Raven (10 page)

I was so caught up in what Sam and Margriete were thinking that I hardly noticed as Elle pushed past me, taking the lead. Her face was fixed on the door, her arm behind her placed firmly against my chest, preventing me from getting ahead of her.

Without hesitation, she walked straight up to the door and grabbed the handle, inspecting its brilliance for a moment. Her other hand was resting against the wood, as though testing the temperature. She leaned in and placed her ear against it, her breathing shallow as she listened.

With a frustrated face, she pulled back, her hand still on the handle of the door. Steamy marks began to outline her grasp, her heart beat drumming in my head. She took one last deep breath before twisting the handle and pushing in, no longer faltering and ready to face whatever was on the other side.

I thought of her journey into Heaven then, wishing I was there to watch as she grew from a scared little eighteen-year-old girl into the strong woman I had always known, the strong woman I now saw.

My jaw clenched as smoke billowed from the door, washing over her in a wave of white and filling the hall with a noxious gas. Margriete sneezed in Sam’s arms. Elle fanned her face. Her eyes were narrow as the smoke surely stung them, as it did mine. I looked to Sam one last time, seeing he was poised and anxious, on guard if we needed him. He nodded to me, allowing me to take control of the situation and be Elle’s guardian for now.

Elle did not bother to look at me as she took a step forward and in, disappearing as the smoke engulfed her. I exhaled and followed her as I too stepped over the threshold, the smoke seeming to suck me in with open arms. I felt the thick smell of cigar fill my lungs, burning any taste bud I had left and making the air thick to breathe. Coughing the air out, I stopped breathing all together. I brought my hand to my mouth to cover it, batting away the smoke with my other. There was no need for me to breathe anyway, but it was a hard habit to break. The violin and flute continued to play, and as Elle halted before me, the smoke cleared and my eyes finally met those of our visitor.

“
Hello!” His voice echoed off the walls of the small addition to our home, the smoke continuing to dissipate as though it were being sucked from the room.

I assessed the situation, seeing the grey stone walls spanned about fifteen feet all around. There was a pedestal on top which sat a red velvet throne chair, gilded in gold around the edges. I laughed to myself, recognizing and knowing how this particular visitor enjoyed a bit of drama. In my experience, he had always been the thespian, and as such, life in Heaven had reflected that. I was relived in knowing, no longer wondering what other possible threat it could be—this one could be contained.

I walked up beside Elle, turning to look at her. Her face was solemn and hard, my previous joy now fading.

Elle stood tall, her feet planted firmly on the ground. The god she had so despised was now sitting before us, invading our home. He leaned casually on the arm of the red velvet chair, three feet above us. He seemed cheerier than normal, but I suppose to intrude on us like this, he had to act like a pleasant guest. I watched him with a face that mimicked Elle’s, trying my best to be supportive and gain back her trust. Smoked seeped from his mouth as he chuckled, blending with his long white beard, a smell that I was certain was impossible to wash out.

“
I thought you promised to leave us alone?” Elle’s voice was unlike anything I had heard before—a murderous rage coating every word in vengeance.

Chills racked my dead body as I looked at her with shock. She did not look back.

The god laughed louder now. “I did say that, didn’t I? But, I did not say for how long.” He looked amused by his reply as he narrowed his eyes. He chewed on the end of the cigar, leaving a film of glistening spit on the roughened tobacco leaves.

I could feel the anger emanate from Elle’s body, filling my own heart with a hate I only felt in the darkest of times. She shifted her weight, like a lion does before a kill. I swallowed hard, memories of death rushing back to me as I took in the god’s face.

When I had woken in Heaven, before I was sent home, this god was the first I had seen. He made me promise that I would condition Elle for his arrival and I feared now what he would do to me, knowing that I hadn’t fulfilled his wishes. The old man looked at me then, as though he knew what I was thinking.

He raised one eyebrow as a half smile wrinkled his face.
“Hmmm.”
His voice was deep as it echoed off the stone walls of the small space. I was afraid, something foreign to me.

I shifted my weight, feeling a cold tremble begin to form under my shirt. I did not fear much in this world, but after what they had done to me, I did fear them. As far as I knew, this old man was the leader. The god of god’s, so to speak. Elle took a threatening step toward him then. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her arm. I tried to pull her back but she only looked at me with disdain, ripping her arm from my grasp as she slid with ease through my fingers.

“
Oh, ha ha!” The god laughed, enjoying the tension between Elle and I.

She spun back to face the old man, in no apparent mood to entertain him. “I may not know you very well—” She marched up to the pedestal, her gaze even with his chest as she stood tall. As the thespian, he had chosen to sit in a raised position. It was just enough to create a sense of intimidation, but that didn’t seem to faze Elle. “But I do know that you are a spineless excuse for a leader.”

I winced, fearing her words and what they would do. I prayed that there wouldn’t be a fight. I was not in the mood.

The old man laughed. “Please, my child.
Spineless?
Call me Nicholas instead.”

“
I do not care what your name is, nor do you deserve to be addressed by one.” Elle spat at his feet.

I cowered in fear. “
Elle, don’t
,” I whispered under my breath.

She turned to me, hearing my words. “What?” Her eyes were raging. I found then, that for the first time, I was the weakest person in the room. “
He has no right to be here!
” she hissed.

I looked at Nicholas, and then back at Elle. “Well—”

Elle stormed back toward me. “Well,
what
, Edgar? Is this another secret of yours, a lie? I suppose this spineless cretin vacations here regularly, does he?”

“
Well, no.” I tried to defend myself, but I saw there was little I could say. For Elle, my excuses no longer held any clout.

Nicholas watched us with a delighted smile on his face, inspecting his nails as he leaned comfortably in his chair.

Elle gave me one last warning glare, looking to Nicholas instead. “Why are you here? Answer me now!” She stomped her foot.

Nicholas chuckled once before taking a deep breath, exhaling away the humor. “I see that Edgar has not told you! This is absolutely delightful. Bravo!” He began to clap, his gold rings clanking together.

Elle did not look surprised by his answer, and I felt heartbroken. I knew she had expected it. So much for reconciliation.

“
Your Edgar here was given specific instructions to prepare you for my arrival.” Nicholas rolled his eyes and lifted his chin, his cheeks now rosy. “But I suppose you can’t trust anyone to carry out even the simplest of tasks these days.” He yawned, allowing his hand to wave through the air.

His remark sent me into further guilt and turmoil.

“
Since he has not filled you in on your intended task, or rather fate, then I will.” Nicholas sat up, blotting out his cigar on the armrest of the chair, his brows poised. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. “There is a prophecy here for you.” He waved his hands around in front of him, gesturing toward the house. “It is important you see it. There, you will find exactly what you need for this task.”

Elle was concentrating hard. “A prophecy?” I saw the wonder in her face.

“
Yes, dear.” The god exhaled, now bored. “A
prophecy
.” He was bitter, knowing that it came from Fate.

Elle looked down at the ground for a moment, then back to the god. “What task?” She was full of questions. “I promised you
nothing
. And if you can remember, I bargained that you would stay away from the surface of this world. Yet, here you are, as though those words meant nothing.”

He laughed whole-heartedly. “My dear! Those words did mean nothing. How can you prove you even said them at all?” He tilted his head, glaring with one eye.

Elle growled at him, her teeth grinding as the sound edged in my ears. “Then why should I help you? Why, when you’re nothing but a back stabber?”

He looked angry that she would defy him to such degrees. “You will because you have no choice in the matter, dear child. You must do this task.” The god’s spine was stiff with anger.

She frowned. “Then I will ask once more,
what task?
” she yelled, causing the god to lean back and away from her.

After a pause, he laughed again, as though unsure just what to do: kill her or tell her. “
What task?
My child! You are to save us all! Only
you
can.”

Elle’s face sank, and I could hear her heart begin to race in the depths of our soul. “Me? Why me?” Her voice was breathy and scared. Her eyes darted about the room.

My nostrils flared. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her I was sorry. It was me that was meant to give her the news—not him. From my mouth it would have been better. At least then it wouldn’t have seemed like a death sentence.”

“
You are the last pure child of Earth. The last that can give life,” Nicolas answered with a smile, as though it wasn’t true that his life and his world, was also in danger.

“
What about you? You made us, so you should be the one to save us as well.” She pointed her finger at him and I watched as her hand shook.

Nicholas’s face grew solemn. “I could, but that would result in my death. I am not willing to die and allow all of you to live.
Ha!
Imagine, Nicholas the philanthropist saint! Not for me. I am far too shellfish for that. This is my world, after all. The creator should not be the one that dies. Besides, there is no guarantee that if I did try, that it would even work!”

Elle shook her head, her eyes beginning to water. “No—” I saw her stubbornness return. “No, I will not do this. I cannot do this.”

“
But you can.” His voice dropped. “And you
will
.” Nicholas stood on his pedestal now. “I will only warn you once, my child. If you do not do this now, then I will kill Edgar before this world does, and by doing so, you will be cursed to live an eternity as an empty soul. You will be doomed to roam the galaxies of this universe without a home, and with no one but yourself to comfort you.”

Elle’s fists were stiff at her sides, the blood running out of them as she squeezed as tight as she could. It was sadistic to think, but that simple gesture filled me with hope. She still loved me, despite my lies.

“
You see, I can still bargain with you after all.” Nicholas’s smile returned to his face as she looked down his nose at her, his hands grasping the hem of his robes.

“
But there is not enough time,” Elle pleaded, her grip relaxing back to fear.

Nicholas tilted his head. “I suggest you get started then.”

Elle said nothing, but was never given the chance even if she did. In a sudden pop, Nicholas had disappeared, leaving a swirling cloud of smoke behind him as the snuffed cigar fell to the ground. Elle broke down then, falling to her knees and putting her face in her hands.

“
Elle, I—” I walked up behind her and tried to comfort her by placing my hand at the base of her neck.

She spun away from me onto the floor. “You’ve done plenty of damage, Edgar. It’s bad enough that all you are is a bargaining chip to be used against me. Let alone the fact that I am all alone because
you
refuse to help.” Her voice became low. “So do me a favor, Edgar. Quit getting in my way.” Her face held little emotion or color.

She stood then, storming past me as she flung the door open and exited into the hall. I followed, watching with a broken heart as she was met with open arms by Sam and Margriete. Their faces held anger as they looked at me, adding to the burn, the hatred for myself growing.

Why hadn’t I done something? Why? Why did I let her fall to the mercy of this god?

I brought one hand to my dead chest, feeling only her heart beating, alone and scared.

CLEAR HEAD

Estella

Margriete and Sam released me from their hug. I looked Sam in the eyes, telling him with my thoughts where I was going. I had to get away. I needed some space to sort this all out. Sam nodded and gave me a sad smile. Without glancing at Edgar, I stormed down the stairs and to the front door, not bothering to find a coat—too angry to even care. I grabbed the handle as I lifted my gaze to look out the window at the stormy meadow beyond. The yellowing grasses swirled in the wind and rain, beckoning me toward them, whispering for help.