The Moon Dancer

Chapter 12

"This will make us even."

"Don't make me laugh, this hardly makes us even. You think giving me that stupid chain earlier counted as a favor?" Judar scoffed. His nerves were on edge, every second he spent talking was a second that Moondancer was not in his grasp. His foot tapped in impatient urgency.

Koumei narrowed his eyes at Judar. The second oldest prince was wary of the black-haired Magi, especially since he was standing in his room holding blackmail over Koumei's head. He rubbed his neck, sighing in an attempt to appear aloof. If Judar noticed how nervous Koumei was, then he would not hesitate to pounce.

"Judar-"

"I don't have time for this shit. Do I really have to let it slip about where you go at night, or who you go see?" Judar threatened, his eyes glowing a dangerous shade of red.

Koumei clutched his fan in a bought of anger, slightly cracking the handle. He exhaled and regained his composure. The tracking scroll Judar wanted could be put to better use finding the lost prince, but Koumei couldn't afford to let his secret slip out.

With a quiet sigh, Koumei reached in his bookshelf and pulled out a fresh looking scroll. Judar quickly snatched the scroll from Koumei's hand and stalked off, not forgetting to throw up his middle finger.

The pale moonlight illuminated the garden as Judar prepared to activate the tracking scroll. Small goosebumps speckled his skin, but it, whether they were from the night chill or anticipation, was unknown. Judar held Moondancer's crystal necklace up against the scroll and willed a bit of Magoi into it. The scroll glowed a soft blue as Judar activated it. An image of a worn down house filled his mind and he quickly memorized it. There was a slight pull from the scroll as if it was dragging him in the direction of Moondancer.

"Here we fucking go." Judar growled as he flew up into the air. A surge of adrenaline coursed through Judar's veins. He was so close to getting his Moondancer back he could almost feel her in his arms again.

The trip to the house was a short one, perhaps because Judar flew faster than usual or the actual distance was short. Either way, he had arrived. The scroll pulled him down, which confused Judar at first before he realized that Moondancer must be below the house.

Judar summoned his Borg and took a deep breath. Forcefully he thrust his wand downward and smashed through the house.

Debris rained down in a cloud of dust. Broken wood flooring littered the dirt floor of the house basement. Judar suddenly had a passing thought getting splinters in his bare feet. The thought was quickly forgotten as the dust cleared and he clearly saw the basement.

Three men stood on one side of Judar, and on the other side was Moondancer with a small kid at her side. Surprise painted the faces of the three men who Judar figured where the ones behind Moondancer's disappearance. Quickly the surprise turned to rage as the men took in the damage Judar had done.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"You have something of mine." Judar said, his voice colder than the ice slowly forming around the room. One of the men looked around nervously, obvious fear growing in his eyes.

The tallest and burliest man of the three drew a sword and charged at Judar. Judar didn't move as the sword came falling down.

The iron sword collided with Judar's borg with a solid thud. The thug quickly raised his sword and struck again, to the same result. Anger and panic mixed on the thug's face as he realized the hopelessness of the situation.

"My turn." Judar smirked with sparks of wildness in his eyes. With a quick downward thrust of his wand and a muttered command, a rain of ice struck the man. He sputtered in disbelief as the shards pierced his back. Blood splattered onto Judar's Borg as the man flopped forward and gasped to catch his breath. 

Judar's eyes burned as he willed the ice shards to grow until they protruded from the man's chest. Judar turned from the fallen man, the ice from his chest already melting and mingling with his scarlet blood in a pool beneath him. 

"Who's next?"

The shortest man threw down a small ball that exploded into a cloud of dark smoke. Judar jumped back and covered his nose. 

"Don't try to run away! Stay and fight me, you cowards!" Judar barked as he struggled to see through the smoke screen. He growled in frustration and stepped into the smoke. They had dared to touch his belongings, and now they were going to pay.

***

Kouta shivered with fear. His small hands clutched Ruhya's skirt as he pressed himself against her. There had been a loud crash which left his ears ringing and his throat coated in dust. After hearing some yelling he slowly detached himself from Ruhya. 

The bright moon illuminated the small basement, but swirling smoke obscured much of the room. Kouta coughed as he waved the smoke away from his face. He looked down and saw that Ruhya wasn't moving.

"Miss Ruhya, get up. We have to get out of here. Please, get up!" He shook Ruhya's arm, but all she could do was groan. Gently Kouta grabbed her face, feeling sticky liquid. A soft gasp escaped his mouth as he realized his hands were coated in blood. 

Tears burned his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. Kouta's small bottom lip quivered uncontrollably as he fought to keep in his sobs. He desperately wanted his mom and dad. They always said they would protect him and right now he needed them more than ever.

The sound of shuffling from the opposite side of the room caught Kouta's attention. Through his tears and the smoke, he could barely make out the form of someone walking towards them. Kouta frantically wiped at her eyes and shakily stood up. He grabbed a small stick from a pile of debris and held it up like a sword. The stick shook as Kouta nervously stood between the approaching figure and the fallen Ruhya.

"I- I'm warning you, stay back!" Kouta squeaked out. The figure didn't stop its advance, getting closer and closer with every passing second. Kouta clenched his eyes shut and desperately swung his stick.

The stick collided with the figure who then let out a surprised grunt. 

"Ouch kid, that hurt."

Kouta opened his eyes and looked up to see the familiar face of Judar. He quickly dropped the stick and flung himself onto Judar. He buried his face in Judar's pants and let his sobs loose. 

Judar slightly stepped back in surprise then awkwardly stroked Kouta's head in an attempt to calm him.  He wasn't expecting Kouta to be there, but it made sense that they had taken him along with Moondancer.

"Kouta, where is Moond- um, I mean the dancer?" Judar asked. The question seemed to unleash a bigger wave of sobs from Kouta. The young boy turned to point behind him.

"I- I don't know what happened b-but the roof came down. Miss Ruhya shielded me from the f-falling roof and-and now she won't get up!" Kouta yelled between sobs and hiccups. 

Judar's heart seemed to stop and his blood froze. As the smoke cleared he could finally see Moondancer's body lying among broken wood beams. Slowly he walked to her in a daze, barely noticing Kouta clutching onto his hand.

"H-hey, get up." Judar whispered, his throat burning as he struggled to believe what he saw. Blood covered Moondancer's face and scratches littered her skin. The sight of her sent Kouta into another bought of sobs. His screams brought Judar out of his shocked daze. Gently Judar picked up Moondancer, ignoring the sticky feeling of her blood on his skin. 

"Kouta, quickly climb onto my back and hold on tight." Judar said as he hunched over. Kouta climbed on and wrapped his arms around Judar's neck. The Magi began to float in the air, his body straining to support both Moondancer and Kouta.

"I should have brought a flying carpet." Judar coughed out as Kouta tightened his grip.

"Will Miss Ruhya be okay?" Kouta whispered, his voice filled with fear.

"She will be." Judar assured. He worriedly bit his lip and hoped Kouta didn't pick up on the uncertainty in his voice.