Her name was Raven

Chapter 8

Gilford was in the stables. A single gas lamp was lit to keep him company, but otherwise the night surrounded him. It didn’t worry him. He’d kept a vigil on his charges frequently over the years and knew them simply by their breathing.

They were quiet now, resting. The stable door creaked and Gilford jumped to his feet as fast as someone with several old injuries and creaking bones could.

“Who’s there?” he called out.

“It’s just me.” Raven emerged from the shadows.

“Lass, it’s late. What in god’s name are you doing up?”

“I want to go for a ride, if that’s alright. It’s a beautiful night.”

Gilford looked her over. She was certainly dressed for riding.

“Oh, and I brought you something to read, in case you were lonely,” she said, holding out a battered old book of fairy tales. Gilford’s eyes glistened.

“Thank you love, but I’ve pasted many a silent night here. You needn’t worry about me.”

“Please,” Raven said, holding it out. Gilford took it and gently sat it beside the gas light.

Raven broke the silence again. “Why do you stay here every night, watching them? No-one’s going to hurt them.”

“Lass, when you’re my age there isn’t much left for you in life. I still have the lord’s horses. They’re children to me of sorts, see? So I spend my time with them as I haven’t got much else to do. You spend time with what you love, and cherish that time. You don’t know when the wind will change.” There was a knowing gleam in Gilford’s eye as he spoke and he looked solemnly at Raven.

“You go and have your ride love, and remember that there’s always a lantern in the night.”

Raven took one of Duran’s horses. As she led the mare outside after saddling she wondered if Gilford suspected her plans. She strapped on the saddlebag she’d packed earlier and mounted. The locket shifted against her skin as she swung into the saddle. It had grown warm now that she’d worn it for several hours, and she touched it once before she urged the mare into the night.

***

Duran went down in the morning to help Gilford with the horses. The young lad wasn’t back from town yet and Raven hadn’t appeared for breakfast.

At the stables he checked the horses before he searched for Gilford and found the grey mare missing. Mildly mystified he found Gilford in the feed room and asked him about it.

“The lass took her for a ride last night. Said it was a beautiful night and she didn’t want to waste it. Kind girl, she left me a book to read through the night.”

Duran read the cover of the book Gilford pointed to. He cursed under his breath and raced back to the house. In her room her few possessions and clothes were gone, and the bed neatly made. Not even a letter. In vain he searched the house and gardens but he already knew she was gone, had known, since the moment he’d seen her beloved book of fairy tales when Gilford had told him about the midnight ride.

***

The wind whipped through her hair. Her cloak streamed behind her. Too far…not far enough. Since she had left the manor, left Duran, her head was full of thoughts she wasn’t entirely certain were her own.

Find them.

Make them pay.

Justice.

Make them hurt.

Bring them to justice.

Make them suffer.

Raven rode harder, trying to outpace her thoughts. A name had unveiled itself in her mind and she knew she had to go there. She knew it was a city. She knew someone important was there but she didn’t know how she knew. That was where she was going.

It had been three days, near constant riding, and Raven was feeling her empty stomach. She promised herself food when she got to her elusive goal, but it wasn’t soon enough. On a trade road Raven slowed her pace slightly. She felt the dizziness wash over her and the urge to retch, though there was nothing in her stomach. The world went fuzzy, her head pounded, and then she went out.

She fell from the mare’s back, hitting the ground with a crunch. The mare dragged her for a few metres before realising her rider was no longer aside her. The mare slowed and nuzzled Raven’s burnt cheek. Unsure, she moved a few steps and began gazing at the side of the road.

Birds began to circle the girl, inexplicably drawn to her. The mare snorted out of nervousness and rolled her eyes back. The birds circled lower.