Helion Rising

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Breakfast was interesting. Seth sat across from me and we glared at each other in silence. Noah on the other hand was in his own happy world, munching away on his scrambled eggs while drumming his forks on the table, oblivious to us. “Isn’t this great?” he asked suddenly, “the three of us all friends again!” I grunted in response while Seth scoffed a ‘yeah’. 

Minutes later Nathaniel barged into the canteen and scanned the room. With a single nod and a stern voice he said, “suit up.” Instantly Noah, Seth and a few others rose from their seats and made their way to the exit but as Seth walked passed, Nathaniel pulled him back and shook his head before turning on his heals and leaving. Before I could say anything, Seth opened his mouth. “This is all your fault.” Then, he walked away. He hadn’t even touched his breakfast, hell I wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore either. I’ll admit, I felt a little bad. It was sort of my fault his credibility was shot, granted it was his fault for foiling my plans. I sighed, karma owed me big for what I was about to do. 

Chasing Seth down wasn’t very hard, he was gloomily walking through the corridors aimlessly, shoulders hunched and with nothing to do. Man, the boy needed a hobby. “Seth!” I called. He paused for a moment but kept walking. “Seth!” Darting forward, I grabbed his arm and forced him to face me. He looked at me expectantly, his sad expression contorting into a poker face. I pursed me lips and huffed. “What do you want?” he eventually asked.

I gapped slightly, half expecting him to have shrugged me off and ignore me. “What if I told you we could get you into Nathaniel’s good books again?” Seth frowned in thought and discreetly shook his arm out of my hold. 

“How?” 

Taking that as a good sign, I smiled and towed him along with me as we scurried off to ‘suit up’. “We’re going to talk to the Raven.” Seth yanked me to a sudden halt and looked at me incredulously. 

“How the hell to you expect to do that?”

I shrugged, “I dunno, call her? I’m sure she has a phone number. Meet me in the courtyard in fifteen.” Seth trudged off to do as I said, mumbling “What am I getting myself in to now?” 

****

The courtyard was surrounded by old stone walls three meters hight, closest to the walls were a few tall trees who’s branches just reached above the walls.  There was no entry or exit to the courtyard apart from the double doors that lead onto the shaded, paved patio. In the centre of the courtyard was a dried up yet elegant fountain of a mermaid and a frog. The entire courtyard had been forgotten, weeds sprung from the long, uncut grass and the fountain hadn’t worked since before I’d gotten to the Order six years ago. It was the perfect place to sneak out of the order when you wanted no one to notice you, the trees were tall enough to climb onto the walls and jump over while the the double doors were easily barricaded with an wooden bench that sat in the corner. 

“What’s the plan, genius?” Seth asked from where he sat in the low hanging branches of a tree. 

I grimaced and paced slightly, trying to figure out a way to tell him there wasn’t really a plan. I wasn’t a ‘plan’ person, more of a ‘wing it and hope for the best’ kind of person. When my silence continued Seth spoke again, “there is no plan, is there?” 

I huffed and crossed my arms. “I have a plan.” 

Seth shook his head. “I’m outta here.”

“No wait! Raven I summon thee!” I called out loudly. Nothing happened. 

“Right, Ok. If you’re done making a fool of yourself and wasting my time, I’m leav-” Suddenly, a raven with shiny, black feathers swooped down and perched on the head of the frog. The raven itself began to contort and morph into a human like shape until a woman stood before me in a long coat and large, brimmed hat. I gasped unable to believe that had worked. “We need your help,” I said quietly. The woman stepped forward and reached for my hand. There was a thump, a grunt and then the Raven slumped into me -unconscious. In a state of shock, I lowered her to the ground gently and stared up at Seth, disbelieving as he stood there holding his gun by the barrel. 

Getting to my feet I shoved Seth backwards and he stumbled into the empty fountain, using the frog to regain his balance. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I yelled.

Seth’s eyes widened. “I thought that was the plan!” 

“No!”

“Oh that's right! You didn’t have a plan!” his tone and turned angry.

“She was going to help us!” 

“You don’t know that!” 

 “Yes I d-” Seth stepped forward and clamped his palm over my mouth and shushed me. I was fuming by then.

“Calm down. Lets just get her inside, cuff her to one of the chairs in a cell and let Nathaniel handle it.” I shook my head furiously mumbling profanities against his palm. He quickly spun me around and shoved me out of the way, then hauled the Raven onto his shoulder and walked towards the double doors. Her hat never falling from her head.