The Moonblood: Prt. 2

Chapter 11

“Alright, let me slip the dress over your arms.” Angel said to me as we struggled to get me into this ceremony dress. It was a light gray-ish blue colour with a skirt that flowed out behind me. The reason we were having so much trouble putting it on was that the sleeves had many layers, and they were very annoying. After another five minutes of grunts and struggling, we finally were ready for me to get my powers. 

We went to the place in the forest that Angel had found. It was a quiet meadow with a small, burbling stream running through it. Angel explained that wherever you preformed had to be in nature, have water, and it had to be at night. 

She instructed me to stand in the water and we started.  

“Leena Moonblood of the Moonblood clan. Do you pledge yourself to the Moonbloods?” 

“I pledge myself.” I replied. 

“Let me utter the spell that will allow you to perform magic! ¥Ω₹µ” she said. I felt a rush go through my body. Angel was still talking, but I couldn’t hear her. I was rising in the air and the wind was swooshing around me. I started to slowly sink down to the ground. My feet hit the ground and I felt very lightheaded. Ezra ran over and caught me before a fell flat on my face.  

“Are you ok, Leena?” he asked, although it sounded like he was underwater. I think Angel said that it was normal if I felt sick. We went back to her house and I slept for 2 days straight. 

  *** 

When I woke up, I felt perfectly fine. Then, we made sure the ritual had worked. 

“Just try to levitate something. That’s fairly easy. Focus on it until it starts floating.” Angel explained. I picked a box that Angel had lying around in her house and closed my eyes. I pictured the box and I suddenly felt a strange sensation flow through my fingertips. I opened my eyes, and the box was hovering a few feet off the ground!  

“You’re doing it!” cried Ezra. I couldn’t believe it! I could use my powers! 

“Where’s Moria? She should see this!” I said. Glancing around the room, I realize she’s nowhere to be found. I dropped the box and looked at Ezra. 

“Where’s Moria?” I ask again, suddenly worried about the little 5-year-old. We looked all around the house. She’s gone. While Ez and I stayed at the house, Angel went to look in the forest. 

   *** 

“Dad! The little girl went missing!” Angel practically yelled into her iGem. She had run into the forest and called him.  

“I know.” laughed Colonel Leeland.  

“What!? How could you know?! You... you didn’t kidnap her, right?” Angel shivered. She didn’t know that her father would stoop that low. On the other end of the call, Leeland was sitting in front of a cage that held a frightened little girl, about 5 years old. He turned on his holographic video so his daughter could see. 

“What I want you to do is...” he said, an evil grin spreading across his face. 

Chapter 12: 

When Angel came back alone, Ezra broke down in tears.  

“I’ll never see her again! My parents will disown me!” he sobbed. I admit, I was worried, too. But instead of flopping onto the hammock and crying like I wanted to, I convinced him to search with me for another few hours. Night came and that’s when I got to flop onto the hammock. In the morning we continued looking and I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. 

“Hey guys! I found something!” I yelled. I was looking at a series of footprints, some small, like a child, and some big, like an adult. Could she have been kidnapped? I wonder. Ezra rushes over and looks at the tracks, obviously made by Moria.  

“Oh no...” Ezra says and dashes in the direction the footprints go. I run after him. 

“Ezra, wait! We should get Angel to help us! We don’t know who took her! The person could be dangerous!” I scream before he’s out of ear shot. He stops. “Ezra, come back please!” I plead.  

“I’m only waiting until Angel gets here.” he says impatiently. I run back and when I burst out of the forest, I see Angel holding a heavy rock and I hear her whisper, “Sorry”. Then everything goes black. 

  *** 

When I wake up the first thing I notice is everything is red or black or some other fiery colour. Then I feel the ropes holding my hands and feet together. I smell burnt rubber, burnt flesh, burnt everything. Then I see the cage. 

“Moria!” I try and yell, but there’s a cloth gagging me. I manage to get an audible squeak out and she looks at me. She’s skinny as a rail and I can tell they haven’t been feeding her enough. 

“Leena?” she says weakly. I nod and try to communicate the question I have: Where’s Ezra? She understands and points the ground beside me. I see him lying in a cage identical to Moria’s. He’s unconscious. 

“Well, well, well,” a sinister voice says, “The gang’s all here!” Colonel Leeland says, stepping out of the shadows. He kicks Ezra’s cage, saying, “Wake up, sleepy head!” Ezra stirs but doesn’t get up. So, Leeland does something that I hate him for. He shoots a small fireball at Ezra's leg. That gets him up. Ezra’s screams radiate through the small room.  

“Now that we’re all awake and alert, I think I’ll explain why we are all here.” Leeland smiles as Ezra glares at him, tears pouring down his face, “I know that you, Leena, know that you’re the girl in the prophecy. I also know that you don’t know the full prophecy. They don’t teach it in school because it will scare kids. When names match and clans clash a girl of twelve of clan of moon will kill the clan of fire. The leader will be first to die and then the rest can say good-bye. Out of three: a child, a friend and an escapee, one will not return. You see, at least one of you will die and since I have you all right here, let's kill all of you!” he laughed. Out of the shadows stepped a woman. She was tall and slender and had long hair that was black-ish brown at top and faded to burgundy at the bottom. She had the same structure as Angel, but slightly different.  

“Meet my wonderful wife, Evondra! She’s going to help me kill you!” he laughed again. Evondra had a strange, sad look on her face. She took one look at the kids and cringed away.  

“Now let’s get on to the fun part! Sweetie get ready. You are going to take care of the little girl.” At that point, it looked like she snapped. She lunged not at Moria, not at Ezra, but at Leeland! At the same time, she sent two fireballs at the cages that held Moria and Ezra, melting away the metal. After the metal had cooled down, Moria scrambled out, but Ezra’s leg was badly burnt so he couldn’t get out. Moria plucked the gag from my mouth and I told her to untie me so I could help Ezra. Meanwhile, the battle was raging behind us, but I couldn’t tell who was winning. 

“Ez! Are you ok?” I asked once I was free. He nodded but was still clutching his leg. I struggled to help him up. After I did, we started limping towards the exit. 

“Guards!” yelled Leeland. About a dozen guards rushed in as he yelled, “Arrest these children!” 

Chapter 13: 

We were trapped once again. This time by armed warriors, not bars. I racked my brain for an escape plan. After glancing out the window to make sure it was full moon, then I dig deep into my memory to retrieve the words of the Moonshine spell. 

“βαôî!” I yell. There’s a flash of light and then the guards are stumbling around, blind as bats. I grab Ezra around the waist and dash out, Moria close behind. After making sure we weren’t followed, we stop in a clearing just outside Lava City. All breathing hard (except for Ezra, who I carried the whole way), we decide to stop for the night and make a makeshift tent out of branches still covered in leaves. We all climb in and as I’m trying to heal Ezra’s wound with a spell I heard the town doctor use, Ezra says, “Thank you, Leena.”  

Suddenly, I hear a rustle in a nearby bush. I crawl out and see Evondra standing there, injured but alive! Not sure what to do I ask, “Why did you help us? Why are you here?” 

“I couldn’t bear to watch innocent children die. It’s not your fault you’re part of some stupid prophecy! Anyways, I’m here to warn you. The spell my daughter preformed that gave you your powers didn’t just give you your powers. It also allows my husband to track you from a special device he has. He knows where you are this very moment.” she replies. Shocked, I stagger back to the tent to help Ezra out so he can listen and help me comprehend this. 

“What do you mean, he’s tracking her?” Ezra asks, as dumb founded as me.  

“I mean, he’s tracking her! He knows where you are, right now! You have to let me do the counter spell!” Evondra says, quickly. 

“How do we know it won’t kill me?” I ask, slowly backing up. 

“I suppose you don’t. But I did save you, didn’t I?” she said, slowly, thinking. I looked at Ezra. He’s silent for a moment before nodding. 

“Ok. Do it.” I sighed. We started immediately. We went to the same spot that Angel did the first spell and she helped me put the annoying dress on again. Then Evondra performed the spell. Afterwards, she says, “There. He should have just lost the signal the first spell produced.” 

After that, we found a new camp and Evondra explained a bit more about why she was helping us. 

“Have you ever heard the story of Princess Evondra of the Droplawas?” she asked.  

“Yes!” exclaimed Ezra, “Our mom tells it to us all the time.” Moria nods enthusiastically.  

“Well, it’s true. I am the princess in the story. But the writers changed a few things. At the beginning when the princess wants to leave, that’s not true. My father, the king, wanted me to leave because they wanted a son, not a daughter. The part where I run away, is also false. I was 20 at the time and since I was a princess, my parents forced me into an arranged marriage with Leeland. In the story, Leeland is a handsome prince. That’s obviously not true.” Evondra explained. Moria giggled. 

“So, you’re a Droplawa with Firen powers?” I ask skeptically.  

“Yes. Leeland made me look like a Firen, talk like a Firen and he gave me Firen powers. I want to relearn the Droplawa’s magic.” she said sadly, “I’ve hated him ever since we met. I knew someday I would have to escape his clutches.” 

“Wow,” Ezra said in amazement, “I thought the story was fake!” 

“No. Everyone thinks that until they meet me.” Evondra replied. 

“Well, do you want to help us?” I asked. 

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. I don’t want to leave you kids here alone, anyways.” she said, thinking quickly. 

“Ok. Do you know a better place to set up camp?” I asked. 

“Well, there’s one place where Leeland would never find us...” she says thoughtfully.