Blood Moon

Chapter 9 - It's not Jarad

Chapter 9

It’s not Jarad

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   Leira's POV 

   Even before I passed through the gate I could feel it. The anger, rage, and paranoia hanging in the stagnant air that grew stronger with every step I took.

   In the town square there was evidence of a brawl.  Blood splatters on the stone, men nursing broken bones, guards escorting men to the locker. In, amongst it all, crouched Griffin, tending the injured.

   “Hey, Griff. What happened?”

   “The some miners and brewers decided to go at it.” He said while bandaging some guy’s head.

   “Why?” I asked first him then louder “Why?” to the man.

   He just shrugged, then a wince.

   “I don’t know, they wont say. This ones done.” Griff calls over his shoulder to a waiting guard.

  “Well I hope it was worth it.” I sang as the guard took the last man away.

   Father is not going to be happy.

   "Well, I'm off to find Ariel. Later."

  I pass Father talking to someone hidden behind a pillar. I don't bother to look over with my mind I stay out of my father’s head as much as I can.

  I found Ariel on the upper level watching the circus below.

 "What happened?" I ask as I sat down behind her.

  "I don't know. It came out of nowhere. Can’t you read the answer, someone must be thinking about it?" 

  "No. I wasn't here when it happened, and all anyone is thinking now is about what is going to happen next. "

  "Oh." She replies, shrugging uninterested.

 "How is your sight?"

  She looks confused for minute "Cloudy. I'm not catching the fights before they happen."

 "I found Kachiri." I say, hoping for more of a reaction.

  "And?"

  "And she won't come back because... Are you listening?"

"Yeah, she won't be coming back. Boohoo. Now tell me what that cow, Margo, is thinking?"

 "Cow? What?" I can’t help but stare at her, mouth open.

  "She is planning something I can tell but it’s not definite enough for me to see." Ariel’s eyes narrow as she searches the crowd below.

  "Look sweetie, I think you need to come for a walk with me." I stand expecting her to follow.

  "No, I want to keep my eye on Margo."

  "No, we going for a walk now." pulling on her arm until she moves.

  I drag her down the stairs, through the town square and out the gate. Once we are away from the gates she takes a deep calming breath.

   Dropping her arm I turn to ask, "You can you feel the difference, right?"

 "God yes, what was that?" She is looking as if looking for the answers in the rocks around us.

   "I don't know, but whatever it was had you hunting Margo." I shrug before leaning on the cool valley wall.

   "No I wasn't." She denies at her feet.

   Pushing away from the wall I duck my head to look into her sad blue eyes, "You called her a cow and were planning to shave her head."

 "I never said that." She shakes her head in denial.

 I tap my head and stare at her; she has always been the nicer, levelheaded one of us. This jealous side is throwing her off balance.

  "Fine, maybe I was thinking about it." She mumbles reluctantly, walking away from me.

  "That's what I'm talking about. Those types of thoughts are more my style then yours. Kachiri told me there is something evil hanging in the air."

 Shaking her head, "We would have noticed something."

 "She told me it was subtle but getting stronger.” I follow after her.

 “But still..." She just didn’t want to believe me.

 "Remember you vision, the one you got the day Jarad arrived."  

That made her stop.

 "It's not Jarad." She looks over suddenly with defiance.

 "I'm not saying it is, but you had a vision of evil." I turn to face her.

 "It is not Jarad!" Her arms cross and her back stiffens.

 "Fine, it's not Jarad.” Knowing when to back down, “But that's not to say it's not someone who came on the same ship. Whoever is causing all of this is one of us; I should have been able to read this type of malice and you to see it. I don’t know if you realize this or not but Jarad is one of us too, I don’t know what he can do but his eyes are bright and he is shielded."

  "Ok, so let's go ask him." She starts marching back to town and I have to jog to catch her.

  "Ariel listen you can't just go and ask someone something like that!"

  "No, but we can ask who was on the ship with him. He did tell me about a cleansing movement happening down south. "

  "And you forgot to mention this why...?" I felt like slapping my forehead or hers.

  "Because ...I got... distracted." Looking over at me I can see the chagrin in her eyes

  "Ahhh... Let's go. " Grabbing her hand we start running back to town.

What ever she had seen before was already here. What scared me the most was that it had started without anyone even noticing.