The Bad Fairy (girlxgirlxgirl)

56. Blue Moon

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"Is it bad?"

Chepi doesn't want to turn around and tell her that it feels like her heart has stopped. The ancient texts never mentioned all these symptoms. Heart pain, nausea, dizziness, blacking out, muscle weakness... Chepi honestly wouldn't have signed up for this if she knew about the side effects, and she certainly would never do it again. But Evangeline is behind her, holding onto the saddle strings of their horse, worry written all over her features.

They are going faster than Chepi ever has, dangerously passing by both trees and flight paths like they're nothing. Chepi can barely see anything in front of her. The forest is illuminated in a weird blue light, coming directly from the nearly full blue moon. The air feels weirdly thick and Chepi is certain that it's why she's having trouble breathing, thinking and even talking.

Thankfully, it's Evangeline who is twisting and turning, because Chepi has blacked out three times since they got up on the horse, and would've crashed them into a tree. She hates being weak and pathetic like this. It's probably by design. Chepi tries not to think about it, but it's hard not to. This is how it's supposed to be.

The crystal brings a person down to their weakest form, rips them apart and makes them dependent on others, so that they may learn to respect and cherish both the crystal and others when they finally have all that power for themselves.

The problem with the design is that the crystal is never given to the person who found it. In fact, it has never been tried, and historians can't even agree on whether or not it's possible. An outcome which she had previously thought was impossible is not becoming her only choice. 

Not looking back, trying not to make a sound of pain, Chepi decides to ignore Evangeline's question and instead answer her by asking another.

"How long until the blue moon?"

Evangeline looks up at the moon. Chepi knows that it's stupid to ask. How could they know? But Evangeline has a dead serious look on her face when she looks back down, and then turns her head to the side to speak to Anemone. "Ten minutes. We should stop." Anemone, who is riding on another horse right next to them, doesn't say anything.

They were planning on finding safety in the depths of the capital forest, the deep forest that surrounds the mountains around the fairy capital city. But once the blue moon would come, they would have to stop. Nobody knows what is going to happen to Chepi. Evangeline is fully expecting Anemone to agree, but the demon is stoic for several long, drawn out seconds. Then, suddenly, the frown on her face deepens, and she turns to Evangeline.

"We aren't safe anymore. We can't stop."

Evangeline bites the inside of her cheek, probably hard enough to draw blood. She can taste the iron but not feel the pain. Why do their plans always end up failing? When she worked in the angel realm, nothing ever failed. She worked, received positive results and then continued working. Life was strict but simple. Breaking away from it has only meant trouble. Evangeline should be seeing it as a sign, but really, she would describe her state of mind as 'blinded by her first loves'.

Turning her horse so that they don't crash into a tree, Evangeline grumbles something under her breath before yelling out to Anemone.

"Who do you sense?"

Anemone avoids that same tree and yells back. "Angels. Smells a bit like you." Chepi stirs awake again. She doesn't know when she passed out, but now she's back, and all she can hear and smell is that they are in danger again. She senses it herself before Anemone even says it. It does feel like Evangeline, but that's probably not the best way to put it. Just as she expected, Evangeline huffs, no longer believing it.