Chapter 74: A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Risen waited at in the darkness of the doorway as the pair of ravens floated down from above. Holding the door open a cack, they called a short greeting as they flapped into the chamber, coming to a stop atop the first false wall panel in the room. It had been hours since he’d seen the birds and the green aura that he’d noticed when he’d first called on the Conspiracy again outlined their bodies.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” he whispered. It still felt strange communicating with birds that could understand him yet not speak. It was no more alarming than carrying blades that had screamed in his ears in a language he understood, attempting to lure him into their overwhelming thirst for blood. Both of the birds bowed their heads in response to his words.

“Do you think that you could fetch something for me? It is in a place that I cannot go. The opening is small and the object to you will be large.” He continued. The pair looked at each other before nodding their heads pecking quietly at the wooden panel beneath their feet. 

Risens held out his arm unsure of how the bird would respond. The smaller of the pair flapped from the wall to his outstretched limb alighting on his wrist. Its talons dug into his skin, eliciting a wildly nostolgic sensation. Lost in the grasp of the avalanche, he’d felt the same pressure as the birds had somehow delivered him from the avalanche.

The second bird strutted and hopped across the top of the wall, flapping to land on the next as it followed them through the room. It watched carefully as the approached the protected metal frame that guarded the display.

“The crimson egg on the top shelf, can you retrieve it for me?” He inquired. The reaction was immediate, affirming his request. With a gentle flap the raven took to flight making a circuit around the room before returning to the wall. Tucking its wings at the last second, it slipped through the bars with ease, landing on the shelf next to the egg.

The raven approached the egg with what appeared to he cautious steps, with its head bend low in a peculiar manner as if it were scrutinizing something within the shell. Craning its beck to see around both sides it stood tall again, hopping a step.closer before tapping the egg with a gentle peck of its beak. To his surprise, the shape that lurked within, that seemed to defy his attempts to decipher its form shifted subtly.

With a soft call, the raven hopped to the top of the egg, pinching its talons into the polished surface before taking to flight. Risens gritted his teeth as he watched the bird move sideways along the face of the cage for a few meters before diving down at the steep bars. It twisted in the air at the last moment, again tucking its wings and legs before slipping through the bars. With a pump of its wings it lifted back into the air, again making a tight circle before returning to where he stood.

Risens held out his hands as the raven approached allowing it to land with the egg still clutched in its talons in his palm. No sooner had it landed than it released the offering, rejoining its companion on the false wall.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Risens spoke, nodding in respect. “I will release you to your flight again soon. Is there anything that you need that I can accomplish for you?”

The ravens looked at each other again before cocking their heads to the sides favoring him with a look that he could only describe as incredulity. Without the open likes of communications, he had no understanding of how he could understand their desires, but the offer had been genuine. Perhaps one day he could determine a manner of repaying them for their assistance.

He turned his attention to the crimson egg that the bird had deposited in his hand, surprised by the heft of it. Just as he was unable to determine whether it was hollow or now, he still was unable to discern what lurked within its core. It was a mystery that would perhaps be answered when her returned the precious delicate item to Mother Raven. 

Thought it had a definite heft to it, on closer inspection he understood that what looked like a polished shine was in fact thousands of tiny cuts, barely large enough to recognize as flat surfaces not a smoothed curve. It was undoubtable valuable and fragile. It would be a long descent to the ground and a nerve-wracking journey through the city with the precious, delicate cargo. Securing the egg carefully in his empty interior left breast pocket he stalked to the glass door, holding it open for the ravens to exit.

“Watch over my descent, as I cannot,” he whispered as the pair lifted into the night sky above. Watching them circle, shadows against the night sky sent an unexpected stab of jealousy through his body. It was not the first time that Risens held the clawing emotions at seeing the of the flight of the majestic creatures. Had he the gift, it would be a simple task to float on the breeze to the desolated confines of the Raven’s Court from here. He would have no concerns about the safety of the egg he protected in the folds of his cloak. Alas, it would be the pillars for him.

Timing the turn of the patrols on the wall and careful not to damage the fragile item he’d collected, Risens slipped over the edge of the veranda climbing as quickly as he could down the ornate stone pillars. He heard the flapping wing of the one of the ravens as it followed close to him, the other watching further away from his position. The noticeable aroma of the jahgi was gone from the lounge below the museum on the upper level, the window now closed, the conversation finished.

Nearing the second story, the call of the raven stopped his downward progress. He flattened himself against the side of he pillar working to view into the level below though his vision was blocked by the structure of the floor. Suspended against the side of the column, he waited, trusting in the signal from the raven, waiting for another. Lingering in the open on the face of the building was aggravating, though he had no other options. He could have stalked through the interior of the building, though it was a risk he was unwilling to take, even with the limited guard on patrol in the depth of the night.

After a few minutes, the second call from the bird signaled the all clear for him to again move. Without delay, he scrambled down the stone vine, relieved as his feet again touched the stone patio at the rear of Excelsior. The shadows moving against the darkness of the sky signaled the continued presence of the birds. Sticking to the shadows of the perfectly manicured gardens, he followed as they swooped low through the grounds. Instead of tracking along the side of the salles, they lead him to the looming tent that had been erected in the center of the clearing. They curiously abandoned the openness of the sky swooping under the structure as they neared.

Risens relaxed a touch as he entered the shadows of the great covered pavilion. Dozens of tables had been arranged under the protection of the covering, though only a few closest to the building were set. White tablecloths flapped quietly in the breeze, weighted down by heavy glasses, polished ceramics and golden silverware. He had no fear of being seen from the walls lurking in the depths of the darkness under the canopy, however he paused for a moment, allowing his eyes to grow accustomed the to shadows. That the ravens had flown willingly under the tent was a sign that no danger lucked under its cover, yet he had no desire to walk blindly into another pair of nobles seeking a tryst out from the prying eyes of their peers.

Further into the tent, the orderly arrangement of the tables and their settings devolved into empty surfaces and scattered stacks of chairs. He could see the silhouette of one of the birds as it hopped along the edge of one of the tables, its attention focused on something on the ground. The whisper of a voice brought him to a crouch, both of his hands finding their grips on the talons that hung at his hips. Strangely the blades were silent as he pulled the first fingers width of steep from the sheath.

The whispers of sound clarified into a voice as he crept around the edge of a table. It was hushed and weak. Unmistakeably issuing from the mouth of a child. He relaxed his hold on the blades as the quiet sounds turned into a soft but genuine giggle.

The was thankful for the cloth that covered much of his expression as even with the Shadows Shroud there would have been no hiding the surprise etched across his face. A young girl, sat crouched on the grass carpet, giggling quietly as she played played with the smaller of the ravens that had responded to his call. It hopped around, avoiding her lazy fingers that tapped around before leaning into her hands as it it was the petting it desired all along. Resting heavily against her hand it looked up at him as he rounded the table.

The attention of the bird drew the focus of the child that played with it. She stiffed a gasp as her eyes went wide with panic.

“I’m sorry, I was just playing with the raven,” she stumbled through the apology, her lips quaking furiously with every word. “I, I wasn’t hurting it. I promise.”

The second raven flapped down from the table, hopping on her shoulder before landing on the ground before her. He had no intention of harming the child, yet the defensive posture of the creatures was curious. The aura that surrounded the pair shifted from light green to yellow. Risens removed his hands from his blades before folding his arms across his chest.

The girl was young. Likely no more than ten years of age, she bore the unmistakeably appearance of poverty. She was thin, her high cheek bones protruding from her skin. His fingers, though they now gently pet both of the ravens seemed like the rest of her to have no excess meat on her bones. A curly mop of unkempt blond hair, either dirty from.natural coloring or from the very dirt itself hung loose over her shoulders. There was something familiar about her that he couldn’t place.

“They’re silly birds,” she sniffled. “I sorry, have begged permission to touch your pets.”

“They are no more my pets than anyone else’s,” he responded, watching the bizarre scene unfold before him. Testing the theory that came to mind he slowly moved one of his hands, letting it rest on the hilt of the feathers handle of the talon.

“We will not take her blood.”

The larger of the raven stepped away from her hand hopping a step to stand protectively in front of her. As nonchalantly as he’d made the initial move he removed his hand from the blade, crouching down low beside the table and the unexpected, unusual company. He had never any intention of harming the child, yet the immediate response, far different from the expected bloodlust of the talons and the actions of the birds was worth questioning.

“You have a way with them,” he noted softly and the raven moved back to the attention of her other hand. “I’ve not seen then behave like this.”

It was a true statement though he had no true concept of what they did or where they went after they left his brief employ.

“What are you doing here?” He inquired.

“I only came here for scraps, but they had not set anything up yet. You don’t happen to have any food?”

“No.”

The response was more forceful than he anticipated

 he chided himself immediately as the sudden quivering of her lips resumed again.

“Where do you stay?” He asked, far more gently. “It’s not safe here. The guards will be unkind when they find you.”

“Tonight, it will be under that table. Tomorrow…” she shrugged her shoulders as she pointed to the closest of the dressed settings a few meters away. “It’s a pity that you don’t have food. The guards are too stupid to notice me. Lady Myrenas was horrible and Sir Korning was a monster, but at least I could steal food from the kitchen and a pallet to sleep on.”

The recognition nearly rocked him on his feet. Her face, the terrified expression, he’d seen them before in the halls of Lady Myrenas’s house. Korning had paid a just price for his abuse. Her plight was regrettable though there was likely nothing he could do to assist with that. The peculiarities with the ravens and the talons lingered in his mind.

Reaching into his pocked, he dug out a few coins from the purse he’d taken from the treasonous shop keeper. He held them out in his hand to her widening eyes.

“Take them. Get some food in your stomach.”

Her vision darted from the coins in his hand to his face and then back again. Her hesitation was brought of fear as this was a game someone had likely played on her in the past, the wound leaving a lingering scar.

“Fear not, I will not harm you and this is no trick,” he noted. “Your feathered defenders will hold me in line.”