When they were back on the roof, Raven thought of how to proceed next. She hadn’t meant for Sarah to be involved but now she was so precautions had to be taken. Biting her lip to stop from screaming she drew the blade of her sword across her palm. Blood welled from the deep wound and splattered wetly on the tiles. Working quickly Raven dipped her fingers into the crimson liquid, drawing intricate patterns. Bryson watched, unnerved by what he saw but remained silent.
Sarah was through being quite. “What do you think you’re doing Raven?”
“I’m putting a seal on the shop. There are things I don’t need getting out.”
“By using blood magic? You know that’s illegal?”
Raven finished the rune and poured a little healing potion on her hand. The truth of their situation settled in Sarah’s stomach like a stone when Raven calmly asked, “What are they going to do? Arrest me?”
Before they could talk anymore, Bryson coughed. “Ladies, I think it’s time we go.” As they lurched off the shop, Sarah saw Valentria guards milling around the store front trying to get in.
Bryson dodged and weaved through the city streets, heading towards the middle of town. Early morning commuters dove out of the way as he crashed down on the pavement sending small tremors through the nearby buildings, no longer trying to be discreet. Raven leapt from his back. Grabbing Snuffles cage she rushed up to Beverly’s house. After a third strike rattled the flimsy door a man appeared, demanding to know what was going on. Any thought of barring Raven’s entrance was quickly forgotten as he stared nose to snout with the dragon.
“Beverly!” Raven shouted before spotting the small woman clasping a housecoat tightly around her chest.
“Lady Branwyen, what’s going on?” She asked haltingly. Being woken up by a member of the nobility was taxing on the nerves.
Raven was in a hurry and dropped the cage to the floor making Snuffles howl in protest. “The guards will be here in five minutes so I need you to pay attention. Take this money,” Raven shoved 2,000 gullions into the surprised woman’s hand, “and take care of Snuffles. Don’t go to the shop. It’s sealed tight.”
“Why are there guards coming? Lady Branwyen…” Beverly stopped talking as Raven shook her head.
“Sarah and I are in a bit of trouble so we have to leave for a while. We’ll explain eventually. I hope.”
Beverly’s husband, who Raven eventually remembered was named Josh, asked what they needed to tell the guards.
“Everything. Don’t lie to them and don’t try to hide anything. In fact, as soon as we leave it would be a good idea if you were to go find them yourself.”
Then Raven noticed Alma staring up from the hem of her mother’s skirt. Taking a deep breath she knelt down and patted the brown haired girl. “Promise not to believe everything you hear, little one. Okay?” Alma nodded and Raven dashed outside.
Bekah was alone in her room when a sharp knock at the door jolted her. Hurriedly she tossed her Congreve crystal behind the bed and started crying again. The powdered remains of a similar looking crystal glinted on the night stand.
“Who is it?” She croaked. Elspeth’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“Go away!” Bekah screamed shrilly. “You killed her!”
Elspeth opened the door despite what her daughter said. She felt the need to explain things now, before the feelings of betrayal could fester. “She’s still alive. The guards are reporting that both Branwyen and Sarah flew off on Bryson.” Bekah cried louder and jerked away as Elspeth tried to touch her shoulder. “Honey, I had no choice, you know that.”
“You could have banished her. You’ve always hated her, haven’t you?” Bekah screamed wildly as tears ran down her cheeks. Rather calmly she thought about what they should have for dinner. Pot roast sounded delicious.
“Of course not, Bekah. How could you even ask such a thing?” Elspeth finally backed the screeching girl into a corner and reached out a comforting arm. Bekah didn’t shy away this time. “I’ve always cared about Branwyen but I have the safety of Valentria to consider. She knows too many of our secrets to just be left alive.”
Bekah’s lower lip trembled and she looked into her mother’s face. “Why did she do it mom? Was it me?” Fresh tears rolled down from red, puffy eyes. Oh, cheesy mashed potatoes would be great with the pot roast. Maybe some steamed carrots.
“No, it wasn’t.” Elspeth comforted Bekah who she felt to be the real victim in all of this. Branwyen’s treachery wounded them all but it was Rebekah who suffered the most.
Still crying into her mom’s shoulder, Bekah made up her mind. Yes, pot roast would be an excellent choice for dinner.
Beverly clutched her dressing gown tighter around her thin form, trying to escape the stern eye of Stephen Alexander, who had just arrived at their door.
“What did they tell you?” The large man growled. Even if she wanted to there was no chance of lying to him.
She repeated everything that happened, just as she told the other guard a few minutes prior. “Lady Branwyen gave me this money and said to look after Snuffles.”
“And the shop?”
Beverly’s husband pushed his way in front of his wife. “Lady Branwyen said that it was locked tight. We’ve told you everything that happened so what more do you want from us?”
Stephen glowered at the man. The information they provided matched what an examination of the shop reveled. It was shuttered by some form of magic the guards couldn’t penetrate yet. Still, this couple was their best chance for tracking down the traitors.
Beverly pulled her husband back. “Please, Mr. Alexander, can’t you tell us what’s going on?”
“Branwyen and Sarah are criminals, guilty of betraying Valentria.” He didn’t see any reason to hide the truth, and the severity of the situation might jar something in these people’s memory.
A small voice answered from a darkened doorway. “You’re wrong.”
Alma’s parents rushed to her but Stephen’s bark stopped them. He gestured the child forward and bent down. “What do you mean?”
The little girl was very afraid but tried not to show it. Staring at the man with the jagged scar, Alma lifted her chin. “Raven made me promise not to believe everything I hear.”
Stephen looked at them, the man shielding his wife and daughter protectively. What was Branwyen thinking, he mused. She knew full well all of Valentria’s guards were after them but still stopped running long enough to make sure a pet was taken care of? And paying this woman a few months worth of wages? Were these really the actions of a traitor? There were no answers to be found in this small house, so with a curt nod, he left.
Bryson took a circuitous route up into the mountains after leaving Valentria. They would have to wait for nightfall to hide their real destination.
The girls slid to the ground, but before either could say a word, a sharp crack split the cold morning. A cold and angry beast gnawed in Sarah’s stomach as a handprint grew darker on Raven’s face. “What the hell have you done, Branwyen? I am going to be executed as soon as your family catches us.”
Raven swallowed hard. The sting from the slap was nothing compared to the pain she felt at seeing the betrayal in Sarah’s eyes. “You won’t be executed. There was never any chance of that happening to either of us.”
Sarah’s lips curved over her teeth, “Her Highness sure seems to think we’re going to be.”
“Before we made it to the gallows, Sis would’ve told Elspeth everything, except for Malleus. Your life has never been in danger.”
Still not believing what she heard, Sarah demanded to know how they could be certain.
“After you moved to town, we made special arrangements. Even if something were to happen to me or Sis, it’s stated in our wills that you are innocent of all charges.” Raven felt like crying but didn’t dare.
Sarah wasn’t satisfied. “Bekah cast a spell on me during the trial, didn’t she?”
Raven sniffled once. “Yes. She did it
because you were about to tell them about Malleus, weren’t you?
The silence answered Raven’s question. Sarah could accept that the two sisters had done everything possible to keep her safe but she wanted to be told next time.
“So what do we do now?” The blonde wasn’t close to calm, but understood the situation.
“First, turn around a pull up your shirt.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got to remove your mark because they can track us using it.”
Sarah exploded like one of Raven’s fireballs. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘TRACK ME’!?” She yelled, startling a flock of late migrating birds from the trees overhead.
“It’s a safety precaution, if one of us is kidnapped. It’s how I found you in that prison.”
Though Raven’s voice was soft and comforting, Sarah was having none of it. “Well how are we going to get rid of yours? In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t use magic.”
“Mine doesn’t work.” The words were heavy with emotion and as quickly as it erupted, Sarah’s anger subsided. Raven was hurting, having just lost her entire world.
“Why not?”
The lull before Raven answered was something Sarah never forgot. The wind ceased its gentle rustling of leaves on the forest floor. Birds and insects stopped their harmonious calls. Even Bryson, whose breath was a constant rumble of distant thunder, was silent. It was as if the world held its breath.
“Because of what Malleus has done to me.” Before Sarah could interrupt, Raven held up a hand. Speaking of this was like pulling a tooth; once she got started it hurt too much to stop.
“The truth is Malleus is corrupting my body, changing it so that it can contain her power. I don’t know how she’s doing it but the side effect is that I’m getting stronger to the point energy is constantly seeping out of me. The magic in the tattoo was, basically, negated by contact with my skin.”
Without another word Sarah turned and lifted her shirt. She felt a small jolt of electricity, not unpleasant at all, when Raven’s hand brushed against her shoulder destroying the mark.
The day was clear and cold, not even a stray cloud passed through the cobalt sky. Raven and Sarah sought warmth under a blanket, resting against Bryson who was shielding them from the worst of the wind.
“Sarah,” Raven’s voice hitched as she looked for the right words to point out the dragon in the room, “I need to tell you everything but before I do, I am sorry.”
The blonde didn’t respond except to bury herself further under the blanket, the adrenaline rush had worn off and she could feel the weariness creeping into her joints.
“Sis and I have known for a couple of years now that there is a spy working for the Protectorate; someone that has access to all of our secrets.” Raven shifted her body slightly to give Sarah more room. They had talked about building a fire but decided against it because the smoke would be seen by anybody following them.
“We knew that I was a prime suspect because Elspeth doesn’t trust me. Our plan was to have me tried in court, which worked like a charm, in order to give the real spy a false sense of security. Then they would do something foolish and we could nail them.”
Sarah tugged the blanket up under her chin with shivering hands. “So you two have been planning this since before we met?”
“Yes. I needed to act normal and opening a shop has always been a dream of mine.”
“So I’m just an innocent dupe who was sentenced to death for the sake of your little plan?” Sarah’s hands were trembling more fiercely now but with rage rather than cold. “Do you even care that I’m involved.”
“Of course I do, Lil’bit. After you moved to Valentria, Sis and I were extra careful to make sure you couldn’t be blamed, that you weren’t around any suspicious activity. Didn’t you find it strange that no matter where you and I went, one of my sisters was around?”
“But we went to Augusta alone. How was that being careful?”
“I used Sis’s ID at the bank, remember. That way she could prove that we were in Augusta that night and not in some clandestine meeting with our enemies. Plus I tipped that bartender really well so he’d remember us.”
Sarah shook her head. Everything was making sense now that she was looking back on it with new information. They had never really been alone, except in the shop. Then an idea struck her.
“Couldn’t they be using those crystals like you and Bekah have? Then they wouldn’t have to meet in person.” Sarah sat up, her anger failing in the moment of clarity.
Raven nodded, “They could and they are. Unfortunately they’re passing more than just information. Right before we were arrested, Stephen captured a member of the Protectorate trying to sabotage Elspeth’s car. He had a work pass stamped with Valentria’s official seal.”
“Why would he name you?”
“Because everybody knows she doesn’t trust me.” A rueful smile curled Raven’s lips. “Something about always having these hidden agendas.”
“That document could’ve been counterfeited.” Sarah pointed out.
“No, it can’t be. Each territory has its own magical seal that can not be duplicated. Someone in the castle had to have stamped that pass. It’s the same as the tattoos we wear.”
Realization on the depths of this conspiracy slowly dawned on Sarah. It went far beyond simply telling the Protectorate all of Valentria’s plans. Someone very close to Raven and her family was working with their enemies trying to bring them down from the inside. She laid her head on Raven’s shoulder, trying to work through every thing she had just learned.
“Could it be Lance? That guard who said you were at that bar?” Sarah asked, just tossing ideas out to make sense of the situation. Raven shook her head.
“Nah, it wasn’t Lance. He’s not a high enough ranking officer to be allowed into Elspeth’s private chambers unescorted. Besides, Sis cast a reading spell on him during the trial, and he was telling the truth. I knew that when she called me Branwyen.”
“Huh?” Sarah was confused.
Raven grinned proudly, “Yeah. Have you ever heard us call the other anything except ‘Sis’”?
Sarah thought back and couldn’t remember a time Bekah or Raven had used the other’s real name.
“When she called me, ‘Branwyen’, it was her way of telling me I was going to be away for a while.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, Bryson’s guttural snoring somehow comforting until Sarah put into words the very thought that Raven had been reluctant to even consider.
“What if it’s someone in your family?”
Raven took a deep, calming breath. It was an idea that truly scared her. There were, at most, twenty people with access to that seal of Elspeth’s. The fact that half of them were related to her, or close enough to be considered family, meant the chances were pretty good that Sarah was right. Still Raven held out hope. She’d beaten the odds plenty of times in the past and now just had to hope that streak continued.
Back in the stone walls of Valentria’s castle, Stephen read the reports with a sense of unease. Bryson was last spotted heading north, towards Vestavia, and that proved that they were right in branding Sarah and Branwyen traitors. His strong sense of attachment to Branwyen not withstanding, her betrayal signified a distinct shifting in the balance of power.
The Protectorate army easily outnumbered that of Valentria and her allies three-to-one and possessed the technological advantage. Valentria held the edge in magic. It was a balance that helped maintain peace. With Branwyen and Bryson joining forces with their enemies, that fragile harmony was about to come crashing down like a deck of cards.
Stephen was a warrior born and years of battle taught him the best way to win a fight was to not start one at all. Of course, the somber man in black thought in the glow of the light hanging in his office, if Elspeth happened to be right about Raven’s other problem. Stephen closed his eyes and massaged his temples. He could feel history barreling down upon them, gaining speed with no car
e for whoever was caught on the tracks.
The sun bid farewell to the day, slowly winking out behind the far horizon. Bryson stirred, uncoiling from the ground and stretching his wings. His companions still slept, cuddled under the blanket. Raven’s arms were wrapped protectively around Sarah. Gently he nuzzled Raven’s ear with his snout. She grinned up at him while the blonde shifted, not wanting to leave the warmth of cover.
“We have to wake up, Lil’bit.” Raven absent mindedly kissed Sarah on the forehead.
Sarah groaned at the unaccustomed stiffness in her neck. She’d happily gotten used to the rather large and extremely comfortable bed that was currently sitting empty back at the apartment. She wasted no time in blaming Raven for her various aches and pains.
“Everything isn’t my fault you know?” Raven insisted with a mischievous tone, the old fire back.
“Yes it is.” Sarah rubbed her eyes and rolled her head around trying to loosen the muscles in her neck.
“Nope, Sis was a bitch long before I met her.”
Sarah smiled a little, Raven’s infectious humor already chasing away the gathering clouds of anger. There was justifiable anger at first, when she thought she was being used, but the explanation made sense and she knew Raven and Bekah would never put her in harms way intentionally; whoever the spy was just picked the perfect time for their meeting.
CHAPTER 23: THE RAGING STORM
The girl read the map held in her delicate hands. According to it they should be reaching their destination sometime within the hour. She was terrified. She bet everything she had on a reckless gambit that could mean her death, but that wasn’t what worried her.
Slowly she walked to the portraits that hung on the wall. With uncustomary gentleness she caressed the picture of a blonde haired girl. “I’m gonna keep you safe.” she promised softly.
The shadow squirmed and twisted. Four windows were now shut but it wanted more. It understood the need for patience though, and soon its time would be here.
WINDOWS: A BROKEN FAIRY TALE Page 23
