Blood of Ravens

by Jen McIntosh

  Before Renila could respond, Alvar interrupted, ‘She didn’t.’

  ‘But—’

  He spoke over her. ‘She knows nothing.’

  The woman blinked and looked again at Renila, scanning her as if searching for something. Whatever it was, she didn’t find it, and her expression grew sorrowful – pitying, even. A choked sob escaped her lips, and she covered her mouth with a slender hand as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  ‘I thought I was alone,’ she whimpered, her body shaking as she wept.

  The tension left Alvar’s shoulders, and he crossed the distance between them, taking the woman in his arms. ‘I know,’ he murmured, as she cried into his chest. ‘I know.’ Renila watched, unsure what to make of his sudden display of affection. Then the woman stepped back, dashing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

  ‘How?’ she asked again.

  ‘She was brought to my people for protection,’ he began.

  The woman stilled. ‘By who?’

  ‘I can’t tell you that.’ There was regret in his voice, but also resolve. ‘I was sworn never to speak of it. My oath would strike me down before I could even utter the words.’ The woman’s gaze hardened, her eyes narrowing. Renila echoed her glare, fixing Alvar with a look that demanded answers. They both ignored her.

  ‘How long ago?’ the woman pressed.

  He hesitated, doubt clouding his thunderstorm eyes. And then, even though Renila barely knew him at all, she sensed the moment he decided to trust the strange woman. His breathing steadied. His power quietened. His shoulders squared in readiness. ‘Thirteen years before the Fall.’

  The words meant nothing to Renila, but the woman staggered back as if he’d struck her, her hand flying to her mouth once more. She stared in horror between the two of them, understanding dawning in her tear-soaked eyes. She shook her head, backing away as the weight of her emotions threatened to crush her. Alvar reached for her, but she flinched out of his grip. Renila looked to him for explanation, but he could not meet her gaze. His attention was fixed on the stranger. His hand had drifted, hovering near the hilt of his sword. The woman noticed it and stilled, her fingers brushing the jewelled hilt of the dagger at her belt.

  ‘Would you strike me down?’ she asked.

  He frowned, but his gaze was resolute. He would do it. He might hate himself for it, but he would kill this woman before he saw Renila come to harm. Renila hardly dared to breathe as he spoke. ‘Yes.’

  ‘You need me,’ warned the woman, ‘far more than I need you.’

  A ghost of a smile twisted his lips. ‘Why do you think you’re still alive?’

  ‘For all the good it would do you,’ she snorted.

  Alvar shrugged with indifference. ‘There are ways and means.’

  She laughed bitterly at that, but some tension eased from her slender shoulders, and she dropped her hand from her dagger. Her gaze flicked back to Renila, considering. Renila itched to demand answers, but instinct told her to keep quiet. Whoever this woman was, she was yet to decide whether she was friend or foe. One wrong word risked making her a dangerous enemy at a time where they needed allies. So Renila held her tongue and kept still while those dark, golden eyes scrutinised her.

  ‘Did she ever know?’ asked the woman.

  He nodded hesitantly. ‘Some of it. Not everything.’ The woman pulled a face and blew out a sharp breath.

  The woman studied Renila a moment longer, then she seemed to reach some decision. She took a deep breath and looked back to Alvar. ‘I will take this secret to my grave, Prince. Not as payment for my debt. Not because you hold my heart in your hand. But because my people knew best of all that hope might be kindled by even the weakest of embers.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Alvar murmured, inclining his head.

  The woman cut him off with a sharp gesture. ‘I understand why, and I do not resent you for your part in it. But know that you cannot conceal it forever, and others have suffered while you stayed silent. So do not think there will not be consequences.’

  ‘I am aware.’

  She nodded and reached out a hand in offering. ‘Then my sword is yours.’ Alvar smiled and shook it, relief clear on his handsome face. From deep within the forest, a mighty roar sounded, and she glanced over her shoulder. She cursed, looking back to Alvar, and whispered, ‘Where are they?’

  ‘Safe,’ he assured her, his attention fixed on the forest behind her, even as he made sure Renila was safe between himself and Starfyre, the great stallion crowding in close.

  ‘I think you and I have very different opinions about the definition of that word,’ the woman muttered, though the knee-wobbling relief in her eyes was clear. Then her attention turned back to Renila, a sudden shyness creeping into her golden gaze. She extended a hand, to Renila this time. ‘My name is Arian.’

  ‘Renila,’ she supplied, not taking the offered hand.

  Arian’s gentle smile faltered, and she lowered it. ‘It’s an honour to meet you, Renila,’ she said, voice thick with repressed emotion. Then she took a deep breath and looked around. ‘We have to move. There may be more out there, and they’ll be drawn to you like moths to a flame.’

  The last of Renila’s patience evaporated.

  ‘Will one of you please tell me what’s going on?’ she demanded.

  Arian looked expectantly at Alvar, folding her arms across her chest. He just looked at the ground, unable to meet either woman’s gaze, shoulders stooped in defeat and shame. Arian shook her head in disgust and looked back at Renila.

  ‘I swear to you, he will explain everything,’ she vowed, levelling a baleful glare at Alvar, ‘and if he refuses, then I will tell you myself. Trust me, Renila, one way or another, you will know the truth.’

  Renila felt her temper flare, and she held Arian’s steady gaze. ‘Why should I trust you? Why should I trust either of you? I’ve been torn from my home, hunted like an animal, watched the man I love killed before my very eyes. Stood by as my son was stolen from me, taken Gods only know where …’

  She broke off, her throat seizing as fear and hurt and rage threatened to overwhelm her. Arian’s expression remained impassive, but there was no hiding her surprise at the mention of Farran and Erion. Nor the swell of pity that followed it.

  ‘A Shade,’ Alvar explained, before Arian could ask.

  She snarled. ‘They poison the world with every breath they take. They should have been stopped long ago.’

  ‘Don’t,’ he cut her off. ‘We can’t change the past, and there is little to be gained wishing on stars to change our fate.’

  ‘Fate and destiny are for those too weak to forge their own path,’ she hissed. Renila blinked. She’d heard those words before, though quite where she could not recall. But before she could ask, Arian spoke again. ‘I understand what it is to be hunted, to have all you love ripped away from you,’ she said, her voice quiet but firm. ‘I understand what it is to live in fear, for nowhere to be safe, to trust no one. It’s a lonely road, Renila. Your Prince showed me that, helped me find the strength to take a different path. You don’t know me, Renila, and I don’t know you, but I can’t turn my back on you. Not now. Not ever. You don’t trust me? Fine. You don’t want my help? That’s too bad. I didn’t rise from the dead just to let darkness triumph.’

  Renila was silent, unsure what to make of the strange pronouncement. She risked a glance at Alvar, seeking reassurance. Worry creased his brow, his lips pursed tight with bitterness and regret. But then, catching Renila’s eye, he smiled.

  ‘Arian is a Phoenix,’ he explained. ‘Death doesn’t have quite the same meaning to her.’

  There was a mischievous twinkle in Arian’s eyes, and she grinned wolfishly at Renila. ‘The woman who raised me used to say death smiles at everyone, but only a Phoenix smiles back. I am all that remains, but our people always made for powerful allies.’

  Then she held out her hand in offering once more. Renila eyed it, unsure whether to trust either of them just yet. But de
spite the dangers closing in around them and the strange company she was keeping, she felt safe. And without her memories to guide her, she could only rely on her instincts. They had never failed her yet; she doubted they would start now. So she met that glorious, golden gaze and took the hand extended in friendship.

  They continued on foot, resting Starfyre while they could, but it seemed to do little to slow their pace. Arian led the way, making quick work of the rough ground, and Alvar seemed to trust that she was taking them somewhere safe. Renila was too tired to care. She trudged along beside the great stallion, with Alvar guarding her back. Her travelling companions looked like they could have kept up the gruelling pace for several more days. But not long after they’d forded the Blackwater, crossing into the Mistwood – which lived up to its name – Renila stumbled and fell, forcing them to call a halt.

  She slept for a few hours, her dreams plagued by visions of shadow and darkness, while Alvar and Arian kept watch. When she woke, it was to the smell of roasting meat. She peered through her lashes, feigning sleep while she took in the scene around the camp. Alvar was crouched over the fire, turning a spit with two fat pigeons on it. Arian reclined nearby with one hand outstretched, her fingers curling and dancing as though she were mimicking the movement of the flames. They were murmuring to each other, voices hushed so as not to wake Renila.

  ‘Is he yours?’ Arian was asking.

  Alvar shrugged. ‘I can only assume so. I can’t be sure, but the timing would suggest it.’

  ‘Blood calls to blood – all you have to do is look at him to be sure?’ she pushed.

  He shook his head. ‘The containment spell interferes with the blood bond. If he is mine, I can’t sense it.’

  ‘I wasn’t talking about blood magic,’ she teased. ‘If your people are all as dense as you are, it’s a miracle they’ve survived this long. And for a race of people who can’t die, that’s saying a lot.’ Alvar snorted but said nothing. ‘So why doesn’t she remember?’

  ‘Gaelan said she wanted to forget it all – to forget me, our life together, her heritage. She wouldn’t tell me why. All I know is that one morning I woke up and she was gone. I wanted to look for her but … Layol promised me she was safe, but that she never wanted to see me again. That was – what – twelve years ago? Then out of nowhere, he came and told me her life was in danger and she needed my help. But when I got there … she didn’t even know me.’

  He fell quiet, lost in his own thoughts while he waited for her judgement. The silence stretched on, heavy with tension and regret. Arian swore, laughing mirthlessly as she stared into the fire. ‘Gods.’ She sighed. ‘You couldn’t make this stuff up.’

  ‘You’re one to talk,’ he noted. She chuckled darkly, conceding the point, before Alvar continued. ‘Besides her, the children were all overflowing with magic. The wards couldn’t contain it. Gaelan hadn’t taught them any control, and they were bursting at the seams. It’s not surprising the Hunt was drawn in, though why they were so deep into the Ravenswood is still a mystery. The girl – Suriya – killed one, not long before I arrived.’

  ‘Suriya fought a Darkling?’ Arian cut in, her voice thick.

  Alvar nodded. ‘And won. She and Lucan are powerful.’

  ‘They would be.’ There was a pregnant pause. ‘It must have been a strong Hunt to get through those wards.’

  ‘Large too,’ he agreed, ‘and with a Shade Prince for good measure. We fought as best we could. Renila’s lover was killed trying to buy the women and children time to flee.’

  Arian interrupted again. ‘She had a lover?’

  ‘Lover might be a stretch,’ Alvar admitted, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. ‘I’m not sure how far things went – he had a wife, so I doubt it went very far at all – but she cared about him a great deal.’

  Arian chuckled. ‘Jealousy is a good look on you, princeling.’ He silenced her with a flat stare.

  ‘Erion was caught up in the attack. The Shade took the boy. Renila lost control. She took out most of the Hunt, but I had to put her down before she killed the twins. Gaelan went east with them, to our people, while I drew the Hunt south with Renila. And the rest you know.’

  ‘Will they be safe there, with your people?’ she asked after a moment. Alvar opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, Renila’s stomach gave her away. It gave a loud growl, demanding some of whatever smelled so enticing. He flinched, looking up at her to try and gauge how much she’d heard. Renila stretched, pretending to have only just woken from sleep – though the sly grin playing on Arian’s lips said that she, at least, wasn’t fooled.

  ‘Hungry?’ Alvar offered, gesturing at the pigeons. Renila nodded and took the proffered meat. It was good, given the lack of seasoning and accompaniments. Even Arian hummed in appreciation as she tore into her portion. They ate in relative silence, either too tired or too hesitant to converse, and when they were finished, Alvar rose without a word to pack the saddlebags.

  ‘How far is it to … wherever it is we’re going,’ asked Renila.

  Arian wiped her greasy fingers on her trousers. ‘Not too much further. You’ll be able to get some proper sleep soon.’

  The petite woman stood and offered Renila a hand up. ‘Once you’re rested and ready, we move on. It’s not safe for us to linger in one place for too long.’ Renila opened her mouth to ask another question, but Arian silenced her with a knowing glance. ‘Don’t worry. I’m not forgetting about your son. And neither is Alvar. I promise.’

  Renila nodded in understanding and moved to put out the fire, but Arian waved her away. With a sly wink and the hint of a smug grin, she gestured at the fire. The flames died, smoke curling from the charred remains of the wood. Renila gaped at the other woman in wonder.

  ‘Magic,’ she breathed.

  Arian just smirked, before turning and sauntering off once more, leading them ever deeper into the forest. And for the first time in a long time, Renila felt the slightest ember of hope kindle in her broken heart.

  They were another day in the forest, hugging the northern bank of the Mistwater, following it upstream. The mountains of Ciaron rose like a sleeping behemoth to the south, and Arian led them towards those monstrous peaks.

  The climb, even up into the foothills, was brutal, and Renila wondered if she would ever breathe freely again. Her lungs ached from the exertion, and there was no end to the sharp, stabbing pain of a stitch in her side. The icy wind howling off the mountains didn’t make things any better, whipping around her in a blast of biting air that left her cheeks raw and stinging. At least it wasn’t raining. Yet.

  Finally, they arrived, and even Arian sighed with relief.

  Tucked tight against a cliff face, the cabin was little more than a hut, a wooden shack that looked like a strong gust would knock it over. A tendril of smoke rose from a crooked chimney, and a brace of lean mountain hares hung from a peg by the open front door.

  Renila tensed, seeing a shadowy figure moving within, and Alvar stepped in front of her, placing himself between her and any danger. Arian laid a restraining hand over Alvar’s fist as it closed on the hilt of his sword. ‘It’s alright. He’s a friend.’

  The man who stepped out of the cabin was wild. He was huge, powerfully muscled, and almost dwarfed Alvar. His arms were as thick as Renila’s waist and his legs as big as tree trunks, all banded – as far as she could see – in glittering bronze tattoos. Across his back, he carried two broad axes, with another clenched in his enormous hands. His hair was a tangled mop of reddish-brown hair, and his clothing was tattered and mismatched. Renila would have described him as brutish, had it not been for his plain face and the humour twinkling in his dark bronze eyes. Still, something about him screamed danger, so she stayed quiet as he approached.

  ‘You could have fucking helped clean up,’ he grumbled, pulling a face at Arian.

  She rolled her eyes and gestured at him by way of introduction. ‘Hal Ornak.’

  ‘Arian,’ he announced, waving back at
her with an incredulous expression on his face. He spared a glance at Alvar and snorted. ‘So that’s what all the fuss was about. You’re not long for this world, my son, if you can’t hold your own against a wee Hunt like that.’

  Alvar bristled at the insult but held his tongue. Arian took a deep breath that seemed to do very little for her patience and turned her back on Ornak.

  ‘I would suggest you just ignore him,’ she told them, ‘but I’ve been trying for years without success.’ Hal Ornak swore in objection. She didn’t so much as blink. ‘He curses like a drunk fishwife, and he’s barely house-trained, but he’s harmless.’

  ‘Just charming, you are,’ he snapped, pushing past her. But when his eyes fell on Renila, hiding behind Alvar, he stilled. She flinched from that predatory gaze, hardly daring to breathe. There was nothing but wrath in those dark bronze eyes now.

  Then Arian was between them, her hands upraised. ‘Would you believe me if I said you don’t want to know?’

  He bared his teeth, a terrible growl ripping out of him. ‘Not a chance.’

  ‘Ornak,’ she pleaded, but he cut her off.

  ‘Don’t give me that,’ he snarled. He hefted the long-handled axe and levelled it at Renila in accusation. ‘Is she yours?’

  Arian bristled. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. How could I have hidden something like that?’

  ‘You think I don’t notice when you disappear for the best part of a year?’

  ‘And who would the father be, hmm?’

  ‘How in the name of the Gods would I know? And don’t change the subject – is she yours or not?’

  Arian threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘No!’

  ‘Then where did she come from? You said they were all dead!’

  ‘I lied!’ she screamed. Ornak flinched from her admission, the forest echoing with his stunned silence. Arian took a deep, steadying breath and shook her head in frustration. ‘I lied. That night … the night Kalielle and I made it out … it wasn’t just us.’