Blood Moon (Blood Rain Book 2)

by Nancy Gray

  “What happened out there?”

  “The last thing I told him was that he should’ve never used you as bait for me. He put you in danger, and I couldn’t forgive him for that. He said that he was so proud of me, with this smug grin on his face. That’s when I punched him, and that was how the fight started.”

  Mercy finished bandaging him and put the rest of the bandages in her pack. She frowned at the blood soaking through them. She could tell that Erebus felt weak. She leaned up against him, and even though he was still sitting down, he seemed grateful for the support.

  “I guess I can understand that, but how did the fire start?”

  Erebus grinned. “I’ll bet that you think it was something impressive. That fire flew from our fingertips.”

  “The thought did cross my mind.”

  “I wish. We changed shape right then and there, biting and clawing at each other. We scuffled on the ground, rolling around like a couple of drunken fools. It was in the merchant district, and there was a fire dancer performing nearby—well, we sort of bumped into her. Her tent caught on fire. Then, she started shouting ‘beast men,’ and the guards came.”

  “That explains the arrows.”

  “Yes. They had surprisingly good aim, especially considering how many people were standing around to watch us fight. Despite the fire and the chaos, we had quite the audience when it was over.”

  Mercy stood up and began to pace with frustration. The relief she felt that Erebus was safe was quickly dissolving into anger.

  “Erebus, you’re so reckless. You could’ve been killed.”

  “I just couldn’t listen to him anymore. I couldn’t let him gloat over me like that. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have overreacted, but I can’t do anything about that now.”

  Mercy stopped pacing and sighed. “Well, at least you inconvenienced him. Your father will have to close his bar now if an entire street full of people saw him transform in front of everyone.”

  Erebus shook his head. “No. He changed his normal human appearance before our meeting. He’s too smart to risk his identity being exposed. The only reason I was able to find him was because I knew one of his contacts in the city. We arranged the meeting through him.”

  Mirilee knocked on the wooden frame of the door. She was pretending to hold one hand over her face while holding the full wineskin in the other.

  She asked loudly, “Is it safe to look? Both of you have most of your clothes on, right?”

  Mercy rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s very safe. Thanks for getting the blood.”

  Mirilee handed the wineskin to Erebus. He immediately put the bottle to his lips and took a long draw from it. Mercy didn’t even flinch away. After spending so much time with him, she was beginning to get used to his odd appetite.

  It seemed Mercy finished bandaging Erebus just in time. Garnet rounded the corner and came into the room, but she stopped immediately and stared at Erebus. A wide smile spread across her face as she took in his shirtless chest as well as the cuts and bruises. Mercy frowned. Garnet was another one of the sailors that she wished that she didn’t have to tolerate. The woman was gorgeous with a lithe athletic build and dark brown hair with dark eyes to match. Her lips were always painted a bright ruby red. The problem was that she knew that she was beautiful, and any man who ignored her was a challenge.

  “Well, a mysterious man just appears in my quarters without a shirt. Lucky me…”

  Mercy said flatly, “Garnet, this is Erebus. Erebus, Garnet.”

  “If you’d like to get better acquainted, my fee is very reasonable.”

  Mirilee laughed. “I thought that you were a whore.”

  “I like having extra money, call me what you will. At least I’m smart enough to use all of my talents.”

  Erebus frowned and said, “No thank you.”

  Garnet suddenly stared more intently at him. “My, what big teeth you have. I haven’t seen one like you in a long time.”

  Mercy flinched. As he drank the blood, Erebus’ fangs had become pronounced again.

  He glared at Garnet. “I suppose then, I will have to pay some sort of fee to you after all. I might as well go ahead and negotiate it.”

  Erebus stood up, wobbly on his feet. Mercy reached out to help him, but he turned and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. Then he turned back and walked towards Garnet. She grinned and slipped an arm around his waist and cast a cruel grin in Mercy’s direction, heading to the cargo hold. Mercy felt as though her blood was boiling.

  Still, Erebus turned slightly and winked at her, mouthing, “Don’t worry, Mercy.”

  Mercy signed and slumped down into her hammock. She knew his intention wasn’t to sleep with Garnet. She had the feeling that he would rather let everyone know his secret than to do that, but she could tell that Garnet had every intention of seducing him. As if to punctuate the fact, Mercy just could barely see before they disappeared around the corner Garnet grabbing Erebus behind the neck and pressing her lips up against his.

  Erebus’ eyes flashed with surprise and anger.

  She just smiled more broadly and whispered, “Part of my fee…”

  He snapped loudly, “My body isn’t part of the terms of service. Touch me again, and I don’t give a damn if you tell my secret.”

  As they walked out of sight, Mirilee whispered, “Mercy, don’t worry about it. Erebus has better taste than…are you okay?”

  Mercy felt physically ill. She wasn’t sure if it was the rocking of the ship or the kiss that she had witnessed between Garnet and Erebus, but she found herself running back to the main deck, and throwing up over the side.

  2

  Mercy looked up from over the side of the ship. Instead of the sun, which was setting when she went below deck, the blood moon was smiling down at her, low on the horizon. Its red reflection played on the waves that now looked black and uninviting. Even though the other sailors were on deck, there was a subdued silence. She remembered sitting on the beach a week ago, looking at it and thinking that something about it was beautiful, but that was before it began to look red every single evening. Her tribe was probably concerned about the moon as well. The last time they had seen the blood moon was a few days before the storm that rained blood on the village, the night that everything had changed…

  Mercy glanced down at her ankle. The snake tattoo there covered up the scar that remained after her engagement tattoo was ripped from her body. The marks of banishment on her back were all covered up as well, including the rest of her ruined tribal tattoo. She knew that her people would look down on her for removing the stigma they had placed upon her, but she didn’t need to keep dwelling on the past or to let them determine who she was. She helped save her people, whether they knew it or not. And so, she got a large tattoo of a fire bird on her back. It was meant to symbolize that she was rising out of the ashes as a stronger person and that she could overcome any obstacle. But as she glanced at the moon and thought about the home that she might never see again, she began to feel more like a lost dove than a phoenix.

  Pyron spoke, making her jump. “That was a close one, earlier. Sorry that I was so hard on you. I know you were just worried. Truthfully, I was worried too.”

  Mercy shrugged. “At least it turned out okay.”

  “Erebus looked pretty beaten up. The trail of blood he left behind was kind of hard to explain. Is he alright?”

  “Yes. Most of the wounds were from the guards. He and his father lost control in front of everyone, but they didn’t use any of their other abilities. I patched him up, and Mirilee got some blood for him. Hopefully, that’ll help him heal up more quickly.”

  “How are you holding up? You look a little green, are you seasick?”

  Mercy shivered and fought back the urge to retch again.

  She stood up more rigidly and said, “I’ll survive.”

  “A little ginger root works wonders. I have a bad feeling if you’re this sick after only a few hours, it’s going to be a
rough trip for you. Try it when you get the chance.”

  “Seasickness or not, I’ll feel better once we’ve found out who caused that storm, and once I’m sure that the Northern people are on our side. Are we really going to the Ashen capital first?”

  Despite the fact that he liked to hide his emotions, Mercy could feel the warm flush of pride that always occurred when Pyron spoke about his city.

  “Yes. Weather permitting; we’ll be there in about a week. We’re not staying long, though. We’re just going to load up a couple of crates of gifts. That should greatly improve our first impression when we get to the North. Their people always need salt and dried fruits, and we’re going to give them some gun powder and weaponry as well.”

  “Gunpowder for cannons?”

  “Yes, and for prospecting. Still, the gunpowder is mostly for the guns we’re providing to them. I guess you’ve never really seen a gun, have you?”

  Mercy shook her head.

  Pyron reached inside of his coat and glanced around at the other sailors with a frown. He pulled an empty hand out and whispered, “Well, I probably shouldn’t reveal that I’m armed to the other sailors.” He shrugged as though he was having trouble thinking of what comparison to make, “It’s sort of like a mini-cannon that you hold. It’s more deadly than a bow, and since it’s new technology only the very wealthy can afford them. We’re giving their people quite a few to show them that we want to be allies.”

  “And if they don’t want the Ashen capital as an ally?”

  Pyron said darkly, “Then they’re probably in league with whoever created that storm. If so, at least I can die knowing I served the dictator well.”

  Mercy turned away from the moon and leaned back against the side of the ship. She pretended that seeing the water was making her more conscious of the motion of the boat so that she could turn away. She really just didn’t want Pyron to notice that she was about to cry.

  “I wish that I was in good standing with my people. If I die on this trip, I don’t really think many of the others would mourn me. My father and brother would and maybe my mentor, Mender of Spirits.”

  Pyron turned and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mercy. You won’t die, and you will be reconciled with your people again. Your father is the chieftain. Once it comes to light what you’ve done for them, they’ll take you back right away.”

  “I somehow don’t think it’s going to be that simple. If magic comes back into the world, nothing will be the same. And if the beast men decide to go to war, I won’t have a tribe to go back to.”

  Pyron turned back and stared at the blood moon.

  “If whoever started the blood rain succeeds in causing a war between all races of beast men, I don’t think anyone will have a place to call home.”

  They were silent. Somewhere in the distance, Mercy heard a strange, almost mournful cry. It was answered by several others.

  Pyron answered her question before she could speak. “Whales. Maybe you’ll get to see one. They’re beautiful animals. Some of them can grow to be longer than this ship.”

  “Longer than the ship? I think I’d rather not see one, thanks.”

  Pyron laughed and gave her a wry smile. “Don’t worry they’re gentle for their size. It’s the siren sharks you need to worry about. They’re about as long as a ship as well, and could shatter the hull with one well placed shriek.”

  Mercy jabbed him in the rib. “I’m going to go and try to get some sleep, no thanks to you. Like I need more to worry about…”

  Pyron became serious and asked, “Is something else bothering you? You seem a little tense.”

  Mercy thought about Garnet and frowned.

  She shook her head. “No. I just needed to get some fresh air. Where’s Beryl? I haven’t seen him since we got on the boat?”

  “He’s talking with the Captain. I think he’s discussing our plan with him. I hope that we can trust Morrissey. I picked him because he has a good reputation for seeing a high paying job to the end. Beryl seems to know him personally.”

  Mercy laughed. “And that’s what’s bothering you isn’t it? That Beryl knows him personally?”

  Pyron shrugged. “It goes against my training to put faith in someone else’s contacts.”

  “Well, Morrissey seems alright. He helped with the distraction earlier. I’m feeling a little bit better now, but I think I’ll take your advice and get some of that root.”

  Pyron took something from his front vest pocket and tossed it in her direction. She caught the gnarled root fragment. It had a sharp smell.

  Mercy laughed. “So you were seasick too. That’s how you knew about the root.”

  Pyron grinned. “Nonsense. I’m a lieutenant of the Ashen military and a spy for the dictator. I’m invincible, you know.”

  “Goodnight, Pyron.”

  “Goodnight, Mind of Mercy.”

  Pyron turned and stared in the direction of the moon, and then closed his eyes and breathed in the air, deeply. Mercy smiled as she realized that he was still trying to stave off the nausea. She turned to go back downstairs, but instead decided to wait outside of the captain’s cabin for Beryl. She wanted to at least say goodnight to him. As she got closer to the door, she heard raised voices.

  Mercy thought, “I shouldn’t listen,” but then, she imagined what Mirilee would say in a similar situation, “Yes, you should. They’re discussing the plan. Everyone needs to know the details of it.”

  Mercy moved as quietly as possible, concentrating on what she knew about moving in silence for the hunt. She had watched renders moving soundlessly across the jungle floor in perfect feline balance. She could do the same as long as she concentrated on moving one foot in front of the other. The shadow cast by the railing above her was the perfect place to hide, and she snuck slowly into it, careful to make sure that no sailors were watching and that Pyron hadn’t seen her either. He was still staring out ahead of him but had started to whistle some sort of song. Mercy carefully pressed her ear up against the wooden door and listened.

  Morrissey said, “I just don’t think it’s wise to bring outsiders to the North.”

  Beryl sounded exasperated. “I’ve already told you that these people are different. They’re trying to find out who’s responsible for the blood storm, and they’re trying to rescue the prince. If there’s any prayer that he can still marry the Northern princess, we have to risk it.”

  Mercy felt her jaw drop. Beryl failed to mention that. If the Merman prince was betrothed to the Northern leader’s daughter, the marriage would secure some sort of political alliance between the Mermen and the Northerners. Supposedly, the Mermen lived in cities beneath the sea. Of course, there were the stories that his people sometimes would intermarry with the people of the North. If the betrothal was true, then the other stories probably were as well. The implications made her shiver.

  Morrissey said in a dark tone, “Even the Shadow Weaver? He won’t like what he sees.”

  “He needs to know what’s happening, and so do the rest of the beast tribes. They’re going to find out sooner or later. I’m sure he won’t like it, but we can’t keep this a secret much longer. Eventually, you have to trust someone, and I trust these people.”

  “No offense, Beryl, but you trust everyone. I didn’t live this long by taking foolish chances. Apart from the Shadow Weaver, you brought a spy for the Ashen capital. If Pyron sees what even children in the North can do, he’ll tell his dictator. What do you think will happen then?”

  Beryl began to raise his voice, but paused and took a deep breath saying, “Pyron is just trying to secure an alliance between his country and ours. We suspect that the Sylvan Islands are involved in the blood storm and The Knave was the ship where the ritual took place. If a traitor to his people was involved in creating the Blood Rain, it means the Ashen People were obviously framed. Besides, I would rather be allied to the Ashen People than to someone who would create that storm. The Ashen People could use the metal from the mounta
ins in the war effort against them.”

  Morrissey sighed heavily. “Until we have proof that the islanders are involved, I don’t want to make war on anyone. If we ally ourselves with the Ashen capital, then we’re participating in a war.”

  “If we sit back and do nothing, there will be another blood storm, and the beast races will rip each other apart along with anyone caught in the crossfire. You say that you don’t take foolish chances, but I know the sort of jobs you take on the side.”

  It was beginning to rain. Mercy glanced up, but it didn’t look like it was going to be a bad storm. Besides, the conversation was getting too interesting to pay attention to the weather. What sort of jobs did the Captain take on the side? His ship, “The Serpent Queen,” looked more like a pirate ship than a merchant vessel with its black sails, black trim, cherry-stained wood, and tawny wooden deck. The figurehead was a mermaid seated on the neck of a sea serpent with a wide gaping mouth. Mercy also knew from talking to Incenda that hidden within the serpent’s mouth was a secret cannon.

  And why was he acting as though his home was the North as well? True, the Northern people were said to be dark skinned with either very light or very dark hair, but they were also supposed to be short and stocky. Beryl was tall and lanky.

  Morrissey suddenly hissed, “Shhh. I think someone is listening at the door!”

  Mercy felt as though she was going to be sick again. She frantically looked around only to see Pyron staring up at her from the ship’s deck. He motioned for her to run, and she didn’t have to think twice about following the command. She rushed around the corner, down the stairs, and into the girl’s quarters as quickly as she could.

  The gunner, Incenda, was straightening up her hammock. Incenda’s appearance was also a little unnerving. She was from the Ashen capital as well, and her skin was nearly gunpowder black that contrasted with her bright orange hair and orange eyes.

  “Oh, hello, Mercy.”

  “I’ve been here this entire time, okay?”

  Incenda blinked and then laughed. “Okay.”