The Raven And The Wraith (Completed!)

Chapter 24

The Wraith
Chapter 24

Gary sprinted across the clearing, moving faster than even the Kodell I had fought on top of Tads wagon. But Genevieve's red ward was faster.

Her power flashed once, momentarily lighting up the entire garden with a piercing, red glow, and I heard everyone yelp and squeal in shock. It was a chorus of squeaky sounds that normally would have made me laugh, were I not currently so focused on staying alive.

Gary stopped moving so suddenly it almost seemed like he had just ran directly into an invisible wall. His eyes bulged and he trembled slightly, obviously still trying to get at me, but the tendrils of Genevieve's ward had wrapped tight around him. Holding him in place.

"No more killing." Genevieve's voice was hard, and full of unyielding authority.

"He deserves to die! Look how many he killed!" Gary growled, his unnaturally blazing eyes locked on mine.

"That wasn't him. That was the power of the Council inside of him, moving him like a puppet. And the Council is dead. Justice is complete."

Gary considered her words, his training coming to bear as he managed to hear her, to think through it all, despite his rage. And he relaxed, although the coldness never left his gaze.

"You can let me go now." He said quietly.

Genevieve's power blinked out of visible existence, and Gary carefully sheathed his sword, watching me distrustfully the entire time. I knew he didn't doubt her words, but I also knew he still hated me. He stiffly bowed once to Genevieve, then spun on his heel and stalked away.

"Now THAT guy needs to learn how to breath deep, relax, and have some fun once in a while!" Keira muttered.

I couldn't help but grin at that. Keira had no idea how accurate that statement was.

"I've never seen anyone, besides you, Rahvin,  move that fast! And what's with his eyes?" Rhonda exclaimed.

"I'm not sure...but I can feel how he's connected to The Other. Not like me, not like he could belong there. But connected in some inner way..." I trailed off as I realized how little I knew about The Other.

Gary had some element of that other realm inside of him. I knew that for sure. But I had never seen anything like that razor line of white fire inside of him before. I suspected once I stepped into The Other, I would find the answers there.

"Well, he wasn't fast enough!" Tad roared happily.

Standing next to him, Jewel winced at his ear-splitting volume and shot him a dirty look. She had been unusually quiet through all of this and it made me suspicious. She had never struck me as a quiet type. 

Then I realized how I could actually see the tension draining out of her. I could see her breathing deepening, I could see the worry lines around her eyes easing, and it dawned on me what was happening.

"Your command. It's fading, now that I'm here, with you." I told Genevieve, motioning towards Jewel.

Genevieve nodded. "Yes. She will likely need help getting to her room. She is beyond exhausted, having pushed herself farther than is naturally possible, due to my command."

Even as she finished speaking, Jewel was sagging down, and Rhonda and Tad rushed over to catch her. They called a servant boy over and had him guide them to her room, Tad striding along with Jewel draped over his shoulders like a slim bag of potatoes with silky hair.

"So you will go to The Other now? With Keira?"

Genevieve asked me, her eyes flashing as she said Keira's name.

"Yes. The two of us must go there. The Council here is destroyed, balance here is restored as much as possible, but my journey isn't yet complete. I can feel the Shadowfall inside of me, demanding to be returned to its native realm. And now I know my True Name, now I know how to...step into The Other."

Genevieve nodded, her eyes unreadable. "I will start a new Council. The members will be myself, Tad, Rhonda, Jewel. And Gary."

I scowled at her. Leave it to Genevieve to surprise and anger me in one go.

"Yeah because if we're going to start a new Council, we may as well be sure to include the required idiocy and unpredictability right from the start!"

Genevieve didn't dignify that with a real answer, besides a decidedly unladylike snort. I sighed, knowing she had made up her mind, and nothing I could say or do would change it.

"Goodbye, Genevieve." I told her, reaching out to take Keira's hand in mine.

Genevieve looked at me, her eyes dark and brimming with unsaid promises, hidden emotion, and deep regrets.

"Goodbye, Rahvin." She said quietly.

I took a deep breath and focused on the nearest pool of shadows. I focused inside, on the pull of The Shadowfall, wrapping it around Keira and myself. And then I Stepped into The Other.

The end of book one of The Wraith

I hope you enjoyed this story! It's my first attempt at writing a story in First Person and it's been an absolute blast to write it!

If you enjoyed it, please vote on the Chapters you feel deserve it! It means more than you know and is HUGELY motivating!!