The Whisper of the Nightingale

Chapter 60: Revelations

Feigning sleep, Raven remained motionless in the bed, thinking.

'I was at the Spirit Hall Tower . . . waiting for Hoatzin. All the spirit essence stormed at me . . . and I passed out. Brother must have noticed something and then turned to Javelin for help.' Raven felt her headache worsen, but for other reasons than overexposure to spirit essence.

Judging by the sounds and people around her, Raven could tell that she had been brought to her uncles' house on the outskirts of Sky City. Bill was moving around in the kitchen below, Hoatzin sat perched on her bedpost and a few meter away, leaning against the window frame and staring intently at her, was Javelin. The two latter's presences had changed quite a lot - especially her brother's, whose had gone from a dull white-ish tone to a vibrant pink - but there was still no doubt about who they were.

Without opening her eyes, Raven sent a mental thought to her brother. "How much does he know?" she asked, and immediately Raven felt Hoatzin taking flight and landing right next to her head.

"Sister!" his concerned voice echoed in Raven's mind, poking at her headache. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," answered Raven, but in all honesty she was afraid to check - Raven could tell that something had changed within her, but remembering that beastly figure within the spirit essence, she wasn't sure the changes were for the better.

"Oh thank the Skies!" Hoaztin nudged his small body against Raven's face. "When I felt our connection fading I didn't know what to do. . . . I couldn't move you by myself, so I had no other choice . . ." his sentence trailed off.

"How much?" Raven repeated her question from before just as Javelin leaned off from the window and started walking towards her, pausing at the foot of the bed.

Hoatzin hesitated. "He knows you're a girl, and your cultivation. I don't think he checked your soul prism but he seems to suspects something else. He hasn't spoken much though, so I don't know what. He asked Bill a few questions about how he knew you, but Bill would not answer any of them. After that, Javelin has been quiet."

Raven was about to ask her brother how long she'd been unconscious when Javelin spoke first. "You're awake, aren't you?" he asked. There was both relief and irritation in his voice, and when Raven showed no signs of admittance he added, "Tzin has been like a statue for the past eighty hours, yet suddenly jumps to your side? I'm not that stupid."

"Eighty hours!" Raven's eyes popped open as she tried to sit up, but every muscle in her body burned with pain at the sudden movement. The pain caught Raven off guard and she drew in a sharp breath.

Javelin dashed forward, gently placing a hand behind Raven's back to support her. "Careful," he sounded almost chiding, "your body was in a mess when I found you and although I have some Divine Healing Skills, they were not meant to deal with your kind of damages. I wanted to bring you a healer, but Bill refused. . . ."

Javelin was clearly upset about Bill's choice, but Raven smiled wryly. "No point in getting mad at him, Javelin, he was only following orders." At this point, the door to Raven's room burst open and Bill rushed in.

"Ma'am!" he howled and fell to his knees next to the bed. Raven couldn't help but blink in surprise - the man looked absolutely awful. His eyes were red and sunken, from prolonged lack of sleep no doubt, and his skin was sickly pale. "I . . . I was afraid . . ." he started, but the rest of the words wouldn't come.

Raven braved the pain and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I know, Bill, but I'm going to be fine. You did as you were told - thank you."

Hearing Raven's voice, Bill seemed to regain some of his spirit. He got to his feet again and when he noticed Raven's awkward sitting position, he quickly arranged some pillows for her to lean against. "I'll bring some soup and bread, ma'am," he said and then left the room without waiting for any confirmation.