The Grim (Ravens #3)

iv. a fate sealed

A/N: Hope everyone had a great day yesterday! This will likely be my last update of 2017 unless I have time to crank out another chapter today. So... here's a chapter that I personally love and I hope y'all appreciate it too!

Monarchia ~~ February

"Where the hell are you taking us?" screamed one of the four teenagers, relieved of his gag but not the chains around his wrists. A guard held a tight grip around his skinny arm, dragging him down the dark hallway that smelled vaguely of must and death. The adults paid no attention to the kid's incessant questions. Of the four who had been stolen from the woods, he was the only one that dared speak. His two comrades were left glaring, either at their captors or the stranger girl beside them—the girl who had raided their camp at just the wrong moment.

"Leave him here," muttered a guard. Although he had not been the man leading the expedition to capture the thieves, he had taken that position upon their arrival, as the other man had left the group. With his word, the boy was forced into a cell on the right-hand wall. The woman who held him hostage went with him, and they were both quickly out of sight. The leader sighed, staring at the void of a cell for a few solid seconds, trying to block out the moans coming from the other prisoners inside. He turned to the remaining three captives, "You didn't think we'd let you stay together, did you?"

None of the three said a word in response. One of the boys was too enthralled by the path his friend had just left, and his knees quivered in fear. The other, however, and the girl as well, both stared ahead defiantly. If any bone in their body was afraid, they tried their best to hide it. The girl, thought one of the guards, was rather convincing. She paced the floors as though she owned them. As though they were her home.

Eventually, the brave boy turned to the stranger and asked the question he and his companions had been thinking since the previous evening, since they had first ever seen her. "Who even are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said. Her voice was cold, an eerie edge of confidence so out of place in their current situation. Even he, someone who could stomach his fear, had just the slightest tremble in his tone.

"You attacked us," said the boy, bitterness rising in his soft tone. "Aditya and Noah are dead because of you."

"You killed my friends." She did not hesitate in the slightest, the words rolling off her tongue as though they meant nothing, as though they revived no memories and caused her no pain.

"I'm sorry," he said, turning his eyes to the ground, a heavy guilt rising in his bloodstream. He knew not who her friends were, which group she'd belonged to. They'd clashed with so many, had to fight for their honor so many times, that there were too many options for him to discern if he had actually partaken in that fight. If he had slain someone she loved. But just as his people had fought for their dignity so many times, he was still quick to redeem himself, to try and justify his actions. "You know, we also killed the Knightmares. I'm sure you've heard of them, extremely powerful group. They'd have taken you down long before we did, we bought you some time."

At this, the girl laughed, shaking her head as though his words were ludacris. "The Knightmares weren't our biggest threat."

"You can't be serious. They were dangerous, ruthless killers. That girl Lady Darkness? She's the only person to ever break into that gang, anyone else who even dared was murdered. Damn, you wouldn't have lasted a moment against them." He was right that in stature, the girl was small. Her figure was lean but muscular, and she could have hardly been a couple inches over five feet. By no means did she appear delicate, but courage could only take her so far in battle. Had she had to fight them, there was hardly a chance she'd be standing there today.