Raven & The Angel

Chapter 8 - Ma's In Charge

Ma headed straight for Jed's place and Raven obediently followed. As Ma raised her fist to bang on his door, it opened and Jed looked as though he had the worries of the world on his shoulders.
"Ma Blackshank..." he said, looking relieved that it wasn't five tall strangers at his door.
"Jed, Raven told me what happened. I need you and Raven to knock on every door in this village. Tell everyone to stay indoors" ordered Ma.
"But..." began Jed.
"No time for argument Jed. Do as I say. When you're done, come back home, bring Raven with you and lock your door. Don't open it until I come back and tell you to!" barked Ma.
"What's your plan Ma?" asked Raven, eyes wide with admiration for this elderly lady who seemed to have grown inches and lost years, as she gave orders to the mayor of the little village.
"Not your problem girl. Now bugger off and get knocking on those doors! I want you both locked in Jed's house in the next fifteen minutes, so get cracking!".

With that Jed and Raven headed off. Ma took a moment to compose herself.
"Well Penfold, it's up to us now. What the hell are we going to do? I just hope to god there is a way through this mess..."
Penfold looked Ma in the eye and bleated earnestly, if indeed a goat can display such a human emotion...
"Indeed." muttered Ma. "Right, let's get on with it" she snapped and marched towards the village square.

Jed and Raven did as they were told, rebuffing any protests from the villagers with the words "Ma Blackshank says so; if you don't like, then you can explain why to her!". No-one argued with that...
As she ran back and forth, Raven wondered what on earth Ma Blackshank was going to do. One thing was for sure, Raven was NOT going to go back to Jed's. Somehow she was going to find out exactly what Ma planned and if Ma was going to meet with the strangers, then she was going to be close by in case Ma needed her. Sure, Ma would never, ever admit she might need help, but Raven knew that if anyone could be of some use to Ma, it was her. As the last villagers had been warned to lock their doors and stay inside until someone came to tell them otherwise, Raven caught up with Jed.
"Almost done!" Raven called to Jed.
"Yep, same here." he called back. "Let's get back and lock up" he finished.
"Well, I just have Mr Montgomery's left and then I want to go home to Mum" ventured Raven.
"But Ma specifically said you were to come back with me" retorted Jed, worried about the repercussions if he didn't follow Ma's instructions to the letter.
"Yes, I know" replied Raven, "but Mum will be terribly worried if I'm not at home with her..." she finished.
Jed thought for a moment and agreed that Raven should be with her mother. He made her promise to stay put until he or Ma came to her.