this.”

  “Captain Morrissey kept saying they had been through worse.”

  Pyron laughed. “Yes, just like every time when a fisherman tells the story of the fish he caught. It keeps getting bigger. That was one hell of a storm.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it’s completely over. How did you get a chance to come down here?”

  “The Captain said something about me ‘undermining his authority,’ whatever that means.”

  Mercy managed to laugh. “Yeah, that’s you alright!”

  He feigned a hurt expression. “I thought you and I were friends.”

  Mercy frowned in thought. “I think that we are, but you don’t tell me very much. I’ve been wondering – why are you always so concerned about me? You felt protective of me the moment you met me.”

  Pyron’s face clouded over and he asked, “How did you know that?”

  “I guess I haven’t been entirely honest with you either. I have a gift that lets me sense the emotions of others. You’re very good at hiding yours, but my mentor trained me to use my skill to interpret the true motives behind what people say and do. I guess you could say that I was learning to be a judge as well as a shaman. It was a skill that would be valuable in a leader. I never wanted any of that, though.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to be a leader. Half the time I don’t feel like I’m in control at all. Like tonight, my friends had to tie me up to get me to do the smart thing and stay out of the way.”

  He chuckled. “Well, you are stubborn, but sometimes stubborn people make the best leaders. But, if you didn’t want that, what did you want?”

  “I just wanted to know my Father, but sometimes we don’t always get what we want. My brother, Pack Leader doesn’t have what it takes to lead the village anymore. Erebus is right. Once my people know what I did for them, they’ll want me as the new chieftain. I guess I’d better accept that. You never answered my question, though. Why are you so protective of me?”

  Pyron sighed. “If you want the truth, you remind me of my wife.”

  For a moment Mercy jerked back in disgust, “You have a wife and you’ve been acting interested in…”

  “I had a wife. I lost her a few years ago. She was murdered.”

  Mercy gasped. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  Pyron raised an eyebrow and said, “If you want to know more, you’ll drink a little water.”

  He reached over to the table and pulled out a pitcher and a few cups that he had set up beneath it, pouring her one.

  Mercy pouted. “Not fair,” But begrudgingly accepted the drink anyway.

  “One of the reasons why I don’t agree with the Crevane’s practice of using our prisoners of war as servants is because of her. Her mother was a citizen of the Ashen capital, but her father was one of your people. He was a sailor, you see.”

  Mercy nodded. “So she looked a little like me?”

  “Yes, a little. That isn’t why you remind me of her, though. Anyway, with the way things are now, people would be viewing her with suspicion. At least, she doesn’t have to go through that.”

  Mer
cy took a sip of water and asked, “How old were you when you got married?”

  “Sixteen. I met her just after I graduated from the Academy. She was the same age. I was reckless – foolish. She was a young priestess that worked in the fire temple in the city, and she was always the mature one. She was very spirited and kind. She was the kind of person that would sacrifice herself for others.”

  Mercy blushed in embarrassment, and pulled the blanket closer around herself as if it could hide her from Pyron’s respectful gaze. Those were the terms he used to describe Mercy.

  Pyron sighed and he seemed to look a little older in the dim light of the oil lamp “When one of my people takes an oath to the dictator, we’re not supposed to marry. Still, no one really obeys that rule. If we fall in love we have a small, secret ceremony and instead of wearing a ring, we get a hidden tattoo as a symbol of our union.”

  “Don’t tell me that the dictator found out and…”

  “No. I wouldn’t still be a loyal servant of the capital if he had executed my wife. Like I said, no one obeys that rule. The dictator turns a blind eye to that sort of thing as long as his operatives can still do their job. But he did give me a job that put a strain on my marriage.”

  Mercy frowned. “What sort of job would do that?”

  “After the war started he gave me a mission to gather information about a man named Nicomedes that he suspected was selling military secrets to the Sylvan Islands. I followed him and found out that he had a mistress living in the city. So I visited her to pay for any information she had about him. She had other ideas.”

  Mercy cringed but didn’t say anything. She felt his guilt so intensely it made bile rise to the back of her throat.

  “I didn’t want to do it, but his mistress felt neglected because Nicomedes was always sailing to the islands, and sex was her price. She withheld information from me so that I would visit her again and again. I hated the woman, but I had a job to do. My wife knew something was wrong. She began to suspect the affair.”

  Mercy cringed. “That’s awful. There was nothing else you could do?”

  “Believe me! If I could’ve figured out any other way, I would’ve done it. I threatened the woman, but she was more afraid of Nicomedes than she was of me. I offered to pay, but she had plenty of money. I even offered to supply her with her own secret courtesan. But since I was married, that made me a challenge. She didn’t want anyone else.”

  “I know what that feels like. That bastard Green Arrow wouldn’t leave me alone, even before my fiancé died.”

  “I know exactly how you felt when you found out what Green Arrow did to Wind Runner.”

  Mercy felt a lump forming in her throat when he mentioned Wind Runner. She quickly took a larger sip of water to cover it up, but then nearly coughed it back up. Pyron waited patiently and gently patted her shoulder until the coughing fit was over.

  Mercy changed the subject. “Did this woman, the mistress, kill your wife?”

  “No. One evening, my wife followed me. She actually walked in on me and the woman. She ran off and I chased after her but Nicomedes found her first. He had discovered that his mistress was unfaithful with me, so he did a little research and found out about my wife.”

  “Oh Pyron, I…”

  “I found her body in a back alleyway with a note. It said, ‘Since you were so busy sampling my mistress; I thought I’d sample yours. You brought this on yourself.’ To him, it was just business. To him, she was a tool to get to me, but my wife meant everything to me.”

  Mercy’s eyes got wide with recognition, “Nicomedes, he’s the traitor that we’re chasing, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. He killed his mistress and fled the city that night. It was my first failed mission, and I’ve been trying to make up for it ever since. I want to avenge my wife, but I can never really do that. I’m the reason she’s dead.”

  Pyron sighed heavily and poured himself some water in an extra cup. Mercy noticed that his hands were shaking and he was finally losing some control over his emotions. She heard a low sob escape from his throat, but no tears fell from his eyes. Still, she could tell he was crying on the inside, and her heart broke for him.

  Mercy said in a gentle whisper, “You can cry in front of me.”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t. My eyes are different than they were before the doctor adjusted them. I can’t cry. So I couldn’t even properly mourn my wife.”

  “You blame yourself, don’t you?”

  Pyron didn’t say anything, but she could feel his gut-wrenching guilt as strongly as she felt his unshed tears.

  “Pyron, you can’t blame yourself for that. You were just following your orders.”

  “I should’ve never married her. It was selfish of me. I was weak and stupid, and I can never avenge her since what happened was entirely my fault. And, orders or not, I never should’ve cheated on her. I was afraid of angering the dictator, but if I had been brave enough to tell the truth, maybe she would still be alive.”

  “Or the dictator might’ve held her over your head for the rest of your life. Dictator Crevane is dangerous. I couldn’t sense much emotion from him at all, and I think that’s because he doesn’t have much emotion to sense.”

  Pyron frowned. “Mercy, he might come across as cold, but Dictator Crevane cares about his people.”

  “I’m not arguing with you on that point. He does care very much about his people as a whole. But, I sincerely think he believes that individuals are expendable for the sake of that whole. His spies are his tools; his assassins, his hounds. Do you really think he wouldn’t hold the fact you disobeyed him over you?”

  Pyron sighed miserably. He suddenly looked tired again and bone weary. Seeing him that way made Mercy think that Mirilee was right. On the inside he was at least approaching middle age.

  Pyron shrugged. “If it meant she was still alive, I could live with that.”

  “Not if he threatened her life to get to you. That’s what I think he would’ve done, just like that Doctor threatened you with me.”

  “Well, either way, there’s nothing I can do about it now. But I can still protect you.”

  Mercy smiled slightly. “I think I’m starting to understand you. I remind you of her because I’m the same age she was when you met her, and we have similar personalities. So, by protecting me, you’re trying to make up for what happened to her. Pyron, I’m not your wife. You need to let her go and you need to forgive yourself.”

  Pyron chuckled. “And I thought Mirilee could be blunt.”

  “Sorry, but I thought you needed to hear it.”

  Pyron gazed at her the way he did the night she gave him the necklace and said, “Maybe I’ve already let her go and I need to move on with my life.”

  Mercy felt her heart beating faster. She tried to calm it even as she felt herself leaning towards Pyron. Just as their lips touched, she pulled away.

  Pyron frowned. “What’s the matter?”

  “Do you remember the night I got back to the lighthouse?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I took a walk that evening, and Erebus followed me. I wanted to be with him, but he told me that he didn’t think we could be together. There’s no place for him in my tribe, and there’s no place for me with his people. It’s the same way with us, Pyron. There’s no way that you and I could be together. My people don’t trust yours, and I couldn’t live in Crevane.”

  Pyron sighed miserably. “We both have responsibilities to our people. I know. It was nice dreaming of being free even if it was just for a little while, instead of being only a tool at Dictator Crevane’s disposal.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to be an insult, Pyron. I admire what you do for your people. Your loyalty is a wonderful quality, but it’s at such a heavy price.”

  “After all you’ve done for your people, you’re the one person that definitely understands how I feel. I think that’s another reason why I care for you.”

  “I’ll help you avenge
your wife. When we find this man, we’ll kill him!”

  Pyron shook his head. “I think the dictator did get the last laugh this time. I have to bring Nicomedes back to Crevane to face justice. That means more than likely the dictator will spare his life in return for information about the Sylvan Islands. And The Knave was the where the storm originated. Even if Nicomedes didn’t take part in the ritual himself, he has to know who is responsible.”

  Mercy felt her hands balling into fists of rage. After everything Pyron had been through for the dictator it seemed like the ultimate insult.

  “That’s awful! What if he were to accidentally die in the fight?”

  “We need the information he has. Besides, it would look pretty suspicious. I have to bring him back alive, especially now that the doctor is breathing down my neck. I need to return looking as if I followed the dictator’s orders to the letter.”

  Mercy flinched and looked away for a moment. “I’m sorry, Pyron. That was our fault.”

  Pyron reached over and gently pulled on her chin so she faced him again and smiled. “Don’t worry. Once the dictator finds out everything he knows, Nicomedes could have an unfortunate accident in a familiar alleyway in the city. I think that would be one of those situations that the dictator will turn a blind eye to once it happens.”

  “I can see that you’ve thought this out.”

  He stroked her cheek and then took another sip of his water. “Of course. You didn’t have much time to plot revenge for what happened to Wind Runner so what Erebus did to Green Arrow was satisfying enough for you. I, however, have had several lonely years to think about it.”

  “Well, just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “About my lonely years?”

  She blushed. “No, about helping you avenge your wife.”

  Pyron became serious and stared off in the distance as he said, “There is one thing. When we engage his ship, stay as far away from Nicomedes as you can. He’s a dangerous man. Besides, the others will need your help picking off his followers with your bow.”