The Ravager Chronicles: The Complete Series

by Sara Page

  “Swallowed?” I shiver. “Or devoured?”

  Lorune jerks a little and looks at me in surprise as if she didn’t even realize it. “I suppose the two terms can be interchangeable in this regard.”

  I feel a cold chill traveling down my spine and remind myself that the Devourer is gone. Beast witnessed it. I don’t have to worry about him… yet…

  “Is this what has already occurred or what will come to pass?” Celeste asks.

  “This has already happened,” Lorune explains.

  It feels odd to be relieved about such a terrible thing but I rather not have a new threat hanging over our heads.

  There are enough threats up there as it is.

  “The darkness overtook the light,” Lorune goes on. “Nearly completely destroying it. The universe attempted to correct itself, attempted to swing the pendulum back and restore balance. It is said the heart of darkness was ripped from its chest and entrusted to the light’s hands. By doing this, the darkness loss the ability to create, leaving it at the mercy of the light and thus restoring the balance.”

  Celeste gasps and Lorune nods knowingly.

  Me, I really don’t know what any of that means so I’m left asking, “Huh?”

  “There is a theory,” Celeste leans around Lorune to speak to me. “That Blackspire actually existed on the Other Side and was somehow transplanted here…”

  “Wait? What? How is that even possible?” I frown.

  You can’t just move an entire planet across dimensions… Can you?

  Celeste shrugs. “Well, no one really knows... unless we assume the book is referring to Blackspire when it comes to the heart of darkness. It is known though that it is impossible to reach Blackspire from the Other Side, and it’s impossible to reach the Other Side from Blackspire.”

  I already knew that, I realize. Beast and Striker tried to explain it to me when we discovered I was pregnant on Terrea. It’s the main reason they wanted to reach Blackspire so bad.

  Lorune shuts the book and pushes it away. “Anyway, that’s where that one leaves off.” She grabs another book and flips it open. This time the cloud of dust that puffs up is so thick I can’t help but cough and choke on it.

  “Now, this book goes into a bit more detail about darkness only being able to multiply if it joins with light, and only if the light accepts it.”

  “The Calling?” I ask.

  Lorune nods and smiles as if she’s pleased by my question. “I believe so. It kind of repeats some of the stuff from the other book but goes into a little more depth about light and darkness joining and restoring the balance.”

  Flipping through the pages, she goes on. “According to this book, both darkness and light were given the ability to create, to expand the universe and grow it. But darkness, being older and stronger, was able to create and expand at a rate the light could not keep up with. Eventually, darkness ran out of room to expand so it discovered a way to breach the border separating it from light. Light, being younger and weaker than darkness was being swallowed up and destroyed by it…”

  There’s that swallowed word again. Ugh.

  Lorune gives me a sympathetic smile and shuts the book.

  I relax my lips, realizing I must have been grimacing.

  With a sigh, she motions at the pile of the books. “That is the majority of what I’ve uncovered. I know it’s not much but… these are all that we have. I believe there may be more in these books. I found them tossed about, thrown open as if someone was reading them but left them behind as if they were interrupted. I just haven’t had the time to sort through all of them yet.”

  I stare at the pile of books, there’s at least three dozen of them. With so little time to do this, I ask, “Where should we begin?”

  Lorune grabs a book from the top of the pile and then pushes it towards me. “From the top, of course.”

  Grabbing the next book off of the pile, she pushes it towards Celeste. “If you find anything of interest, please, do not hesitate to share it.”

  And with that we begin.

  My first book turns out to be a bust, it’s just a recollection of some great ancient building being constructed in honor of some dead king I’ve never heard of. My next book contains information about breeding livestock and caring for the offspring resulting from the explicitly detailed instructions.

  And my third book reads so much like a twisted fairytale that at first I almost completely dismiss it as fiction.

  There are illustrations of monstrous creatures coming out of the ground, capturing women and slaughtering men. The monsters are tall with horns and claws. Their mouths are full of razor sharp teeth and their eyes glow red.

  The words on the pages tell a story of the creatures being rejected by the sun so they prey on the weak, pillaging entire cities and leaving them in ruins.

  Honestly, at first it looks and reads so much like the fairy tales I read as a child that it takes me a moment to realize the monsters could very well be the Ravagers—all their terrible features exaggerated by the artist to make them appear more monstrous.

  It’s once I reach a page that has an illustration depicting a gaping mouth in the ground that I gasp. The mouth is an opening leading to a throat of blackness. And the creatures, they’re feeding the mouth by throwing women into it.

  “Did you find something?” Lorune asks, peering over at my book as I flip quickly through the pages.

  I’m no longer even reading the words, just looking at the pictures. The pictures show the mouth growing and growing until it fills the entire universe and there are no women left to feed it.

  “What is that?” Lorune asks as I stare at that last picture.

  “I think it’s the pit,” I say quietly.

  “The pit?” Celeste repeats in confusion.

  How do I even explain it?

  “May I see the book?” Lorune asks, tentatively reaching for the book.

  I push the book towards her. Just touching it now gives me the heebie-jeebies.

  Whenever I do think about the pit, I get this irrational fear that somehow just thinking about it connects me to it, and it knows I’m out here… just out of its reach.

  Lorune gazes for a long time at the same picture I stopped on then she slowly begins to flip through the pages. The rest of the pages show the creatures throwing themselves into the mouth until there is only one left.

  “You’ve seen this, Ameia?” Celeste looks up at me with a frown of concern.

  “I think so…”

  Flipping the page, I expect the next one to be blank but there is another picture—this one showing the lone creature reaching into the mouth and starting to pull something out of it.

  Lorune quickly flips the page. I suppose we’re all eager to see what the creature pulls out of the mouth, but the page is missing. Someone ripped it out.

  “Darn it,” Lorune sighs. “I was afraid of that.”

  There are a few more pages left in the book but they’re all blank.

  I don’t even want to ask because I don’t want the answer. In fact, after that creepy book I’m not so sure I even want the answers now. Maybe I’m better off not knowing…

  Celeste asks the question though, not sharing my reservations. “Do you think he took them?”

  “He or someone else who wanted to keep the information,” Lorune sighs and flips back through the pages, scanning the words. “Did you see anything about the Beacon, Ameia?”

  I shake my head. That entire book was only about the monsters and the terrible things they did.

  Lorune continues to examine the book so I grab another one off of the top of the stack.

  “Lorune, my love!” Keede calls out just as I’ve skimmed through a few pages.

  We abandon our books and hurriedly make our way to the front of the library. Lorune and Celeste stumble in the dark and I offer them each a hand to lead them through the dusty labyrinth.

  “They’re searching for Ameia,” Keede informs us as soon as we reach him.r />
  Sure enough I hear someone calling out my name in the hallway beyond.

  “Blast it,” Lorune mutters.

  “Did you find anything of use?” Keede asks hopefully as we all take a moment to dust ourselves off.

  “Perhaps…” Lorune glances back the way we came with longing. “I’d need to read more to know.”

  My name is called out again, this time more urgent.

  “I’m sorry, my love,” Keede says, reaching out to take Lorune’s hand. “But we really must go.”

  Shoulders slumping, my aunt nods her head in agreement and motions for Keede to lead the way. “Perhaps after the ceremony we can come back. I just have this feeling we were close to something…”

  Chapter Two

  Sneaking out the library door, we lock it behind us, and split up. Lorune and Keede go one way while Celeste and I go the other.

  Thankfully, the royal palace of Blackspire doesn’t share the same restrictions on technology as the palace I grew up in. We don’t have to suffer inconveniences for the sake of historical preservation.

  Soft lighting shines down on us from above, glowing brighter as we approach and dimming as we pass. The floors are made up of a dark flexible material that helps ease the fatigue of walking or standing. The colors of the walls change throughout the day, enhancing or offsetting the brightness of the day outside. In the morning the colors are bright and warm but soft on the eyes and darken as the hours pass.

  High on the walls, every few feet or so, are access orbs available to take our verbal or motion commands. One can request anything they may need—security, a maid, information about the weather, or even a motorized cart to get them to their destination.

  Thankfully, the security technology is light. Most of the security is provided by the guards and their patrols. There are no drones or devices to record our movements or heat signatures. The citizens of Blackspire, I’ve discovered, aren’t too keen on being spied on or watched.

  There are also no guns. Given the Ravagers aggressive personalities and their penchant for settling their grievances with violence, guns have been banned from the planet as a whole. They’re only permitted to be used during off-world missions.

  Celeste and I make it around a corner and a few feet down the next hall before a deep voice calls out from behind us. “Ameia?”

  We both glance back.

  “There you are,” Beast huffs out, jogging the last few feet to catch up to us.

  He’s dressed for the ceremony, and the sight of him nearly steals all the breath from my lungs and the thoughts from my head.

  He looks so regal, so handsome in his dress uniform with his medals and honors proudly pinned to his left breast.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you…”

  Plastering a smile on my face, I turn towards him, the excuse ready to spring from my lips.

  “You have? I’m sorry. Your mother and I were just getting ready for the ceremony and reminiscing about when you were a baby…”

  I look towards Celeste and she nods in agreement. “I suppose time just got away from us.”

  I hate lying to Beast. I know I’m betraying his trust, and would hate it if he did the same to me, but in this instance I truly feel like it’s a necessary evil. I know if he knew what I was up to he would try to stop me to protect me.

  Beast looks between us. His brows are pulled down, and he frowns suspiciously.

  “I was just telling Ameia how much of a cranky baby you were during your own ceremony. You wailed and wailed, your little purple fists beating the air, showing your displeasure. Then you made an awful mess of your—”

  “Yes, mother,” Beast sighs. “I remember this story quite well. You do not need to repeat it.”

  I’d laugh at the look on his face if I wasn’t so nervous. If I laugh now I just might vomit.

  Celeste smiles warmly at Beast and pats him affectionately on his arm. “I’m sure Esha and Ellany will fair much better. They are such sweet little angels.”

  Beast nods and reaches for me, pulling me closer until we’re nearly chest to chest. “Yes,” he agrees and then frowns as he stares down at me.

  It takes all of my willpower to resist the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. The way he’s looking at me I know he knows something is up.

  Reaching out, he brushes a small fluff of dust from my hair. We both stare hard at it, watching it float to the floor.

  Gaze sliding back up, his eyes bore into mine. “They take after their sweet mother.”

  I smile wider. What else can I do? I’m practically caught red-handed, and I’m afraid he’s going to figure it out. The palace is kept immaculate by a mixture of maids and bots. For anything to be dusty is highly unusual.

  Celeste shoots me a look from behind his back and motions with her hands for me to say something.

  “Oh, I can’t take all the credit.” I laugh a little nervously and give my head a little shake, hoping to dislodge any other fluffs of dust before I’m standing in front of the entire population. “There’s a great deal of their fathers in them too.”

  Beast just stares at me harder.

  If he figures out what happened, we’re all in deep shit…

  Thankfully, Celeste steps in to save me. “Is it almost time? Should we make our way over?”

  Beast swings his gaze towards her and for a moment he gives her the same hard look before it softens. “Yes, we should.”

  Offering her his other arm, she accepts it gratefully and Beast leads us towards the main hall of the palace.

  The hallways are eerily empty. It’s too quiet. Almost every citizen that resides in Blackspire will either be in attendance or watching the ceremony somewhere as it’s broadcast live in holovision.

  Arm tense and hard beneath my hand, I grip Beast tightly, feeling my stomach tighten into a ball of apprehension.

  I’m nervous about the upcoming ceremony. It should be a happy, joyous occasion, a celebration of life, but with all this prophecy business hanging over our heads it’s hard to relax and enjoy the moment.

  I keep telling myself I will not crack under the weight of expectation, dammit. I’m used to this.

  But I really want to make a good impression for my husbands.

  There’s also this worry in the back of my mind that the citizens of Blackspire, for whatever reason, will be cold towards me or reject me because I’ve been tainted.

  It is believed that spending too much time on the Other Side corrupts, and it’s taboo for any Ravager to linger there for too long. According to Beast and Striker, and everyone else I’ve spoken to, I was trapped there for months.

  The entire term of my pregnancy passed in a matter of days.

  And the effects of being there for so long are still very much evident. I’m still the only red-eyed human that I know of, and my eyes are showing no sign of dimming or changing back.

  I’m not sure how I feel about my eyes. The night vision is useful, but at times, inconvenient.

  As we approach the main hall, there’s a buzzing noise that grows louder and louder, like a swarm of insects have taken over the palace.

  “Drek, a moment please,” Celeste requests before we reach the grand double doors and the two guards standing before them.

  Beast stops and nods his head to his mother though he looks unsure of her intentions. She smiles at him as she pulls her arm from his and turns to me.

  “Ameia, my dear, come here,” she requests sweetly.

  I shoot a look towards Beast. He just frowns as if he’s not happy about this but his arm drops from mine as if he’s giving me his permission.

  I take a step towards Celeste and she smiles warmly, reaching for my hands.

  Taking my hands in hers, she looks back to Beast and tells him to, “Go on in. We’ll be along shortly. I’d like a moment alone with Ameia.”

  Beast shoots me a look before turning away. It’s obvious by the slow way he’s walking away that he’s leaving with great reluctance. He doesn’t really
want to do it.

  I know ever since I’ve come back he’s had a harder time than the others being separated from me.

  Something has changed in him.

  There’s this constant worry in his eyes and his grip is always tighter when he holds my hand. It’s like he’s afraid he’s going to lose me again, that he’s afraid I’m going to disappear into thin air at any moment.

  He stops before walking through the double doors, casting one last look back at us before disappearing through them.

  Maybe it’s the way he’s dressed in his uniform with all his shiny declarations, or maybe it’s just being back home, but the way he carries himself is just different. There’s more authority, more expectation in his movements. More purpose.

  “Are you okay, Ameia?” Celeste asks softly, drawing my attention back to her.

  I peer into her worried eyes and slowly nod my head while releasing a little breath. “Yes.”

  That was close, and I have a feeling Beast is going to press me about it later in private.

  “I think it would be best if you don’t try to rejoin us after the ceremony…” She suggests quietly, eyeing the guards as she does it.

  Damn. I know she’s right but I’m itching to do some more digging. Like my aunt I feel like we were close to something big.

  “There will be too many eyes on you tonight, but we can meet tomorrow for tea and go over anything we find. It will be easier for your aunt and I to slip away during all the excitement.”

  I consider it for a long moment before coming to the conclusion that I don’t really have a choice. Today was my best chance. It’s seriously hard to sneak off when you have two newborns that need you around the clock and four mates breathing down your neck.

  Shoulders slumping, I have to agree. “It probably is for the best.”

  Celeste nods as if pleased with my answer and then perks up.

  “Don’t look so glum, my dear,” she says, trying to cheer me up. “Today is a joyous day. Today all of Blackspire celebrates with us the birth of your children.”

  Squeezing my hands affectionately, she goes on, “I cannot tell you how very happy I am to have you as my daughter, Ameia. I promise you I will do all in my power to protect you and my grandchildren. If there are answers to be found, we will find them. Perhaps…”