Beneath the Blood Moon

Chapter Twelve: And They Lived Happily

- 2 Days -

The night was restless. Images from the day seeped in, twisting in Nnandi's mind until she tossed beneath the covers. The twin bed creaked under her weight as she wrestled with dread, excitement, fear, guilt, elation. Everything she wanted was right at her fingertips. Everything she was terrified of was less than three miles away. Or sharing the room with her.

Sarai hadn't made a sound all evening, a small lump in the covers.

She didn't have to speak. The look she gave Nnandi when she floated into the room said it all. Judgment, she could deal with. But abject disappointment was too much. The air was thick with tension and broken trust. And only minutes before, she made a promise to Elrick in the same vein. Trust.

That was the main culprit that threatened to rob her of all sleep that night. Selfish and self-serving, unworthy of the power she was blessed with, coward. Sarai didn't have to whisper these things for the thoughts to swell up in the silence of the small room. And after they both slid into bed, the thoughts still pressed down against her. Unyielding until the sun slipped between the slats of the mini blinds.

Another morning dawned, bringing welcome peace and the chance to mend the bond between them.

Nnandi sat straight up, her back aching from the all night battle with her mind. Stretching left and then right, she raised her arms into the air and twisted towards Sarai's twin bed. She expected to see the lump, the steady rise and fall of her breath, maybe even the disillusioned grimace.

She didn't expect to see a neatly made bed with no sign of the youngling in sight. Frozen mid-stretch, Nnandi scanned the rest of the room and found herself completely alone.

With a flash of the covers, she was up and racing towards the door. Down the narrow stairs and out into the workshop, she hunted for Sarai. In her stomach, a twist. She wouldn't find her there. As clearly as she heard those thoughts in the night, she felt the absence of them in the store. And the surrounding buildings as well. Even down the street. Nnandi's energy reached farther than her eyes could see, but it touched nothing that resonated with Sarai's unique frequency.

"She left in the early hours of the morning, I think." Elrick's voice cut through her concentration immediately, and ripped her from the ethereal Verity. She slammed back into reality and the room tilted in her vision. Elrick's hand found its way around her waist, steadying her as she swayed.

"Be careful, you aren't used to the Verity yet. Don't take on too much too soon."

"She's... gone." The words came out in a confused jumble. She felt as if she were still submerged in the twisting smoke of the Verity. And the worst part was, Nnandi hadn't even tried to connect with it that time. All the years she spent begging her magik to be enough for a few minutes in the murky haze, for just a minute to feel like she did as a child. Now, she tripped into it effortlessly.

"It makes sense," Elrick began, leading Nnandi to the small chair behind his work table, "If you approach the territory before light, slip back into the nightfield, and enter the territory through there, it might be just enough cover to keep you from immediately getting snatched up by the Sentinel."

Nnandi thought about her escape days before, the dangers of the nightfield in total darkness. Going back in wasn't any less treacherous, but Sarai was the one that got her out in the first place. Maybe the girl made it without getting killed by the blood thirsty forest.

"Then again, she's high on the Ariete 'Most Wanted' list," Elrick added.

Nnandi glowered up at him, her round eyes crowned by knit brows. "That's not-"