The Dark Blooded Duchess. Ep1

Mother read to me whenever she was home and not taking care of business on earth. I would be so excited to see her that I ran around our suite like a dog trying to catch its tail. Her voice was so melodic and the stories so enchanting, that it lulled me to sleep in no time at all.

However, the stories began to change as I grew and I would stay awake, eager to hear more about the lady of foxes, as she changed from fox to girl to woman.

My mother, who was unimaginably beautiful, had elvin ears that were even more pronounced than mine, but hers were rounder, almost animal-like. She gave mine a little scratch and said ‘are you ready my darling pup?’

‘Mom’ I complained, as I rested my head on her lap ‘I’m not a baby anymore’

‘You will always be my baby’ she bent down and nuzzled my nose ‘tonight’s story is called the fox who loved the moon’

‘Oh this is going to be good’

She smiled almost sadly ‘We’ll see’

❂

I didn’t know I had a happy place until it was the only place where I felt no pain, well not a lot of pain. Or at least, not all of it.

The point is, the happy place is better.

So why am I back here and not there?

‘What is going on here?’ A familiar voice demands from somewhere.

Dizzy. So dizzy. I decide to lay down my head and close my eyes. It hurts less.

I try to swallow but my throat is raw.

The pain, the searing, sawing, gnawing at my bones dulls for a minute.

‘Captain we’re administering a treatment at the patient’s request.’

‘Is this true?’ asks Donny.

I mumble something. It was a word, I think.

‘Divinity’s sake get her some water!’

Somewhere in my trembling body, I find my voice ‘No! Just get it done!’

‘You heard her’ says Hannah, then she sighs. ‘Captain, why don’t you come over here and hold her down, this next part is going to be, challenging’

‘I-’ he stumbles for words.

‘Please’ says Hannah ‘she’s really strong. Aggy and I are barely holding on’

‘Ay’ says Aggy, out of breath.

‘Alright’ says Donny although he sounded anything but sure.

His hands feel warm on my hips and I open my eyes to find him looking at me.

‘You hold on, do you hear?’

I try to say something but what escapes is wordless shrieks and my eyes shut again.

‘So we are busy surgically fusing this medical boot to her skeleton. Skeletons, rather, she has two.’ says healer Hanna ‘The large anchor is going in now. She’ll be in more pain than anyone can handle as it bores into her skeletons and attaches itself to her nervendings’

‘Should she not be sedated for this?’

Yes, shouldn’t I be? Someone put him in charge, he’s got ideas.

‘Well most people pass out by the first stent, I don’t know how she’s still awake but no, sedation messes with the neurons, and then I might put it in the wrong place’

‘She’s strong’ says Aggy.

Judging by the overwhelming nausea and dizziness coursing through me, I’m going to have to disagree with the aide.

‘She’s something’ says Hannah, annoyed. ‘Now. Hold her still. On three.’

Donny’s hands start to grip me and part of me would love that if what followed wasn’t my new least favorite number and pain worse than death.

The sound that escapes my throat is a cry that is something between a bark and a scream. It sounds quite accurately, like an animal dying.

I wish I were dead already, as the anchor bores into my bones and I have to resist the urge to rip the infernal thing from my leg and slaughter everyone present.

‘Here it goes, Morgen! I need you to hold as still as you can now.’

Another animalistic shriek escapes me as red turns blood red and pain turns to torture when the thing takes hold of my nerves.

This time I open my eyes, the shriek grows and grows, and when the pain peaks, I let a howl loose that I can see rippling through the air. There’s blue light, swirling with the torrents of sound. It happens in a split second and when it hits the walls, the windows shatter with a massive tinkering smash.

Who knows where the waves go. I can only say that I envy them, roaming free and wild with no pain to hold them down.

Healer Hannah yells something.

But I’m not listening anymore.

❂

My mom continues with her story, stroking my hair.

’Once, there was a black fox who grew up in a family of grace and love. They lived in a white birch forest at the foot of the most beautiful milky mountain range.

Once the fox grew out of puppyhood, she enjoyed swimming in the hot springs under the moonlight. It wasn’t because she enjoyed the swimming as much as she enjoyed the moonlight on her pitch black fur.

She whispered poetry and secrets to the moon and the moon listened to it all.

But little did the

On the fox’ 100th full moon, the moon rose as red as blood. And when she rose from the pool, she was transformed into a stunning young woman with long black hair.

And standing at the edge of the forest, bathed in rosy light were two men. One clothed in robes and hair as black as coal and the other in robes as white as the moon and a main of starry grey hair.

‘I am the light of the moon my dear fox, and I have grown to love you. Come live with me on the moon and I will give you all that your heart desires.’

The other man said ‘I am the darkness dear one, and I am fond of you as well. If you pick me, you would never have to leave your family. Or your home. You could even visit the moon. Travel to your heart’s content. All I ask is that you would love me and not him.’

They said that they would return in two days for her answer and then vanished into thin air.’

‘Who did she choose?’

‘She chose-’

❂

‘Good morning lass!’ a bizarrely perky voice had ripped me from my happy place. From my mother.

And her equally cheerful face assaults my vision as soon as I open my eyes.

‘Peggy’ I say by way of greeting ‘I’m not sure if you know this but demons usually violently murder the ones who wake them before they’re ready to get up.’

Peggy’s face falls like a 10-pound skin sack.

‘Kidding’ I say. Sort of. We might badly maim them but only the nasty demons would murder for it. Then again, nasty is like 80% of demons.

The chipper immediately returns to her face and I’m astounded by how elastic her morale seems to be.

I smile despite my grogginess.

‘Come on now, up’ says Peggy, and I realize she has a tray in hand ‘you have ta eat something. Get your strength up.’

I try pressing up but my foot and leg feel like a block of cement is anchoring me in place.

My head gives a little warning pain and I have to suppress the urge to vomit.

‘Easy now’ says Peggy as I drag myself upright.

Yes, that’s helpful.

But when I inspect the cement source, I find a hard grey material covering the entirety of my foot, ankle, and calf.

‘The boot’ I say, in disbelief, ‘it worked’

‘Ay’ says Peggy, setting down the food tray and working the table on wheels into submission.

‘This will let me walk?’

Peggy scoffs ‘It’ll let you run, lass. We don’t do anything here that’s not worth doing properly’

I grin ‘That’s amazing.’

‘Ay it is.’ Peggy smiles smugly ‘eat now, then I’ll show you how it works and you can be off.’

I really should be. Because - ‘How long have I been out?’ I ask Peggy

‘Mmm bit more than a day I reckon’

Well, that’s not too bad.

Peggy shoves the table in front of me and the smell of the food instantly hypnotizes me.

As I start shoveling the aromatic meat and fresh, colorful vegetables into my mouth I wonder if I had ever truly been hungry and if anything had ever tasted this good before.