Black Blood

I walk at a brisk pace towards the hospital. The thoughts roll through my head like a ball rolling down a mountain. It’s a lot of new information, bad information and above all confusing information. My life gets more complicated by the minute. My first day at work clearly did not go as planned and, to be honest, I doubt that it will be my last. At this point, I couldn’t care less about the consequences of my actions. I have to get out of here, I have to do something.

Several elves stare at me as I quickly make my way along the stone paths. Fortunately, the village is not large and the building Nalu pointed out to me quickly comes into view. The building is large, white and has almost no windows. It is similar to the temple. However, this building is not adorned with coloured windows or decoration. It is static white with wooden doors. Nothing special or extra. It strikes me that all the “important” buildings here are white while all the houses are built of wood. No matter how negative my stay so far is. I can appreciate the decoration of the village.

I run to the door and open it in one swift movement. The door slams open against the wall while a large hall comes into my view. It is similar to what we in the castle called the infirmary. There are rows of beds on both sides. However, this room has partitions between the beds, something we didn’t have in the castle. The floor is wooden, the ceiling high and there are few windows. There is an elf walking around in almost the same clothes as me. However, the apron they wear is white instead of brown. One of the elves walks in my direction. Her red hair is in a bun and her face is full of freckles. She is not much older than about thirty.

‘Can I help you, miss?’ she asks politely.

‘I’ve come to see Novak, the vampire,’ I reply impatiently. The lady nods and holds out her hand for me to follow. She walks ahead of me towards the third bed on the left. As soon as I look at the person in the bed, I begin to doubt her professionalism. The boy in the bed does not have blond hair like Novak but black, pitch black.

‘He is still very weak and sleeps a lot. Since his poisoning he has been awake twice,’ she informs me. I look confused from the boy in the bed to the lady.

‘I think you are mistaken. Novak has blond hair, this is the wrong boy,’ I tell her as kindly as possible. The lady looks at me in surprise and walks over to the paper hanging on the wall above the bed.

‘Novak, 22 years old, vampire, poisoned with Hemlock,’ she reads. I grow more confused by the second. She looks at me questioningly.

‘That’s right, but he’s blonde,’ I repeat determinedly. The lady takes the paper from the wall and shows it to me.

Poisoned, Hemlock. Vampire. Change of hair and eye colour, reason unknown.

I look from the paper to Novak and back. This cannot be, this must be some strange joke of the king. However, when I look closely at the boy I see all the characteristics that Novak has. The birthmark on his neck, the white, yet healthy looking skin and the long curled eyelashes. This boy has all of Novak’s features except for the black hair. I decide to walk up to the boy and gently put my hand on his shoulder. The boy does not move. I slowly sit down on the edge of the bed. The lady who brought me here smiles briefly before walking away and leaving me alone with the boy.

You could describe the past hour as one of the most hectic hours of my life. As I take a moment to sit down and let my thoughts wander, I begin to realise the reality in which I have found myself. I am cursed, wanted, losing my magic and am one of the last two Night Riders in the world. Only then do I realise what Nalu said to me as I walked away. Rave. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right about Rave making me a target. It’s a miracle we were able to hide him until this time. Word spreads quickly, more and more creatures begin a search for me and Viko. Rave is big and stands out more than two people on a horse. I’m going to do my best to defy fate and keep Rave with me for as long as possible. That dragon saved my life, more than once.

‘Cel?’ I jolt up from my thoughts and look beside me. The black-haired boy has opened his eyes. Two deep red eyes look at me wearily. Then realisation slips in. Cell. Only Novak has ever called me that, his voice sounds like Novak and his eyes have that same sparkle in them despite the colour.

‘Novak?’ I ask incredulously. He frowns and doesn’t seem to be able to place my disbelief. In addition to his striking appearance, a number of other things stand out. He looks tired, seems thinner and his skin seems whiter than it was. He nods slowly and smiles.

‘Why so surprised?’ he asks, pushing himself up a little. I put my hand on his shoulder and support him as he sits up. As soon as he sits up, I run a hand through his hair to see if there are any traces of the blond. I can be brief, there is none.

‘Your hair is black, your eyes are bright red.’ I have never seen Novak look at me so confused. He thinks I’m joking, he must be. I look around to find something that looks like a mirror. I pick up a knife lying next to me on the bedside table and hand it to him. He tries to see himself in the reflection of the silver. It takes a while before he can catch the right amount of light and see a glimpse of his new appearance. His red eyes enlarge into saucers.

‘They call it the red moon.’ I look up and see the last person I had expected and hoped to see, the elf king. His bare upper body is covered with dozens of silver chains. He is dressed in nothing more than a green jacket and black trousers. His hands are folded behind his body as he walks towards us. The man gets on my nerves despite not giving any sign of violence.

‘It’s a folk tale that has been going on since the first Night Riders flew around, the protection system the nymphs have built in. As soon as the Night Riders fall, their magic is passed on in small amounts to creatures of the same lifeline. The magic of the deceased Night Riders is lost until only a sparkle remains. To preserve that sparkle, two new less powerful creatures will arise. The Blue and Red Moon. Two strong mages without dragon or element control. Their exact magic is unknown because they have not existed before. The only thing the nymphs revealed is their connection to the moon, large amount of knowledge and magic equivalent to the Night Riders.’ Novak is a vampire, not a mage. The king takes a step closer to the bed until he is standing next to me. I swerve away from him, avoiding Novak’s questioning eyes.

‘I’m a vampire, not a mage,’ Novak says as if he can read my thoughts. The king laughs and takes the knife from Novak’s hand. He grabs Novak’s right index finger and brings the sharp silver towards his skin.

‘You were a vampire,’ says the elf king, making a small nick in the tip of Novak’s finger. A drop of deep red blood falls onto the sheets. In itself this is not strange or unusual, but with the knowledge that Novak has been poisoned with Hemlock it is. You don’t survive Hemlock without an antidote, as Nalu reminded me earlier. If you survive it at all, traces remain for months, turning your blood a black colour. Novak’s blood is pure red, there is no sign of the hemlock.

‘Make no mistake. The blue and red moon are no substitute for the Night Riders. They are protectors, but without the Night Riders, the life lines are open. There is no chance that they can generate a new line of Night Riders. It is a good sign that the magic is alive, but it is not nearly strong enough to stop the king,’ the elf king continued.

‘If they are not replaced and do not have the same amount of power, what is their purpose?’ asks Novak softly.

‘You are bound to the moon, a source of magic that no creature carries. You are stronger than any mage could ever become without the help of black magic and a high price. When you learn how to control that magic, you will be the second most powerful being on earth after the Night Riders. You are the last hope the nymphs could create to protect the life lines.’ That’s the moment I realise something.

‘If Novak is the red moon, then who is the blue one?’ The elf king begins to grin.

‘You will have to find that out for yourself princess.’