Blood On The Moon Cover
My third novel was finished and published in time for Halloween 2016 and I had a launch at Waterstone's at Sheffield.
The full book cover, done by the wonderful, talented, brilliant Paul Mudie
Other Images from Pixabay or Google (Free Usage)
To read from the beginning: Here
Then change the number in the address bar from 1 to 2 (https://steemit.com/writing/@michelle.gent/blood-on-the-moon-serialised-exclusive-for-steemit-2) and so on for the next episodes.
“Is that really what you think, Darius? You think that I’m not allowed to kill any other Wolf? That, for example, Entwistle here,” she said and beckoned to the other trembling Wolf to her side.
He came to her, as meek and frightened as though he were a lamb that she beckoned forward. “That this Wolf is protected by the First Laws?” she said.
Entwistle looked at Darius and Darius smiled and nodded at him to reassure him. “That’s right, he was given special dispensation by the Council, he was allowed to live,” Darius said.
“As was Etienne.” Red said.
“Yes, the same as Etienne.”
“So if I were to kill Entwistle, I would be in the deepest trouble imaginable?”
“That’s right.” Darius said and the smugness in his voice gave Anton cause to roll his eyes skyward because he knew what was coming even if Darius and the hapless Entwistle didn’t.
Red reached out to Entwistle with one hand, at shoulder height as though she were about to touch him tenderly on his cheek but at the last second, her arm fully extended and slammed hard against the side of Entwistle’s skull to not only snap his neck but also to punch a hole through the side of his skull to pulp the brain against the inside of it.
He was dead before his body crumpled.
Darius was appalled again. He stood with his eyes wide and his mouth agape, flapping wordlessly.
“How much trouble am I in Darius? And more to the point, who am I in trouble with? Fetch that Prophesised One to me and we shall see if she passes the tests. Anton, you can tell if she is such a Prophesised One, can’t you?”
Red looked at Darius while she spoke, as though she didn’t trust him to not disappear as he had before.
“Yes, I can tell if she is one that will fulfil the Prophecy.”
“Well then Darius, I suggest that you fetch her here. We will wait for you and I promise you this much, if she does fulfil the criteria, then that is one that I am not permitted to slaughter at will. I give you my word.”
Red turned away from him and allowed him to leave.
The throngs of Wolves in the field beyond the ruins of the manor house were dispersing.
The younger ones at the front had left already and it would seem that the older Wolves were staying.
Their senses were stronger than those that had just been Whelped and they knew that the show was not yet over.
Chapter 30
Red knew that Darius wouldn’t trust her at her word, she knew a lot about what Darius would be thinking and plotting whilst he was away from the battle ground.
Red wondered if he would return, but it was Feralia and the Wolves that were still at the manor house were old friends and she didn’t see any reason not to indulge in reminiscing.
Red and Anton both wondered why they had not seen Victoria or Erzsébet yet, but that would wait for now.
Darius didn’t trust Red, she was right about that, he also knew that Jessica would not be able to defend herself against such an accomplished Ancient, let alone one that was advanced because of her part in the Prophecy, and so he took the greatest of precautions when preparing Jessica.
He made certain that she had Adrenalin supplies on her person and that she was pumped to the gills with pituitary hormones.
The cocktail of his other drugs and hormones was also administered by injection and ingestion and when he believed that Jessica was fully prepared, he thought of only one more thing that could help her.
If Darius was able to get hold of the amulet, it would give Jessica the best chance she could have of victory.
It was late afternoon by the time Darius returned to the battlefield and he was not overly confident of victory.
The first Wolf he sought out was Anton.
He asked him in a respectful manner to go with him to see if Jessica was the Prophesised One as he hoped.
Anton saw Jessica and she recognised him.
She smiled and Anton was a little troubled because he felt a little responsible for her position at the moment.
He had been one of the Wolves that appeared to her in her dream, and Erzsébet had been the other.
Anton was placed in a bad position.
He always adhered to the word of The Scribe and because of that, he had to be honest with Darius, to a point.
“My Lord, I am asking if this Wolf is the Prophesised One, is she one that has been foretold in The Scribe’s writings?”
“Ask me another question, Darius,” Anton said.