Blood Moon

Chapter 22 - Saved?

Chapter 22

Saved?

 Leira's POV

  Shakily I stumble forwards and grab hold of the altar, using it to support my weight. I have finally gained control over most of my body, I probably should have recovered a bit longer before trying to walk but time is of the essence. Taking another experimental step I fumble, grabbing wildly for the stone surface, when I first hear the light clattering of claws. It dances and echoes off the grey pocked stone surface of the walls.

  It flittered and jittered till I felt a sudden weight upon my shoulder.

  Fine, call me a sissy but I jumped when something suddenly grips me from behind.

  'Hello, Human. Where are my eels?' her voice purrs.

  Turning, as best I could without loosing my grip, I scowl at her saying, "Honestly Kachiri, did you have to do that. You scared me."

    'Did you not ask me to come? To help?' she jumps off my shoulder and starts sauntering back into the darkness, 'If you are no longer in need of my assistance, Human, I shall depart. Fair well, but you still owe me my eels,' her long elegant tail sways gracefully through the air with every step she takes.

  "No stop," she knows I can't let her go. "Please Kachiri, I most humbly apologize for my comment, you startled me that’s all. We have no hope of surviving this without your help," I stroke her pride, then finished with the words she most wants to hear. "I will give you double the eels to make up for my rudeness."

  She loped off eagerly, 'Good Human, you are forgiven,’ she returns shortly after with a male of her kind 'this is Lokki, he is my mate and will help.'

  I raised my eyebrow at the word mate; I didn't know Kachiri had one. Lokki is slightly larger then Kachiri the back half of him a deeper orange then her too, like all other males of his kind.

   Following Kassalik etiquette, I bow as deeply as I can manage to him before saying, "It is an honor to meet you, Lokki. "

  'Unlike my mate I do not like eels Human. You shall present me with salted lambet instead.'

   "Okay."

  ’Whom do you require revived first?' Lokki's minds baritone voice was deeper then his mates.

   I look at the tangled mess of bodies trying to identify who was who. Of the nineteen condemned souls only seven were actually guilty.

  Spotting Jared's ring, poking out from the bottom, I start to push people off him. Once most of him is clear I nod to Lokki.

   A Kassalik is it’s own antidote. If a male Kassalik bites you unconscious, then a female’s bite will wake you up again, and visa versa.

   Lokki sprung up onto his chest, circled once to judge the best angle then bit him right on his shoulder.

   Jared sat up screaming, his torturous cry reaching the party below. I spring forward slapping my hand over his mouth trying to muffle the sound. Reaching out into the valley below I try to judge their mood, of all things they were happy? Happy that our deaths would not be as painless as they first thought.

     Jared shook off my hand just as Ariel came racing thought the opening. She took one look at Jared still half covered in bodies and raced to him. They kissed long, and hard thankful to be together again. Leaving them I go out into the darkness looking for Rolond and Juli, allowing Ariel to enjoy her reunion in private.

   Walking a little way along I found Roland huddled protectively around Juli's smaller body. In his hand he holds a sharp rock, ready to protect his tiny charge.

 "At ease soldier." I say quietly, slowly approaching them.

    He is such a brave little boy.

  "Ariel told me to protect Juli, while she sees what's wrong. What is wrong?" he asks cocking his curly head to one side.

  "I can see that and you are doing a great job of protecting her. Nothing is wrong, lets go inside okay?" I reach forward and help him up as he refuses to hand over Juli.

 "I can't look after Jenny anymore. So I will look after Juli instead," he is firm on that, I can see his resolve in his little face. As we get closer to the henge, he whispers "Sorry, ‘bout gettin’ you in trouble before."

   "That's all right, kid. I was going to get myself into trouble anyway, you helped." Looking down I can see him smiling at that, "But I will need your help later when all this is over. I have a very sick friend and I don't think she will get better without your help?"

    "Yes, I help," he was very grown up for one so young.

   I wish we did not have to steal his childhood but at least this way he still might actually have one, no mater how messed up. The idea of rampaging unnatural’s is so stuck in the villages psyche now, that none like us can hide in plain sight anymore.

   The sight of Ariel sitting on Jared’s lap, their lips still locked together, greets us as we enter the light. Kachiri and Lokki are at my feet digging through the bag Ariel had dropped when she first entered.

 Dramatically one hand over my eyes and the other over Rolond’s I call, "Stop that at once there are children present! I think we are going to be scared enough as it is," they brake apart guiltily, "you can start that again after we are safe and gone, alright?’

   After dropping my hands and thinking about it for a second, I add, ‘and I am safely asleep, now come help me find the other's."

   In the end we find and reawaken the other six guilty elementals, I refuse to think of us as unnatural. We all agreed that Sofi should be left unconscious for now. 

   So this is us.

   The few, the different.

   Twenty-year-old Griffin with his healing

   Nineteen-year-old Jared with his telekinesis.

   Twenty-three-year old Ali with her control over plants.

   Eighteen-year-old Sofi with her control of water.

   Fifteen-year-old Rose with her control over metals.

   Four-year-old Rolond with him control of people's emotion's.

   Eleven-year-old Geramy and his light balls.

   Six-month-old Juli with her soon to be discovered ability to teleport.  

   And eighteen year old us. Ariel who can see the future and I who can see into people’s thoughts.

   I don't care what Ariel thinks of our chances.

   We will run, and then no one can deny us our freedom.   

   Nothing can stop us now we are united.

   Nothing.

   No one.

   "Leira? They’re here."