The Raven and the Wraith Book 2 (Completed!)

The Raven and The Wraith 2 Chapter 45

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 45

"I've watched you your entire life. I know you cast aside your power, you denied your true nature, the day you left Genevieve and the Council."

Her words, her quiet, perfect confidence in her assessment of me, made me clench my fists, made me nearly snarl. I had never been able to calmly withstand the judgment of others when they couldn't possibly know enough to judge me fairly.

"You watched me? Ok, so you saw what happened when I denied the Council. And how they tried to use Genevieve against me. She joined them." My voice was dropping into a rasping snarl, and I found I simply didn't care. "You saw her try to use her power on me, to make me stay. You saw me try to convince her to come with me, and you saw my own power deny me there, right when I needed it most. So how, exactly, is it that I "cast aside my power", then?"

The Werecat Queen sat very still. The green fire of her eyes reminded me of two pools that fell away forever, and I suddenly couldn't bear to look into them. I wondered if she were doing that intentionally.

"You feel she betrayed you."

"The Council tried to use me, they were trying to study me, trying to understand my power. And it didn't feel right, so I would not give in to them. I hated them, I hated how they saw me as nothing more than some curious insect they could dissect for their own gain. And it turns out I was right! They were as corrupt and evil as anyone can be! But Genevieve didn't see it, she wouldn't listen to me, and when I left, she even tried to force me to stay. She chose the Council over me. So yeah, I would say that fits the definition of betrayal pretty much perfectly."

"Have you ever wondered why she did that?"

"I haven't stopped wondering why."

"Consider who she is. What drives her? What could she possibly feel inside that would be equal to her love for you?"

I began to pace. It was not a smooth, controlled circle like her pacing. Instead, I prowled about, restless and uncontrolled, feeling my fangs burning in my mouth. I vaguely recognized that if I had a tail it would be lashing around in harsh, sudden snaps. The tail of an enraged cat.

"She's the royal magicians daughter. She told me she has a sense of duty, of responsibility, to care for the magic of the realm, along with the Council. But that's not enough for me. That's not nearly enough. How could some general sense of concern for...for the entire realm be stronger than personal love?!"

The Werecat narrowed her eyes at me, and I looked away again. Her presence, her focus, hung in the air like a lightning bolt about to strike. It made slivers of ice slide up my spine, to burst in clear warning before my instincts. I held still, keeping my head high, trying to appear unconcerned by her. The fact I couldn't meet her eyes probably ruined the image I sought, but it was the best I could do at the moment.

"She placed duty higher than herself. You fault her for this? You can't imagine how one could do this?"

Her voice was low, carefully measured, and simmering with unknowable tension. I looked at her, feeling the frustration of a lifetime of loneliness and uncertainty boiling within me.

"I've been alone almost my entire life. I took care of myself. There was no one else. If I didn't place taking care of myself higher than anything else, I wouldn't be here. I would be dead. Dead and gone and forgotten long, long ago! So yeah, I'm thinking placing something as idiotic as "duty" higher than true love is unimaginable!"

She moved. Like silver lightning, there was a flash of power, of blurring speed, and then I slammed onto my back, my lungs instantly burning as the breath was ripped from them. She had pounced on me, ramming into my chest and dropping me to the forest floor as hard as if she were a 800 pound panther instead of a small, beautiful house cat.

Through the haze of tears I saw her, standing on my chest, her emerald eyes lit by a terrifying fire, her fangs glinting the coldest white, as she stared down at me.

"If you would choose self over duty you are not fit to be a Werecat. You are not fit to disgrace this, or any other realm, and must be ripped into nothing more than empty dust motes."

I bared my fangs at her. I snarled as viciously as I could. It was a sound wracked with pain and rage and frustration.

"Do it, then! Kill me for doing nothing more than trying to stay alive. Live with yourself after that!"

She paused. The fire in her eyes slowly died down, and the crushing pressure of her weight eased, until she felt like how a small house cat on your chest should feel.

"You would die for this. You would die for what you believe."

It wasn't a question, but I answered her anyway.

"Yes! All I've ever done is just try to survive! Not until Genevieve and the Council did I know anything other than life and death and struggle. And when she turned against me, I went back to it. Do I deserve to die for that?"

She sat, curling her feathery tail elegantly about her feet, looking down at me with eyes suddenly so full of empathy and understanding that I felt like I was dreaming.

"You're confused. You live to a higher sense of duty. You just don't know it."