The Raven And The Wraith (Completed!)

Chapter 10

The Wraith
Chapter 10

"And would that be what you're sensing?"

Rhonda shrugged at me, then hurried back towards the crowd. We both knew, by the steady rhythm of the horse hooves, that this was not an attack. Nobody calmly moseyed up to attack, they sprinted. And the guards hadn't yelled out a warning besides that first alert.

I loosened my knives anyway. I knew better than to just trust what things on the outside appeared to be. Then, subtle movement nearby caught my eye. And I felt my mouth go dry.

Seven black cats were sitting under a nearby wagon. Sitting very still, gazing calmly at me. I immediately gauged the distance, wondering if I could take two of them out with my throwing knives. Seeing how their eyes gleamed coldly in the dark made me dismiss that idea.

I saw a runner boy speeding back towards the crowd, undoubtedly sent by the guards to get Tad and bring him to meet our visitors.

"Hey! Who is it?" I called to him as he raced by.

"A single traveling merchant and her guards, asking if she can travel with us." The boy slowed down enough to call back to me.

A single female traveling merchant? I felt an invisible skeletal hand of ice begin to squeeze my stomach. I gritted my teeth and forced my spastic mind to not just give up and go full panicked idiotic, wanting to stay as calm and careful as possible. This is was not the time for action, no matter how much my instincts demanded it.

I knew my instincts, when they were this spooled up, would only guide me face first at full speed directly into a tree or some other such retarded thing.

So I stayed there in the shadows, at the outside edge of the crowd, watching Zane up on the stage. Pointedly ignoring the cats.

The runner boy came to get me, telling me Tad had asked me to come meet the traveling merchant. I sighed and followed him, wondering once again how my life had become such a chaotic mess so fast.

Part of me wanted to just sprint away. Away from all people, from everything, and go live alone in the mountains. I knew I could do it, too, knowing my newly heightened senses, my agility and speed, would be enough to keep me fed and safe and comfortable, even in the open wilds.

Another part of me was quietly seething. A slow forming fury almost scary in it's limitlessness. I hated being stalked, I hated being used, more than anything else in life. I was no ones puppet. The reckless fury made me finally feel ready to face my past. Ready to show them all the error of their ways.

"Ah! Here he is! Rahvin, meet Jewel. She says she has a message for you, so I'll leave you two to talk." Tad roared.

Jewel winced at his volume, casting him a dirty look as he marched away. The fact that this wasn't Genevieve coming to get me, combined with her totally relatable reaction to Tad, made me feel a tiny bit better.

"Hi Rahvin." Her voice was surprisingly throaty, with a subtle accent I knew I'd never place.

She was wearing very well made traveling clothes, that were not travel worn. This, combined with her regal bearing, confirmed my suspicion that she was no traveling merchant.

"Whatever the Council wants, tell them I said no."

Jewel surprised me by grinning hugely at that.

"Defying the Council, eh? I like you already!"

I folded my arms and leaned against the nearby wagon, grinding my willpower down onto my breathing and my heart rate, forcing them to stay steady.