Red Hands (editing)

Chapter 9: To Love and Be Loved

"Right there, overhead!"

"You mean the black one?"

"Yeah, the black one, Emb," I said. "That must be Pam's bird. Can't you see its eyes?"

"Of course not, I can't see with all this light. Goblin, remember?"

With a low-pitched krrr kkrr, the raven dived downward, silky black wings outstretched as she soared on the wind, her wings reflecting the sunlight with every stroke. The breeze ruffled her feathers, making her appear larger the closer she flew toward us. Her eyes were pale, stark white, whiter even than Pam's crystal clear ones. Her tail fanned behind her, and she had a monstrous beak, black like the rest of her body but wide and round with a slight hook. The raven landed atop my shoulder, her claws grasping at my leather armor. There was a small scroll attached to her leg with a white ribbon, but the raven croaked "Nooo" as I tried to take it from her, hopping over to my other shoulder so I couldn't reach her leg.

"Embrose, give'r some grain, please."

Emb eyed the bird distrustfully but reached into their pack where they'd been storing our supplies and came out with a palmful of seeds. He reached out his hand toward the bird, who pecked at his palm and raised her leg again, this time so I could untie the scroll.

"I know where they are. It's an hour from here," I said, "but they're not startin' the assault 'til we've got the cover o' nightfall."

"We should have plenty of time to arrive if that's the case."

Nodding my agreement, I brushed one of the raven's black feathers off of my shoulder and caught it in my hand, twisting it between my fingers until the quill was within my grasp. I pressed the tip of the quill to my arm where a black tattoo was etched into my skin. The quill tip swelled with ink, and I scribbled a note beneath Pam's swirling script and reattached the miniature scroll to the raven's leg with the same white ribbon, knotting it over a few times to make sure it was secure. The raven rested on my shoulder for a while, drinking sips from my water canister and taking bites from Emb's green hand.

Together, the raven, Emb, and I settled on some wooden crates hidden deep within an alley in the Ninth Circle. I kept my eyes on the sky arcing high above our minute forms. The Ninth Circle crawled with overgrown flora that'd made our circle their home, too. Many shades of green danced in the zephyr wind at the edge of my vision. Every windowsill was a collection of blooms - herbs used for healing, flowers for perfumes, and chewing leaves for hygiene. Plants formed canopies above the doors and windows, protecting the shaking structures from wind, rain, and sun. Trees grew from the tops of the buildings, their branches reaching toward the sun as if they might somehow grasp it within their boughs.

"I've been thinkin' 'bout the priestess lately," I murmured. My eyes rose again to the sky. "I found her in the rubble that day, surrounded by the bodies o' those she'd been tryin' to protect, the orphans 'nd the ill, 'nd the neophytes I know'd refused to leave her side. They were trapped near the Nameless Divine's altar, blocked in by collapsed stone. They didn't burn like the others - that would've been a quick death. No... They suffocated from the smoke. They died slowly, painfully. They felt their lives ending to the last. I can never forgive myself for that."

Emb's hand covered mine. "I forgive you, Mortala," he said, "and as would she."

"You sound like Pam 'nd Dol," I scowled. "But Mars would've never thought to kill them if I hadn't resisted. If I'd died from one o' his tortures or just submitted 'nd groveled as he'd wanted, he wouldn't've gone after 'em."

"Mort, look at me." Embrose set one of their huge hands on my cheek and nudged me to look them in the eyes. "I'm not Kier or Lovelace. I'm your paramour, and you are my beloved, so listen to what I'm telling you now. The Bloodhavens and their toy soldiers burned down your temple and murdered your family, Mort, not you. Nothing would have stopped Mars from doing everything within his power to destroy you."