Raven Girl

Chapter 2

Nadine twisted her wrists, wincing as the shackles bit into them. Her body shook from a mixture of fear and cold – the cell she sat in was dank and a draft raised goosebumps along her arms.

"Stop twisting them; they'll just get tighter," a young male voice said. Nadine frowned, peering through bars and into the dark corridor. The man was stood in shadow, but his slight accent suggested he was from another country. Jötunheim, up North? Easfall? The San Myaku Mountains?

"Who are you? A guard?" She was instantly wary.

"No." He sounded faintly amused.

Nadine scowled. "Then go away."

Silence. In it, Nadine's thoughts whirled with fear. Finally she dared to ask, "Will I get the death penalty?"

"I'm not a guard. I don't know."

"You're very helpful." She tried to prise the shackles from her wrists in vain. They were already sore.

"I'm not from around here, you see, nightling." Nightling. It was a nickname the foreigners found apt for the Ravennans. Like we have a choice to only come out at night, Nadine thought, furious.

"Yeah, I can tell. Call me that again and I'll..."

"Magic your way through the bars to knock me out?" he suggested. Then he stepped forward and Nadine was finally able to see him. She caught her breath. He looked to be an Easfall warrior – tall and lean, with a mop of dark hair and golden skin. His clothes were layered and loose, all strange exotic patterns and bright colours. A long, curved blade – a scimitar – hung at his hip.

Nadine's mouth opened slightly in surprise as she stared at him. He was so utterly different from anyone or anything she'd seen in Ravenna. He cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're very... bright," she managed.

The Easfallian chuckled. "Thank you." He swept into an elegant bow. "I do my best to please."

Nadine curled her legs towards her chest. The cold from the floor was seeping up her spine. "Am I going to die?"

"Who knows?" He shrugged, nonchalant, as if her life meant nothing.

"Why are you here?"

Before he could speak, two guards marched down the stairs and into the prison. "The President has requested your presence." It took a while for Nadine to realise the guards meant her and not the Easfallian.

"Do I have a choice?" Nadine asked hopelessly, rising to her feet as they unlocked her door. Kostin was going to decide her fate. She was going to find out in which way she would die. Her head spun. She had to somehow tell them about Gavriil, get them to help him, save him. He would never understand the reason for her death. He would hate her for getting herself killed, for leaving him all alone in the world...

Nadine fought back her sobs as the guards each took an arm, dragging her up the stairs while the foreign young man followed. She wouldn't cry in front of these people. She was a criminal, a thief – she wouldn't show weakness in front of anyone. Her ears were ringing, obliterating all other sound, as they took her back to the seating room, leading her down the steps and to a table near the centre. Kostin sat at it, surrounded by others. Some of them were from Ravenna's neighbouring countries, Nadine realised numbly. The Easfallian strode to stand by his fellows.

Kostin turned icy blue eyes on her. His stern face was lined with the worries of managing an entire country. "Ah. The thief." Nadine stayed silent. "I'd heard reports of a young dark-haired criminal darting about the city. It's you, is it?"