Chapter 75: A SHADOW'S SHADOW

Her hesitation continued even as the ravens relaxed noticeably. Risens held out his opposite arm, the larger of the pair foregoing his defensive stance to flap up to his arm.

“Take it,” he whispered. “Get yourself food.”

Sluggish at first, she extended her arm as if her mind fought against the urge while her body reacted impulsively. At the last moment, her small hand darted forward snatching the coins from his palm with a speed that was startling. The waif had far more to her than her outward appearance.

Good for her. She’d need it to survive in the city. Windwake, as he knew too well could be cruel. Perhaps his current assistance could alter the course of her life in a positive manner as his recent actions had indelibly effected them already. He had brought to light the truth of Lady Myrenas’s deception and treason. Her life and her holdings ceased as a result. He had cost the youngster a roof over her head and the food she depended on.

It was all he could do to help.

“Thank you, sir,” she whispered, though her voice caught as if there was something more she wanted to say. “Thank you for letting me play with your birds. I know you say that they are not yours, but I think they disagree. I hope you will let me play with the again.”

The comment was curious. She was far more perceptive than he’d expect of any youth that was forced to wander the streets. It was likely that fact thar had kept he alive to this point. Strangely enough, the ravens had sought her out. Could it be possible that she could somehow communicate with her as he could not?

“Perhaps, but only if you never tell you saw me or the ravens,” he replied. He softened his tone, disguising the response he expected. He had no expectation of seeing her again yet for some reason the thoughts of seeing her disappointment and tears were repulsive. He knew that there was little chance that their paths would cross again.

“You are just a shadow. I hide in their darkness all the time so nothing stands out,” she responded quietly. “And there are plenty of ravens that circle the city, even though none are as friendly as yours.”

He let the grin pull up on the corners of her lips at her response.

“May the shadows keep you safe and the ravens watch over your path.”

He nodded his farewell as he stalked through the darkness under the tent. The soft flapping of wings sounded over his head as the ravens soared out from under the tent into the night’s sky. Slipping across the grounds, he pondered the peculiarities of the meeting. Why had the raven’s gone to the child? His understanding of the Raven Talons had grown as he’d continued to use their blades. They were not single-minded. Their desire for blood and destruction to feed their need was not without pause. There was logic and purpose, hidden as it was behind their vicious intent. 

Reaching the edge of the grove, the ravens settled onto the lower branches of one of the first trees.

“One day, perhaps you can explain what that was all about,” he whispered. “You are released, again with my thanks. Fly safe, my friends.”

The birds dipped their heads before taking to flight. Their blackened silhouettes against the starry night sky quickly faded into nothing.

Risens wasted no time slinking through the shadows beneath the small grove. This time, the cover of the trees contained no wayward nobles, lost in illicit fantasies. Waiting for the next pass of the guards, he stuck to the darkness along the edge of wall, thankful this time that the icy embrace of the water didn’t seem like a realistic possibility. His clothing was still damp from the previous adventure though, the fabric was made to quickly shed moisture and dry rapidly. Either way, his clothing wet or not would detract him from his purpose.

Slipping through the manicured hedges he paused at the edge of the small building. The overpowering floral aroma used to disguise the odor from the sewers descended over him like a cloud. Pausing in the hedges beneath the window, he was alerted to the telltale crunch of leaves underfoot. The noises were slight, though steady. They were not the accidental noises caused by a professional mistakenly stepping where they should not. This was someone, light in weight, but heavy of foot snuck in his shadow. The tiny shift of a shadow at the edge of the trees confirmed his assumption of their identity.

The young girl followed in his wake.

Risens considered his next actions carefully. The youth had not seen him do anything illegal beyond sneaking through the grounds of Excelsior. He had not removed the cloth from his face, so she had not seen his mask. Unlike Marlaine, who had seen his face, who had alerted the guards, she was as much a criminal in the moment as he was. Her silence had come at a price, and it was only a matter of a few coins and a lie about future chances to play with the ravens.

He scaled the short wall closing the window behind him but leaving the latch unlocked. After all,the youngster was doing nothing beside following his commands to leave Excelsior. He wasn’t about to deny her the access, or in the current situation, the egress she deserved.

The sickening force of the potent floral aroma created a visceral effect as he lowered himself into the small chamber. He hastened his steps down the ladder to the slick stone of the sewer passage below. He closed the door of the gate behind him as he passed through, leaving the complex locking mechanism hanging casually off one of the bars.

Risens had nearly made it to the intersection of the tunnel when he heard the quiet click of metal on metal. The noise of the lock lock snapping into places echoed through the dank tunnel. He was pleased that the youngster had the wherewithal to lock up after her. He was impressed that the youth, though her efforts were clumsy to someone of his skill showed an impressive aptitude toward the stealth that had been ingrained into his being at the abusive hands of his tutors.

For someone her age, she had done well.

He could tell by her undisciplined approach, unkempt look and general sentiment that she was not trained. No, these were skills that had been learned and learned by necessity. The streets of Windwake we’re not often kind.

Reaching the main tunnel he lengthened his strides again. He now put distance between Excelsior and the small shadow that trailed well behind. He’d no desire to let her follow him beyond the exit of the tunnel. Once reaching the city, he would vanish once again, becoming a shadow among a city of darkness.

He breathed then deep breath once he reached the end of the tunnel, savoring, the less corrupted flavor of the night air. The overbearing floral scent had given way to the awful rot of old sewage and decay. Even here at the exit of the tunnel it was still strong. Thankfully, it wouldn’t take long before the fresh air, tinted by salt from the Sea Solace, began overpowering the horrid stench.

As expected, there was no one in the street as he scrambled up the ladder from the drainage ditch to the avenue beyond. He’d taken care not to bump the fragile egg or crush it between his arm and chest, still there was a momentary surge of nervousness as he snaked his hand inside his concealed breast pocket.

The crystal was cool to the touch against his fingers. He breathed a sigh of relief as he confirmed that the relic was still intact. With the target og his quest in hand, he would make haste in his return to the Raven’s Court.

Following the shadows of the building, he slipped across the street. All avenues were open to him though he chose to remain on the ground as opposed to climbing the buildings. The precious cargo he carried in his breast pocket wasn’t worth the risk of a clumsy misstep.

Slipping between the first buildings, he vanished into darkness of the narrow alley. A few blocks up, he took a turn to the left, darting back through the shadows to the main avenue. Behind the concealment of a small wooden crate, he peered back down the empty avenue toward the tunnel he had exited. Most of the street lamps had been extinguished, those that remained alight now burned low. He saw the small silhouette of the youngster emerge as she crawled over the top of the ladder from a distance. Crouched down she looked in both directions before deciding on her path. Thankfully, she turned away from him, moving the opposite direction into the darkened city.

The peculiarities of the night weren’t lost on it as he watched her small silhouette disappear into an alley. The quest itself was strange. Why could the Mother Raven not accomplished the task? The birds had appeared with her on numerous occasion, could she not order them as he had commanded the pair? If so, couldn’t she have commanded them to retrieve it and return it to her? It seemed preposterous that his only purpose was to open the door to allow their access. Still, there was no way he would have slipped through the cracks or the holes in the wall of charged metal bars to reach the artifact. Gently resting his hand over the crimson crystal egg in his pocket he pondered if the birds could have just flown it back to the Raven’s Court for him.

It was the strangeness of the ravens behavior with the youngster that addled his mind the most. They responded to his summons without question, however, if their assistance was so easily distracted by a youngster hiding among the shadows, would that be a liability in the height of urgent need? He doubted the answer was true. It begged the question, why had they focused on the girl? What did they see in her that he could not? Could she understand them like he could not? 

Risens traveled a few more blocks before the sounds caught his ears. It was a vocalization he unfortunately knew too well.

It was a panicked cry of distress. The distant sound was clear to his ears, it came from the lips of a youth.