Raven Girl

Chapter 6

Elias kept a watchful eye out for danger as the days went by. The forest they trekked through seemed never-ending, and he wondered at the difference between Ravennan country and Easfall. He was used to this sort of travelling: spending their waking hours on horseback, stopping only to make camp, collect water or hunt for fresh meat. The others looked miserable, and predictably, Regina complained the most.

"I hate this," she would mutter, twisting her long hair back into a braid to prevent it from becoming hopelessly tangled. "Whenever Father and I travelled, we had carriages and servants; we set up tents and..."

Nadine ground her teeth whenever Regina said this, and Gylfi flicked the reins of his horse, trying to get as far away from her as possible. On the fifth day, Elias rode beside her, determined to find out if what he suspected was true.

"Regina, do you miss your father and the Palace?"

She jerked upright in her saddle. The finely made coat she wore billowed out behind her, the coattails reaching to the stirrups on either side, the rows of shiny brass buttons gleaming in the moonlight. She wore a grey ushanka hat that was popular among Ravennans, made of muskrat fur. "I suppose." She flashed him a guarded, suspicious look. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering. I mean, the day we set off, you seemed very anxious and jumpy. No one came to see us off, not even your own dear father." He watched as tension visibly stiffened her stance, feeling a flicker of satisfaction, schooling his own features into neutrality. "And Kostin never mentioned you in the meeting. You only came to talk to us when everyone else had left."

"I can do what I want, thanks. I'm not going to be subjected to this... judgment..." Lost for words, she nudged her horse's sides. It picked up speed, but Elias's matched it step for step.

Elias fixed her with a direct stare, watching her uncomfortable expression as she was drawn into his dark eyes. The usual reaction. "You ran away, didn't you?" She fell deathly silent.

Up ahead, Nadine and Gylfi were comparing their bows and arrows.

"You've never hunted before, have you, Raven Girl?" Gylfi's amused voice floated back to them.

"No – I live in a city, why should I have ever had to?" Nadine's reply was defiant. "And Raven Girl?"

"Yeah. You know. The symbol of your country. It's name. The fact that you're all dark and disagreeable."

She spluttered. "First of all, it is a crow. There's a difference!"

"Enlighten me." Gylfi enjoyed antagonizing her, Elias knew. She was his favourite to tease, it seemed.

"First of all, ravens are bigger, and have a more rounded, hooked beak. Ravens croak, and crows make a cawing sound – stop laughing!" Elias glanced over to see her throw an acorn at him.

"What're you gonna do, flap your feathers and croak at me?" Gylfi had deflected the missile with his arm, and a grin stretched across his face.

Elias turned back to Regina, who was watching them. "You ran away." He was not going to let the subject drop.

She gave in. "All right, all right – yes, I did! But you don't understand what it was like! I was never allowed to leave the Palace – I never had any freedom, with my father watching over me so closely. I never had any friends and –"

"You thought we'd become your friends?" He was incredulous.

"No! Shut up. I... I wanted to see the world, and do something for myself – become a real person, making my own decisions. My father never understood. So when you three came along and I heard about the mission, I had to come because it's the only way I'll prove myself to them!"