The Ruler's Rift

The Breach of Blood

Lucy's eyes remained shut for hours but her brain kept its lights on. She toyed with the scheme in her head, rolling it like putty until she'd found her resolve. If she couldn't convince Celeste, she'd make her.

The insomniac sat up slowly, carefully. Her dry, tired eyes glistened against the moonlight and with them she studied the sleeping Mystearlian. "Celeste? Are you awake?" She whispered.

No response.

She caressed white hair to be sure. So soft, so silky. She could stroke it for hours yet it seemed its owner had no intention of reacting. She enjoyed a deep, restful sleep, one that Lucy envied.

Lucy climbed out of bed and grabbed a knife from the miniature kitchen. She gripped it in her sweaty hand, slumping back onto the bed where she leaned over the slumbering she-devil. Gentle, silent, Lucy parted black lips with her fingers then pulled out several inches of blue and pink. She frowned, then got greedy; soon a foot of the demon's tongue covered the pillow.

Desperation and exhaustion puppeteered the insomniac. She brought the knife to her wrist and dug its blade through her skin; an eruption of ruby liquid trickled down her arm and dripped onto the tongue below. Lucy bit her lips, sealing in her scream as she pressed the blade deeper, pushing it back and forth, sawing with purpose.

Pain clawed at her, but it held not a candle to the agony of insomnia. Lucy grinned as blue and pink vanished beneath red. Celeste twitched and groaned - she shuddered in her sleep, and her breathing picked up as her soaked tongue slithered back into its cave.

The balcony thumped.

Lucy's ears pivoted and she looked toward the sliding door. A bird or something, surely. As the Sharcanid cleaned off the knife and blotted her wound, she contemplated how potent Celeste's hunger would be by morning.

The balcony thumped.

Frozen, Lucy's eyes craned to the sliding door. She padded forward, tiptoeing across the carpet as if evading a hibernating bear. Wood creaked beneath her paws when she explored the balcony - only the shifting of trees and the distant lapping of the beach entered her ears. No thumping dared to trespass.

Hands tore at Lucy's sides and she screamed as she was dragged away. Her captor soared off the balcony and hit the grass far below, their raptor legs offering great power and cushioning. The insomniac fought and screamed as she was dragged into the woods. "Lucian!?" She gasped, only to have her mouth covered by her little brother's hand. His head hid under a hood, but she recognized his legs and tail anywhere.

They dashed through branches and brush until Lucian slowed and trotted into a clearing surrounded by lush forest. Between the leaves overhead, beams of moonlight fought for openings to shine through. His grip loosened, and Lucy tore herself from her brother. "What are you doing!? Where have you been!?" She coughed and swatted twigs from her hair.

Lucian grabbed his sister's wrist. He stared her straight in the eyes. "Did she do this to you?" He asked.

Before Lucy could confess her self-harm, her brother's eyes buried into her neck. His face contorted with sadness. Then, disappointment and anger twisted onto his features. "After you fucked up your tail, I told you never to get yourself hurt again!"

Rage and exhaustion smoked out of Lucy in the form of shouting. "Well, mind your own business! I'm not a child and I don't need your protection!" Her voice bounced off of bark and leaves, echoing around the siblings.

"No, Lucy. We have to get out of here." Lucian shrugged off his hood, letting every worried corner of his face show in the moonlight. "Please - I'm scared for you."