Page 37 of A Bloodline Redeemed

Moon had just climbed up on the healer’s bed thingy with Sky and wrapped up in a scratchy blanket, when a soft brush of familiar magic washed over her poor, tired aura.The goddess appeared before them, her see-though shape becoming solid this time.

“Oh, little ones,” she said in her beautiful voice.“I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure so much for so long.”A soft hand stroked both their heads, and Moon’s bottom lip wobbled as she tried extra hard not to cry.

“I wanna go home,” Sky said, beating her to what she was going to say.That was okay, since he was the little brother.

The goddess smiled softly and squeezed Sky’s shoulder.“I know you do, loves.And I think it’s time.You must be brave a little while longer.I won’t be able to stay solid yet, but I will be with you from now on, right by your sides.”

Moon took Sky’s hand in hers and they both squeezed hard.Were they finally going to get out of here?Was the goddess going to save them?

“Come now,” the ethereal being said, turning away and striding to the one little window in the room.She had silver-blonde hair, and a flowy sort of pants and shirt that looked like they’d been dried on a clothesline outside.Strange, for a goddess to have wrinkles in her clothes, but Moon was too thankful she was real to be worried about that.Maybe goddesses had to borrow clothes when they wanted to be solid.That made sense.“Quick and quiet, while all the bosses are busy cooing over their dastardly plans,” the goddess whispered.

Moon was going to tell her that the window would be locked too, and that the magic would burn her fingers… but she was a goddess.It was no surprise when she whispered something and did some kind of magic that let her open the window like it had never been locked.

“Out you go,” she said, helping to lift first Moon then Sky out the little window and onto the cement below.Moon almost panicked when she realized that the goddess was too big to fit out the tiny window.But then their savior disappeared and re-appeared beside them, less solid now, more like a ghost.“I can’t hold onto my physical form too long yet, but I’m here.This way.”

They followed the goddess down an alleyway and crawled through a hole in a decorative fence.Moon’s heart was like a drum, so loud she could hear it in her ears and feel it tingle through her fingertips.What if the bad people caught them sneaking out?What kind of punishment would they get forthat?Would the bad people hurt them worse than ever?Would they… kill them?She hung on tight to Sky’s hand, afraid to be separated from him for even a second.

What if the goddess wasn’t really a goddess?What if she was a mischievous ghost who was leading them somewhere worse, like in that one story in her old fairytale book?

They rounded a corner.There were people lying on the sidewalk, and cars just sitting at weird angles on the road.The people didn’t look hurt.They looked like they were sleeping.

“Are they dead?”Sky whispered, his voice wobbling.

The goddess shook her head.“Just sleeping.Cursed by the bad people who kept you prisoner.”

She herded them down another alley, this one darker and narrower than before.Then she stopped and made them crouch down behind a garbage bin.“Wait here and I’ll—”

The goddess stopped and tilted her head, like she was listening to something only she could hear.Then she smiled and slowly became solid again.She quickly and quietly lifted the lid of the big dumpster, then peered inside.Her small laugh sounded like music.Then she turned to them and waved them over.“Come, children, hurry.”

Moon was confused when the goddess wanted to put theminthe dumpster.But then she felt a strange little prickle of magic.“There’s something in here,” she said, reaching out a hand to touch the old backpack that rested on top of a couple bags of trash.

Sky pressed his back against the metal wall of the dumpster and shook his head.“Don’t touch it, Moon,” he said solemnly.“It feels like bad witch magic.”

But the goddess only gave that little laugh again and waved away Sky’s concern.“It’s okay.Open up the backpack.But be very quiet.I’m going to find you some food, then we’ll keep moving.We’re very close now.”

She didn’t say close towhat.The goddess was always saying things like that.Like they had to get somewhere before she could use her full powers.Or before Moon and Sky would be safe.When they asked about it, the goddess only told them they’d understand when the time came.She said, “I don’t want to get your hopes up, little ones.”

But that was silly.Because hoping was really all they had anymore.

“Shh,” she reminded them as she gently closed the lid of the dumpster, leaving them in darkness.

A little tiny sliver of light snuck in around the edge of the lid, where it didn’t sit down flat, and it gave Moonjustenough light to see the backpack.She dragged it off the trash bags and over to where Sky was standing, surprised when the bag made a little squeak.

“There’s something in there,” Sky said again, not sounding very excited.

“The goddess said we should open it,” she reminded him, like a big girl.She was only alittleafraid.But mostly she was excited.She liked discovering new things.

Moon crouched down and got to work.It took a while to get the knot in the backpack’s drawstrings untied.Whoever had knotted it up really didn’t want it to be opened.But once she got the knot undone, the bag opened itself and something pushed its way out of the fabric and scampered into her lap.

“Aww,” Moon cooed at the cute thing that emerged.Sky came closer to look down at the creature Moon now held in her lap.

They both jumped when the little animaltalked.“Who are you?”It said in a high, soft voice.“Where is River?I can’t believe he locked me in a dumpster!”

Oh, the little thing was mad.But that just made it even cuter.Moon scooped it up with her hands under its little armpits and held it up to her face.“The goddess said we need to be quiet,” she whispered.“So you can talk, butshhh.”

The little thing with the cute skunk-striped head whispered back.“Fine.The person who was with you, though… where did they go?”

Moon explained gravely to the little creature.“The goddess brought us here.She saved us.She said she was going to get us some food.”

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