A Conspiracy of Ravens: A Raven Saga Book 1

by Crymsyn R. Hart

  "There is a reason why we were supposed to meet. It wasn't for me to tell you the story about the Raven Warriors. I've been dreaming about you for centuries. In this lifetime, ever since I was a child, I prayed I would get to see the man in the clearing. The man in the green robes who wore the silver triple hairband I had etched for him."

  Was it possible? Was this his Beatrice reincarnated? After this long, he and she were going to be reunited? After her mother had cursed him to the hell and he had lived for so many endless nights winging in the breeze? “Are you my wi—are you Beatrice?"

  His voice cracked. It was hard for him to rein in his emotions. He had been kneeling, but now fell forward, letting his head fall into her lap. It would make sense why he felt such a connection to this wizened human. If it was true, then his beloved had been given a reprieve after the fate she had condemned herself to. He felt Henrietta put a hand on his hair. It was shaking as she stroked it. The other two women snorted behind him. He didn't care if they found the scene funny. He had to know for sure.

  "Hen, come on. Don't egg the boy on with your crazy story. Let he and Linnea get on with their business.” Coralline chuckled.

  "Hush, Cora. Let Henrietta finish. Just because you've never had a past-life connection like this doesn't mean it is anything to scoff about. You should know anything is possible. Look how you met Jimmy.” He heard Charlotte rebuff the other witch.

  He basked in the warmth of the woman whose lap he laid in. For such a long time he had wanted peace, and now he had found it. His soul was awash with it. If the moon became frozen in time and he was made a Raven Warrior forever, he would cherish this one moment. In his mind, he saw his long lost wife. The old woman who spoke to him held no resemblance to her at all. There were only her eyes and the inner beauty. Her hands stroked his hair as she used to, playing with it when she wanted to braid his hair because it calmed him down. Secretly, he had always enjoyed it even though he had complained. Beatrice knew he was kidding and would indulge him in his manly fantasies. For a moment, he was back in her arms, in the glade under the oak tree where they had made love on their wedding night. The night they had conceived their child. Hurt fell upon his heart as he thought about the innocent life his wife had taken into the other world with her. Anger sliced his heart. All the strife, loneliness, everything he had kept bottled, welled up in him. The tears fell freely from his lashes. Tremain lifted his head and looked deeply into those eyes he remembered.

  "Why?"

  He saw the pain echoed in the wrinkled face of the witch. Her eyes had a far-away look to them. Her voice came out with a lilt he hadn't heard since he heard Beatrice. His accent had died away over the centuries and reminded him of his homeland. “Mother wouldn't listen. I tried to tell her I was not going to marry that rogue from the other village because I was already married to you. They told me you had left me. Forgotten all about me, but I knew you hadn't. Then one of the Druids said you had renounced me as your wife. I waited for you by the lake, but you never came. And then mother was going to send me away. I had no choice."

  His eyes implored her as he tried to understand. “But I didn't renounce you. They told you that to break us apart. They told me the same thing, but I knew in my heart you and I were one. I never gave up hope. Then I started dreaming about the life you carried. I went to you on that morning and was able to get away, but I found you and they thought—"

  Tremain looked away in disgust as all the events of the past washed over him like a tidal wave. Making him relive the worst moments of his soul was like poison. He wiped his eyes and swallowed back the sob forming in his throat. Why was all of this happening now, when he had found happiness with Linnea? Guilt came through the pain as he realized that what he had felt with Beatrice was as dead as she. The woman in front of him was on the echo of his dead wife. Her spirit might have been contained in the wizened flesh of the powerful witch, but the true spark which had connected him to her was no longer there. Part of him died in that moment as he understood he had been holding onto a ghost, hoping and praying one day he would encounter Beatrice again and she would be the one to free him from the curse her mother had inflicted upon him. Now he realized the love they had once had, though beautiful and innocent, had died the same day she had in the lake. Part of his soul had kept the idea of her alive, secreted away, frozen in his heart. Even though he reacted to old, pent-up emotions, a new day had dawned. A new love had been born inside of him. The realization hit him over the head as painfully as if he had been poisoned again. He wanted Linnea. He craved to feel her hands caressing his face. It was her eyes he wanted to be staring into.

  "I know that now, Tremain. I know so many things now I have lived. No matter how many times I have been back to this mortal realm, I've always carried a part of you with me. I always will. For lifetimes, part of me has always been sad. Even in this one, when I found my husband, there was a hole in my heart he could not fill when I desperately wanted him, too. Through reincarnations I have longed to hold you in my arms once more. In the beginning when the memory of you was fresh, I did search out the skies for you, but you were beyond the veil then, shielded from my eyes and my heart as the Goddess wished it. It has taken me this long, to this generation, to come to a place of peace and wisdom to understand and to make amends for all of my past sins. I am the woman you loved and I am hundreds more. Throughout all, my spirit has been attached to yours. Now I have seen you and made my peace. I know now I can move beyond this. It was a lesson I had to learn, and I did. Thank you. Know I will always love you, but your heart and mine were broken centuries ago. Now it is time for you to move on."

  Tremain saw the tears in the eyes of the woman in front of him. She smiled at him and then patted his cheek. The light in her eyes dimmed after she blinked. Whatever part of her that had urged her to speak departed back to the recess of her soul was buried again. Peace washed over him as if he were floating, similar to the peace of mind he had when he flew in his raven form. He leaned in close and kissed her wrinkled cheek.

  "Thank you."

  She looked at the Druid Warrior and smiled. “Wow. Where did that all come from? I hope I didn't bore the socks off of you. I was just saying Raven Warriors are not fiction."

  Henrietta stared at the other two witches. Tremain noticed the look on their faces was beyond disbelief. “What?"

  "Hen, you feeling okay, honey?” Charlotte asked.

  "I'm fine. Now, where was it Linnea got off to?"

  Tremain looked around the attic and noticed she was not there anymore. She must have slipped out when he was so enthralled in what Henrietta had to say. Now that he was aware of himself, he also felt that the power in the attic had tripled. The power lines were initialized, and now the other women where there it seemed the circle was feeding from them too. But the missing piece was Linnea. The coven needed her as much as he did. He had been so blind.

  "She has the necklace I gave her. It was Maili's. She must have connected with her. Shit. I have to go.” He stood and closed his eyes. His thoughts stretched out along the link forged between him and Linnea when she rescued him from limbo.

  All three of them shook their heads no. Finally, it was Coralline who spoke up and even then her voice was shaky. “Tremain, all of this is a little out of our league. We've seen some strange and crazy things, but nothing like this. Is Linn going to be okay? She doesn't have any kind of power to be able to handle the supernatural. You're probably the most powerful thing she's seen in her lifetime. I know you have more power than me. I can't talk for the other two, but you're what we've always dreamed about."

  Tremain smiled, unable handle the compliment. He couldn't help himself. “You three are too much. I used to be a Druid just like you worshipping the goddess. Then I was cursed. I have been a Raven Warrior for centuries, and you wouldn't believe what kind of power Linnea has. It has awakened. That was how she was able to save me, but now I fear for her."

  "Is there anything we can do?"

  "I need yo
u to scry for her. I can't find her. The link forged between us has been clouded just as my link to Maili has. Whoever has her friend is a powerful warlock or witch. I don't know who it is, but that is how you can help. You are close to her and should know how to find her."

  Henrietta clapped her hands. “Come on, ladies. We have some conjuring to do."

  Tremain walked to the window with his hand clasped on the hilt of his sword. The sun was setting quicker than he liked. He felt his flesh already tightening and shrinking even though the call of his curse was still at least ten hours away. So little time, and he had to find Maili and Linnea. Why hadn't he listened to his heart and not let her go? He closed his eyes and followed the link forged between them and realized he could not see where she was or where she was going. He shook his head as all he did was give himself a headache. There was no point to keep trying. All he knew was that if she were injured in anyway, he would take the head of the wizard and see his body torn asunder to the far corners of the earth.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Forty-five minutes after leaving the house, Linnea found herself standing on the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets. She had climbed the numerous steps of the subway to go above ground. Across from her was a Dunkin Donuts, which was packed by college kids since their dorm was in the same building. She remembered her days of going to college, and they seemed so far away now. Everything had changed in the past three days. She had learned there were things that went bump in the night which were scarier than little ghost boys in sailor suits, and her powers had kicked in. Somewhere deep down, she had discovered a love she didn't realize she had for a man she barely knew. Her best friend was a princess and half-human. Linnea mulled over all the craziness. Part of her wanted to run back home as it was telling her to stop and try to be a hero. It wasn't in her genes to save anyone, let alone get involved in a kidnapping. Now she was going to be breaking into the theater. If she didn't, her friend might be killed or worse. Her hands were shaking. Hell, her whole body quaked. As she stared at the life around her, she realized hardly anyone knew about the world she was now privy to. People might believe in ghosts or banshees, but they would never see one. People bustled around her, running off to class, a show somewhere at a hole-in-the-wall theater. Others were going to a late dinner. Cars filled with people honked at faux metal car bumpers so they could go just a little bit faster to get to their humdrum lives. She had been one of those people for a long time, believing tales her grandmother told her until only part of her believed in the supernatural. However, her life was now going to be something different.

  The life meshed in a myriad of sounds and rainbow colors as thoughts and auras blended together like a bad acid trip. None saw the world as she did now. The energy of the world pressed down around her, and if she looked hard enough, she could see the very particles of the air fusing together. She closed her eyes and centered herself, blending her energy with the earth beneath her feet, below the concrete and train tunnels. Under all of it, there was hard-packed soil that man had not touched. As she did, the image of the circles in her house flashed in her mind, and she felt the power flare to life there as well. The inside her pocket burned her thigh. She reached in and pulled out the quartz point, noticing it was actually turning red as if it being heated. She held it, but it was cool to the touch. Weird.

  Clutching the crystal, something seemed to be trying to break into her mind. She threw up walls, seeing herself surrounded by energy thick as steel and impenetrable. She threw the quartz into the Common, not caring what people thought or that the pigeons would be disappointed it was not popcorn or breadcrumbs. Her head cleared, and she was able to think clearly, even though she was still connected to the circle. It seemed to be giving her strength. I am a witch, and I'm going to go save my best friend. I can do this!

  She squared her shoulders, pushed her way through the people, and walked the two blocks to the Wang. As she did, the smell of pizza by the slice tempted her into its doors, but she ignored it Once upon a time, the Wang was in the middle of the Combat Zone, a part of the city in which gangs fought over turf. Now the cops had cleaned it up, and the amount of crime had dropped as they made it more tourist friendly. Still, unless someone knew where to go, walking down a dark alley wasn't smart. Linnea ignored the beeps of the oncoming traffic as she crossed the street. People had to realize pedestrians had the right of way, and having grown up in the city, she dared any car to run her down. She would win in court every time.

  In front of the theater, she pulled on the double glass doors, but they were locked. Even the ticket office was closed for the night. She didn't think it was going to be that easy to waltz into the theater, but she at least had to try. She walked around the block to the alley where they got deliveries and where the cast members and orchestra entered the theater through the stage door. Linnea tugged on the door handle, but it, too, was locked.

  "Shit,” she muttered. Quickly she dug into her bag and brought out her athame. All throughout her train ride she had been clutching it to her chest, hoping none of the beat cops on the subway would think her suspicious and want to check out what was in her purse. It wasn't everyday she carried a double bladed dagger with her. Looking around down the alley, she hoped there was no one looking. She slipped the blade down between the crack in the door and tried to jimmy the lock, but as she fiddled with it and pulled back, the blade snapped. “Stupid cheap...” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She shoved the broken athame back inside of her purse, knowing she was not going to be able to do anything with it. At least she still had her grandmother's back at the house.

  She had to get inside. Okay. I'm a witch. There's gotta be a way for me to get inside by using magick. There just has to.

  Linnea gripped the door handle again. In her mind she saw the door opening, and the lock giving way for her. She breathed and centered herself. I can do this. When she opened her eyes, she pulled. Still nothing. The witch gritted her teeth. Grammie, why didn't you tell me how to use my powers? You never said what to do with them once I got them.

  She cleared her mind again and felt the energy gathering in her hands. It was tingly and warm in the center of her palms. The metal seemed to grow warm under her grip, but before she could pull the door open or figure out how to use her magick, the door opened. It nearly gave Linnea a heart attack. She screamed and jumped back, hitting her lower back against the metal bar of the railing.. For a moment, she had the wind knocked out of her.

  "Linnea, you okay?” She looked up through the sudden pain and saw Derrik standing there.

  "Yeah ... fine.” She wheezed as she staightened.

  "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to take a couple of days off?"

  Linnea smiled at him warily. She tried to sense if he was the one who had Maili, but the pain numbed her mind as she rubbed her back absently. Closing her eyes, she drew in a breath. There would be a bruise there in the morning. “I was practicing and one of the screws came loose on my flute. I needed to get my repair kit. I left it in the pit. You know how scatter-brained I am. Can I come in?"

  Derrik stood back and let her pass. She gave him the fakest smile she could and worked her way backstage. “Hey, have you seen Maili? I know you guys are glued at the hip."

  The witch turned around quickly as the door slammed shut. She jumped at the reverberation echoing off the bricks of the walls backstage. “You mean you haven't seen her? She stood me up the other night. I don't know where she is."

  Derrik nodded. “Oh, well then. You guys have a fight or something?"

  Linnea shook her head. “We just got our wires crossed, I think. Happens sometimes. You know how Maili can be flighty. Well, I'll just get my stuff and be on my way.” Linnea turned to go toward the pits, when Derrik grabbed her arm. He stared deeply into her eyes. There was something in his dark eyes that sparked fear in her. His grip tightened.

  "Is there anything wrong?” Linnea asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

 
"No. I just thought. Well, never mind. You go get your things and I'll walk you out. I was just leaving.” He gave Linnea a half smile as he walked to the other side of the stage.. As she walked across the wooden floor of the stage, something shivered her spine and she could feel his gaze on her. When she turned around Derrik was still there giving her the oddest look. She shook her head thinking that she was going crazy. But as she did, the stage lights flickered. The temperature suddenly plummeted, and she could see her breath in front of her. Fear encompassed her heart as she looked around her. Derrik was shrouded in darkness as the shadows along his side of the wall suddenly grew long and had substance like the assassins that had come after her. The director had a look of horror on his face. Linnea stepped forward thinking of anything she could do, but before that could happen the whole place was plunged into darkness and she was blinded.

  Derrik's scream split the fabric of silence. It was high pitched like a soprano hitting a high C. Like Maili's voice. “Derrik!” she shouted. When she took a step forward, she heard a slurp sucking sound and felt something wet splatter across her face. She swallowed. Her mind was telling her to run the other way. Yet, her feet were keeping her rooted to the spot, and she could not move. Oh God. Her mind raced as thoughts swam inside the murky depths of her scared brain. The sucking sound stopped, and then she heard chattering like skeletal tree limbs brushing against windows on a windy night. Like teeth. Her power tickled her hand and pinpoints of light appeared in front of her eyes as her power tried to override her fear. Finally she pushed it away and grabbed onto that power.

  Focusing as best she could, she thought about light and suddenly there was a spotlight around her. Whatever made the chattering sound stopped on the rim of the spotlight, only inches from her. With the light, she saw the same kind of green, slimy fairy that had come for her in Maili's apartment. Except this one was taller and had longer fingers. Its mouth and teeth were stained red with blood. Its dark, beady eyes stared at her as it licked its lips.