Child of the Blood Moon

There is a tale told by the elders of Dark world, that when the moon shall wax the color of blood, a human child would be born at midnight in Aos sí, the land of the Amethyst Fairies. On that night, when the clock struck twelve, the whole world shall tremble. For the birth of the child would rip a void in the fabric of time. So powerful would be that void, evil would be propelled into the human realm, and terror would reign for sixteen years.

Humans did not reside in the world of the Fairies. This made the likelihood of the birth of a child there a bit improbable, yet nothing was impossible, these were the thoughts of the young fox as she lay half asleep.

Vashti the young vixen shifted uncomfortably where she lay sunning herself. Tonight the moon would be the color which was long foretold. The witch Aluthia had appointed her guardian to the newborn child. Vashti was a shapeshifter, able to assume human and animal form. Her ability to change her appearance had been the catalyst that made her the best candidate for the job of protector to the child.

Iania stumbled as she stepped over fallen branches and gnarled old tree roots lying like eerie fingers on the dark foreboding forest floor. She had no light to guide her, except the tiniest of firefly which had appeared to her as she hid in the darkened husk of the burnt out building. She had run away from him, the cruel man that she had been forced to marry. She had been left with no choice back then, it was either marry or let her family starve to death as the harsh winter quickly approached.

For five years she had suffered under his tyranny. Iania had lost two unborn children due to his cruelty. Whenever he got drunk he was worse than when he was sober. Her family only knew a tiny version of her suffering. They needed his money. How he taunted her about their lack of worth and dependence upon him.

When she found herself with child again, Iania vowed that this seed within her belly would live. She was unsure if she would ever live to bear another if she were to lose this child. So she planned and schemed. She knew where he hid his money. Anjul would come home drunk tonight, she was sure of it. He paid himself handsomely from the till of the men he was in charge of. He had been robbing them for years. No one really paid attention or even cared.

On the night before the full moon, she emptied the secret wall cache of his money and hurried to her parent's house. Iania had them pack their measly belongings, hire a cart and buggy and start the long journey to their homeland far away where he would never find them. She gave them most of the money, keeping enough for her and the baby. No she told them, she would not accompany them, she had to go to the land of the fairy, a firefly had told her to do so.

As she made her way through the forest, the child in her belly kicked and jumped, as if it knew that freedom was but a days journey away. As she walked she kept looking back, fully expecting to see Anjul come speeding after her. He never did. He had fallen drunk by the wayside on his way home.

"Come Iania, please be careful". Pim (Vashti) the firefly buzzed as she turned to guide her new charge to her destination.

"Are you sure that we can make it there by daylight Pim? I am not sure that this child will wait much longer to be born".

"That is why we cannot tarry here any longer, all the animals in the forest are on high alert to make sure that we are safe". Pim replied.

"I see no animals, only yellow frightening eyes from time to time. That is certainly a little weird".

"Fear not, the forest has been enchanted tonight. All is well, no harm shall befall us".

"You never did explain fully why we are journeying to Aos sí, something about a prophesy".

"Your child was chosen long ago, in the time when Weavers of Destiny spun the fabric of Amethyst Fairy magic. It is his destiny to save the world in time to come". She quietly shook her head, still unclear, but there would be time for that later.

"Arghh! Grunted Iania, holding her stomach. That powerful kick had hurt, and her back was really throbbing.

"We are almost there. Just a bit more". Pim tried to reassure Iania.

Suddenly the night was lit by a colorful display of brilliantly flashing coruscating lights. Overhead flew the most beautiful fairies, with wings in different shades of amethyst. Indigo, plum, raspberry, orchid and reddish plum shimmered and shone. Iania never knew that there were fairies who were larger than the ones she had seen before. These were almost human size fairies. She felt relieved and quite happy. She was home, her child would be safe.

All the fairies welcomed her, made her comfortable, fed her and put her to sleep in a comfortable bed of magical fairy dust. Iania slept for many hours. On the stroke of midnight, the child screamed his first sound from his healthy lung.

Iania held him close to her chest. Kissed his forehead and quietly passed away. Her frail body had suffered more than it could humanly bear any longer.

The fairies wept.

Overhead the heavens opened with a tearing rending flash of mighty lightening, below the earth the fires of hell gushed forth the most monstrous of beast.

Good and evil had arrived to test the worth of mankind. They would wreak havoc for sixteen long years, while the fairies nurtured and groomed Anukia, the child who had been foretold to be the savior of the world.