Raven

Chapter Six

No one was more shocked or confused than Raven, where the fuck does this guy get off, telling her she is his daughter.
"Like fucking hell, I am your daughter, your demon scum". The prince lets out a mighty laugh, "Now, now is that the way to speak to your father, the mighty Mephistopheles, the great destroyer, one of the seven princes of hell?" An even bigger gasp came from the crowd. "I don't care if you are the king of hell, I am no daughter of yours" Raven screams back at him, clearly becoming angered at what this demon lord is sprouting on her. "Come on face it daughter, no angel ever in the history of the world has ever downed black wings like yours, all the guardians have white wings, my dear princess of hell". Raven grew silent, and before anyone knew, she lunged forward, with both hands on the swords hilt, running at full strength, she jumped into the air, and launched herself at the demon prince, clearly planning on striking him down. But with a flick of his wrist, he sent her flying backwards, she would have ended up in the nearest building if it wasn't for Slade who flew up and grabbed her from behind, bringing both of them down in a safe landing.
"Awe, how cute, my daughter has a protector, how does it feel, to fall in love with a demon princess, angel boy!" Mephistopheles laughed with a mighty roar. He turned his head to Raven and gave her a quizzical look, "When you have come to your senses, daughter dear, you come and see me, so we can discuss your role as princess, it time for you to take up your role and live the life you were born to". And with that he lunged onto the dragon and called out to the demon hoard in Dimoori Sheol, the language of the damned, "Galahagalamha hea iaralaeaba!" and just like that they all left. Disappearing into the rift. Back to Sheol.

Raven stood there, anger radiating from her, she was heaving, and it looked like she was either going to have a panic attack or going to kill something. She looked over at Slade, and started to shake her head from side to side, panic started setting in, it looked like she was about to get hysterical. "There is no fucking way....... she swallowed hard,"no fucking way I am that monsters daughter!" she was yelling now. "Do you hear me?", "No Fucking Way!!!" Slade walked over to her and held her by the shoulders. "You should take it easy, calm down, I agree" he was talking gently to her, not sure what she was about to do and hoping she wouldn't go bat shit crazy and start slaying innocent people. He placed his arm around her shoulder and started to guide her toward the utility truck. Looking down at her hand he saw that she was still grasping Claidheamh in her hand. "Maybe you should put away your Airm Enochian; we don't want to make the citizens edgy after that show". Raven looked down to her hand and saw that her sword was still in her hand, as if by silent command she willed it back into the bra'isle'ad on her wrist. Slade was right no knowing how the locals will react no once they have heard that bit of scandalous news. But if that vile creature was her father, then who the hell was her mother, and why doesn't she remember any of this.

Once at the truck Slade helped Raven get in to the passenger side and closed the door, he commanded the other troops to get in the back, and that he was leaving in five minutes. Once everyone was inside the back, he jumped up in the driver's side of the cabin and got the truck started. Turning to Raven he placed his hand on her wrist, "We will find out what is going on here, don't worry, we will find the truth and then we will close that sucker up for good. I managed to just nod at him. My whole world just collapsed. Well Raven at least you now know who one part of your family is. All the way back to the compound Raven sat in silence, wondering, that if that Hell spawn was her father, then who the hell was her mother? And how did she end up on the earth planes, if she was meant to be a demon princess?
As soon as the truck stopped, Raven got out and headed straight for her room. She would get some fresh clothes and head for the showers. After that she wanted to curl up on her bed and just sleep forever. On her way out of her room, she caught sight of the other cadets walking past and whispering to each other , looking her way as she passed. Sure go ahead she thought, gossip all you want, I'll just get you all back in the training room next time round. Raven got in showers, and was astonished to find them empty. She stripped of her bloodied combat clothes and tossed it into a pile, turned on the warm water and rotated the head to hit her right in the shoulders, when she got under it. She stood there for what seems like forever, just letting the water run over her. At some point she realised the water turned cold, she shut the shower off, and started towelling herself dry. Dressing quickly, Raven headed out the communal bathroom and headed for her room. She got there with no mishaps along the way. Once inside her safe sanctum, she turned on her CD player and turned the volume up to drown out the compound noise. She was laying on her bed listening to Rob Zombies "Dracula" when, the door slowly opened up and a familiar white haired man popped his head inside. She only really noticed him, when he stood next to her bed and placed his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. With a jerk she jumped up in reflex and almost decked Slade one his jaw, fortunately he was quick and grabbed her fist just in time. "Gods woman are you crazy!" he yelled over the music. Raven got of the bed and went to put the stereo's volume down. "Do you always sneak into women's rooms while they are resting?" she countered his accusation. "Do you always have to deck someone, if they just dare touch you?" He asked her. Raven dropped her gaze and slouched her shoulders. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, you just caught me off guard, that all"
Slade realised that Raven was not herself, at that moment. "Look I came to check on you, I did knock, but you where listening to that god awful racked, so I tried the door." Raven didn't even bother to comment on his remark to her music taste. No one in the compound liked her type of music. She learned long ago to just let it slide. "I was clearing my head from everything that went down this morning." Raven was not in the mood to discuss any of that shit, with anyone yet, she needed to let it sink in, to digest it, and then she would pull it all out and analyse it. Slade sat down in one of the chairs; he didn't know what to do. They had to figure out what Mephestopheles wanted with Raven, now that he has revealed her identity to the world. Maybe she just needed a break, he got up and grabbed her hand, "Come, we are going out, you need to get away from this place, you need to clear your head." He pulled her out of her room and down the corridor. They went outside, Raven thought he just meant her to have some fresh air, but clearly that's not what he intended. Slade got her into one of the military jeeps, and headed them out and away from the compound; he was heading for the nearby forest. Nothing clears one's head like a good old nature walk.
Slade stopped the jeep on the side of the road, near the forest. They both got out of the vehicle. Raven gave him a quizzical look, as if he would automatically give her the answer as to why they have stopped next to the road, in the middle of nowhere.
"Come" he said, "we are going for a walk". Raven joined him on the other side of the car and followed him into the forest.
The trees looked an intense new spring green. Everything looked so fresh and cool and new. The birds where happy in their chirping songs, and all over the forest you could hear little animals scurrying around. Raven and Slade went deeper and deeper into the forest, until they found a little clearing; the grass was a beautiful shade of green, with little white flowers sticking out in random places all over the ground. They moved roughly to the middle of the clearing, and sat down across from each other, Raven crossed her legs, while Slade was half sitting, half lying on his side. He began to play with the little flowers on the ground, picked one and twirled it between his thumb and forefinger. A smile crept across his features, :"you know, you shouldn't get so mad at what other people think" he looked up at Raven, who was leaning back and staring up at the blue sky. "And why is that?" she asked him.
He moved to a sitting position, and looked me straight in the eye, "Because it is not good for your health, and what other people think of you is not important, what is important, is what you think of yourself." He proceeded to look down at his hand again, twirling the little flower in his hand. "So what you want me to do is totally ignore those assholes back there, and pretend I didn't hear what they said about me?" Slade just proceeded by nodding his head slowly. I couldn't believe it, what the fuck was he getting at. Of course should I be worried about what they have to say about me. I jumped up and stormed off in no particular direction. Suites him right if I get lost, then he spend hour looking for me, and go tell those shitheads how I got my stupid self lost in the forest.
But before Raven could get to far ahead into the forest, Slade ran after her and grabbed her by the arm, and just as he was about to spin her around to face him, she turned out of her own volition and slugged him one on the jaw. "What was that for?" he yelled at her, while rubbing his jaw. Raven stood there panting , all rage and fury blazing in her eyes. "Never, ever, ever again, "she said softly, "grab me from behind...." "okay" Slade made note of that little bit of information for future reference.
No one got to say another word, suddenly a wolf was standing at the edge of the tree line, looking at Raven intently. Raven's mood changed from angry to panic. "Don't move a muscle" Raven suddenly said. Slade proceeded to turn around and look at what had Raven so panicked all of a sudden. Just as his gaze fell onto the wolf, the animal began to slowly move towards Raven. She was frozen to the spot. The wolf sat down right in front of her, and turned its head askew, as if it was asking her a question.
Raven felt the connection in her mind almost immediately; the wolf meant her no harm. It merely wanted to communicate with her."I mean you no harm daughter, I was wondering when you would return to us, you have been away for many, many moons now." Raven squatted down to the wolf's level. "Why would you call me that, and what do you mean I have been away?" The wolf placed her paw on Raven's knee. "Daughter, you have been entrusted into my care by your human mother, just before she passed on from this world, you where a mere new born pup. I have raised you with my own litter for two winters long when the human men came and took you away from us". Raven remembered the stories surrounding her life as a child and how she came about to live in the compound. "You raised me?" she asked amazed. "Yes my daughter, your own mother had been injured when she birthed you, she came from beyond, what you humans call Sheol. After you where birthed, hideous creatures from beyond came forth and took over this plane we live on." "Could you show me this place where I was born, mother wolf?"
All the while Slade stood dead still, trying to get Ravens attention, when she suddenly stood up and the wolf started walking into the forest. "Come" she said, "she is going to show us something, we need to follow her" At first Slade did not comprehend what Raven was talking about. But when she started following the wolf, he had his objections. "Wait Raven" he yelled after her, "this is a wild animal, who knows when it will pounce on us and have us as its next meal" But Raven kept walking, ignoring his protests about the animal. Just short of a few miles into the forest, they all came to a stop in front of a small cave entrance, big enough for the wolf to enter with ease. Raven and Slade however had to crawl in on hands and knees.
For a cave it was quite bright inside, and then Raven saw another hole higher up, through which sunlight filtered into the cave. And there near the back of the cave, were the remains of a human. Untouched, with a white tunic style dress still on it, however not so white after all, as the decaying body made stains on it along what seemed like dried old blood.