Raven

Chapter 3

Raven opened the Mayor's door to find his office empty. The Mayor's office was very big, it was filled with bookshelves brimmed with books of different genres. To her left was a big window 3 meters long. Its frame had been painted several times as the paint was slowly chipping off to reveal a different colour underneath. From his window you could see the whole village. In the middle of his office was a birch desk with a matching chair sitting behind it. It was a beautiful desk, it had very intricate details of swirls etched into the wood. The table was scattered with pieces of paper with writing on them. It looked as if they Mayor had been there earlier. On the right-hand side of the table there was a quill sitting next to a bottle of black ink.

As she walked around the room, Raven noticed a book in one of the shelves hadn't been put in properly. She raised her hand to push it back but before she had the chance to, the door behind her opened and slammed closed.

"What do you think you're doing in here?!", boomed a voice from behind her. She was frozen in fear. She didn't want to turn around to see who was behind her. Then the voice began to laugh hysterically, clapping their hands. "Did I scare you Raven? Sorry about that!". Raven turned around and saw the Mayor standing there laughing at his success to scare her. She gave him a straight face full of seriousness.
"Seriously?" Raven sighed as she faced palmed in front of the Mayor.
"To what do I owe the pleasure Raven? I don't get to see you here often so it must be important" he said as he walked around to his chair and sat down, getting comfortable in his chair. He picked the pieces of paper up and put them in a pile to his left next the quill. Raven sighed again and then turned around to face the Mayor. He was known for his practical jokes around the village but often went too far with them.

"You knew my mother well, didn't you?", she asked him.
"Yes, I did. Why are you asking after all these years? I thought you didn't want to know anything about her?"
"That was before I found this." She again took her mother's book out of her bag and showed him the last page. The Mayor's face seeped into concern and he began to look serious. He was no longer being happy or chirpy as he normally would. He took the book from her hands and studied the scribbles carefully. He looked up at her and sighed.
"I didn't think this day would come Raven. I hoped it wouldn't", he sighed again and stood up to look at her once more.
"Why, what do you mean?" Raven replied to him. He knows something. I'm sure of it. She thought.
"Raven, I'm sorry for everything I'm about to tell you. I had wished that you would never find out about this. But alas I shouldn't have hoped for that. Come with me". He turned around and walked out of his office. Raven closely followed.
"Where are we going?" she asked. She wondered where he was leading her. They walked through the corridor to the left of the entrance. Raven had never seen this before even though she had been in the village hall countless times. They stopped in front of another door. It looked similar to the Mayor's office door. It was a big red door but in the middle was a crest. It was a shield with an animal she had never seen in the middle. Around the shield was a wreath of leaves. The Mayor opened the door. It was a room identical to his, with bookshelves brimmed with books. He walked up to a book that was slightly hanging out and pushed it in. There was a loud noise. A sort of thunk. As if there were gears beginning to work behind it. Slowly the bookshelf began to move back until it revealed another door. However, this door was black. Pure black. It looked as if it hadn't been opened in years, covered in cobwebs and the door handle was rusty. The Mayor turned to her once more. He looked at her and gave her a sad smile. Then he looked back at the door, putting his hand on the handle. He started to open the door and you could hear the creak of the wood and the hinges as he did. They entered a room. It was a dome. The door thunked close behind them and the gears began to move again to restore the bookshelf back to its original place. Raven looked around in awe. This dome she was standing in was massive. It was as big as the whole village hall. She didn't think such a structure could be hidden within the village hall. She looked up at the ceiling and gasped. It was covered in a beautiful mosaic.
It was an eagle, with its wings outstretched as if it was flying. It was so detailed; you could see every feather on its body from its wings to its head. She was infatuated with this mosaic. It was the first she'd ever seen, and she hoped it wasn't the last. She looked at the Mayor.
"What is this place? It's beautiful. How could such a building be hidden away in the village hall?" she asked. She was intrigued by how it had never been discovered. He looked at her and smirked.
"Who says this was hidden away? This dome has been here for centuries. You may not believe this, but we were once a town known for our warriors. It's why we have a Blacksmith and an armoury." the Mayor said.