Chronicles of Steele: Raven: The Complete Story

by Pauline Creeden

  Grant returned with a wide grin. The bell rang as the older woman and her granddaughter pulled the door to exit. Grant waved to them both and called, “We’ll see you later tonight, then.”

  The old woman returned his smile and nodded heartily as she put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. They continued through the door and started across the street. When Raven’s eyes returned to Grant, he buttered a portion of bread and leaned across the table toward her. “Ask me what I did.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, and in forcing herself not to smile, she pursed her lips. “What did you do?”

  He took a bite of the bread and leaned back, chewing wholeheartedly. “I explained to the woman that we happen to be travelling with a doctor. I’d heard rumors that the witch was safer and more reliable if she knows a doctor will be checking on things after her. I made arrangements for our doctor to check on the child’s well being immediately after her appointment.”

  “But won’t that stop them from calling on the witch and relying on the doctor instead?”

  He stuffed the rest in his mouth and swallowed a quick cup of tea in one gulp.

  Where did the gentleman go?

  “The witch is considered a great apothecary and can often find cures a doctor cannot. But the lady would appreciate if I’d bring the doctor in on the girl after the wood witch’s visit. It makes sense to keep the doctor as a second opinion.”

  “So you lied. We don’t have a doctor.” The words drudged up memories of her doctor, and part of her wished he was here to play the part for her.

  He shook his head and picked up another piece of bread. “Colton’s a doctor. Our team has two. Harry and Colton both.”

  Raven snatched the last piece of bread as he offered her the basket. “Really? Isn’t that unusual?”

  “Not really. When choosing assignments, the guard always has one doctor or healer on each team. Colton hid the fact he’d had a medical degree because he specifically wanted to be in the strategic sector of the guard. It’s a little known fact we have two.”

  After nibbling the bread and taking a sip of some of the best tea she’d ever had, Raven spotted the waiter bringing the pheasant and chutney out with more bread. Grant stopped the man before he left the table. He put some coins in the man’s hand and said, “We’re in a bit of a hurry, man. This should be enough and please keep the change.”

  The waiter opened his hand and found two silvers. He nodded vigorously, doing his best to keep the smile from cracking on his lips. “Thank you sir. It will do just fine.”

  When the waiter left, Raven leaned toward Grant and whispered, “I intended to pay for my own meal.”

  Grant’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head. “I thought we were on our first date.”

  Raven’s jaw snapped shut and she felt the heat rush to her face. She pulled her napkin to her mouth and wanted to hide behind it.

  Grant chuckled and leaned toward her, saying, “I’m just kidding, Raven. All meals on this trip are covered by the Duke’s Court. Honestly, don’t fret.”

  The sudden urge to stuff the napkin in her mouth and scream struck her. Anger overcame the embarrassment as she sat up straighter and breathed slowly to get a hold of herself. Why did her heart flutter when Grant had said it was a date? Was it hope? No. The only man she’d ever love rejected her and married another. She couldn’t possibly have fallen for another man when her heart was broken. Raven shook her head. His kind eyes studied her expression. Her eyes burned with tears, and she quickly covered her face with her napkin.

  His chair scraped the hardwood floor as he rounded the table and knelt at her side. “Is something wrong? What is it?”

  Raven wiped her eyes and sat straighter. She bit her lip and took two deep breaths. After, she finally felt she could speak, she decided to exchange one weakness for another. “I’m fine. I’m just really tired.”

  He patted her on the shoulder and smiled. “I can definitely understand that.”

  She nodded as he straightened and sat back in his seat.

  “I think we’ll have time for a nap before we need to be at the woman’s house.” He stuffed a fork full of pheasant into his mouth, pointed the fork at her, and continued with his mouth full. “I’ll even hire a carriage to take us there. It will save time and energy, right?”

  Raven nodded. At the talk of getting rest, exhaustion settled on her like a blanket. She ate a few bites of her meal before yawning. Now that they’d determined a plan of action, she felt as though she might actually sleep.

  They were the first to arrive at the boat. Jack grinned when he found the two coats still in the bow. He lifted one up at random and offered it to Raven. Her arms were wrapped around her body, and her head was ducked down. The sun had sunk just enough below the horizon that it painted the sky in streaks of deep orange. With it, the wind whipped around them and increased the chill in the air.

  She eyed him hesitantly, but accepted the coat and pulled it around her, closing her eyes. His gaze trailed up her arm and found the red band on the sleeve. It was his jacket.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and lie down in the boat? I’ll keep an eye out for the others.”

  Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. “But you’re just as tired as I am. Neither of us has slept. It would be unfair.”

  Jack smiled wider. Not one girl he could remember would have thought of herself as his equal in strength and stamina. He’d never met a woman who would flatly deny any weakness the way Raven tried to. He stood taller and lied. “When the others get here, I’ll wake you. You can keep watch while the rest of us sleep. That’s reasonable, right?”

  She nodded, suddenly looking much more tired. He helped her into the boat, and probably couldn’t have counted to ten before her breathing evened out. While she slept, her face softened. He kept watch over her and surveyed the ships. Occasionally, he turned toward the street at the sound of a person or carriage passing by. The rocky beach on which he stood remained deserted.

  Jack had to pace in order to keep himself awake. He counted three laps on the beach before checking his watch and noticed that each time he checked, approximately ten minutes had passed. After widening his circle a bit, he made it exactly ten. Proud of himself, it helped pass the time, and at six on the dot, Monroe strode up.

  Jack stopped. “Anything?”

  Monroe peeked into the boat at the woman who’d been asleep a little more than an hour. He eyed Jack and shook his head. After jabbing a thumb in Raven’s direction he asked, “How’d you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “How did you get her to agree to sleep while you stayed awake? It’s not like her to let her guard down in this way.”

  Jack shrugged and smiled. “She trusts me, I guess.”

  Monroe narrowed his eyes at him and opened his mouth to speak when Colton and Rupert rounded the corner. Rupert called out in a loud voice as he approached. “Do you realize how big this town is?”

  Jack gave him a stern look and pointed into the boat.

  Rupert furrowed his brows and only lowered his voice one tick. “How long have you been here that she’s already asleep?”

  Raven stirred but didn’t wake. Jack grabbed Rupert by the shoulder and strode away from the boat a little ways with him. Colton and Monroe followed.

  Jack spoke softly but sternly. “We’ve been here nearly an hour and a half. Did you find any information?”

  His second-in-command put his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. Rupert’s jaw pulsed at the top as he ground his teeth.

  Colton cleared his throat. “Actually . . . no. We found some who had heard rumors about the witch’s arrival in town, but no one who even knew what she looked like. All hearsay. We gained no new information whatsoever.”

  Rupert threw his hands into the air. “I don’t understand why we are letting that criminal take a nap. Why did you arrive over an hour early while we continued canvassing the streets? Is she better than us? Does she deserve special treatment? I thought
we were supposed to kill her on sight.”

  The ring of a blade being pulled from a scabbard interrupted his tirade, and Jack turned around to find Monroe standing with his short sword drawn on the three guards. Monroe narrowed his eyes. “No one will be killing this woman while she sleeps.”

  Jack shook his head and grabbed Rupert’s arm as the man reached for the grip of his pistol. “No. We need to work together on this. There will be no fighting and no killing on sight.”

  Rupert yanked free of Jack’s grasp and crossed his arms over his chest. He shot a malicious look at Jack and glowered.

  After a deep breath, Jack reined in his own anger. “Look. We got here early because we found something worth reporting. Raven and I discovered an old woman with a sick granddaughter. After overhearing a conversation about the child’s illness, in which the Wood Witch was mentioned, I struck up a conversation with the old woman.”

  During the pause, Rupert’s shoulders relaxed and he uncrossed his arms.

  Jack smiled, and tilted his head toward Colton. “I informed the woman that we happened to be traveling with a doctor from New Haven.”

  Colton’s jaw dropped and he started to pace. “You did what? I don’t have any tools with me, nor have I practiced medicine since college. It’s been five years since I have even seen a patient. What have you signed me up for?”

  Jack shrugged. “It’s not much. You look the part. You talk like a noble. You speak their language and know how to give people what they want.”

  “But the child is sick for real, Jack. What if I make things worse, or even bar them from seeking real medical attention? I can’t have this kind of responsibility on my conscience.”

  “The Wood Witch has an appointment at the house in Grandview at nine-thirty. She’s never late according to this woman. We are supposed to be showing up at ten-thirty, but we’re going to be there by nine-fifteen.”

  Monroe pushed his blade back into its sheath. “From here to Grandview is about an hour’s walk, so we’ve got nearly an hour and a half before we must leave.”

  Jack yawned. “A little more, actually. It only takes fifteen minutes by carriage, and I have hired one to pick us up here by nine.”

  Rupert looked suddenly very tired. “So that’s two and a half hours to kill.”

  Monroe pulled an apple from under his rags and took a big bite. He spoke with his mouth full and chewed. “I suggest you three get some sleep as well, then.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “Are you offering to watch? Aren’t you tired as well, old man?”

  Monroe stopped mid chew and smiled. His salt and pepper beard had become wet on the chin from the apple. “I slept last night in the shed with Nikki. When she started the barking, it woke me. I’m far from completely rested, but somehow I feel I’m better off than the three of you.” He nodded toward the boat and said, “Or her.”

  Jack yawned, disinclined to argue. “Speaking of Nikki. Where is she?”

  Monroe grinned. “I left her with a friend I have in town. A dog like her wouldn’t quite fit into this hunt now that we’re out of the woods.”

  Jack nodded. He sat on the rocky shore next to the boat and leaned against the peeling paint. The other two guardsmen did the same. He pulled off his waistcoat and balled it up. When he felt this tired, he knew that he could sleep in almost any position. The last vestiges of the sun formed an amber glow through the murky clouds on the horizon. On the other side of the sky, the stars began making an appearance. Empty smokestacks pointed to the sky, their flames extinguished for the day.

  The wind picked up, and for a moment, Jack wish he’d had his jacket to cover up with. But the moment he closed his eyes, sleep overtook him.

  An error is not a mistake unless nothing is learned from it.

  If one learns to keep from erring again, it becomes an experience.

  THE SCREECH OF scraping metal woke Raven with a start. She gasped and jumped up, losing her balance and catching herself when the boat rocked. Without the gaslight streetlamps casting their eerie glow, the shore would have been black as pitch. A brown hardwood carriage came to a stop on the road directly in front of the boat. The shift in the boat caused the three guardsmen to wake and stand as well. Grant didn’t wake her, like he said he would.

  “Taxi?” The coachman tipped his tweed hat as he pulled the mechanical horse to a stop.

  Raven winced. She’d never liked the metal horses in the first place, and after being with Darius for nearly a month, she’d begun avoiding them more.

  Grant rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he lifted a hand toward the coach. “Yes, I ordered the cab. Give us a moment.”

  The coachman nodded and dismounted from the driver’s seat.

  He pulled the waistcoat over his shoulders and looked to his men who were getting themselves organized and straightened. Monroe stood at the driver and made polite conversation. Grant stepped up to Raven and offered her a hand out of the boat. Slightly dizzy and disoriented, she still held the jacket folded over her arms. When she turned to put it back in the boat, he put a hand on her shoulder. “I think we’ll wear the full outfits tonight. The nobles in Ipswich don’t have a problem with guardsmen from New Haven.”

  Raven nodded and asked, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  He smiled. “Monroe claimed to have gotten some sleep in the shed before the Wood Witch attempted escape. He offered to keep watch.”

  The wind blew a chill through the air, and the sky looked black with a foreign glow. Only a few stars were visible through the gaslight of the city reflected in the hazy clouds. Raven couldn’t imagine zeppelin-living high society over the city of Ipswich.

  Raven set a hand on Grant’s shoulder. She hated to ask a favor or for special treatment, but she needed to get out of her dress. “Could I have a moment alone in the carriage?”

  Grant raised his eyebrows but nodded.

  She smiled and hopped into the carriage. It wasn’t that she really needed a place to change, as she already wore her change of clothes under the travelling dress. Modesty wouldn’t allow her to pull it over her head and embarrass the group. The dress weighed her down, and she felt freedom in her black breeches and button top. After a moment’s breath, she hopped back out of the closed coach. She rolled the dress up, threw it into the bow of the boat and pulled the crossbow and sword from under it. She finally felt like herself.

  The five of them loaded into the carriage. Raven sat between Monroe and Colton. At least she didn’t sit next to Captain Grant. The thought of them in such close proximity made her excited and uncomfortable at the same time. She didn’t like the feeling.

  Over two bridges and a short stint through a mile of hilly countryside, they arrived in Grandview. The coachman opened the door and they piled out. Monroe helped Raven from the step and she blinked hard. Each of the small mansions had a zeppelin tethered to the ground at a low altitude. She shook her head and marveled at the stupidity. Never tell a noble they can’t do anything. They will try all the harder to prove you wrong.

  Snow covered the ground all about them, though only about ankle deep. The pure white powder suggested that Grandview lay upwind of Ipswich. Grant rubbed his hands together in the sudden cold. “We’re a bit early, which is good. We’ll start toward the woman’s manor, Earl’s Head.”

  The carriage pulled away, leaving them on the flat, even stones of Grandview’s street. They started up the hill toward the grey house. The snow on street and walk had been cleared. Up and down the street, lamps lit the walkway, though no one seemed out and about.

  Colton fastened the buttons on his coat and asked, “So what is the plan?”

  Together, the four men nearly huddled together to strategize. Raven strolled just behind them, keeping an ear tuned to their conversation while she scanned the area for anything unusual. Really, the first thing they needed to do was get out of the open, in her opinion.

  Grant continued to walk at an even stride up the hill. “I suggest we spread out and surround the hous
e. Stay in hiding. Colton and I will approach the house to determine if the witch is more than punctual. The rest of you will keep your distance.”

  Rupert nodded, his eyes on his captain. “What do you suggest we do if the witch arrives?”

  “Capture her. She doesn’t need to see the child first. We can make any arrangements necessary after the woman is caught.”

  Raven huffed a little louder than she meant to, attracting every man’s attention.

  Grant raised his eyebrows. “Do you have something you’d like to add?”

  She swallowed, her eyes darting among the four of them. “I’ve confronted this woman twice and became debilitated both times.”

  The men nodded and Grant’s eyes widened with recognition.

  Raven continued, pointing toward Grant. “You were incapacitated, as well. My question is how do you suggest we capture this woman?”

  The men nodded.

  Monroe cleared his throat. “It is my understanding the witch is most powerful in her own element. Her house. The woods. These are places from which she draws energy and stores it.”

  It made sense. A general consensus murmured through the group.

  “Here, out in the open, the woman would be at her weakest. And proximity makes a difference as well.” Monroe pulled a small crossbow from under his rags. “With so many of us keeping our distance from her, I don’t believe she’d find it as easy to enervate us all.”

  “A much better plan,” Raven said with a smile, unsnapping the crossbow from her back.

  They reached the front of the house. Colton and Grant nodded and started up the walkway. Monroe headed to the west of the house, Rupert headed across the street to bring up the rear, and Raven stayed to the east. The top of the snow had iced over and crunched under her feet. She checked her chronometer as she walked toward a copse of trees. The hands and numbers on the face of her watch had been painted with luminescence and glowed in the darkness. It was nearly nine-thirty and still no sign of the witch.