|The Red Raven|

Chapter Three

I woke with a start. Sitting bolt upright, not tired at all. There had been a crash downstairs, a sound I remembered only too well. My heart began to beat faster but I tried to slow my breathing and stay calm, reminding myself of Anya's soft breathing next to me helped. So I lifted myself up gently, glancing at the little circle window to my left, it was pitch black. Unfortunately I wasn't accustomed to telling the time at night, only the day.
Glass crunched beneath boots, I gulped. Someone was in my house and I had no means to stop them. Everything screamed at me, they're here for you, they're taking you away, say goodbye. Again I tried to steady my breathing, shrugging on my jacket and boots. I crouched on the floor until I was ready, when I got to the door, Anya moved.
"Drea?" She announced, I gestured wildly with my arms and pointed downstairs, she covered her mouth quickly and nodded.
"Stay here" I mouthed, and she nodded again.
A jolt ran through me and I opened the hidden wooden box in the corner, retrieving my knives and tucking them in my belt loops. I flattened my back against the wall and began descending the stairs. The men moved around, I could see their matching helmets and uniforms, but they looked different, more put together than the usual guards. They didn't speak at all, one nodded and the other two replied in the same manner, then they climbed back out the window. I frowned, running quickly down the stairs to follow them. I took in the shattered window and threw open the front door, the window was smashed last time and it took three years of savings to fix it.
It was raining heavily, I could hear my footsteps in the puddles, I looked left and right. In the distance were three bulky men, I jogged over and hid behind a nearby wall. The water soaked into my boots and I shivered, trying to ignore the piercing cold of January. The streets were practically empty, it made following people easier, I got closer and they stopped to talk.
"Which one do we need?" One asked.
"I don't know. Either will do, he didn't specify" The second replied in a way that oozed boredom.
"Where are the others?" The first continued, the third checked his wrist accordingly. My throat began to close up and I struggled to breath. Maybe they had the wrong house, they were moving on to the next by the sound of it.
"They're in" The third answered, "And they got one, there was only one"
A scream racked the neighbourhood and I whipped my head back to try and find the source but my mind told me enough.
"Let's go, motor here in two" The first continued and they all jogged away, towards the roads.
I tore back through the narrow alleys, no one heard the scream if they weren't listening for it. Again I was thankful for the empty streets, allowing me to get back to my sister as quickly as possible.
Everything melted away and there was only one thing on my mind, finding and protecting my sister. I fumbled for a knife as I splashed through another puddle, ignoring the flecks of water drowning my clothes. I expected tears but if there were any, they mixed with the rain. Also I already knew what I was going to find and I wasn't ready.
"Anya!" I called when I got to the house, the door was still open and the window smashed. I raced upstairs, "Anya!" I repeated, no reply. I tripped and fell to the floor, looking up I saw my worst nightmare. She was gone. "No" I whispered.
I crawled to the empty bed, clawing at the threadbare sheets and wishing that she would reappear. Once I searched everything in the room, even my box and the floorboards, I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't checked everywhere. So I tore apart my parents room, throwing shirts and sheets and anything I could find, until I sat in a heap, breathing heavily and heartbroken. But not crying.
"Anya" I murmured, clutching at my heart. I felt as if the blood in my veins stopped flowing, like my heart stopped beating and my lungs stopped taking air. As if someone had switched me off and left me there. I couldn't help but think of the men, who took her, like they took my parents. Would they kill her? Did they come to kill me? Could I have gone in her place? A million questions raced through my mind, begging for answers but also knowing the answers would hurt even more. I could've chased after them but my legs wouldn't move and they had a motor, all I had were my legs and if they didn't work? Then I was stranded.
After several minutes felt like hours, I shakily stood up, grazing my head on the ceiling. It was like I was in a dream, as I unceremoniously slumped down the stairs and into the kitchen. I flopped onto Anya's chair, pulling my jacket off and throwing it at the wall. It fell on a pile of glass, I frowned and picked a piece up. It was sharp and thin, I sliced a cut in my hand and winced. The direct pain jolted me back to life and stood up, no longer shaking. There was only one person who cared enough about Anya and would help me, Marco. I grabbed her jacket from wear she left it, breathing in her scent before shrugging it on and abandoning my own.
I climbed out the window and kicked open Marco's door, I didn't care about his family and waking them up. He had to help me.
"Marco!" I cried out, "Marco, it's Drea"
"Drea?" Marco jogged down the stairs, his house identical to my own, except for the minor details that only we could pick out.
"Marco you have to help me, they took her" I managed to get out, flustering and throwing my arms up in the air in frustration.
"Took who?" He was obviously exhausted but I knew he wasn't stupid.
"Anya, you fool" I almost yelled at him and found his eyes widened and fortunately it woke him up almost instantly
"Who did?" He asked, his eyes full of worry.
"I don't know!" I yelled, "They were guards but they were different!"
"That's vague," He pointed out.
"I wasn't examining them! I was trying to save my sister!" I shouted at him and he nodded understandingly.
"Come on" He grabbed my arm, pulling me into the main room where he began putting his boots on. "Do you know where they went?"
"They had a motor, probably Durgue Street?" I deduced, "Marco, they're long gone"
"They may not be," He added.
"Then find them" I demanded, frustrated with his ambiguity, "Find Anya. Find my sister", my voice got progressively louder and more bossy.
"I will definitely try" Marco tied his laces then grabbed my elbow again, dragging me out the house this time and towards the Living River, "Stay with me ok?"
"Where are we going?" I asked, "What do you know?"
"I know a woman, Cephenrene, she knows everyone and everything" He told me, we reached the Sunterre Bridge and I stopped.
"She won't be there, that's Icie territory! We'll be arrested in less than a minute" I told him, deliberately forgetting to point out my trip there earlier that day.
"I never said we were staying there for long," Marco hissed, clearly fed up with my excessive questions.
"Then tell me where we're going!" I responded.
"If I stop and explain, we may be too late to save Anya" He retorted, so I refrained from asking more questions, even staying quiet as we passed manor houses and the Icie square. It was then that I realised something, I had never seen what was past the Icie territory, it was hard enough getting this far, let alone getting all the way through. The other side of Direhill was fenced, we had no idea what was beyond that either, I suddenly found myself interested.
"Marco, where are we going?" I repeated, being quieter and a little kinder.
"Please just let me get us out the other side, then I will explain. I need you to be quiet" He hissed at me, again I shut up and let him drag me through the empty streets.
As we got closer to the outskirts, I noticed there wasn't a fence around the Icie territory, were they allowed to leave? Were we the only ones who were trapped? What was most surprising was that Marco knew where he was going, he seemed to weave through the streets like it was second nature. Something told me Marco hadn't been training to be a soldier, but the bigger question was what had he been doing?
Suddenly he stopped as we got into a dense layer of trees.
"There is a trapdoor around here somewhere ok? That's where we're going" Marco grumbled and dragged me along again, searching the ground nervously.
"What?" I demanded but I was drowned out by Marco muttering. I hadn't seen trees in so long, there was one in the square when I was a child but it grew old and died several years ago. These trees were tall and healthy, unlike everything else in this kingdom. I didn't bother helping Marco scan the floor, he seemed to have it covered, brushing any stray leaves and dirt away. Eventually he knocked his knuckles on a round piece of steel in the ground, he knocked a sort of code that I tried to remember but it was quite long.
"These people might know where Anya is, they may have taken her" Marco told me, I glared at him.
"You know the people who may have taken my sister?" I exclaimed and he shushed me.
"If anyone finds this place, then we're all dead and Anya as well" He hissed and I rolled my eyes, "You realise if you roll your eyes too much then they will fall straight out your head"
"Just find my sister" I commanded just as the piece of steel moved and revealed a young man with cropped brown hair and sea green eyes. He grinned at Marco like he was an old friend.
"Marco! Was wondering when you would come back!" He announced with an accent I hadn't heard before, he seemed to forget letters, he held out a hand to which Marco clasped and shook.
"I brought a friend" Marco told him quietly, both looked over at me, the man nodded with a smile.
"Nice" He winked, I grimaced.
"Not a chance" I responded, turning on my heel and walking off in what I already knew was the wrong direction. Marco grabbed my wrist before I got too far and dragged me back.
"For Anya" He reminded me, I fell back to reality and I nodded solemnly. "This is Bristan" He pointed at the man, only half of him protruding from the ground. "Let us in, Bris"
Bristan climbed back down the ladder and Marco gestured for me to follow, so I did. The ladder was horrid and cold, it was also awfully dark and I couldn't see a thing. But I could hear the buzz of electricity, how they had electricity was beyond me but I continued down the ladder all the same.
When my feet hit the ground, Bristan was waiting to catch me, angrily I shoved him away and he held up his hands in surrender. There was still little light but I could see something in the distance, along another tunnel, I could also see Bristan's wandering eyes. Marco dropped down next to me and moved to walk next to Bristan as we set off towards the light in the distance. They were talking quietly, occasionally laughing amongst themselves but I stayed quiet behind them, thinking about Anya.
She must've been terrified, dragged from her home when I was meant to be there to protect her. I had to block out her wide eyes and scared expression that she likely had when the men stormed into our bedroom. My heart ached for the first time in a while, I fiddled with the threads on her jacket nervously, waiting for any news on her.
Before I knew it, we walked into a lit room that buzzed with electricity. It was small and held a little table where an elderly woman sat, scribbling on papers. Bristan signed a piece of paper quickly with a strange looking stick. The woman didn't even look up as she took the sheet of paper and scribbled something on it then placed it on a pile.
"It's a new security system, we have to monitor anyone who comes in and out" Bristan explained, he retrieved two sheets of paper from a different pile and laid them out on the desk. "Here", he handed Marco the stick and he scribbled something as well.
"I'll do Drea's as well" Marco told Bristan who nodded, while I looked around the dull room. It was white washed with a stone floor, seemed well put together and much cleaner than any place I had seen in a long time.
"Ceph will want to see you" Bristan was saying, "But why are you here?"
"My friend Drea here came to me because her sister was taken just an hour ago. I thought she may be here, a routine pick up maybe" Marco explained our predicament, I nodded along, too confused to add anything to the story.
"You know I'm not in that department M, but I'll take you to Ceph" Bristan gestured for us to follow, as we moved through the tunnel I heard a different buzz, voices. I froze. Marco took my hand gently and pulled me along.
"I trust these people Drea" He reminded me but I shook my head.
"I don't trust you" I lied, pulling my hand out of his and staring at the back of Bristan's head. Marco didn't say anything, just shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at the floor.
I noticed the signs on the doors, 'dormitories', 'kitchens', 'hall'. Lots of noise was heard from the hall, I gathered it was a large meeting place. 'war', I flinched at that one, 'training', at that one I checked for my knives but they were all securely attached to my back. Bristan took us to the end of the white washed hall where a door was labelled 'queen', he knocked twice then pushed it open.
"Ceph?" He called out, "Cephenrene? You have a visitor", I gazed around at the suite we had entered, the carpet was white and the walls a dark rich blue, along the walls were white leather sofas and as we rounded the corner there was an enormous fluffy white bed with lace curtains hanging from the posters. In the bed was a figure, she matched with a flowing white linen dress, she was stretched out lazily.
"Bristan?" She mumbled, rolling over and gazing at us through the curtains, she had long glossy ink black hair and pale skin, like she had been in the ground since birth.
"It's Marco," Bristan announced. The woman, Cephenrene, sat up and pushed back the curtain.
"So it is" She slipped out the sheets and landed lightly on the floor.
"My queen" Marco bowed low, I frowned at him. Cephenrene didn't look like a queen or the queen I knew and remembered, according to Q'ara the queen was at least fifty if she had three fully grown children. Cephenrene was definitely not a mother of three.
"Where have you been?" She almost sang, flicking her hair behind her back and gliding over to pull Marco into a light hug but her turquoise eyes were on me the entire time.
"Around and about" Marco replied, she looked unimpressed.
"And this is?" Cephenrene sang, moving to stand in front of me, despite her slim stature she was enormously tall and towered over me. I had noticed the way she was almost level with Marco but didn't come close to Bristan who looked like a tree in the corner.
"It doesn't matter" I replied before Marco could, "Do you have my sister?"
"I'm going to need a name" She told me as she drifted over to a large round table to the side of the bed, she lowered herself into the seat gently and fixed her gaze on me.
"Anya" I followed her to the desk and watched as she opened a large white seal envelope, inside I saw a long list of names and my heart sank.
"Anya?" She repeated, a perfect eyebrow arched.
"Anya Chiraz" I felt my voice shake but I swallowed any nerves away, I had no idea what I would do if Anya wasn't here.
"And your name?" Cephenrene pried, she put her elbows on the table and stared up at me.
"Drea Torianna" I spoke through my teeth and slammed my hands on the table, "Now do you have my sister?" I almost shouted.
"Drea" I heard Marco warn, Bristan had already come to stand behind Cephenrene and glared at me.
"Either we don't have her or she gave a fake name" She hadn't even noticed the anger in my voice or the movement of the others around her.
"Check again" I insisted, Cephenrene just tucked the papers away and smiled.
"You're northern" She accused, "only northerners take second names", I frowned at this, family names became a thing of the past many years ago. Mainly because it was easier to get away from a disgraced family when you didn't share a name. Since then, people gave their children first names and a second name to ensure they were the first of their name. In a small town like Direhill, a second name wasn't exactly necessary to tell people apart.
"I hadn't realised" I spat.
"How far from here have you travelled?" Cephenrene seemed blissfully unaware of anything negative, it painfully reminded me of my sister.
"Far enough" I growled.
Cephenrene leaned back and I followed suit, she took a few deep breaths then began, "We don't have your sister. But! I can help you find her, you see the only other person who would be interested in a peasant girl would be the king. he takes them as slaves", I flinched, "I'm planning on taking his throne so then you can have your sister"
"And until then?" I pressed, she smiled widely and two dimples popped out and I wanted to scowl at her perfectness.
"You have spirit and you stand out. Stick around, I might have a place for you" She pushed back her chair and seemed to float over to me, her pale hand was outstretched.
"Then when I have Anya back, I can leave?" I asked, my hand itching to make the deal and know I was one step closer to saving my sister.
"Whatever you want" She wiggled her fingers in response.
"Very well then" I took her hand, "I'll help you to help me find my sister", I saw the cogs turning in Bristan's head as he attempted to figure out what I said.
"Brilliant. Marco will sort you out" Cephenrene winked at Marco and he swear I saw him blush, "I have other business. Leave"
So we did, as I followed Marco out I saw her grab Bristan by his collar and wrap her long fingers around his neck, pulling him in close. Before I could see anymore Marco pulled me out the room by my elbow. With a startled gasp I realised the hallway had become more crowded, the door closed behind us and with a buzz click it locked itself. In front of us we're probably twenty people, all dressed in a wide array of clothing, so were in leather jumpsuits, others were professional in suits and ties. One man was wearing shorts and a simple button down shirt like he was coming back from the beach. He was waiting outside the room.
"Ceph called for me" He announced, his voice gruff and dry compared to Cephenrene's silky voice from before. I wondered when she called for this man, when she had the chance to call for anyone.
"Not now, I'm going to take Drea to look at any royal news reports or footage that's recent" Marco told the man but he shrugged.
"Ceph's orders" Was all he could say.
"Order me to do what?" I demanded, unnerved by this woman's ability to order me around when I barely knew her.
"To train you" He looked down at me, I wanted to laugh and tell him that he would be wasting his time but he looked deadly serious until something unique flickered in his eyes.
"Right" I responded half heartedly.
"Drea, I'm Wilican and welcome to the Oasis"