The Raven Society

Chapter V

Raven threw her head back in laughter. "Are you telling me that this... this group has been named after me?"

Darien gave her a stormy look. "No. We named ourselves The Raven Society long before we knew you existed."

Raven have him a look. Darien tilted his head again, searching her face.

    Raven sat up cautiously and swung her legs over the side of the table. She tested her leg, putting weight on it little by little. There was absolutely no pain. Darien watched her curiously.

"There's not many of us," Darien said casually "You've met Elena, and Aria. Besides those two, there's only two more members. And, I should mention," Raven looked at him skeptically. "Not all of us have powers. Just Elena, Aria, me, and, uh, someone else."

Raven, despite herself, was relieved, and a little suspicious of his wording.So relieved in fact, that she almost didn't catch that he included himself in that grouping.

    What was she thinking? All it took was one little act of kindness, and she was going to let herself be pulled in by this society that she knew nothing about? Darien could be one of those freaks that try to capture mercatos to run tests on them because they were just so different from everyone else. Raven shook her head. Something wasn't right here. Her instinct was screaming at her to get away from these people -- and stay away.

Darien's face changed suddenly, and Raven wondered if she had said anything aloud.

"I'm sorry," Raven began. "But I think you have it all wrong." She snatched her blades and pulled them onto her back. She stood there for a moment, but he said nothing. What he didn't convey using his voice; however, showed in his eyes. They were searching, questioning. He really didn't understand why she was leaving.

Without another word, Raven turned on her heel, slipped out of the room and into the fresh air. Back on the cobblestone streets, Raven took a huge breath of the city air, the familiar alleyway smell of piss and ale bringing her back to her senses. With a single glance back to ensure she wasn't being followed, Raven dashed through the streets in the early morning as shop vendors were just beginning to open and set out their wares. Once she felt she was a safe distance away, Raven snatched a small loaf of pane from a nearby vendor and covered her face with her dark hood. Before long, she was strolling through the market while casually nibbling at the pane as if she didn't have a care in the world. It was like The Raven Society didn't even exist --  let alone the fact that some mercatos supposedly had powers.

Raven didn't know what to do with herself. She quickly found herself standing at the doors of the Golden Goblet, but she couldn't find the strength to push open the oak doors and sit at the bar, with Godwin worrying over her. How was she supposed to explain her healed injuries, anyway? It was no use.

Raven paced in front of the bar for a while, strangely quiet now that it was closed in the early hours of the morning. The Sun moved farther up in the sky, and she realized it was almost noon. She forced herself to leave the tavern and she walked far, far, away from it, until she reached the north side of Craigshire, where the richer folk lived and barely any gangs roamed. The last time she had been here, she was ten years old, and she and her mother had bought the very cloak that was currently hanging from the silver clasp at her neck.

Memories began to come back to her as she walked the considerably cleaner streets. Even though they had not lived here, they had visited often. Raven recognized her mother's favorite bakery, and the sweet smell of fresh dolci wafted in the air. A block further down the street, Raven stopped to glance inside an armory. Beautifully crafted swords and knives were displayed in the shop window, and intricately crafted armour stood proudly on a wooden stand. Curious, she ducked inside.