Blood Moon
Chapter 4
Ran continued to stare at the same spot for the past hour. Even though he watched his home burn to the ground, and felt the intense heat come in waves to scald his eyes and face, he couldn’t find the strength to care. It was as if everything were happening in slow motion. The servants were trying to put the fire out but it was useless. Ken had come and was about to summon some rain when Ran had stopped him. What was the use in saving his house when everybody who lived in it was dead? Ken had looked at him with a mixture of apprehension and anger. Reaching for Ran’s hand, he had kept it covered with his own hands and tried to get some response out of him but it had been useless.
Ran didn’t think he would be able to feel ever again. The only thing that kept him going was the idea that had been taking root in his mind. He would kill Lord Mise even at the risk of his life, because going after Mise was a risk. Mise was the king’s most trusted advisor, and to kill him would be parallel to killing the king, which would cost him his head. The king had killed men for less. Vaguely, he felt somebody touch his shoulder; the redhead looked up and was met with Ken’s red-rimmed eyes. It could have been because of the intense smoke but Ran knew better. Ken had loved Ran’s family as his own since Ken had lost both his parents when he was young.
" Ran?" not using his title. It was days like this when Ran really appreciated Ken’s friendship. The redhead was sure if Ken hadn’t arrived, he would have taken his life in a moment of total despair.
"Let’s go." The air was hard to breathe in because of the steam rising from it; vaguely, Ran realized that Ken must have summoned rain while he had been thinking. The earth became slippery under his feet, making the smell of smoke and horse dung more overpowering. The redhead brought a hand to cover his nose, stopping when he realized that he hadn’t picked his family from the ground.
" My father…"
" Don’t worry, it’s been taken care of. As well as your mother and Aya." There was intense sadness in those words.
" I’ll kill the bastard."
Ken stopped to stare at him before slowly nodding. " Do what you feel is necessary."
Yohji had been rudely awoken by the sound of Omi banging on his door open. He was about to kick the little annoying bug out of his room when he saw the boy’s face. He was frightened.
The heir’s room was extravagantly furnished, as was the custom for most Libertians. The walls were cream colored with two big windows in the east wall facing the garden. The windows were covered with golden curtains, and in the middle of the room was the bed. The bed had golden coverlets with silver embroidery. All the gold served to make the room seem brighter, which annoyed Yohji on sunny days. It was as if the sun reflected from the walls and into his eyes. The prince liked soothing sounds so he had a small fountain beside his tub, which was in the west wall of the room. There was a fireplace in the north wall that had a painting of Yohji’s mother over it. It was the only picture of his mother the king had allowed to remain in the castle. All the rest were locked up in the castle gallery, which, in Yohji’s opinion, was a nice way of saying ‘the picture graveyard’. Nobody ever went to the gallery, not with all the pictures of dead royalty decorating it’s walls.
" Don’t tell me we are at war with Salaks."
Omi seemed to be caught of guard because he calmed somewhat. " Oh gods no! Maybe it would be better, then we would have an excuse for what has happened."
Yohji frowned, getting more confused by the minute.
"Well, are you going to tell me? If you’re here only to annoy me you can leave."
Omi crossed his arms across his chest and walked to sit at the edge of Yohji’s bed.
" Lord Fujimiya was murdered last night along with his family."
Yohji simply stared at Omi before the gravity of what had been said started to sink in. He slowly got out of bed and walked toward the window. He opened the curtains and the window, staring at the garden, and trying to focus on something besides the overwhelming urge to purge the contents of his stomach.
" Yohji…"
" There were no survivors?"
" Umm…the son, Lord Ran survived. Rumors say that he wasn’t in the best of shape. The servants are saying that his soul was taken by his sister because when she died, he became almost catatonic."
A harsh chuckle escaped the prince. " Peasants and their folk tales."
A sigh from the Duke.
" Folk tales or not, we have a traitor among us. You know the problem this will cause? It’s the opportunity Lord Mise and his cronies have been waiting for. They will blame the murder on Salaks and Zawquir, and then we will have a disaster on our hands."
Yohji pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the headache he could feel forming. Sometimes, he hated his brother; the boy was already calculating the pros and cons of the situation.
"I hate that man." Omi kept saying. " He always treats everybody around him as if he were the King. Ignorant man. If we had a cow as an advisor, we would have the same results."
Yohji just had to smile at that, Omi had always disliked Lord Mise.
" Omi? Does Father know about this?"
The younger boy racked a hand through his hair before walking to the window where Yohji was standing.
" Yes. We were at breakfast when the messenger came. It seems this happened around midnight but not wanting to disturb the King’s slumber ‘Lord Mise’ thought it would be better to keep that information from Father and tell him today. Of course father almost blew a vein. I just thought it would be smart to get away from there. I wouldn’t want to be father’s focus of anger."
Yohji ruffled the boy’s hair. " He loves you. Sometimes I think more than me."
" Don’t say that. He loves you. I’m just more like a pet to him," said Omi bitterly "The orphan boy that he’s experimenting on to see if he’s fit for royalty."
" Careful with what you say. Such words could be considered treason." said the prince, not turning from looking out the window.
" Forgive me. It’s just days like this that I’m glad I’m not in your place." A sigh " I hate war. I really don’t want a war no matter the rewards. A lot of the lords want war. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of them who ordered the murder of Lord Fujimiya."
Yohji sucked in a hard breath when he remembered the argument he had overheard yesterday. Lord Fujimiya was about to go to the Council to unveil a traitor. Now it all made sense, which also meant somebody else had heard the conversation he had, but who? Half the lords had passed the library yesterday.
" Omi, get dressed. We are going out."
" Are you going to search for Lord Fujimiya?"
" Yes. He may just have the answers we need."
Ran was staring inside the cup of tea Ken had placed in front of him about 10 minutes ago. After they had left the last remains of his house, Ken had taken him to his own. The brunette had prepared a bath and told Ran to go clean himself. It wasn’t until he saw himself in a mirror that Ran noticed how his face and clothes were all covered in soot. The palms of his hands ached and were covered with dried blood, as were parts of his face and neck. Maybe it was Aya’s blood since he couldn’t remember how he had gotten it. After getting clean, Ken had given him some clothes, a black shirt with black trousers. They were the clothes a magician wore but they fit and that was all that mattered. Afterwards, Ken had entered the bath and left him alone to dress.
" Ran, drink your tea," commanded Ken quietly. Ran obeyed, not even thinking about it. It hurt Ken to see his friend like this. Ran was taking it too hard. If the redhead had screamed and cried, the mage would have felt better, but as it stood now, it was as if Ran were an empty vessel. Seeing that Ran was finally drinking the tea, the sorcerer went to the kitchen and started looking through the pantry, trying to find something to cook for the both of them.
He had been so engrossed in doing this that he had not heard the horses coming up to his house until a light knocking echoed through the place. Frantic, he turned to look at Ran but the redhead was still staring off into space as if no one had knocked. Walking out into the living room, Ken brushed his wet bangs from his face before opening the door.
" Yes?" He was surprised to see the prince heir and his brother standing there.
" Wha…? Your Majesties, to what do I owe the honor of such a visit?"
" We have come to give our condolences."
Omi had been watching Ken ever since the man opened the door. It had surprised him to see the sorcerer so exhausted. It also seemed as if he had been crying; his eyes were bloodshot. Every movement he made seemed forced, not graceful, as Omi had seen before. Yet, the sorcerer at least had a good reason.
Omi felt tired but it was because he had slept late, shooting arrows in the range and trying to vent his frustration at having Ken not pay attention to him. The blonde had watched how Ken’s face had transformed from tired to angry when Yohji had said they wanted to talk to Ran. The sorcerer had been prepared to close the door in their faces before calming himself and letting them enter the house. The house was very modest, no fancy fireplace or curtains. Everything was so simple it looked dreary. The only thing that seemed of value was the bookcase filled with scrolls and bottles of gods knew what. Ken must have caught him watching because he moved to close the door, depriving Omi of that small view.
" Ran is not doing very well. I believe it would be unwise to try and speak to him right now."
Yohji sighed before smiling lightly, " We are not the enemy. I appreciate the concern you have for your friend but we will not hurt him."
That made Ken snap. Even though Omi had been mostly trained to be a warrior and not a magician, he could still feel the energy radiating from the sorcerer.
" My friend? He’s the only thing I have left from what I also considered my family, but he may as well be dead for all the response I get from him. Lord Fujimiya was like a father to me. And now you come with your jewels and titles and ask me not to worry, that you will not hurt him. I could care less what you think; you nobles are like piranhas, always attacking the first thing that crosses your path. The only reason both of you are in my house is because I don’t think any of you had anything to do with this, but that doesn’t make me like you any more. The only reason Ran’s family is dead is because of politics. You know that as well as I do so I fail to see how talking to him will help."
Omi had held his breath throughout Ken’s tirade. Even if Yohji was not a sorcerer, he had been trained in the arts and knew how to defend himself. He could also just turn Ken over to the royal guard and have him killed for treason, but Yohji did none of those things. He just waited untill Ken was done. Nothing showed on his face except maybe sadness at the sorcerer’s suffering. Yohji had always had a soft spot for people in pain even though he tried not to show it.
" Sorcerer, I understand your concern and anger; that is the only reason I will let this pass. Now, if you could show me to Lord Fujimiya."
It almost seemed like Ken would throw them out but after a quiet sigh, he nodded once and turned, expecting them to follow. Ran was sitting at the table, holding a now empty cup between his hands. Ken slowly removed the cup before kneeling beside Ran to speak to him. The redhead nodded silently before turning to look at them. It was then that Omi could see why the servants had said he had no soul; Lord Fujimiya’s eyes were empty, almost as if he were dead.
The prince felt a pang of guilt when he saw Ran. The redhead was looking at them but it was more like he was looking right through them. There was no emotion, and if he took into consideration the sorcerer’s earlier comment, Ran had been this way for a while.
" Ran?" asked the prince, pulling a chair close to redhead to sit on.
" Your Majesty. How can I help you?"
" We came to pay our condolences and to ask if you had any idea who did this."
No response from Ran but some from the sorcerer who turned to stare out the window.
Ran sighed before blowing some bangs out of his face.
" Thank you. I appreciate your concern. As for your other question, I don’t know. My father made sure not to have any enemies and there were none that I knew of. My mother and sister hardly ever left the grounds of my father’s estate and the only times they ever did, it was to attend to one of the King’s audiences or to visit Ken."
Yohji sighed. He had hoped Ran would know. He had a feeling it had been one of the lords but so many were corrupt that he really didn’t know where to start. Turning toward Ken, he asked if he could have a minute with the redhead. After a frown, the sorcerer accepted, stepping out of the house followed by Omi. Then he allowed himself to caress Ran’s cheek. It served to jolt the redhead from what he had been thinking.
" My lord?"
" Ran…I have the feeling you and that sorcerer friend of yours know something you are not telling me. The only thing I ask you is not to seek revenge on your own. Do not do something you’ll regret."
A wry smile spread across the redhead’s features.
" My lord, my family is dead. What more could I regret?"
Omi had walked after Ken, knowing Yohji wanted to talk to Ran alone. Yet, he was beginning to think it was a mistake since he was staring at Ken like a love struck girl.
" Is there a problem, my lord?"
The Duke blushed slightly before waving a hand.
" Lord Hidaka, may I ask you something?"
" I cannot stop you."
Omi steeled himself to ask what had been bothering him for the past few minutes.
" You do know who killed Lord Fujimiya. Why won’t you tell us?"
Surprisingly, Ken sighed. He didn’t seem surprised in the least.
" My lord, if someone were to kill your family, what would you do? I lost my family when I was a boy. Taeba has always been a vengeful god and she focused her anger on them. It wasn’t because they were traitors; she just felt they weren’t praising her enough." Ken lifted his face to the sky. " If I had been the age I am now, I would’ve gone against her, no matter the consequences, but I was too young. Ran’s family took me in and raised me before the leader of our clan claimed I had to be with my own kind. Yet, that never stopped me from visiting the Fujimiyas or them from visiting me. They were my family I understand the pain and anger Ran is going through. I could stop him from doing something crazy but he would never forgive me and I would never forgive myself."
Omi was stunned. The sorcerer had admitted that they were going to do something and he sounded so defeated… as if life did not matter anymore. A sudden fear for both their lives seized him. The Duke didn’t care about anything but trying to prevent them from doing something that could get them killed. He seized Ken by the shoulders and shook him hard.
" This is madness! It will get you both killed, and for what? To kill some lord that will get what’s coming to him? Please do not throw away your lives. There are people who care about you." Omi closed his eyes at the wetness he could feel forming around his eyes. " I…I care about you."
He opened his eyes when he felt Ken brushing away his tears and found the sorcerer smiling.
" My lord, you shouldn’t cry for me. I am flattered that you care about me, but nothing is concrete. Ran may do everything by himself and knowing how stubborn he is, he may not want me interfering. Don’t worry, everything will be okay."
" But…" Omi hadn’t even seen it coming. One moment, the sorcerer was caressing his face and the next he was kissing him. And it wasn’t chaste kiss by any means. The sorcerer was urging him with his tongue to open his mouth and when he did, the Duke felt his knees grow weak. Closing his eyes, Omi allowed himself to feel the warmth of Ken’s lips over his and fought an increasing urge to cry. A part of him knew that this was the last time he would ever see Ken again, which made him press closer to the man. He didn’t want to lose Ken, but then, he had never had him to begin with.
Ran was standing outside the palace records room. He had finally tracked Lord Mise down to this room. The advisor was hunched over some papers, mumbling quietly to himself. It had been such a problem tracking down the bastard since at night, the King’s palace activated magic sensors; any magic used would trigger the alarm. Ken had wanted to come but Ran had refused; he didn’t want to involve Ken in this. Ken was waiting for him in the falls of Silentia with a horse. After this night, Ran knew he could not stay in Libertas. This was his fight, even though he did understand Ken wanting to come. Ken felt he had also lost his family.
Ran was all dressed in black, with a black cloak that was actually an invisibility cloak that Ken had loaned him along with his sword. Finally sure that no one was near, the redhead entered the room before coming up behind the large back of Lord Mise and tapping his shoulder lightly.
" What….?" Lord Mise lost his voice when he saw who it was.
" Lord…it seems you and I have unfinished business."
Lord Mise’s face drained of all color and he started sweating heavily before bringing out a cloth to clean his face. Ran looked at him in disgust, the lord reminding him of a pig waiting to be slaughtered.
" My lad Ran, what’s this about unfinished business?"
By the minute, Ran was feeling surer about himself. " I’m not your boy and you know very well what I’m talking about."
That was when the man started stammering. " It wasn’t my idea, I had some problems and then I was afraid your father would discover me in front of the Council so I asked Taeba for help. She told me to kill him."
Ran stood, stonily staring at him. A small chuckle escaped him. Taeba, it seemed that demon was involved in everything.
" Not enough," and with that Ran cut Lord Mise’s head off in one swipe.
‘ Taeba, show yourself."
The redhead didn’t have to wait for long the goddess to appear. She looked as beautiful as ever with her long silver hair and eyes as well as her silky silver robes. She still had that playful expression she always wore, which almost made Ran regret what he had to do.
" What’s wrong, my love?"
" You demon, you got my family killed. I curse you."
Taeba’s face had been all purity until she heard her beloved Ran speaking to her with such hate. Her silver eyes narrowed.
" Tread carefully. I still have your soul in my possession." Ran laughed.
" My soul? You never had it. You took it away and I let you because you promised not to hurt my family, but they are dead. So I’m getting it back."
It was then that the goddess noticed the bright light in her chest; Ran’s soul was leaving her. Desperately, she put her hands over her chest, trying to keep the soul inside her but it burned her before leaving her completely and returning to Ran.
" Ran!!!! You’re mine!!!" wailed the goddess. Ran lifted his hands to cover his ears and stumbled out of the room, leaving the screaming goddess behind him. Receiving his soul after not having it for so long was also affecting his body. He suddenly felt too heavy to move and could feel blood dribbling out of his mouth. He was going to have to use a healing spell but that would throw off all the alarms and then, as if hearing his thought, the palace’s alarms went off. The redhead kept stumbling until he stopped at a corner to heal himself. It took more energy than he would have liked but it seemed easier to summon than before. Now, he understood what Ken meant when he said that to yield to magic you needed to feel it with your soul. He also felt his power growing; maybe the soul being in Taeba’s body so long was giving him more energy. He smiled lightly before he heard someone call his name.
" Ran."
Turning with his sword in front of him toward the source of the voice, he found the prince standing there with a black robe and an expression…of sadness. He was sad….
" Oh Ran, why didn’t you listen to me?"
Ran averted his eyes. At the moment, he couldn’t deal with the sadness etched on the Prince’s features.
" I couldn’t. This was MY family that was killed."
Yohji took a step toward him before he heard the guards. Walking rapidly he took Ran’s arm, pulling him to him.
" You must go now or you’ll be killed. Swear to me you will survive this and come back to me."
Ran opened his mouth in astonishment. The Prince wanted him? Why? He wanted to ask him but then he heard more guards coming through the corridor.
" I swear it."
Yohji pulled him for a small hug before pushing him to go. Ran didn’t need to be told twice, he ran jumping out of a window and into the night.
Ken was waiting for him when he arrived.
" Are you okay?"
" Yes, the royal guard is after me. You must leave here or they will blame you too. Go to the Sorcerer’s Mount and stay there until this dies down."
Ken frowned at this. "But I thought I was going with you."
" No," said Ran, hugging the young sorcerer. " I don’t want you to get hurt. You must go to the Sorcerer’s Mount and become a greater sorcerer than what you are. I swear I will someday return."
Ken stared at him through his tears before nodding quietly.
" Here." He placed a wooden staff with an embedded quartz crystal on its top in the redhead’s hands. " It will protect you."
" But Ken…it was your father’s. I can’t…"
" Consider it a loan. You will come back and return it to me. Now you will have your staff and soul protecting you."
Ran was surprised. Ken was going to be a great sorcerer. The redhead nodded before mounting his horse and leaving Ken alone. Ken kept watching until he could no longer see Ran before turning into a wolf and leaving in the direction of the Sorcerer’s Mount.
Ran had lost count of how many days he had been traveling after the fifth day. The royal guards had stopped their pursuit when Ran had crossed the country’s borders. Those bastards were persistent; Ran had to give them that. He calculated that maybe he had been traveling two weeks since his food ration was getting smaller. The only reason his horse hadn’t died on him yet was because Ken had created the horse. It had been one of his earlier experiments with the demon world. Ran remembered how scared Ken had been when his master’s horse had turned from a brown to a black red-eyed beast. When Ken’s master saw the horse, he had given it to Ken, saying that he wouldn’t ride a possessed horse. Ran loved the horse and now owed the beast his life. They had been traveling through the White Mountains for the past two days. There were called that way because they were covered in snow. Most travelers avoided the mountains because they were too dangerous: winds would come unannounced, sweeping unsuspecting riders from their horses. The high cliffs on the side of the mountain were just another added worry for riders.
Ran had been drowsing off on the horse when his senses, enhanced after receiving his soul back, detected a shift in the wind. Ken had always said that the air was the first to notice when something was wrong. Ran sat up on the horse, picking up Ken’s staff while he patted the horse to calm it down.
It was then that he heard something flying toward him.
" Shield!" said the redhead, pointing the staff toward the source of the sound. It was a firebomb. The bomb exploded when it made contact with the shield, disturbing the snow around Ran and thus making it impossible for him to see.
" Damn it! Wind!" The staff was enhancing every one of his spells, making it easier for Ran to summon them. The wind hit nothing. Man and horse stood staring at the cleared area in front of them. There was nothing. At least that was what Ran had thought before he heard the laugh.
" Very good for a novice." Ran turned his head, searching for the owner of the voice, but there was no one.
" Who’s there?! Show yourself!"
" Shh…you’ll wake up the guardian spirits and they will not be as lenient as I’ll be."
Ran was getting tired of this game of cat and mouse.
" Show yourself!"
" You shouldn’t be so eager to meet your death." That was when Ran felt someone behind him, but before he was able to turn, he felt a small prick on his neck. His limbs felt too heavy all of a sudden and unable to hold himself up, he fell from his horse. Someone turned him on his back, someone with fiery red hair and his voice…it sounded so odd. The oddest thing was that he could hear the man’s voice but the latter’s lips weren’t moving.
" Wha…what have you done to me?"
" You should learn not to cross the borders of Zawquir without facing the consequences."
And then, Ran’s world went black.
TBC