Blood Moon Born

Prologue

With leaded eyes splitting open, Loae realized she was trapped. Buried. She could see the blackened skies, so clogged with smoke, she could barely breathe without coughing.

Feeling came back to her in waves — her fingertips, then her toes, then her limbs, but she was trapped. Her heart raced. Her lips formed words, but not sound came from her voice. She couldn't even move enough to light one of the runes tattooed on her arms.

Loae began to wriggle back and forth, enough to free her right arm. She used what strength she had to shove a body off of her. She shuddered. A dead body.

There were more dead bodies. It took her too long to climb her way through them, up to the surface. Further panic fell upon her as she realized she was coated in black ash.

She shook the ash out of her hair, brushed it off of her clothes, wiped it from the corners of her eyes, but still it persisted.

And then she realized it wasn't just ordinary ash—but the remains of the people the demon had burned alive. Loae shot to her feet, unable to even scream. She spun in a circle, staring at the horror around her. The demon hadn't just razed this city to the ground, it snapped through it like a wildfire, turning every structure, every person, every tree to nothing but ash.

How she survived, she didn't know. Loae looked around to see other survivors picking themselves out of the debris. Only a handful. She couldn't even fathom how many villagers and other blood brothers had died.

One blood brother, the archery instructor, walked up to Loae, beckoning her with an outstretched hand. He didn't say a single word, not as he led her to the outskirts of the blackened village, not as he hoisted her onto his horse, and not as they rode away from the aftermath and made their way back to the blood brother hold.

Once inside the towering fortress walls, he led her back to her master and overseer Arnon. Loae crouched near the blazing hearth, trying to warm her freezing limbs as the archery instructor relayed the story to Arnon.

"We had no chance," he said, his voice devoid of any feeling. "It was a greater demon. Not even a blessed weapon could slow it. Even if we knew the demon's name, I doubt we'd be able to bind it to a summoning circle and banish it."

"Where is the demon now?"

"Kadel was able to transport him elsewhere," the instructor said, "Miles away from the mainland, over the water." He gestured towards Loae, still shaking despite being fully warmed over. "Your little one helped."

"How many did we lose?"

"Unknown," the instructor said, "I'm heading back to help with the survivors. I only came to bring your student."

"Thank you. You are dismissed."

The instructor left without casting a single glance on young Loae. Arnon made his way over to the hearth and stood over Loae.

"So. You fought your first greater demon," he said, his voice tired, yet resigned. "You fought well, young Agrudan. Your family would be—"

"Weak," muttered Loae.

"What's that?" He asked.

"We were weak. The blood brothers. All of us." Her glare hit him so powerfully, he nearly stumbled back. "We were all too weak to do anything. What will happen if that demon returns? Will we just transport it back to the middle of the ocean until it returns again?"

"Some creatures are too strong for us to kill," Arnon said. "We do the best we can."

"There is magic against greater demons," Loae said. "Summoning circles that don't need demonic names. Runes that can banish a creature to the Void."

"We do not use forbidden magic, young one," Arnon said, his voice turning dark.

"Then you are all cowards," Loae said. Her shaking grew violent. She held herself with her arms, trying to steady the shaking, but to no avail. "I...I watched them all burn to death." Tears pricked at her widened eyes as she stared into the fire.

"It is a shame one as young as yourself had to witness so much horror," Arnon said.

"I couldn't do anything," Loae said. "And they just burned. I can still s-smell them. I can still hear them s-screaming." Her teeth chattered. She felt as if she was still in a blizzard, still outside, still drowning in ash.

"You should sleep," Arnon said, stepping away from her. "Coping with death is something all blood brothers must learn. You may rest here if you do not want to be alone."

With another heavy sigh, he sat down at his desk in the middle of the room.

Loae stared hard into the flames, shaking her head.

"I won't be weak like the rest of you. I won't be weak," she whispered to herself.