Chapter Eight #3
We all turned to see what made the noise.
I stood rooted in absolute horror at the sight of a massive man clad in jeans and black leather jacket, along with what I thought of as a generic Maya feather headdress.
He was handsome, although he didn’t hold a candle to Hunter, with shoulder-length black hair, and equally dark eyes, but what concerned me was the fact that he looked furious.
And then the swarm of man-sized owls who were marching behind him swept forward when he pointed at us and roared.
“Shit!” Dawn said, and took off running for the exit, Derry on her heels.
Hunter and I exchanged looks, then both raced after her.
Dawn and Derry almost danced with impatience during the time it took us to get to them.
“Hurry and let me out,” she said, her face filled with both anger and fear. Behind us, the rumble of a bunch of big-ass owl people racing toward us grew louder, while tremors shook the ground beneath us.
“This would be much quicker and easier if I had my moonstone, but Hunter wouldn’t let me get it from my car,” I said with a quick meaningful look at the man in question, but he was too busy taking a protective stand behind me to notice.
“Just make it fast!” Dawn said, trying to run into the portal that led to the real world.
As expected, it didn’t allow her to pass.
I took a deep breath, tried to calm the fear that grew as each second passed and One-Death and his owl squad approached, and dug through my memories for an alternate method of guiding spirits.
“Stand still, and try to clear your mind,” I told her as I took her by the arm.
“Are you insane?” she said, pointing at where the lead owls were about thirty feet away.
“Just try,” I growled, ignoring the swoosh of air as Hunter swung his sword.
“Go!” he yelled, his sword held high as the first of the owl guards reached us.
“Yes, get me out of here!” Dawn said, once again trying to leap through the portal. I pulled her back, and prepared to speak the words of the spell that would let her pass from one realm to another, a familiar light filling my mind as I allowed myself to be a conduit.
Behind me, Hunter snarled an oath, followed immediately by the sound of several giant owls screaming in pain.
“I may not have my esprit, but I’ll gut any of you who comes close,” he said with another snarl of fury.
“Go, go, go!” Dawn yelled, trying to jerk me forward with her to the portal.
The light within me continued to build, and I was about to use it to move her out of this world when Hunter grunted in pain, and I spun around to see him go down under six man-sized owls.
What was worse was One-Death arriving, a massive stone sword held in one hand, while a pair of nunchucks dangled from the other.
“What in the name of the twelve razors of death is going on here? Why is a dragon stealing my wife? And is that a reaper? Really, you hate me enough to drag a reaper and a dragon here? You know how I feel about strangers. Fine, I’ll sacrifice them, but I won’t enjoy it.”
“Like hell you will,” I said, and I did something I’d never done before, and hoped I’d never have to do again. ... I released the light I held right into One-Death’s face just as he raised the massive stone sword over Hunter.
The resulting blast sent One-Death and the owls flying backward a few yards, while also knocking down Derry and Dawn.
Hunter, to my complete surprise, leaped up, his body bloody but shimmering with gathered motes of light for a moment before it took the form of a gray dragon, one that stomped forward with a murderous glint to his pretty green eyes. “You dare threaten my mate?”
“You have no power here, dragon,” One-Death spat out as he scrambled to get out from under the owls.
“You don’t even have an esprit in that sword.
It’s useless, just as you are. I’ll make sure that you and the reaper learn your place by sending you to the twelve lords.
I think we’ll start with Wing and Packstrap.
They cause people to cough up blood while on a road, dying a painful death as they try to crawl to safety. Bring forth the gods!”
Suddenly Derry squawked, hopping a few times before rushing to Hunter.
I thought for one horrible moment he was going to attack, but to my surprise, Dawn, who had gotten to her feet, said, “Are you sure? I suppose it would make a change of pace, but I don’t know how well you’d like it. Dragon hunter, Derry wishes to help.”
I started pulling power from the surroundings, gathering it up into me so I could use it to get us all out of there, but before I could do more than frown at Dawn, Derry hopped a couple more times, and then the golden light of his eyes seemed to explode around us like a supernova, blinding me for a few seconds.
“I accept you as esprit,” Hunter said, swinging his sword up to face the owls and One-Death, the latter of whom curled his lips at the sight of the élan vital now fully powered, the runes lit, the gems glowing, and the metal glinting with a cold, deadly light.
Almost as cold and deadly as Hunter’s eyes. He stalked forward with a bit of a swagger that I later realized was inherent to dragon form, the sword’s gems gleaming green as the owls swarmed him.
One-Death didn’t look the least bit impressed, but I sure was.
However, my opinion of Hunter’s bravery and impressive prowess with a sword wasn’t the point, so instead of allowing myself time to admire just how dashing he was, I continued to gather unto me the power I needed to speak the spell of removal.
“Flying Scab, I summon you to me!” One-Death bellowed. “Gathered Blood, Pus Demon, and Jaundice Demon, I summon you to me!”
“Who is he calling?” I whispered to Dawn as she tried to shake the twisting miasma that was the portal.
“The other lords, one of whom is my father. I very much do not want to see him; he’s almost as big of a pain in the ass as is One-Death. We have to leave now, reaper, before they get here! Not even your dragon will be able to save us if they gather together.”
“Skull Staff! Bone Staff! Stabbing Demon! I summon you before me!”
The air around One-Death started to glisten, and I knew our time had just run out. Hunter had dispatched the last of the owls and was turning to face where One-Death stood with his hands in the air, invoking the other lords of the Hour.
“Now! We go now or you will die here!” Dawn said, jerking me to the portal.
I held the glowing light within me that was normally contained in my moonstone, then shoved her forward at the same time I opened the portal with the light, sending her through it.
“Go!” Hunter bellowed as the sparkling lights started to coalesce into forms.
“Not without you!” I grabbed him by the scabbard strap and, after sending another blast of light—the last of it—into the portal, leaped through it, pulling him with me.
The echo of a scream of pure frustration touched with rage followed us into the mortal world.
The momentum of our escape sent us both tumbling forward onto ground covered in asphalt, pebbles, and a bunch of cigarette butts.
“Did you have to wait until the very last minute?” Dawn asked, annoyance filling her face. “This isn’t some Netflix thriller, you know. There are very real repercussions to you dying in an Hour, especially Xibalba. You can never leave if you die there!”
“Then it is good Mabel got us out safely.” Hunter had shifted to human form with the transition, and quickly got to his feet, spinning around to look at where we’d emerged, but as was the way of those things, no sign of the exit was visible.
“I doubt if she dragged her feet on purpose. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I said, taking his hand. I’d gone down to my knees at our entrance, and as I rose, I stared in dismay at two bloody patches on my legs.
“You’re hurt!” Dawn made a face. “It’s a good thing you’re not mortal, or you might get any sort of disease from that.”
Hunter examined the now-shredded leggings. “You are hurt. And bleeding. I will call for a healer.”
He had his phone out before I could even protest. “Don’t be silly, it’s just a couple of scraped knees, and as ... er ... I’m sorry, but what is your name if it’s not Dawn?”
“Me?” Dawn had been examining the street.
“Like my ex, I have many names, but the one I use the most is Blood Moon. I was named after my father, Blood Gatherer. Do you have some antiseptic wipes? I used to carry some, but One-Death confiscated everything I owned when Asfet tossed me into the Hour, so I’m of no help. ”
Hunter, who had also been bent over while he gently prodded the flesh around my scraped knees, slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on our companion. “What did you say your name was?”
“Blood Moon.” She glanced around, making a face at the surroundings.
We were in a small English town in a parking lot with a variety of shops, many of which were closed. I glanced upward, noting the moon making its way across the sky, wondering about the passage of time in the Hour.
“Wasn’t Blood Gatherer one of the lords One-Death was summoning to slaughter us?
” I asked, feeling adrift in a world that was suddenly filled with deadly Maya gods, owls that could power a sword, and a dragon hunter who continued to grow in my estimation, despite me knowing I couldn’t have a future with him.
“My father, yes. This is interesting. I don’t believe I’ve been here before, although I don’t spend much time in the mortal realm. There’s so many mortals here, you know? What part of the world is this?” she asked.
“England,” Hunter answered, his eyes narrowed on her. “How long have you been the Blood Moon?”
“England.” She rolled the word around as if she’d never heard of it. “I don’t recognize it, although I believe I may have been here a long time ago. I remember it being much smokier. What?”
She looked annoyed when Hunter repeated his question.
“Are you asking me how old I am, dragon hunter? I don’t see why it’s important, but I’m older than a millennium. Why? Does it have some importance?”
“Yes,” he answered, his voice choked.
I moved to his side, touching his arm until he turned to me, his eyes filled with mingled speculation and elation. “What’s up? Why can I feel your fire inside you?”
“You’re a wyvern’s mate. I’m the equivalent of a wyvern; thus, you are reacting to my fire.”
I looked down at my hand on his arm, my heart sick at the knowledge that I couldn’t have him ... not until I had Papi off my back. “You told One-Death I was your mate.”
“Slip of the tongue,” he said quickly, but avoided meeting my eyes. “Oh, no, you don’t!”
Dawn was heading at a fast pace across the parking lot to a petrol station, one with a store attached to it.
I stood for a moment watching him catch up to her, the adrenaline from our escape dissolving into a sense of loss and isolation.
“You don’t want to be his mate,” I lied to myself as I slowly followed after them. “OK, you do, but not when Papi is around just waiting to use him. Buck up, ballerina. Maybe he can help take care of Papi.”
Hunter stood by the store entrance, waiting for me with an annoyed expression that I realized was directed at Dawn (as I continued to think of her). “We can’t let her get away. If she has to use the loo, you’ll need to go with her.”
“Why? Sally didn’t say we had to take her somewhere else, did she?” I asked as we entered the store. Dawn was standing in front of a shelf filled with a variety of candy, her hands full of the offerings.
He didn’t answer until he paid for her snacks, herding us both out of the store. “She’s the Blood Moon.”
“Yes, that is my name.” She peered into the paper bag holding her haul. “Really, the mortals eat some odd sweets. What is a sour patch, and is it tasty?”
“You’re the Blood Moon,” Hunter repeated, shaking his head as he spoke.
“Why are you calling her the Blood Moon?” I asked, starting to worry. His expression wasn’t one of happiness about her identity.
“Because that’s what she is.” His gaze swiveled from me to her. “This is ... we never thought you’d be a person. And what the hell was in the vault at Suffrage House if it wasn’t you?”
“I don’t know?” She made the answer a question, obviously as befuddled as I was feeling at that moment.
She plucked a candy bar from the bag, and sniffed it.
“Should I? I’ve been out of the mortal plane visiting friends and family in various underworlds for .
.. oh, several hundred years. Maybe more, depending on the date.
Time works differently in the Hours, you know.
Reaper, would you care for something called a Polo? You look like a Polo sort of person.”
“That would explain why it’s evening here, when it was morning in the Hour,” I mused, watching Hunter. He looked alternately excited and worried to death. “Hunter? What’s the deal with her name?”
“Oooh. Little orange slices. I do enjoy an orange.” Dawn wrestled with a package of candy that my grandmother used to love.
“I’ve asked one of the local dragons to pick us up, but now I think .
.. hmm?” Hunter tucked away his phone and studied me for a moment before answering my question.
“The deal is that every denizen of the Otherworld is looking for our friend here, including all of the dragonkin. And the Dark Ones, for that matter. Not to mention every nefarious being who wants the reward offered for her.”
“I wish I had my phone,” Dawn said around a mouthful of chocolate candy bar. “One of my friends takes pictures of everything she eats, and posts it online for others to see and admire. I know people would enjoy my mortal-world sweets.”
Hunter’s eyes had dulled as he watched her. “We have to keep anyone from knowing she’s here, because if they do ...”
“I don’t like it when people let their sentences hang,” I said, rubbing my arms against the chills that rippled up and down my body.
“We have to get her to safety,” he answered. “And quickly, before anyone notices she’s out of the underworld.”
“I’m perfectly safe now,” Dawn protested when he hurried us forward, out of the parking lot. “One-Death can’t come here. He’s bound to the Hour.”
“It’s not your ex who worries me,” Hunter answered, grimness dripping from his words.
“Who, then?” I asked, fear gripping my stomach with little stabs of pain.
He was silent for a moment before saying just one word, but that word dropped like an anvil.
“Desislav.”
“How does he come into it?” I asked, remembering the feeling of power that I’d sensed when we’d rescued Desi from the Thirteenth Hour.
“He wants her most of all,” he said softly, his gaze on her. “And he won’t hesitate to destroy us, the dragonkin, and pretty much all of the Otherworld to get her back.”