Under the Blood Moon

Chapter 8

                                                                                Niki

         The wind rips through the darkness making the tree sway and creek. Leaves are swirling around the forest floor dancing delicately in the gusts. The moon is shining brightly down on lake making it glitter in the darkness. There is a storm coming and it could have come at a worse time. There are two days left until the Blood Moon and the small sliver of moon that has not yet illuminated reminds me of how much time I have left until my world changes forever. Travis has been on edge and every day he seems to get worse. I don’t blame him. The responsibilities that he has been given are way more than he ever expected. He didn’t even want to come on this trip and now he is bonded for life and has to overthrow Khan in order to stay at my side. Any reasonable person would crack under the pressure. We have stopped trying to subdue Denise since there are only two days left there is nothing that she could tell Khan that would affect us now. The only thing that might change things would be my mother. Her having the Pyros ability is a huge problem for any immortal. She could be the deciding factor in this whole ordeal. Other than Travis, she is the one I am most worried about. Losing her would change my whole life and I don’t think it would change for the better. The distance that we once battled with is gone and I have the loving relationship that I always wanted with her. I wish that it could have been under different circumstances but nevertheless it happened and I am grateful.

         I lay in my bed with Travis asleep at my side. His warmth is so comforting to my skin. I look up to my ceiling silently trying to organize my thoughts. It’s impossible for me to sleep with the level of stress I am holding in. I roll to my right side and stare out the window into the darkness. Beams of moonlight break through the swaying branches giving me my own personal light show. I try to enjoy the site in front of me but I can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching me. I should be used to it now since these woods are full of Scouts.  Travis stopped trying to hunt them because we really don’t see the point anymore. We are just trying to enjoy each other’s company before the awakening. My mother has especially been on edge especially with the signs of a storm coming. The last thing we need is rain. We have been trying to keep her distracted but nothing is helping. She knows what is about to happen but I don’t think she is ready to see the battle. I don’t want to cause my mother anymore trauma than what she has already endured but I need her for this, not only for my protection but for support. Not having my dad here has added more stress on her. She has no idea if he is ok, how his hospital stay went, nothing. Since our phones don’t work here she can’t call him and he can’t reach her. The only way to use our cell phones is to swim or take the boat to the island. She is terrified of the island, now that she knows what it’s for. She doesn’t want to go there until it is absolutely necessary.

         The window is starting to collect condensation from me lying so close to it. As I wipe the water droplets I see someone out in the woods hiding behind a tree. For some reason I don’t feel threatened. It almost feels…welcoming. I sit up slowly trying not to wake Travis. I put my face close to the window pane cupping my hands around the sides of my eyes. I search the woods for the dark figure I saw before but there is no one to be found. I lean back, away from the window and let out a sigh. As I lye back down on the bed I turn head towards the Travis to check if he is still slepping. I jump out of my skin when I see the dark figure standing in my room.  I sit up quickly and scoot into the wall screaming, “TRAVIS!! WAKE UP!” Travis rips awake and places his body in front of me. “What’s wrong Niki!?” I point to the figure standing in the room and Travis jumps to his feet ready to attack. The figure moves to the door and turns the lights on in the room. “Wait! Please just wait!” Her thick Scottish accent rings out in my silent room. She has short brown hair that stops at the top of her shoulders and crystal blue eyes. She is not a very tall person and thin as a rail. She doesn’t look like much of a threat to me but I have not been able to trust anyone through this whole ordeal. Travis is still on edge standing inches from her face. “Who are you and why are you here? Did Khan send you?” She takes a few steps back and looks toward me as I sit with my knees to my chest at the corner of the bed. “Please, I will explain myself.” She looks to Travis and then back to me. I can tell that she is terrified of him and would love nothing more than for him to back away from her. I move to the edge of the bed and grab Travis’s wrist. His skin is on fire and he flinches at my touch, “Travis, sit down with me. Let her explain.” He reluctantly looks back to the young girl and then slowly backs towards the bed sitting on the very edge. She lets out a sigh of relief. She motions to the love seat in the corner of the room, “May I my Queen?” I nod my head yes, “You can call me Niki, I’m not Queen yet.” She looks at me surprised and sits down in the love seat. It’s as if she floats down into the chair, she is so elegant and proper. She crosses her legs and places her hands, one atop the other, on her knee. There is a silence in the room and its starting to agitate Travis. He finally breaks it and practically shouts at her, “Ok who are you?” His deep booming voice makes her jump and she begins to explain, “My Name is Aaren, I am a Porter for the King and everyone in the Royal Court.” I stop her mid sentence, “Aaren I don’t know very much about your world. What is a Porter?” Travis doesn’t allow her to answer and jumps into the conversation, “A Porter, is someone who can Teleport, all she has to do is hold onto you or your clothing and she can take you wherever you need to go. She would be the way that Khan would get here after your awakening. Porters are mainly picked for their devoted loyalty. Porting is very dangerous for the other person because they can take you any where they want. They can leave you in the middle of the ocean to drown if they wanted to. They must be trusted above all other subjects, so the fact that she is sitting in this room is not the most comforting.” Aaren keeps her eyes locked on Travis as has he finishes explaining her duties. At this moment, I don’t trust her. There is a reason that she is here and I don’t feel like I can believe anyone right now. She looks towards me and removes her hands from her knee letting them rest in her lap. “Everything Travis has explained is the truth but there is one element that no longer applies to me. Loyalty…” Travis sits up and turns to look at me slightly shrugging his shoulders. I scoot away from the wall pulling the thick white comforter out from under me. I sit with Travis on the edge of the bed placing my feet on the cold hardwood floor. My room is freezing so I inch closer to Travis and pull my comforter over my shoulders and wrap it around myself. Aaren patiently waits for me to get situated and then continues, “King Khan has lost his mind. He has always had a thrust for the glory of war but he has gone too far. He has brought down his anger and wrath onto everyone in palace. Since Renee has been gone no one is safe and I don’t want to be part of it.” He voice cracks and her eyes begin to well up with tears. She blinks them away and continues. “He has murdered my sister, Grizel. She was a servant in the palace and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I watched from the palace steps at her mate carried her to the burial grounds.” She can no longer control the tear rolling down her cheeks. I can’t help but sympathize with her, but how do I know that she is not lying. I look to Travis and he already has his eye closed and I can tell that he is reading her memories. The room is silent for a few brief seconds and then he opens his eyes slowly, he looks to me and nods confirming that she is telling the truth. Travis clears his throat and relaxes for a moment, “Aaren if this is true and you no longer wish to serve Khan why not just teleport him somewhere and leave him for dead.” Her response rips from her lips as if it takes no thought, “Because he deserves a painful death. There are so many subjects in the Realm that agree Khan has lost his mind. They want to change to happen. Those who are werewolf, want to reclaim their control over shifting. Of course there are those who will follow Khan to the end of time and they will be a problem, but they will not fight without Khan. They are mindless warriors that need orders for every aspect of their life. If there are not orders, there is no war.” All of this information has its valid points but it still doesn’t explain why she has come here. “I am sorry for the loss of your sister, but this still doesn’t explain why you’re here.” She stands from the chair and looks down to me, “Yes my Que… Niki, you are correct. There is no reason for me to be here but I know how stressful the awakening can be, but the added pressure that has been placed on your shoulders is enough for anyone to fall to pieces. I wanted our future Queen to know that she is not alone in this battle. I have to go now before Khan gets suspicious. Stand strong Niki, Renee would not have given you this gift if she did not believe you could accomplish it. You need to have faith in yourself.” Before I could even respond she disappears in a black cloud of smoke.