Raven

Prologue - Charlotte

Charlotte clumsily lit the last candle on the small wooden table in front of her, waving the match in her hand to dispel the bright flame. Quickly, she glanced over her shoulder, making sure she was alone. Her sigh of relief shifted the dark hair settling around her face. It's midnight, no one's going to be out here. Shaking her head to clear her anxious thoughts, she picked up the wooden wand to her right and concentrated on the words in the dusty leather grimmoire in front of her.

"I summon thee Raven, take away what grieves me, this seed of evil. Bring back which has been stolen from me. As I will, so mote it be."

She brandished the wand over the flames as she finished her chant and then set it down gently, picking up the knife on the floor next to her. Bracing herself, she sliced a shallow wound in her palm, watching as the thick blood pooled out. She raised her hand and squeezed it tightly over the candles. Crimson dripped steadily onto the flames and ran down the sides of the wax, extinguishing the candles one by one. She grabbed a towel to ebb the flow of her wound and pressed it firmly, wincing as the rough fibers clung to the cut.

Charlotte shivered, wiping sweat off her brow. Taking a deep breath, she waved the wand once more over the smothered candles and whispered shakily. "Please, Raven, bring my mother back." She closed her eyes and waited, but in the shadowy spare room there was only silence and theticking of the clock on the wall.

Tick

Tock

Tick...

After several minutes, she bitterly stumbled to her feet and looked with loathing at the makeshift altar.

"I guess there's no way to bring mom back from the dead. This was my last chance..." She felt the hot sting of tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "Why did she have to go? It's only been a year, but each day is torture. It hasn't gotten any better." She pulled out a folded up picture from her pocket, smoothing out the creases. A woman with long dark hair much like Charlotte's held a red-haired man's hand. Charlotte and a shorter girl with curly strawberry hair stood in front of them, beaming playfully at the camera. "Please... mom... come back. Dad, Pandora, and I need you!"She sank her head into her palms, cringing as the salty tears entered her wound. "Nothing matters anymore."

As she cried, Charlotte had the strangest feeling someone was watching her. Sniffling, she slowly lifted her head and looked around, icy dread flowing through her veins.

Who's there?

In the corner of the room two bright crimson eyes shone out from the blackness, shadows whirling around their glow, shrouding the unworldly light. Her own eyes gaped wide with terror and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She clutched her throat desperately, fingernails making half moon-shaped indents in the flesh. The creature in the corner drifted through the gloom, drawing closer to the frightened girl. It stopped directly in front of her, its' presence absorbing the entire room.

Charlotte took in the entirety of the being, her heart thumping in her ears, face frozen in pale disbelief. It was terrifying. The creature seemed to be a she, whatever it was. Jet black hair spilled down her back and bright red eyes bored like shards of eternity into Charlotte's small soul. She had pale skin, charcoal lips, and large, oily dark wings sprouted from her back. They wielded tall, lethal spikes, and glistened unforgettably in the dim light. Her skin seemed to melt from her chest downwards into a pitch-black floor length dress, made out of the same dripping, inky substance as her wings.

The creature grinned, revealing sharp, deadly teeth. They seemed as if they could snap Charlotte in half with a single bite.

Alarmed, the girl huddled down on the floor, making herself as small as possibly in the creature's presence. At this, the being smiled even wider. Charlotte found her voice. "Who... What... are you?"

The being spoke with a monotonous, haunting voice. "I'm Raven, the demon you summoned." Her calculating eyes pierced Charlotte's soul. "What is it you request, child?"

Charlotte inhaled, slowly regaining her composure and standing up. "Thank you! Oh, thank you so much! My mother, she died a year ago. I want to bring her back... Can you help me?"

"If I were to help you, it would require a sacrifice on your part."

The dark-haired girl nodded, eager. "Yes, anything. Just tell me what to do and I'll make it happen."

She beamed at the demon, her eyes lighting up, hope filling her chest.This is the first ray of hope I've felt since mom passed. I hope Raven can bring her back... It would be heaven to be near mom again. Charlotte clutched the picture in her hand tightly, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

Raven's gaze never left the girl. She watched her impassively. "You do realize you're in the presence of divinity, do you not? Control yourself."

Charlotte's smile disappeared at the demon's words. She shrank back, fearful now that she realized she was standing before something so powerful and unnatural.

Raven's gaze never faltered. "I would grant your request, dear, but you clearly don't have power over your emotions. How do you expect to command me if you can't even control yourself?" She stared witheringly at her. Charlotte's trembled in dread, avoiding the demon's glare. "How dare you summon me like this? Since you wasted my time..." She bent down to the younger girl's level, putting a taloned hand underneath her chin and gripping it. She forced the girl's head up abruptly as Charlotte winced in pain,catching her eyes. "I'll take away everything you hold dear."

"No, please, I've already lost so much... My mother..."

Raven watched as more tears slipped down Charlotte's face. "Yes, cry little one. You'll soon join your mother in a place where you can both cry. Won't that be nice?"

Charlotte shook her head vehemently. "No! I have my family here... my dad and my sister, they need me!"

She smiled cruelly. "You can never control a demon, darling."

She stood up, gazing down at Charlotte. "I have no interest in men, so I think your sister will do nicely. I'll take her soul as my own, as you watch helplessly from beyond."

Charlotte gasped in dread, her face blanching. "No... please..."

"What was her name again?" Raven's eyes smoldered and she purred. "Pannndorrra?"

Charlotte fell to her knees in front of the demon. "No... please! Please leave her alone! Take me instead, I'll come willingly."

Raven waved her hand, and Charlotte slumped to the floor, her eyes closing.Looking around, she made the materials of the ritual vanish, no trace left of the darkness that had transpired in the room. With one last look at Charlotte's limp body, she smiled and slid back into the shadows.