The Blood Princess (Part 1)

Right before dawn, the trio decided to cross the border and enter the Lunaria kingdom. Leonard picked up a few of his things from his room and went to the next door, where Kasian was packing the rest.

Mira was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, peeking out through the window.

The sky was still dark outside, but the sun would soon rise, coloring the sky a soft blue.

“Should we fly again?” Leonard asked. “It will be easier than walking.”

“Makes sense. At least we can fly above their heads, and they will not realize that we entered the kingdom.”

“Okay, that should be everything,” Kasian said. “Let's go.”

They left the room and the inn. Walking straight into the woods near the village, where no one could see them, Leonard let the Sanguis onto the ground, ordering him to fly. All three of them stepped onto the broad blade, and Sanguis slowly rose into the air.

“Can we go?” Leonard asked.

“Go, just go!”

Sanguis charged forward.

Leo wondered if he would ever get used to it. He did not fall once, but he never felt secure standing on the blade. Adjusting his feet, he leaned forward, and the blade listened.

“Glad you are getting better at flying,” Mira complained from behind his back. “We are flying much faster now. I think I am gonna puke.”

“Please, just don’t barf over my new cloak. I don’t want to start a new life in the next kingdom smelling like vomit.”

“Noted,” Mira said, covering her mouth with one hand.

“You’ve eaten like a pig yesterday, no wonder you are feeling sick now,” Kasian scolded her.

Leonard rolled his eyes. Are these two going to squabble the whole ride behind his back? It felt like the old times. Realizing this, he had to laugh at them.

“We are crossing the borders now,” he informed them.

He barely finished his sentence when the blade under his feet jerked.

“What was that? Keep that sword stable, or we will fall,” Mira noticed immediately.

Leonard closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations of the blade under his feet. Sanguis entered the Lunaria kingdom and was happy. The whole sword was tingling with excitement.

“Go quicker then, when you are so excited,” Leonard said.

“What? No, Leo! That will be dangerous!” Mira shouted behind him.

“Just hold tight,” he shouted back. “We will be there soon, anyway.”

Compared to Silgorod, Lunaria was extremely small. Surrounded by mountains and woods, the most accessible border to cross to the Lunaria was through the Silgorod kingdom. The main area of the country consisted of the capital city called Lunareth. There, the Silverhold building was, the main church and tower, where the Moon Princess was residing. Around it, only a few small towns and villages existed.

Even though Lunaria had a tiny area and only a few lands, their fields were famous for producing well, and their rivers and lakes were rich in aquatic life. No matter what tree you planted, it bore more fruit than the ones in Silgorod.

The locals considered this as proof that their saintess was a holy maiden, purifying their land and granting it fertility.

“We should descend now,” Leonard said.

Sanguis did not listen. Unable to keep its excitement in check, the blade jumped in the air.

They all wobbled.

“I told you, we will fall!” Mira screamed.

They were flying lower down, but it was still above the trees. They all fell from the broadsword and tumbled over the tree tops. The branches softened their fall, but the contact with the ground was still hard.

“Sorry for that,” Leonard said. “I was not expecting this to happen. Are you both all right?”

Mira did not answer, only grumbled out of pain.

Leonard turned to check on them and went pale. “Oh, god, Kasian!”

Kasian covered Mira with his body and was the first one to fall. She was not injured, but he was. A broken branch sticking out of the tree pierced him through. The weight of their bodies broke it, and they both fell down. Leonard could see a sharp stick stained with blood peeking out of his body.

His breaths were shallow, and his whole chest was jerking with each movement. A small trickle of blood pooled down his mouth.

“We need to get help! That looks horrible!” Leonard yelled.

Mira looked at the Kasian lying on the ground next to her. “Heart okay?” she asked him. “What about the head?”

“I am… fine.”

“How the hell is that fine?” Leonard was going to lose it. “He is barely able to talk and breathe. Is he going to die?”

Kasian smiled.

“Don’t you laugh like an idiot!” Leo shouted.

“Could you just shut up?” Mira snapped at him.

She held the sharp, bloody stick with both of her hands, her red eyes glowing. “Are you ready?” she asked Kasian. “This will be painful.”

Kasian closed his eyes. “Just do it!”

Mira jerked hard and pulled it out of his body. A sharp scream echoed through the woods, scaring away the birds nesting in trees.

Mira immediately pressed both her hands onto his wounds. Spells were now sliding across her skin like black snakes. She could feel his wound closing under her palms.

“I am good now,” Kasian said.

She let go and checked his wound. Now, only a hole in his clothes remained.

“You were able to heal him?” Leonard came closer, curious. “Amazing!”

“Looks like you are injured, too,” Mira said, looking at him.

Leonard checked his hand to which she was pointing. Only then did he realize he had a long, bloody scratch on his forearm.

“It's just a scratch,” he said.

Wiping the blood from the wound with his fingers, he walked to the Sanguis lying on the ground.

“You don’t deserve this blood at all,” he told him.

He spread his blood onto the blade, and Sanguis absorbed it immediately, his red gemstone blinking at him.

“I swear, it is flirting with me now,” Leonard complained.

“You should keep a tight rein on that sword,” Mira said. “Anyway, we should clean that wound of yours, so it won't get infected.”

“Can you heal it?”

“I can't,” she said.

Leonard blinked at her, surprised. “You can't? You were able to save Kasian from death, and you cannot heal a small scratch?”

“Kasian is my servant, so he needs to listen. If I tell him to heal, then he will heal. Of course, I need to pay something for that, but that is a different story. With you, though, I cannot do much. Unless you are extremely close to death. Then I can say something.”

“Better to wish you won't be able to help me then,” Leonard remarked.

“We should be close to the town, so let's just go in, take care of that wound, and scout a bit. We can then move to the capital, close to the princess.”

“Where are you planning to go? To the tavern?”

“It is too soon for the tavern. Let's start with the church this time,” Mira said. “I heard that the big mass is being held only one time per month in the capital, but that is only a gathering for priests. Each of them then goes to his territory and church to hold a mass for townsfolk. We can listen to their preaching. I am interested in how much their religion differs from Silgorod’s.”

“I can't say I am looking forward to that,” Leonard sighed.

Mira ignored him and put the hood onto her head, hiding her silver hair. Turning to Kasian, who was able to stand now, like nothing had happened to him, she checked him again for any other possible injuries.

“Okay then, let's go.”

Leaving the woods, they had to walk for a long time to enter the nearby town. The sun was now up, and the town was waking up. People were walking across the streets, some of them running their errands, others going to work. And the last group was going to church for a morning mass.

“Church is right there,” Mira said, gesturing to the tall circular building.

“It looks like a tower, not like a church,” Leonard commented.

“Let's just go there and wait for a while. They are standing near the door, looks like they will be opening it soon.”

They slowly moved near the crowd and waited.

Mira was looking around with Kasian, their gazes not interested in the town, but in people standing near them. The crowd grew larger over time. The bells in the building started ringing, and people in the back formed a corridor. A young priest was walking through it, nodding to believers who greeted him politely, with their heads bowed.

The priest stopped right next to Leonard, looking at him.

“You are injured,” the priest said, looking at Leonard's arm, the blood now staining his sleeve.

“It's just a scratch,” Leonard said, waving with his other hand.

“I will help you in the name of our princess,” the priest said.

He gently took his hand and rolled the sleeve up. He said a short prayer to their princess with his eyes closed. Leonard saw his wound closing and disappearing.

“Thank you,” he said to the priest, bowing his head.

“A miracle!” someone from the crowd shouted. “All hail our Moon Princess! Our holy saintess!”

“Long live the Moon Princess!“ the crowd echoed.

The priest opened the door to the church and stepped inside first. The crowd followed. Multiple people stole glances at Leonard while walking around him, probably being jealous of the blessing that was bestowed upon him. Leo avoided their gazes, feeling uncomfortable. His eyes jumped to Mira with Kasian, who were now entering the church. Leonard followed.

They sat on the bench in the back, looking inside. A multitude of believers sitting in the church had already started a short prayer. Our trio also clasped their hands, pretending to do the same.

“The Shrouded One said: The Blood Star brings suffering and despair. But fear not, my children, as only I can guide you through the darkness. When the moon wanes and the cursed north star threatens to fill the earth with its blood, I shall send you a moon, directly from heaven, to guide you with its light. The Moon princess, the holy saintess, will light your path, and she shall protect you until her last breath.”

“Into the hands of the Shrouded One, we entrust our souls. In the Moon Princess, we believe.”

The high priest continued: “Brothers and sisters, the prophecy said, once the Moon Princess shall awaken fully in her new form, she will no longer be a child of mere flesh, but a vessel of power. In the past weeks, we witnessed the real power of the Moon Princess. Our enemy, the Silgorod kingdom, sought to seize our Moon Princess, which was sent to us by our Shrouded One Himself. We marched to war, and there the holy might of our saintess fully awakened. We beheld her power lay waste to our foes, and through her, the will of the Shrouded One was revealed!”

“All glory to the Moon Princess, sent to us by the Shrouded One!“

Leonard could feel his stomach dropping. He was thankful to the priest for healing his wound, but hearing about them celebrating the massacre of people from his kingdom left a bitter taste in his mouth. He peeked at Mira, but she was listening intently, analyzing each word of the priest. Leonard only prayed for this mass to end soon.