The Blood Moon

Questions and Answers

"I...I...what?"  The throbbing in my skull grew to a crashing cacophony of confusion and chaos.  Somewhere in that dark void was the truth of the night before.  Somewhere hiding in the aether was the alibi I needed to prove that this absurd assertion was utter nonsense.  Somewhere in the fog of the night, my innocence screamed out.  But no matter how deep I searched through that black hole, not a single wisp of a memory appeared.  It simply got deeper and deeper, darker and darker.

I swallowed several times, my throat choking on the pain that coursed through me.  At some point Antonov retrieved a glass of water that found its way into my hand.  His long, cold fingers felt refreshing against my heated skin as he guided the cup to my lips.  When had Antonov become a source of comfort?

"Who?" I asked, my voice small, but clear after the water cleansed my throat.  "Who am I suspected of killing?"

"Alpha Zachary of the Grey Ravine Pack," answered Kyra without hesitation.

"Alpha Zachary? I don't even know who that is," I said with a shake of my head, my eyes wide and pleading.  "I mean I know that there is a pack here named Grey Ravine and that they would have an alpha, but I've never met the man.  What motivation could I possibly have to want to kill him?  And how?"  A nervous laugh shook my fragile frame and a hand ran through my wild hair as I took my eyes to the floorboards.  "How is a human like me supposed to kill an alpha wolf?  I mean, you can't honestly be entertaining this idea."  Again I looked up, but Kyra remained impassive and Everett remained distant.

"I can take a guess at the motivation," said Antonov with malicious pleasure in his voice.  "Would you like me to voice my suspicions or should you Hathaway?  Might as well get it out in the open, don't you think?"

"Dragan," replied Kyra, before either myself or Everett could respond, "my initial order in regards to the ritual still stands until this murder investigation is over.  Her involvement is well documented during that time period and to bring back that memory now may damage our investigation more than help.  Though..."  She paused and then turned her gaze to the bashful sheriff that stood a good foot and a half above her.  "If I find it will be beneficial to our investigation to enlighten her to the parts of last night that we are aware of, then I will not hesitate to do so."

Everett didn't protest, he only responded with a bounce of his downcast head.

"Dragan, do you also understand?"

"Of course, my queen," he replied with a deep bow.

"So wait," I asked with a scoff, "you won't tell me why I would do this?"

"Not until all other avenues have been exhausted," answered the vampire sheriff.  "As I said, the truth of that matter may kindle the flames you felt last night and that will only deter you from cooperating with us."

"You act as if I turned into some kind of monster last night!"  I felt myself losing control as the intensity peaked in my voice and vibrated through my skin.  A nightmare had bled into my waking life and I began to doubt my own state of consciousness, wondering if I was, in fact, asleep in my bed at my apartment.  That perhaps, I just needed to survive until the morning, when I would wake up and find this all a bad dream.

"You were not the monster," answered Everett in a low, rough voice.

"Then, how do you suppose I found the strength to kill an alpha wolf?" I demanded.  "How did I use my puny human arms to beat up something that could snap me in half with a single bite?  Especially when you were all high on the energy of the Blood Moon."

"That's actually how we believe you did it," answered Kyra.  Fortunately, she didn't pause for dramatic effect and went right into the clarification of her statement.  "Neither his wolves or Everett's could have hurt him.  It goes against their very nature.  Vampires could not have as I had ordered all my kin to treat the wolves as honored guests and to keep distance unless necessary.  Zombies could have done it, but it is hard to believe that even well fed zombies would pass up a fresh corpse.  Not a single bite mark was found on the body.  Which leaves ghosts, mages, and humans.  Ghosts can only act upon this material world through humans and mages are simply humans with a magical gift and we are certain he was not killed with magic."