The Dawn of the Raven Omnibus 1: Episodes 1-5

by J. L. Blackthorne

  For a moment, as she came to grips with the severity of her injury, Raveena looked as though she would relent, but then rage filled her blood again, made all the more potent by the pain and festering of the wound.

  “No” the beauty snapped. “I won’t take aid from a Raganean. Your people have taught me well: you can’t be trusted, you can’t be reasoned with. Because I made that mistake once, my people may all pay the price. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  By the fire in the warrior’s eyes, Kiella could see that there was no reasoning with her. Though Kiella knew that the wound needed urgent tending, there was nothing she could do. The warrior maiden rewrapped it, dressed, and insisted they continue on immediately.

  Remarkably, they covered significant ground by nightfall. They made their way all the way to the fork to the Thorian Hills. Kiella knew that there was no chance for them to make it across the pass all the way back to the Typhorian kingdom. It was a difficult task and arduous journey at full strength with good health and horses. In their current condition, it would not be possible. Still, she had promised not to question or complain, so she humored Raveena, following along in step. She was shocked, though, when Raveena, instead of following to the north to reach the pass through the hills, turned south at the fork instead.

  “My lady, I think you are mistaken. Your way is north.”

  “No. The pass will take too long. We must get there sooner. I must warn my people as quickly as possible about the Gekken. I have wasted too much time already.”

  The warrior’s skin was losing its color. She was pale, and she was starting to tremble. She had lost too much blood. She must have been disoriented, thought Kiella.

  “No my lady. That is the way back to your kingdom. If you want to return, we must go that way.”

  “No.” Raveena was resolute. “We will pass through the forest. It’s much faster.”

  Kiella was shocked.

  “The Forbidden Forest? We are not allowed. We will violate the truce. We will be murdered before dawn. We may reignite the old feud. We can’t. First, the Gekken return, and now you want to piss on the peace that has lasted for one hundred years with the exiles? You are not in your right mind, my lady.”

  “It is the only way. Besides, I’ve been there before. It’s the way I came. It’s where I first saw the Gekken. I followed them to the clearing from there.”

  Kiella was astonished.

  “You’ve been there? Why? What for? How could it have been worth the risk? We all could have paid the price. Your kingdom, my kingdom, the entire realm. Peace with the exiles has lasted for over a century. What could possibly have been worth risking that?”

  Raveena’s gaze grew stern. She regained a bit of her old focus.

  “My business is my own. I warned you, do not argue. Do not tempt me. I am not asking you to go with me. I am not asking you to break the truce. You may do as you please. I never wanted your company anyway.”

  Kiella knew this was all insane. They had no hope of reaching Typhoria. It would be a miracle if Raveena survived till dawn. There was no way this was worth violating the truce, but she could tell that there was no reasoning with her. And Raveena’s will was such that Kiella knew she couldn’t stop her. Short of attacking the wounded warrior herself, Kiella knew there was no choice but to allow her to continue, and that she would eventually collapse, and that then, if Kiella were not with her, she would surely die. Yes, they were sworn enemies, but after all that had transpired, Kiella couldn’t just leave Raveena to die alone of blood loss, infection, or to be torn apart by the savage lower wolves of the Forbidden Forest. And the exiles, if they caught her . . . No, she had seen too much of Raveena now, knew too much of her courage and felt indebted to her for the treatment she had received from her people, when she now knew that Raveena’s motives had indeed been noble. She owed it to her to accompany her, to be with her at her end. Raveena had earned the right not to die alone.

  They crossed the line of demarcation just as night came. Kiella hoped that the cover of darkness would be enough to allow them to move unnoticed. If the exiles were to find them now, it may not only be disastrous for them, but for the peace that had existed for over a century. Kiella held her breath with every noise she heard, or with any movement about them, no matter how small or unassuming, sure that at any moment they would be affronted and assaulted for having broken the truce and stepped foot on forbidden soil. Despite her wound, Raveena continued to press onward with a remarkable pace, sheer will-power propelling her body, even though she should have collapsed long before. Yet, Kiella knew that Raveena’s fortune was dire. Soon, she would fall, and she would never stand back up again.

  The Forbidden Forest was the habitat of many wildlife that was seldom seen in the Raganean woods. The Raganean Forest was the domain of the High Wolves, for one, while the Forbidden Forest was the territory of the infamous Low Wolves. High Wolves were the prize trophy of hunters, with their gorgeous white fur and beautiful features. Low Wolves were ugly as sin, with mangy grey fur, curved, mangled teeth that stuck many inches out of their snouts, more like a warthog’s teeth than what one expected from a wolf. They were double the size of High Wolves, and their claws reached at least six inches when extended from their paws. They were vicious killers and notoriously territorial. Occasionally, a Low Wolf pack would try to extend its territory into the Raganean woods, so they were not completely unknown to the Raganeans, and whenever they were encountered they were always extremely dangerous.

  As Kiella looked about her, she always saw eyes. Eyes glowing in the moonlight. Mostly, they would turn away quickly, the eyes of rodents and other small creatures scavenging for their wares under the cover of darkness, but she was always scanning for the eyes of the wolves, though she knew that, in their current predicament, whether she were to see them coming or not, the result would probably be the same.

  With incredible luck, however, the wolves did not come. Eventually, even Raveena agreed that they must take shelter. Under the light of the moon, they discovered a shallow, vacant cave. Once inside, Raveena agreed to allow Kiella to make a small fire. The temperature was dropping fast, and if they were to survive it was necessary. Kiella urged Raveena to allow her to examine her wound now, and Raveena finally, on the doorstep of delirium, consented. The wound had begun to fester, and Raveena had lost a great deal of blood. Kiella did what she could with the liniments she carried with her, but it was likely too late. There was probably infection deep within the wound that she could not reach. Raveena lost consciousness soon after she laid down, and Kiella took the opportunity to do whatever she could to treat her. She cut deep into the wound to clean it, and then, using the blade Raveena had taken from the battlefield, she cauterized the wound. Raveena was so lost to blood-loss, fever, and exhaustion that she never even flinched in pain or fussed. When the operation was completed, and Kiella was confident that she had done all that she could for her, Kiella finally laid down to get some rest for herself.

  Kiella was shocked by how deeply she slept. She had no idea how long she’d been out, and judging by the light coming into the cave when she awoke the sun had already been up for quite a while. As she cleared the fog from her mind and focused her eyes, she realized they weren’t alone. A man was there, right next to her, leaning over Raveena. Kiella lunged for the blade that still lay by the fire. The man jumped back in shock when he saw her sudden movement.

  “Oh! I’m sorry Miss. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just checking over your friend here. She needs help. She needs aid badly, or she won’t last the day, I fear.”

  Kiella kept the blade firmly in hand. She pointed it, the tip trembling with her shaken nerves and surge of adrenaline, as she stepped over to Raveena’s body to stand guard.

  “Really, Miss, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I came across your friend and saw she needed aid, that is all. Here . . . here, you must be starving. Have a bite.”

  He held out his hand and offered some jerky. Kiella
was starving, but she didn’t know what to make of this fellow yet. He continued.

  “Please, it’s not poison. Here.” He pulled off a bit of the large piece he was offering and chewed it himself and swallowed. “See? It’s quite good. It’s my own recipe. Well, not my recipe. Been handed down through generations of Bumbeldens. If there’s one thing a Bumbelden can do well, it’s make a good piece of jerky. That’s my kin name. I’m Bob Bumbleden.”

  Bob held out a dirty hand with a fingerless glove. Kiella still chose to err towards caution.

  “Look, I promise you, I won’t bite. I know, I may be a bit mangy, but I am quite civilized. Just, you know, hygiene isn’t a big deal when you spend most of your time alone. I live out here, not far, my little shack. Just me and my dog, Cretin. We get along just fine. He’s good company. We hunt. We fish. We lie about and have a laugh. That’s about it.”

  He gave her a big grin, with only about half of the teeth that a normal mouth should house, and with those teeth that were left mostly ranging from yellow to green to black. Yet he did seem kind, and Kiella was very hungry indeed. She finally accepted a piece of the jerky, and when she did try a sample, it was quite good.

  “Ah, that’s better! It’s good, ain’t it?”

  Kiella nodded and set the blade down, though she kept it at close reach. She finally spoke.

  “Are you an exile? You’re not angry we’re here?”

  “Me? No. I’m not one of them. No way. And angry? No way. It’s nice to have some company for a change. Cretin is good company, but not the best at conversation. It’s nice to have someone to share breakfast with for a change.”

  “Then, if you’re not one of the exiles, then how is it you are here, in the Forbidden Forest?”

  “Oh. My people, we don’t worry about ‘Forbidden Forests’ or lines and truces. My people trapped and hunted here and called these woods home long before they came here, the exiles you speak of. We were grandfathered in, I’d say. Those rules and laws don’t apply to me. I come and go as I please, cross whatever lines I want. This is my home, no one will stop me.”

  “The exiles don’t mind?”

  “Well, first of all, these exiles, as you call them, well, I know them as The Elken. And this ‘Forbidden Forest’, well, to me I know it as what it was called long before it was ‘forbidden’, Elring forest. And, as I said, Elring Forest has been the home to my ancestors for longer probably than your kind or the Elken have even been around, so I really just call it home. All of that stuff, lines, truces . . . that’s all for you guys, between the rest of you outsiders and The Elken. I live here, I hunt and trap here, I go out and sell the best trophies and the best catches, and then I come back and live my life. The Elken, yes, they are ferocious. And territorial. You’d best watch out for them. You’re right to worry. But I know where to go and where not to go. I know not to mess with them, so they don’t mess with me. Mutual respect, I reckon.”

  Kiella finished her jerky. Bob then pulled out a canteen and drank and then offered it to her. She hesitated to take it, so he quickly took it back, wiped it off with the cleanest section of his shirt that he could find, and then held it back out for offering, and this time she took him up on it. It did taste fresh and gave her parched throat much relief.

  “Ah, fresh off the morning spring” he boasted. “You’d best see if you can get your friend to take some. Here . . . “

  Bob helped Kiella lift Raveena’s back and head up a little, to see if they could get her to take some. But, it was no use. They gave up quickly for fear she would choke on it, as she was completely unconscious.

  “May I take a look at the wound?” asked Bob.

  Kiella, now finally beginning to grow accustomed to Bob, relented. They pulled back the wound’s dressing carefully.

  “Oh no. It looks beyond help, I fear. You did good to try and cauterize it, but it didn’t go deep enough. It festers below the burn, deep in the tissue. See there, the ooze. That color is not good. Not good at all. We will have to cut her back open, but in deep, and clean it out if she’s to have a chance at all. I have things back at my home that might work. It’s quite a ways away, though. I’ve been away from home for three days now, camping out here, trying to trap a bear. Biggest son-of-a-bitch I’ve ever seen. Yet, trapping’s my specialty. Sooner or later, I’ll get him, though he’s broken every trap I’ve laid out so far. But it’s your friend’s only chance. I’ve got some herbs, some medicines. I’ve got some tools we can use and some alcohol I brewed to clean it with. I don’t know how long she’ll last, but we could try to fashion her a gurney and tie it to my mule. We could reach my shack by mid-day tomorrow, and if she’s still holding on by then, we can operate. In the meantime, I know some berries and herbs that grow here that might help her hold on.”

  Kiella looked at Raveena. From all that she knew of medicine, she was already beyond help. She knew she had little chance of survival alone in these woods too, so she felt she had little choice but to go along with Bob Bumbelden’s plan. Besides, just the fact that he could guide her safely, hopefully, away from the exiles made him an invaluable ally. They worked together to fashion a stretcher using sticks and grasses and a large hide of a beast that Bob had slain, attached it to Bob’s mule to pull Raveena, and by late morning they were on their way.

  By daylight, the Forbidden Forest was gorgeous. It was much more lush than the Raganean woods, teeming with life. The plants, flowers, and birds all had much more color than what Kiella was used to seeing. Occasionally, Bob would stop along the way to check his traps. He had done quite well, finding a large beautiful bird that he claimed would fetch him a high price in trade, a badger, and a large rabbit.

  “Ah!” exclaimed Bob as he held up the rabbit. “Dinner!”

  As they reached a brook, Bob suddenly grew excited.

  “There they are! The bobbin leaves.” He got down on his hands and knees and pushed deep into a small bush. He popped back out triumphantly with three shiny red leaves in hand.

  “See! They only grow in the shade of other, larger bushes, but always close to running water. Here, this should help.”

  Bob produced a mortar and pestle from his sack on the mule and quickly went about grinding up the leaves.

  “Here, put this on her tongue. Just a bit is all it takes.”

  Kiella put a bit of the ground leaves in Raveena’s mouth. There was no change in her state, but within minutes her color did seem to improve.

  “Yes, see? Can you see it? Always gives the system a boost. That might be all she needs to keep her around long enough for us to get back and operate, but I will hold onto the rest and we can give her more along the way. Hopefully, this will make the difference, poor lass.”

  They paused by the brook to refill the canteen and catch their breath. Bob took the chance to try and make more small-talk, and learn more about his new companions.

  “That wound, must be quite a story behind it! Robbers, muggers, thieves? Or is it you two, on the lam? Stole something? Did she have a jealous lover in a rage?”

  Kiella remained silent.

  “Oh, oh. I’m sorry. Please forgive old Bob. We Bumbledens aren’t known for our manners, but we mean well.”

  Kiella chewed on some more jerky Bob had offered, and then thought of her own questions.

  “The Elken . . . we’re being careful to avoid them, right? You don’t think they’ll see us?”

  “Oh no. They don’t come out this way much. I think it will be fine. Though, it’s always better to be safe with those ones. Animals, really. And mystical. You know that, right? Magic, those ones have. You don’t ever want to piss them off. You’re probably right. We’d best move on. Shouldn’t sit out here in the open like this. I’m used to traveling alone, but we should be more cautious.”

  They continued through the forest, being careful to stay where the trees were thick now, so they wouldn’t be easily noticed. Raveena was still unconscious, but she now stirred occasionally, as if dreaming, and her color still lo
oked improved. As they walked, though they were taking all precautions to avoid discovery, Kiella couldn’t help but keep feeling paranoid. She constantly felt as if they were being watched. She’d be certain of it and then, upon hearing a twig or branch break from behind, would swivel her head as fast as she could, certain to find a band of exiles there, ready to attack. But each time there was nothing. Maybe sometimes a small squirrel, bird, or other animal of the like, but mostly it was just her mind playing tricks on her. One of the times, when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raising and was completely certain that eyes were on her, she searched all around and finally found the source: a hawk that was flying far above. It was following their path, as if it were looking for the right moment to swoop in for the kill. “You are quite a specimen, but I think I’m a little big for you” thought Kiella as she stared back at it. And, sure enough, the hawk’s interest soon faded and it flew off in search of more appropriate prey. With all of her paranoia and fear of the exiles, Kiella didn’t want to make too much noise, but she couldn’t contain all of her curiosity, so she whispered to Bob as they walked.

  “The Elken . . . you say they have magic? I’ve heard mention of this. They are witches, right? My people say little about them, except that they are evil and they are to be feared.”

  Bob’s face grew grim.

  “Oh yes. Your people are wise. They do practice witchcraft, I think. I don’t get too close, but I know that they can do things . . . well, things that don’t seem . . . natural. They aren’t like you and me. They aren’t human. They’re a completely different breed. But I’ve got to watch my tongue, I can’t take any chance on them hearing me talking ill of them. I don’t harm them, and I stay out of their way, and they leave me be. But I have seen things . . .”

  With that, Bob stopped in mid-sentence, and his eyes showed his fear. He shook his head, as if trying to wrestle his mind free of whatever horrible vision he had witnessed and had now remembered. He looked dead onward into the forest, and quickened his pace, and Kiella did her best to bother him with her curiosity no more.