Blood Moon (A Louisiana Demontale): Book 1 of the Crescent Crown Saga

by Schuyler Windham

  Leo slumped his head against the wall as he gripped the phone a little tighter. He’d forgotten about his shift at the bar that night when he offered to watch Eshe. But as the weather warmed, he calculated how much he would have to busk to compensate for the loss of bar revenue. He made a promise to help Arachne, and he couldn’t very well do that being tied down to a lousy human job. His pride rose in his chest like a lion. He was a self-made man, not a bartender. He was a musician, and he would do anything to raise his career from the embers, even if it meant going all in and risking everything.

  “I know. I can’t come in tonight. I’m watching my friend’s niece . . .”

  “I don’t care. Get your ass over here, or you’re fired!”

  “Then fire me.”

  All he could hear over the phone was the crowd laughing and shouting over the clinking of glasses for a few beats.

  Then her voice trembled. “Fine.”

  And the call ended.

  Eshe’s mouth gaped wide and she giggled. “Did you just get fired?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow, that was amazing!”

  He chuckled, shaking his head slowly. “I’m glad you think so.”

  Eshe turned to a backpack in the corner. She pulled out a strange dark wooden toy which reminded Leo of a Rubik’s cube.

  “Do you want to see something cool?”

  Leo cleared his throat and tried to pull himself back to this moment. He didn’t want to think about the bar anymore, or the final paycheck he’d receive in a couple weeks. So he focused his attention on Eshe as she twisted the toy’s several patterned layers until it popped up. A shimmering orb floated within, and Eshe carefully pulled it out and held it in her palms. She set it down on the floor and it expanded, swirling like a galaxy disc on the floor.

  His eyes narrowed as he tried to discern shapes in the misty surface. He blinked a few times as an image crystalized.

  Arachne and Keres dashed across the cityscape, their hair trailing behind them in the wind. Twilight painted their silhouettes as they skipped over the river’s surface at a breakneck pace.

  “Arachne . . . ?” Leo’s breath hitched.

  Eshe lowered herself on her stomach to the floor and crossed her legs behind her, as if she were watching television and this was all natural to her. “Sometimes when Arachne leaves, I like to watch her.”

  “What?” he sputtered. “You do this often?”

  Eshe nodded, flashing him an innocent smile.

  “Does she know?”

  Eshe cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “No . . . ?”

  Leo smacked his palm to his forehead. He wondered how Eshe hadn’t taken the city by force all on her own. Perhaps the only thing keeping her in line was her childlike innocence, but Leo shuddered at the mere thought of Eshe’s powers. He also regretted getting himself into this situation, because he would inevitably have to explain to Arachne what Eshe was up to, and he wasn’t particularly looking forward to that.

  “I modified a spell I found in my mom’s grimoire,” Eshe said. “I can see everything that Arachne’s up to. It’s pretty cool, huh?”

  Leo swallowed and peered into the strange magical disc. Arachne and Keres hopped up from the river, climbing onto the top arches of the Crescent City Connection bridge overseeing the glimmering downtown of New Orleans.

  “Fuck! What a rush!” Arachne shouted into the wind, laughing as she sat on the railing, curling one knee up and letting the other dangle. “I forgot how fun it was to run on water. And one more vamp recruit, thanks to you!”

  Keres spread her arms wide and then, hooking her feet to the rail, fell and swung back up on the other side. Arachne applauded exuberantly. Keres bowed before settling down next to Arachne.

  “What can I say?” Keres smirked as she flipped her ebony curls over her shoulder. “I’m incredibly persuasive.”

  Keres peered over at Arachne, whose gaze was now focused on the twilight-tinged skyscrapers. Golden lights glittered in the windows. Keres nudged Arachne playfully. Butterflies danced in Leo’s stomach as he feared they may fall. Then he took a deep breath and reminded himself they would be just fine. Of course spider demons and vampires didn’t need to fear heights.

  “And remember, the fun isn’t over. We’re going clubbing! Toast at midnight!”

  “I could just sit up here forever . . .” Arachne murmured.

  Keres shrugged as she followed Arachne’s gaze to the city silhouette. A few stars glimmered to life, fighting against the haze of light pollution on the horizon.

  “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

  Keres tilted her head, considering this for a few minutes. The rumble of traffic below them on the bridge and the lapping of the waves filled the briny air. Finally, she spoke, still facing the horizon but gazing at Arachne from the corner of her ruby eyes.

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you. Seeking Lilith’s relics is a dangerous mission. I have no doubts there are murmurings of dark forces moving against you.”

  Arachne sighed, and she closed her eyes.

  “But what happened to you was wrong.” Keres smiled weakly with her crimson red lips. “You’ve got to remedy the situation. To be a demon in your own right. And you don’t need to worry, because I’ll be here to help you pick up the pieces, sister.”

  “Thank you.” Arachne bit her lip before she turned back toward Keres. “Do you think Leo is all right?”

  Leo's throat went dry at hearing his own name, and he watched intently.

  Keres grunted out a bitter laugh. “No. Eshe is a force to be reckoned with. What do you even see in him, anyway? Other than for a good fuck and a snack . . .”

  Leo’s face warmed with embarrassment, and he glanced at Eshe, who still watched curiously. She shouldn’t be listening to this . . .

  Arachne’s shoulders scrunched like she was about to shrug. But a sigh escaped her pink lips. The wind picked up, and her rose gold hair danced around her face wildly. She swept it to the side and met Keres’ eyes.

  “I’ve been with demons and vampires, you know. Humans, too. It’s been a while.”

  “Too long,” Keres agreed.

  “Demons always want to conquer one another. Vampires are reverent. Humans are fearful, but captivated. Leo’s different. He treats me like I’m just any other person.”

  Keres frowned. “You’re not just any other person.”

  “I wanted to be.” Arachne hesitated. “He reminds me of myself when I was human. And he doesn’t seem to care that I’m a demon. He’s not afraid of me, nor does he want to assert control. He’s passionate and believes in me, even though I don’t deserve it. Leo treats me with respect, like we’re on the same level.”

  “Hm.” Keres blew the hair out of her face. “What are you going to do with him, then?”

  “What?” Arachne laughed.

  “You haven’t . . . ?”

  Arachne blushed and continued to laugh nervously. “No.”

  “Do you want to?” Keres raised her dark eyebrows, intense and curious.

  “Maybe,” Arachne shrugged. “One day, when I’m ready.”

  “You’re broken,” Keres sighed with exaggeration.

  “I suppose,” she mused. “But I think I want to be with Leo. Exclusively.”

  Keres clucked her tongue in disapproval. “What a waste.”

  Arachne threw her head back and grinned. “I don’t think so. If it means I get to be with him, feel good with him . . . It’s worth it. I haven’t felt this way in . . . well . . .”

  Keres stared up at the few stars twinkling in the hazy sky. “You’re hopeless, gone soft. You know that?”

  Arachne nodded. “He gives me hope for the future. Maybe I can figure it out, this feeling. The spark I felt when we first touched. There’s something more to him that I need to understand. We’ll just have to wait and see . . .”

  “Very well, sister.” Keres rose from the railing and flashed a fanged grin at Arach
ne as she held her hand out. Arachne grasped it and Keres helped her up. “Now it’s time to dance.”

  “All right. If you insist.”

  “I do! You’re having fun on your birthday whether you like it or not!”

  Leo thought about every word Arachne said as he watched them leap from the bridge, hurtling down to the dark waters below. Just as their feet hit the surface of the water, they took off sprinting over the water again like they were running on pavement. The city was a blur around them as they dashed around buildings, vehicles, and people bustling on the streets.

  She wanted to be with him . . . exclusively? She wanted to . . . Leo blushed. He swallowed and glanced up from the swirling disc at Eshe, who was still dreamily staring down at it.

  “Uh . . .” Leo wavered.

  “See? Isn’t it fun?” Eshe glanced up, her eyes bright.

  “Did you ever learn that spying is wrong?”

  Eshe’s eyes widened with concern. “Huh? It’s wrong?”

  “It’s getting late,” Leo muttered. “We can talk about it another time.”

  Eshe swirled her finger across the surface of the disc. Arachne and Keres had entered a bar and were clinking shot glasses together as the bass tones thrummed and purple lights flashed around the room. The glowing disc dissipated and concentrated back into an orb, which Eshe carefully placed into the wooden box and twisted closed.

  Leo tucked Eshe into bed. Ozul stepped with purpose from his sleeping position toward Eshe and confidently curled up on her chest. She stroked his soft fur and yawned. Leo wondered how she could sleep like that as he turned her lamp off and sauntered down the hall and back downstairs. He lay down on the sofa, propping his head on a throw pillow. His mind raced with all that he’d witnessed that night, but he finally drifted to sleep shortly after midnight.

  Chapter 13

  Arachne wore a sweetheart cut plum-colored dress which hugged her waist and flared out with floral lace at her hips. The bouquet of flowers sat on the counter, perked up since Leo put them in a vase the evening before.

  “Happy Birthday!” he said.

  “Thank you. Again. You already told me this morning.”

  “Can’t I celebrate you a little bit?” He grinned as he looked her over in her dress.

  Arachne blushed. “Sure, if you must.” Then she cocked her head to the side curiously. “So . . . where are we going?”

  “I got us reservations at a restaurant.”

  “I got that much.” She smirked, placing her hands on her hips. “But where?”

  “It’s a birthday surprise.” Leo winked. He took her hand and led her out the door. They strolled down the sidewalk for several blocks, deeper into the French Quarter. After a few more minutes of walking, Leo stopped them in front of a rustic restaurant.

  “The Pillar?” Arachne peered up at the sign.

  “It’s Greek,” he said proudly.

  “Oh, I see that.”

  “Are you disappointed?” Leo frowned.

  “Well, technically I grew up in what’s now modern-day Turkey, if that’s what you were going for . . .”

  “Shit! Turkey?” His hand met his forehead in desperation.

  “Leo . . .” She laughed. “It’s going to be perfect. It’s the same kind of cuisine.”

  “You sure?” He gazed down into her eyes and she nodded cheerily. He opened the door for her as they stepped inside. They were seated by the hostess at a table decorated with a single rose in a small vase and a lit candle.

  “It’s very sweet, actually,” Arachne said as she reviewed the menu. “I haven’t eaten a proper meal, let alone a Mediterranean meal, in such a long time.”

  Leo glanced from the menu and back up to Arachne, checking in to see if she really was satisfied. After a couple moments, a server stepped over, greeting them. “How are y’all doin’ tonight?” he asked. “What can I get you started with?”

  “We’ll have the saganaki,” Arachne said quickly. “And a bottle of Retsina. I’m also ready to order—I know I want the lamb souvlaki.”

  “I’ll have the moussaka,” Leo said.

  The server left, and Arachne pursed her lips. “If I let you taste mine . . . could I have . . . ?”

  “A bite?” Leo flashed a smile. “I would never deny you. Especially not on your birthday.”

  “You’re really spoiling me tonight.”

  “You deserve it.”

  Arachne blushed as the server returned with a bottle of white wine and two glasses. He poured them each a glass.

  “Thanks,” Leo called after the server as he left. He turned his attention back to Arachne. “So what’s this?”

  “Retsina?” She lifted the bottle to examine it. “Do you really want to know? It’s kind of nerdy.”

  Leo nodded eagerly.

  “A couple thousand years ago in my time, before they invented glass bottles like this,” she shook the bottle, “oxygen would spoil the wine within a year.”

  “A tragedy!” Leo laughed.

  “Yes,” she smirked. “So, wine makers started to seal wine vessels with pine resin. Hence, Retsina. The pine resin kept the air out and infused the wine with the resin’s aroma. Of course, the Romans came along and started using barrels in the third century, which would have made Retsina obsolete. But the flavor was so good, they kept making it.”

  “I guess when you’re over two thousand years old, birthdays seem kind of silly, huh?”

  “Not so silly.” She blushed.

  “How do you toast in Greek?”

  “Informally? We say ya mas! It means, to our health.” She raised her glass in demonstration. “The custom is, we’re supposed to slosh our drinks together so when we clink glasses, our drinks combine. If one person’s drink is poisoned, we both will be poisoned.”

  “Ah, I see. A show of good faith,” Leo said as he raised his glass. “To many years and many more!”

  They clinked their glasses together, exclaiming, “Ya mas!” The wine sloshed from their glasses, spilling onto their hands. Then they both took long draws from their glasses. The wine had an almost salty-sweet taste, with notes of apple and peach which Leo grew to appreciate with another sip. They laughed as they tried to dry the table and themselves with the cloth napkins.

  “We’ve made a mess,” Leo said, sopping up the wine from the table.

  “Speak for yourself!” Arachne stuck her tongue out and then threw her napkin at his face.

  “Hey!” He raised his hands in surrender. “Did I deserve that?”

  Arachne shrugged innocently.

  “It’s nice to see you having fun.” He grinned. “Like at the masquerade ball. Sometimes you’re so intense.”

  She snorted out a laugh and took another sip of her wine.

  “You didn’t want to date me at first,” Leo mused. “You said I was too young. What changed your mind?”

  “Hmm.” A smile touched her lips. “When you’ve seen as many years as I have, nothing tends to surprise you anymore. You pleasantly surprise me.”

  “How so?” Leo grinned, leaning in. Though he had already heard what she said on the bridge to Keres the night before, he was curious to hear from her directly.

  “Well . . .” She smirked. “You’re honest, persistent, pig-headed,” she rolled her eyes, “and oddly . . . chivalrous.”

  “I have my dad to blame for that,” Leo laughed.

  “He taught you how to dance?” Arachne quirked an eyebrow.

  “He taught me how to be a man. He taught my sister and I how to thrive, not just survive.”

  Arachne took a sip of her Retsina, listening curiously.

  “It’s thanks to him we have a comfortable life,” Leo explained. “He grew up in Tulane-Gravier, born fighting. He worked his ass off at multiple jobs while going to college, trying to take care of his mom and brother. He was a first-generation graduate. Met our mom in college. He taught Mona and I how to hunt, how to dance, how to be resilient . . . but most of all, I learned to stand by my word. To have
integrity.”

  Arachne had leaned in, her eyes sparkling in the glow of the candlelight.

  “My dad wanted to be the dad he never had for us. He didn’t want to be absent.” Leo picked up his wine glass to take another sip. “So yeah, I guess he taught me chivalry and all that. He’s also annoying as hell.”

  “See, Leo,” Arachne sighed in awe. “You are fascinating.”

  “I think my dad is a little more interesting,” Leo chuckled. “I’m just the son who decided to squander my college education to be a musician. And I never hear the end of it. If he knew I was bartending again . . .” Leo trailed off. Rather, if he heard I was bartending again and got fired, Jesus, would he lay down the law.

  “Well . . . you are at least a fascinating beneficiary. Anyway, you play music beautifully. I think you should follow your passion.”

  “You’re a weaver,” he tried to focus back on her. “Your tapestry is gorgeous.”

  “I don’t weave,” she sighed. “Not anymore.”

  “Is it too painful?”

  Arachne nodded. “Weaving was a joy. A passion. When Athena . . . when she did that to me, she took everything from me. My life. My humanity. I felt like my soul had been ripped from my body. That spark to create was just gone.”

  Leo leaned in, frowning. His heart hurt for her. “I’m sorry.”

  “What about you?” Her eyebrows furled together. “When Nathan blacklisted you . . .”

  “I can still play for myself,” Leo shrugged. “I’m still alive. I can still write songs and play music.”

  “But doesn’t it mean something to create? Not just for you, but for the world?”

  Leo leaned back in his chair, considering. “Yeah. I miss the adrenaline rush of playing for a crowd. I miss sharing my music in a more intimate setting. I don’t like Nathan, but I don’t hate him for what he did. He tried to silence me because he’s a coward. Athena did that to you, too. She was afraid of the truth—that despite being a goddess or whatever, she didn’t have any real power over you. You’re free now.”

  Arachne gaped at him, her fingers drumming on the table top.

  The server approached once more, carrying a skillet of fried cheese as well as a plate of pita bread and a small empty platter, which he placed on the table. He set the skillet ablaze and shouted, “Opa!” Quickly, he squirted fresh lemon over the flames, dousing them and carefully removed the melting cheese onto the platter.