The Madman of the Woods | ONC 2024 Shortlist | Vampire Romantasy | Supernatural

13 Blood Trials

Trigger warning: The two Blood Trials chapters (13 and 14) involve what could be seen as an act of self-harm. These are vampires, rules of life and death are different, no one is trying to end their life here, but I wanted to give a heads-up to anyone who might be triggered. If you'd rather skip chapters 13 and 14, I'll leave a note at the beginning of chapter 15 to let you know the outcome of the blood trials.

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All conversations stopped when servants came through the crowd, carrying a wooden coffer. Others cleaned the table previously used for the drinking game and set it in front of Lailoken and River. Philip Leonardo smiled wickedly as he brandished a large, golden key in front of everyone. He handed it to his relative, a stocky man who wore as much jewelry on his body as his sire.

"Thank you, father," he said.

Lailoken still didn't know his name. How rude.

"We shall begin the blood trials," the vampire said to everyone gathered. "The two subjects claiming to come from the Lailoken line would like to confirm their kinship. I hereby call upon an ancient blood rite that protects the strongest of our lineages. Blood runs skin deep. Blood knows what eyes don't."

He walked around the table with his key held up while the servants took their time setting up the table. The lights in the room were dimmed so only the two floor candelabras set on the side of the table illuminated the scene. The gathered vampires whispered to each other, sounding like the kinship trial was a regular occurrence, but Philip Leonardo and his son acted with an exaggerated flourish, as if something remarkable was about to happen. They opened the coffer at last, allowing the servants to get the supplies. They draped a crimson cloth over the table and set a silver tray on it with two vials of fluorescent liquid, one blue and one yellow, two small bowls with stirrers, and a small dagger.

"Let the blood speak," Philip Leonardo announced.

Tired of the ceremony, Lailoken gladly took the dagger from a bowing servant, cut his wrist, and bled a significant amount into his bowl. The cut hurt, naturally, but it would heal fast enough, so he didn't mind. He handed the blade to River, who seemed reluctant. She scrunched her features and repositioned the blade over her wrist but seemed unable to break the skin.

She glanced at him apologetically. "You should know, I'm not a very brave person."

"It will heal." He showed her his wrist which didn't even have a mark anymore. "See. It's just a moment."

She whined to herself, almost cutting but then not.

"Get a move on, child," Philip Leonardo said. "Don't make your sire wait or his blood will congeal, and he has to cut himself again." He chuckled at that, joined by the crowd. Even the decorative trees chuckled in their strange rustling way.

Cut. Bleed. Cut. Bleed, the trees said.

River gritted her teeth and slashed the blade. She moaned as her blood flowed into the bowl. "Is this enough?"

"You did great, child," Lailoken said.

A servant took the bowls and the dagger from them and set them on the table. Then, he handed them each a vial and a silver stirrer. Lailoken poured yellow dye into the bowl and stirred it thoroughly, turning his blood into warm orange. River copied him, using her bright blue dye. Her blood turned a pretty eggplant shade. The servant took their bowls and brought them over to the silver tray, which was surrounded by small burning candles.

The son of Philip Leonardo slowly poured Lailoken's orange blood on one side of the tray and River's eggplant blood on the other side. The servants stood aside while Lailoken, River, Philip Leonardo, and his son stood around the table, watching the results.