Blood Rain

by Nancy Gray

  “If you had just been reasonable and listened to my proposition in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened either. I took responsibility for him and that should’ve been enough for you.”

  “Well, it’s on your head then. I’ll go personally and tell the others to call off the search. He’ll ‘escape’ on one condition.”

  “I grow weary of your conditions, but I’m listening.”

  “When you search for the source of the rain, find out what became of Angelina.”

  “And what will you give us in return?”

  There was a pause and Lord Radian replied in a harsh voice, “The favor of one of the Masters of Air and Light is valuable indeed.”

  “Then, if we find out her fate and tell you who is responsible for the rain, will you give your favor to Mirilee? I think that she deserves to see her parents again, especially since you robbed them from her when she was young.”

  “Yes. I may be able to help her. You are a mystery, shadow weaver. I might have misjudged you.”

  “And you promised, as a sign of your good will, you will allow the desert dwellers to take shelter in the rocks near the plateau with your blessing.”

  “Yes. They may stay until the storm subsides, as always. Before you go, Shadow Weaver, I’ll give you a word of warning. If you decide to betray our trust we will find you.”

  “I don’t intend to betray your trust, but that’s quite a bold thing to say after how your people treated my allies. I’m a member of the Blood Council. I won’t be hard to find. Just hope and pray that your people don’t cross mine again, especially now that I know about your little social experiment. This is against the blood pact, and you know it.”

  Mercy could finally see them at the base of the cliff. Lord Radian bowed very slightly at the waist towards Erebus, and he made it a point to bow the exact same amount toward Lord Radian. Then, Erebus started walking in their direction. Lord Radian took flight and flew in the direction of the encampment. As soon as Lord Radian was out of sight, Mercy walked out from behind her shelter of rocks and motioned at Erebus. He gasped and she felt a flood of complex emotions coming from him. Suddenly, he was running towards her.

  He pulled her into a long embrace and whispered into her ear, “I thought I would never see you again. I heard what happened. I wish you had just waited for me like I asked.”

  “I had to go. It was the only way that we could save Kylas.”

  “I know. I was so angry and worried, but now I’m just happy to see for myself that you’re alive. I’m so sorry. I thought I could talk them down. I was wrong.”

  Mirilee cleared her throat. “Would you two just like to be left alone?”

  “Sorry. Of course I’m glad to see that you’re okay, Mirilee,” He reached out and pulled her into a hug, too.

  Kylas held out his hand, stiffly. “You defended my people. Thank you.”

  Erebus just grunted but begrudgingly shook his hand. Mercy could tell that Erebus at least partially blamed Kylas for everything that had happened, but it wasn’t the time to fight over it. She smiled at Erebus gratefully. He inclined his head very slightly.

  Mirilee asked, “So, is it safe now?”

  Erebus peeked out behind the rocks and glanced at the skies. “Looks that way. The others are following Lord Radian back to the plateaus.”

  “Then, will you wait with Kylas? I want to say goodbye to my grandfather and the rest of the camp.”

  Mercy asked, “Isn’t Kylas going with you?”

  Kylas picked up a rock and threw it into the desert. “So, it’s true. Even though I survived, I’m still banished.”

  Mirilee nodded and clapped him on the shoulder and then walked in the direction of tents being packed up behind the rocks. Kylas watched her go. Mercy could feel his envy like a green snake ready to strike.

  “At least you survived.”

  “Please don’t think that I’m ungrateful for what you and Mirilee did for me, but why did I survive? I’ve lost my home, my identity, and anyone I considered family. You don’t know what it’s like.”

  Erebus grabbed Kylas and snarled, “Apologize to Mercy. She knows exactly what you’re going through. She was banished from her tribe, as well.”

  He gasped. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

  Erebus glared at him but slowly let go. Mercy frowned. She hadn’t really thought of her banishment that way. His words hit her harder than he knew. She really didn’t have a point of reference about who she was anymore since she was now considered an outsider to her culture. A great deal of her identity was based on her place among her people, and now she was no longer one of them. She glanced at the sand beneath her feet, lost in thought. Erebus put a hand on her shoulder.

  He said in a whisper, “Don’t think on it, Mercy.”

  “Think on what? The fact that I’ve lost everything and am technically no longer part of my family? That when we find the source of the rain, I have no home to go back to? Why am I even still looking for the rain since it was the chieftain who sent me?”

  “You’re looking because you know it’s important. Besides, you won’t remain banished. Your brother will make sure you have a place within your family.”

  Mercy nodded but secretly wondered if that was true. Her brother seemed so different than she remembered him. He was feeble and he seemed as though his mind was becoming unhinged. As she looked in the direction of the encampment, she could just barely see Mirilee hugging her friends and family and saying goodbye. She couldn’t help but to be envious as well. The last time she had seen her father, he was there to witness her banishment and had attempted to keep his face as stony as possible.

  After about thirty minutes, Mirilee came back, leading another strider that was loaded up with several bags of supplies. “Josiah packed up your possessions for you, Kylas. He also gave us an extra strider, supplies for our trip, and more blood for Erebus, but we can’t spend the night at the encampment.”

  Erebus said, “I’d rather get moving as soon as we can anyway.”

  Mercy felt exhaustion threatening to crumple her knees just at the thought of traveling.

  Mirilee suggested, “I think we should take a rest behind these rocks and let my people get a good head start.” She gave Mercy a significant glance and said, “Maybe we’ll feel a little better with some sleep. Then we can go.”

  Mercy fell asleep right away, but a few hours later she woke up, and she couldn’t get back to sleep. She was thinking too hard about what Mered had told her and everything she had seen. There was definitely a correlation between the missing nobility and the blood storm, but she couldn’t figure out what. It made her wonder if Erebus knew what the correlation was, but she knew that he couldn’t tell her even if he did. She sighed in frustration and tossed and turned until she finally got back to sleep. It seemed like it wasn’t long before she was awoken again after the caravan left, and it was time to travel to Concord.

  34

  At the first possible opportunity, Mercy told everyone what Mered had told her in the prison cell. They reacted in a way she didn’t expect. At first, they insinuated that she was lying but, in less time than she expected, they accepted the fact that it was the truth. They hardly reacted to the information at all. Even though it caused him some pain, Erebus begrudgingly acknowledged that Mered wasn’t lying, but he couldn’t talk about it. It seemed that Kylas and Mirilee simply didn’t want to talk about it. After everything they had been through, the new information just put them in a bad mood, making the trip feel longer than it actually was.

  Unlike the trip into the desert, Mirilee was mostly quiet. Kylas continued to stare in suspicion at Erebus, and Mirilee came to Kylas’ defense even when he was doing something wrong. Mercy didn’t want to admit it, but she was still angry at Kylas. His comment about what banishment actually meant was still haunting her. He couldn’t have known what she had been through, but he had made her question who she was and, as far as she was concerned, things were complicated enough.
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br />   The extreme heat and cold of the desert was replaced by the temperate jungle after traveling for three days. Mercy was happier to see her home terrain more than she thought possible. It took traveling for three more days before Mercy began to see familiar trees and natural landmarks that signaled they were getting close to her village. They were going to have to skirt around it, but it made her wish that she could see it one last time. Under normal circumstances, she would be welcomed home by Mender of Spirits.

  Mercy whispered to Erebus, “We’re close to my village. It’s right through that grove of trees. I don’t smell decay on the winds. That’s a good sign. I just wish I could see it again without the bodies or the destruction.”

  “Well, why don’t you climb up one of the trees and see what it looks like? They’ve had enough time to at least have cleaned things up. We probably won’t be coming back here for awhile and it might do you some good.”

  “I suppose I could do that. You’re right that it might make me feel better.”

  Erebus galloped up to Mirilee and said, “Let’s stop here for lunch. Mercy wants to check on her village, and I’m starving.”

  The others wearily nodded and stopped their animals, setting up a cooking fire while Mercy and Erebus searched for the best tree to climb. Eventually, Mercy found what she was looking for, an ancient tree that seemed to almost be reaching for the sky itself. She recognized the gnarled trunk. It was one of the landmarks that she always looked for when she was riding on Nightsong. It would be just tall enough that she would be able to see above the canopy and into the village.

  Erebus looked a little concerned as she began to ease her way up the trunk. “I’ll be ready. If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

  Mercy laughed down at him. “I’ve been climbing trees since I was old enough to walk. You won’t have to catch me.”

  She swung effortlessly through the low branches until she was at the uppermost branch with the best view above the canopy. Then she saw her village stretching out in front of her. She was so high up it was like looking at a model of her village created by an inventive child. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that her father had taken all of her advice.

  All of the bodies were buried, including those of the beast men. She could see a large wooden carving depicting the forest spirit, probably marking the spot of the mass grave in the center of the grove beneath the village. On the edge of the grove she saw another carving depicting the lady of the moon, and she realized that was probably a mass grave for the beast men. She was proud of her father for going to that much effort to fulfill Erebus’ request.

  Vitulae sang in dulcet tones that carried above the moaning of wind. The skeletons of buildings that were burned down in the fire were torn down entirely and new construction had already begun. And, as she slowly pulled herself across the branch to get a better view, she just barely saw a behemoth skin with the skull still attached, stretched out like a welcoming gate in front of the village. It was curing in the sunlight, but the creature that they killed had to have been enormous for her to see it from so high up. It was an imposing sight.

  The few people that she could see from the canopy were wearing chitin armor and face paint. They moved with uniform precision across new rope bridges, and they were armed as though they expected another behemoth to come charging through at any moment. The sight was enough to take her breath away, and it made her feel a pang of sadness realizing that she wouldn’t be able to see it up close. Her sadness was countered by a fierce sense of pride knowing that she was responsible. She watched her village for another twenty minutes before she finally decided to climb down.

  “Well, what did you see?”

  Mercy smiled. “They took my advice. The Ashen spies won’t think that they’re weak when they see the village. I just wish I could be there to see the look on their faces.”

  Mercy didn’t say anything more to Erebus, simply mounting the horse and trotting up ahead of the group. She wished that she could be alone with her thoughts and Erebus must’ve known because she heard the whoosh of wind as he changed into his bestial form, flying from the back of the horse and up ahead of them. She was grateful not to have to talk. She just sighed and leaned forward in the saddle, thinking of the bittersweet sight of her village.

  Mercy wasn’t sure how long she had been thinking when Erebus landed behind her and muttered, “Sorry, I still haven’t recovered entirely. I need to rest.”

  “That’s okay. Sometimes, it’s better not to dwell on things. I need to think about the future.”

  It rained for the last five days of the trip, but it was a normal rainstorm and at least the streams no longer had any trace of blood. Everyday they were able to bathe and feel clean and refreshed, despite the pervading feeling of dampness. Just being clean was a blessing that greatly improved everyone’s mood. When they finally reached Concord, the lighthouse was once again a beacon of hope in the distance, and this time it was gleaming with white, fresh paint instead of the blood colored tower that Mercy had seen when she first arrived.

  When she saw it, even though she had only been there for a short period of time, she thought, “I’m home.”

  35

  Pyron and Beryl were sitting at the small table in the large sitting room at the bottom of the lighthouse when Mercy opened the door, trailed by her small entourage of friends. Mercy smiled as Beryl’s mouth hung open comically for a moment, and then suddenly both of them were up from the table and hugging her. The flood of positive emotions warmed her to the bone, and she realized that was exactly why she felt like she was coming home when she got to the lighthouse. There were people waiting for her here, and it wasn’t the place that made a home, but the people.

  Pyron laughed. “Why am I not surprised that you just showed up on our doorstep like a stray cat?” He was wiping a tear away from his eye as he spoke, pretending that he was picking away a speck of dirt.

  Beryl put his hands on her shoulders. “Mercy, we heard about what happened to you, about being banished from your tribe. We’re so sorry. If we hadn’t sent you back alone maybe…”

  “How did you find out about that?”

  Pyron grinned. “Let’s just say a little white bat came and told us everything. We had to meet up with Carmine again and Cruor was there. We had an extensive conversation with him about our next course of action.”

  Beryl nodded. “You came just in time. We’ve already hired a ship and we’re leaving in one week. You like to cut things close, don’t you?”

  “I’m so glad you’re still here. I have so much to tell you, but first, let me introduce you to my friends.”

  Everyone made introductions all around. Mercy noticed that Beryl and Erebus shook hands stiffly, but she wasn’t very surprised. Beryl seemed guarded around Carmine originally, as well.

  She whispered to him, “Your people just don’t get along with anyone, do they?”

  He shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m used to it.”

  As she told Pyron and Beryl about what she had been through and how she met each of them, everyone began to warm up towards one another. Pyron cooked some stew and it was decided that Kylas and Mirilee could camp just outside of the lighthouse, and Mercy could stay in Pyron’s room again while Erebus slept close by on the couch in the main room.

  As they ate, Pyron told Mercy where he and Beryl were during her time away. Beryl contacted the other Mermen and was able to lead Pyron to where the storm originated. Sadly, the origin of the storm was the middle of the ocean.

  Mercy asked, “The middle of the ocean? But how?”

  Pyron said, “Apparently, the ritual was done onboard a ship, but none of Beryl’s people saw what ship it was. A few actually disappeared in the area, so we’re guessing if there were any witnesses, they were murdered. Buy a few did notice a ship in the area, and they said it had red sails. We suspect it’s The Knave, captained by a man who’s a traitor to my people already. It makes sense that he would be involved”

  Miri
lee eyed Beryl and asked, “How do we know the Merfolk didn’t do it?”

  Beryl looked like he was about to shout something, but Erebus spoke up instead saying, “His people wouldn’t know that kind of ritual. It had something to do with blood. That’s not to say that they couldn’t collaborate with someone else, but they couldn’t have done it alone.”

  “We wouldn’t, even if we could. Besides, our prince is still missing. It’s throwing my people into turmoil.”

  Pyron looked as though he forgot about his food for a moment.

  He spoke as though he was just thinking aloud. “I suspected the Sylvan Islands since they’re at war with the Ashen capital. They would have motive to incite a war between the Ashen capital and the Mermen, and they might even try to ally themselves to the beast men to fight us. We don’t think that’s very likely anymore.”

  Mirilee asked, “Why?”

  “Because it seems that the storm hit them, as well. Several ships were blockading the island when they heard screaming and saw smoke from the forest. Then, the beast men came out and attacked the ships. The soldiers said that they looked like walking sharks with their eyes rolled back in their heads. They also said they’ve never seen such bloodlust.”

  Kylas said, “They could’ve hit their own island chain to cover it up.”

  Mercy shook her head. “But from what Erebus told me, most of the beast men don’t like to lose control. And, if they heard screaming, they were probably attacking the other islanders.”

  Erebus nodded. “The beast men of the islands were the ones that my people were thinking of joining forces with for protection. They might be responsible, but I agree that it doesn’t make sense for them to hit their own island.”

  Pyron said, “I’m not ruling them out entirely. It’s possible they didn’t know how to control the storm yet and hitting their own island was an unforeseen accident.”