The refugees, 2nd draft

The Ravens

18th month, 52nd day of November

Falon

Good evening people of other societies.

I think it is evening, you cannot tell here in –omitted-. Why am I narrating, where was I and a few other questions might be going through your mind right about now. Well, some will be answered here and some not.

Any way on that month people were especially satisfied with how things were. The farmers brought in a bountiful harvest and Surveyor hunters kept finding turkey, deer, and other animals in abundance. However, with this newfound joy and satisfaction came worry, for winter was coming and the wolves were growing as well.

"Well Evera?" I asked her, "What is happening in our world today?" Evora spun a dagger in her hand and said, "Lenox and Gabriel have begun to visit Alvaro at least once a week, from the way that they are acting and things that I have heard Lenox is pregnant." I nodded and wrote that down in a code we used that seemed like something completely different than what I meant.

We were in a store's second story, the store served as a front for our operations, we made plenty of money from the stuff we sold, which was about anything we could get our hands on, legally or not. Evera was our spider, gathering information about leaders and people, what information? Anything she could get her hands on. Downstairs an albino that was pure Avaleon stock that sells the stuff we have collected. He never told us his real name and goes by the name Raziah. He is charismatic and could convince you that burning down the forest was a clever idea; it was unnatural how he could make a Donin seem like something that you had to buy.

The store is a veritable maze with shelves and displays all over. We have anything from weapons to rations on a given day. We use that money to buy weapons and save for later use. What use, you will see.

I served as the puppet master of this operation, I know what is happening and control things to a small extent, I can spread a rumour and convince the leaders to stop a particular person or group. Am I evil? Am I the archvillain? I see myself as instead the counterbalance, I keep the world growing and ensure that society is working smoothly.

We called ourselves The Ravens. Aspira found out about our little group. This is what happened. Out of a clear blue sky Aspira and two others of her assassins were suddenly in my office when I went up. "Lovely place you have." Aspira said, "This is yours, right?" I nodded to her and said, "why yes, it is, look around, we are just running a business."

Aspira smiled and said, "interesting how you can disappear from the law at any given moment, how no one seems to think that an albino with an unnatural gift for convincing others is not strange. Excellent job with the codes, it took me a while to figure it out."

"When did you get in here?" I demanded. She arched an eyebrow and said, "When you left." I nodded and the said, "And just what do you want from me?" She laughed then, a laugh like a hundred bells ringing mixed with a clear spring. You see I came here not to see what you are doing but to offer help." I turned my head and said, "what kind of help?" She began to spin her dagger, Peyter, that we may or may not have made blueprints of and said a few words that would change our operation.

"Free training once a week if you can get to Minestone without being seen, I also suggest hiring more hands, other groups are beginning to try to earn money here. I also suggest trying to make this store more inviting, honestly, I walked past it three or four times in a row. Create a bright symbol, open a gambling den, spread the fever, make this city interesting. You of all people have the power to do that."

I thought for a second then said, "What do you think Evera?" Evera walked in from a window, spinning a knife, and said, "Won't be that complicated, any spider worth their stones can spread and collect rumours and ideas." Aspira's two helpers seemed baffled by Evera's sudden appearance. They were either fresh off the rack or had no field experience.