Moon Glaive

Chapter 14: Indu

Indu looked at the moon through the kitchen window. It shone like a jewel – ethereal and beautiful, something she wished she could be. The Lunar Knights and her father had left several hours ago, but she hadn't the slightest idea when they'd return. It could be anytime in the next minute or week. Although she knew it was bad if her, Indu wished they didn't find The Disciples and chose to return instead. It was a terribly selfish wish considering how evil the group was and how many lives rested upon their defeat, but did it have to be her father? Did he have to be the one to defeat them? Couldn't he leave that job to the Lunar Knights?

Indu pulled Aniya into her shoulder (after she had a fill of squeezing her cheeks), and she nervously bit her nails. Let's go outside.

Holding Aniya in her arms, Indu carefully walked out of the house. The cool breeze kissed her exposed skin, and she shivered. She wore a simple, dark-green cotte with a square neckline but no cloak to block the chill. I should've worn a cloak.

As Indu turned around to grab a cloak for her and Aniya, a horn blared through the night.

"They're back already?!" Indu quickly rushed in and grabbed them both a brown cloak, and they made off to the town's entrance.

He said it would take a few days, but only half a day has passed at most. Did they find The Disciples?

When they arrived, a sizable crowd had already grown, lining the street edges. Indu and Aniya quickly joined them as the Lunar Knights entered in a single file.

Their black, armor-covered war stallions contrasted their gleaming moon-white armor. However, not all of the Lunar Knights had pristine armor. Some had armor marred with dirt and ash, whilst some had cracks and chips across their surface - a telltale sign of battle.

Did they find The Disciples? Indu's heart skipped a beat as she anxiously looked deeper into the procession. Axer was nowhere to be found, and neither was her father. She couldn't even see the gentlemen sitting next to Axer earlier that day. The more knights that passed, the more anxious Indu became.

"Big sister, where's daddy?" Aniya looked at Indu with widened eyes, still in her arms.

"Father's coming; he's just taking his time, that's all," Indu reassured Aniya with a smile, but she feared her trembling hands would give her away. Where are you, Father?

As they passed, Indu could no longer ignore their smell - fresh trees mixed with sweat, but a different, more sinister smell permeating from them, something Indu couldn't put her finger on.

She nervously chewed the nail of her left thumb, eyes scanning left and right, up and down for her father, when Aniya pointed.

A straw-filled cart passed by. Multiple knights and their armor atop it, pulled along by two warhorses. Her father sat among them, one leg outstretched with bandages covering his arms and legs. Even under the faint moonlight, the black circles beneath his eyes didn't escape Indu. Suddenly, a trail of blood leaked from the edge of his lip. Indu's stomach dropped as fear flooded her system, her hands trembling.

"Father!" Indu screamed. She covered her mouth in shock as tears pricked the edge of her eyes.

His unfocused eyes snapped toward her. The other cart riders and knights in the procession looked her way as well. The cart stopped right in front of her, and everyone, including her father, jumped off its sides, landing on the ground with a thud. Indu nearly lost her mind when her father winced from the impact.

"Oh my god, what happened to you? You promised me you wouldn't get hurt; you promised you would stay safe!" She gingerly touched his bandages which were dirty and wet from sweat. Hints of red were beginning to break through, and Indu panicked.