Raven

Chapter 7

An hour later I am standing in a tree with a strip of cloth tied over my eyes.

'Now!' Alexander calls from the ground.

I lean forward and fall through the air. The first few times he made me do this I had been afraid and panicked as the wind rushed by me. I had even needed Alexander to help me with his magic twice but now I was fine. I feel my wings open out on their own and I fly blindly down to the ground.

'Good, again.'

I take the blindfold off and glare at him. 'I've already done that so many times this past hour. I highly doubt I need to again.'

'Fine. Hold out your dominant hand,' he tells me.

I give him a puzzled look but obey, holding out my right hand. He takes it in his and all of a sudden my hand feels like it is on fire where his fingers touch mine. I bite my bottom lip to keep me from crying out. I have burnt myself once as a young child and though I did not quite remember it, I know it hadn't hurt this much. Finally Alexander let go. 'What did you do?' I demand.

'You felt that didn't you? Like your hand was burning?'

I nod, not understanding what it had to do with anything.

'That was your magic reacting, Raven. Do you believe you have it now?'

'Why are you trying to prove to me that I have it?' I ask, answering a question with another question.

'Magic is easier to summon when you know it's there. So answer me, do you believe you have it?'

I shrug. 'My hand burning doesn't prove anything. Find some other way,' I tell him.

Alexander's hands suddenly burst into bright blue flames and I leap back in surprise.

'This is what my magic can do.' The fire vanished as quickly as it had appeared. 'There are many different forms of magic. Mine is fire, yours may something completely different, like ice or something.'

I think back to when we first met. Alexander had stopped me from flying and twisted the knight's bodies... I ask him how he managed to do all of that if he had fire magic.

'Most of us have more than one type of magic. Fire is my main type but as well as that, I can also stop others from using their magic, teleport as you've experienced and... manipulate flesh.'

Manipulating flesh, that's what he called it. I shudder at the thought, then ask another question. 'What type of magic does Queen Bronwen have?'

Alexander hesitates before replying. 'She has many types, I only know that she has fire magic, like me. I do believe she has the power of telekinesis, too,' he says eventually.

'Now, I'd like to try one more thing before we go,' he tells me.

Alexander has me dodge fireballs until noon, hoping that my magic would try protect me if I got too close to being hit. It doesn't work though, I am close to being burnt several times and slightly burnt once but no magic ever tries to save me. More than once the thought that he is trying to kill me crosses my mind.

After getting my burn magically treated by the elves, I flop down on my bed, completely exhausted. I curl into a ball and close my eyes. I find it easier to fall asleep when it is light outside because there were no shadows in which an assassin could hide or darkness in which an enemy could come in. Perhaps if I slept during the day more I wouldn't be so tired all of the time.

I am half asleep when someone knocks on the door. 'Raven! Alethea wants to talk to you!' I hear Alexander call from the hall.

I groan. Hasn't he annoyed me enough today? 'Coming,' I call back, climbing of the bed and straightening out my dress. I walk over and open the door.

'Good, let's go.'

I follow him down to the throne room and am greeted by Alethea.

She gets straight to the point. 'We have heard news of your kingdom. It seems your father received your letter and has moved his armies away from Bronwen's lands,' she says.

I smile. This is good news.

'That's not all you wanted to speak about, is it?' Alexander asks.

Alethea shakes her head sadly and I know that this next part isn't good. 'No. There is more.' She pauses and turns to me. 'Raven, I'm sorry but an assassin got into the castle this morning. The Queen of Zaraeli is dead.'

My heart plummets from my chest. My mother, dead. She was one of the only people who didn't look at me and see someone to be afraid of. She had always been there for me both as a child and now but it could no longer be that way. A single tear slides down my cheek.

After a moment of silence, Alexander speaks. 'I will go and catch the assassin.'

I don't quite hear the rest of their conversation but Alexander bows his head and leaves me and Alethea alone in the big empty room.

'Don't worry. He'll find this assassin and all we be well, Raven.'

I nod absent-mindedly. I turn and exit the throne room, wings brushing the floor as they trail behind me. I don't think much, just let myself wander aimlessly as tears stream down my face. The elves I walk past watch me and I don't care if they see me cry. I've lost my mother, I should be allowed to let the tears fall. The faces I see are pitying but I don't want their pity, I just want my mother back.

I end up outside of my room and stand, staring at the door before me. I want so badly to go in, lay on the bed and close my eyes. But I know that if I close my eyes I'll see her face and it will feel like I'm losing her all over again. After a moment more, I slowly open the door and step inside. I see that someone has put clothes on my bed. It's the same grey dress and cloak that I wore the last time I saw my mother. Fresh tears spill down my face and I turn away. I walk over to the window and stare out of it. I need to get out of here, if only for a while. Opening the window out wide, I climb through it. I leap into the air and let my wings take me away. I don't know where I'm going, I just fly through the forest, away from the elves and their tree, away from everything that will remind me of her, my mother.

I have updated on time for once! I am very proud of my memory tonight, not that anyone really cares.

Now I don't exactly have any experience with the death of close family members so her reaction is how I imagine I might react if put into her situation. It may/may not be how most people react but let's not forget that this is a fictional character who will respond however I wish her too.

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to vote and comment :)