The Raven and the Wraith Book 2 (Completed!)

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 27

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 27

I thought about how raw Power seemed to trickle on the ground and through everything in this realm. It made sense that there was no Council to control it. But then if there was no Council here, who or what was I supposed to return the Shadowfall to?

"Why are you here? Why did you come to the Cha'el realm?" Talia was watching me closely.

This was the one question I had been expecting. It was the one question I didn't really know how to answer. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her everything.

Talia was much too observant, her expression darkening as she noticed my slight hesitation.

"Do not dare to lie to me, boy."

Her words were nearly word-for-word perfect what the head of the Council had said to me when I was just twelve years old, when I had first came to Crael Crest, the island center of the Council. And just like then, I smiled and shrugged very casually.

"Ok. I won't."

Talia's mouth set into a thin, hard line. "Answer my question."

I leaned forward slightly, holding her gaze, my face utterly blank. "No."

I heard Luna suck in a sharp breath, and Talia slowly stood up, her primal lifeforce flaring up hotter than any fire. It sent a river of adrenaline through me, and my frustrations and fear responded by using it as fuel for my own dark fury.

I stood up, not looking away from her, keeping my balance low and ready. She looked me up and down, her lips curling into a snarl.

"You dare to stand against me?"

"I dare a lot. Kinda my thing, ya know?"

She blurred into motion, a forward feint with one hand, followed by a sweeping slash with the other. She was impossibly quick, her strike hissing through the air. My reflexes were only fast enough for me to get my arms up in a block before she hit me.

It was a far heavier impact than I had been ready for, hurling me back and spinning me twice. My senses were put on pause for a moment as my brain tried to reconnect with reality. I felt the cool floor under my palms and lifted my head up with a groan that I hoped didn't sound too much like a pregnant cow.

"Gotta stop daring so much..." I mumbled as I flopped over onto my back and looked up at Talia.

"You do not have Kaviks speed." She said, looking concerned.

I just shrugged, which was a pretty awkward move as I was lying on my back on the floor.

"You are not like any of the Queens in my realm."

She helped me to my feet, and I could feel her carefully, closely examining me.

"You held back. You're capable of much greater speed."

I wasn't sure how she had figured that out, but I wasn't going to argue about it.

"Well, I can be much faster. I just didn't expect you to actually spar with me."

"We are all warriors here. I don't know how the Queens are in your realm, but here the strong rule. If you are not strong enough to control your Kahlraugh, your Kahlraugh is put to death and you are banished."

"How often does that happen? And where do the banished Cha'el go?"

"They usually go to live in the great tree city, where they serve those of us who are still Bonded with their Kahlraugh."

"So Chan was banished? His Kahlraugh was killed? And all the others I met in the Cha'el tree city were from this city originally? And is this why those in the tree city all have pale skin but everyone in this city has pitch black skin?"

"Yes, Chan's Kahlraugh was killed and he was banished. Most of the scouts and warriors would have come from this city, but many of the youth were born there. And yes, when a Cha'el loses his Kahlraugh, his skin turns pale, like Chan's and the others you saw in that tree city."

"So it's sort of like a caste system. A ranking of the people."

Talia looked puzzled. "A what system? And why would the people need to be ranked? There is no competition between those with Kahlraugh and those without."

I thought about the never ending tension, even mistrust, I saw between the tree city Cha'el and these black-skinned Cha'el. Maybe there wasn't competition between them, but there most certainly was a separation.

"Is there competition between your people? What is your realm like? Do you have Kahlraugh?"
Luna asked.

I looked over at her and once again felt that dream-like connection, that surreal sense that I was looking at Genevieve in a different body. Even Luna's rapid fire way of asking questions reminded me of Genevieve.

"I don't know that it's competition, exactly. More like an underlying ranking system that's part of everything we do. My realm is much more...rigid than here. Our rules and laws, the way Power is controlled and manipulated, all of it. And no, we have nothing like the Kahlraugh in our realm."

This made both Talia and Luna quite curious about my realm, so we spent a few hours talking. It was interesting, and still quite strange, to learn about the Cha'el ways and culture, but I found myself seeing more and more similarities between them and humans.

Then a servant announced that Chan and Kiera were here, and Talia motioned at Luna.

"I have business to attend to, but Luna will give the three of you a tour, and show you to your rooms. We will all have lunch tomorrow, where we can discuss how you will take Kaviks place."

I glared at Talia as she stood up. There was one thing extremely similar between Cha'el royalty and human royalty, and that was the supreme arrogance of announcing the fate of others lives as casually as one might announce they're going to head to bed.