Fate of the Blood Moon's Path (2 page)

“Scarlet…no last name?” I ignored her “prayers” comment.

“Donovan.” She gave a tiny smile.

I could tell that Scarlet Donovan was a hybrid just like me. And in a way she looked very familiar to me, like I had seen her before. Not quite sure where. She was dressed in brown clothes that looked like they were not even made for her. Most likely stole them from a neighboring clothesline of a large family so that the missing clothes would not be noticed.

She had deerskin wrapped around her like a vest, with simple holes cut through it for her arms. And her feet were also wrapped in deer skin. She only had one dagger with her as far as I could see. I believe that she dressed this way to blend in with the rest of the cities people and wouldn’t stand out. Not like me. I was dressed in black colored clothing with very noticeable weapons, and a dark red silk scarf that was my trademark. I didn’t want to hide. I liked walking into a crowd and announcing myself. Here I am!

“Why don’t you make yourself useful and help me pile these bodies before they re-resurrect.” I barked it out as a command and realized only after how my tone was. To my surprise and without questions she started dragging the bodies to a pile that I had started.

“Where are you from?” I asked her, trying to start a conversation. I never really have much company because I travel everywhere alone.

“Everywhere.” She responded, she had this child like innocence about herself, “I’m of Celtic descent.”

“And you’re hunting the Black Thorn why?” I asked her as she watched me put the last body on the pile of rogues.

“Who?” She said a little too quickly. I know that she knew exactly who they were. I could see it all over her face, and the fact that she wouldn’t look me in the eye helped give it away.

“You know who.” I turned to her as I hit two pieces of flint together and got a spark on the first try, lighting the pile of bodies on fire. The flames shot right up. I shot upwards after grabbing her hand, to a near by roof where we watched some towns people run to see what the fire was. After they saw that it was a pile of bodies, they took off in the opposite direction not looking back. I turned back and looked at her, she looked a little dizzy from the jump up here to the roof.

“This.” She pointed to her neck. There, what she had pointed to was a brutal scar of what appeared to be Vampyre bite gone bad. Usually the Vampyre bites disappear. This one did not.

“Explain.” I raised an eyebrow.

“I am what you are, but a Celtic Wolf. The Black Thorn clan slaughtered my family, and I was left for dead. I was the only survivor.” She put her hair back down around her scar. “I was left for dead…” She repeated. “I’ve gone from place to place looking for those who did it. I can’t ever find them, just those, rogues.”

“I see.” I said. “But the Black Thorn never leaves anyone alive.” Her eyes were staring at the roof which her feet were planted firmly on.

All her words were said in spite and anger. I could see the pain and hate burning within her soul. I could feel the things that she felt, and I
almost
felt sorry for her.

“And in following them, it brought me here.” She turned and finally looked at me, “Why are you hunting them?” She asked.

“I live for the kill.” I smiled my toothy grin at her speaking ever so cryptically. I have a dark sense of humor.

“You’re serious?” She asked while almost looking like she was afraid.

“I don’t lie.” I kept my grin with serious eyes.

“How can you live for the kill?” She asked me in a serious tone.

“How can I not?” I asked her back now looking serious.

“There is more to life…” She started and I cut in.

“Coming from someone whose family was slaughtered by those she hunts. And you ask
me
why I live for the kill.” I started to walk towards the other side of the roof so I could jump down into the next alley way. She was right on my heel.

“I can’t say that I live for the kill, but I do maybe live for a little bit of revenge.” She chuckled a bit.

“That’s more like it.” I smiled to myself.

“Where are you headed?” She asked me.

“To find more to kill.” I stopped at the edge of the roof and turned and looked at her. I knew what was going to come out of her mouth next.

“Can I come with you?” She asked. I had been right, that was the right question that I was waiting for. I didn’t answer right away. “Please, I just want to see the members of the Black Thorn dead, then I will leave your sight forever.” She continued.

I sighed, “All of the members of the Black Thorn will never be dead.” I paused, “How old are you?” I asked,

“Sixteen.” She stated, “What does age matter?”

“Just does.” I responded.
Sixteen forever.

“Can I come with you then?” She smiled.

“I suppose that you can, just don’t get hurt Scarlet. I’m not a babysitter. And I only look out for myself.” I said and jumped down to the alley way. She followed me landing not so gracefully on her feet.

She steadied herself and started following me out towards the street, grabbing my arm, “Are you insane? You can’t just walk out into the streets looking like that, we have to blend in.”

“I have been walking around for years dressed like this,” I gestured to my dark leather, “They know better than to do anything about me walking down the streets.”

She was hesitant, but followed me none the less. Out in the streets of the city, it was a completely different environment. You could sense the fear in these humans. You could feel their muscles tense and hear their hearts pounding so loudly because of that fear. It was all so intense and almost overwhelming. They didn’t take any notice to us. None of these humans were looking up. If they had run into each other, it wouldn’t matter. These rogues and this Vampyre clan had literally put the fear of the Devil into them.

I stopped dead in the center of the sidewalk, those who were standing around us walked off to our sides avoiding us as much as they could.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, and watched me sniff the air.

I turned quickly in time to see three Werewolves standing there down the street watching us. Intently. A slight growl came out of my throat and caught Scarlet off guard. I realized after a few moments that they were not any sort of a threat to us. I saw the looks in their eyes, and saw that it was friendly and perhaps not so menacing. Maybe curious and couldn’t help themselves but to stare us down.

“Come.” I started towards them, and Scarlet was right on my heel.

“What do they want?” She asked, “Why are you walking towards them? We don’t know them.”

“Doesn’t matter.” I responded hoping that covered each of her questions.

“Angel.” The English accented man breathed my name.

“And you are?” I asked raising an eyebrow very curiously at him.

“Braeden.” He stated, “Duncan, and Jarreth.” He motioned to the men standing behind him.

Braeden was a tall man and had very blonde hair that was long down past his waist, and his eyes were very dark brown, with green rings around his pupils. All three of them were adorned in rough beaten leather from which it looked like their clan had killed and made themselves.

Duncan was just about as tall as Braeden, with long brown hair that was wavy, to his shoulders and had amber eyes. Jarreth was with reddish hair that was shoulder length, straight and had some brown mixed in, and his eyes were green with a tint of blue on the edges.

“Who is your friend?” Braeden asked motioning with his hand towards the girl behind me.

“Scarlet.” I responded quickly looking around me.

“No one is watching.” Jarreth said quietly, “No one ever looks. They are too afraid.”

“I do realize that, but this is not the place to do any talking. I know you want something…” I said to him.

“You’re right, this isn’t the best place to talk, come.” Braeden beckoned. I hesitated.

All three men moved with sure grace, such status, and integrity. With their looks alone they could stop people here in there tracks. Horses pulling carts and carriages shied away from them. Children gazed in wonder as they passed the five of us. What a sight we were.

“Where are we going?” I heard Scarlet lean towards my ear. I didn’t answer her. I just shrugged. “You trust them?” She spoke again.

“I trust no one.” I said with a hiss.

She was taken aback with the way I responded, I could hear a slight falter in her steps behind me. Sometimes the things that come out of my mouth are not really meant to be as harsh as I say them. But it’s who I am, and I have always been this way.

“Here.” Braeden said as he opened a basement door that was going down underneath a brand new brick building.

“And this will take us where?” I asked stopping in front of him. The others were down the stairs already and waiting with torches.

“One of our headquarters.” He answered me, “It’s safe.” I wanted to ask him to define safe…

“Fine.” I eyed him a moment before I turned to Scarlet nodding as if she was waiting for my approval to go ahead down the stairs. I grabbed her arm with my left hand, and my right hand was on my dagger handle.

I would not let anything happen to this young girl who I just met. Though it looked like she knew pretty well what she was doing, she still had a lot of innocence left in her. I could see that in her eyes. She will not pass into the next world on my watch. And there was something about her that made me want to protect her, to keep her alive and to keep her safe at all times. Maybe like a sister I never had.

“This is the way that we must take you, I am sorry.” I heard Braeden from behind us. Duncan and Jarreth were in front of us with torches lit so that we may see where we were headed.

“It’s fine.” I said, “I think that if I had a hidden lair, I would make it like this as well.”

The tunnel reeked of urine and earth. It wasn’t the best smell. It was one of those smells that made your nose kind of curl up and makes you want to make the fast movement to cover you nose with your hand or anything to keep the smell from entering your lungs.

It was dark and cold and very depressing. You could hear the water dripping and running down the sides of the bricked up walls and occasionally you would hear water splash from someone’s foot stepping into it.
“Where is your lair Miss Angel?” Duncan turned his head to ask me the question.

“North East America.” I politely replied to his ever so nosey question.

“Where about’s?” Braeden asked.

“Oh I don’t tell.” I smiled again in politeness.

“Why?” Jarreth asked.

“To protect my tribe.” I said. Now I was getting a little irritated with the questions of prying into my life and my people.

“Only a few more miles.” Duncan announced. Only a few more miles…

“Only a few? How the hell long is this tunnel?” Scarlet muttered under her breath. I felt a little bit of fear building up inside of her.

It felt like hours of silence and splashing water under our feet till we reached the end of the tunnel. This tunnel we had followed had only led us out of the city limits, and slightly beyond the wooded area. Once we reached the light again, there was a faint smell of humans and the sounds were now barely audible.

Braden walked his way in front of Duncan and Jarreth while they straggled behind us, as if we needed bodyguards surrounding us in these parts.

There was a scent of burning wood in the distance, meat cooking, the taste of blood, and laughter. My throat swelled in fear that my control may be lost with the scent of the blood. What were we walking into?

The scent of yeast and honey now filled my nostrils slowly. The noises came more clear, and the images within the tears revealed themselves to us slowly. It was hundreds of people, or Were people. A camp of them, a traveling group. There was music now making its way through the air stream and into our ears. Fiddles and drumming. It was very fast and it almost made me want to do some sort of a jig.
Almost.

I could hear the saliva being swallowed next to me in Scarlet’s throat. I could sense that she had to try extra hard to over come her hunger for the blood lust.

“Braeden!” A cheerful voice boomed from over the crowd that we had entered into, “You have brought guests!” I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time, since I had left my tribe. It brought back memories of home. I found myself wanting to go home. Back home to my family and my people.

These people were all lurking about. Drinking mead, some already drunken from the mixture. There were wild animal sex acts going on outside the crowds and the fires, just outside the trees where it was all still visible. No one even seemed to mind this, as it must go on quite often. There were children running around naked, and men chasing women. Everyone here looked so comfortable in their skins. I wonder how that feels?

“Angel! I have heard so much about you! Boys, I am glad you found her.” This man came forward to kiss both of my cheeks, he had a British accent, he was very tall and muscular. He was dark skinned and had very dark eyes. His voice was very deep and booming. “I am Quinn. I lead this here clan.” Quinn smiled to Scarlet, “And you are Scarlet are you not?”

“I am.” She looked at me then back at Quinn.

“I know all.” He smiled.

He smelled of their toxic mixture. But I couldn’t help but laugh at this big man. He was definitely quite the character. One like no one I had ever met before.

“So you can smile? It’s beautiful.” He winked at me. I tried to stop smiling.

Scarlet looked at me with some doubt in her eyes. I had no answers. But being here with these Were’s did not feel wrong. In a way it almost felt right, like I was supposed to be here and meet these people.

“Now, my two new friends, please enjoy yourselves tonight and tomorrow we shall have ourselves a chat.” Quinn stated loudly over the music and the merry making that was going on.

Scarlet and I were left on our own as the others walked away into the crowd grabbing drinks on their way over towards the food and the women.

“Who are all of these people?” Scarlet leaned in closely towards my ear.

“Werewolves and gypsies.” I answered her question in just a few words. “Come. Tonight we find out what they are all about.” I grabbed her arm tightly and led her forward into the center of all the action.