Her name was Raven

Chapter 20

Raven slipped between the people. They all faced a makeshift platform listening to a man talk about progress for the docks and development for the town with increased revenue. The words made no sense to Raven, she'd never been taught much about business. She pushed some more through the crowd. A man swore at her when her shove caused him to spill his ale and a woman hissed at her to watch it. Finally Raven drew close enough to the platform to see it clearly. The little stout man who'd been talking stepped down and the audience clapped politely. She scanned the faces of the men sitting behind him and her breath caught when her eyes landed on the man standing up. He was the man who'd visited her in the cells. Hinchmere, she instantly knew. A sudden wave of disgust welled up in her and she fought the urge to retch. She knew he was one of the men who'd locked her up. Others were here too. One sat on the platform with him. She could feel more concealed in the crowd, watching. She knew them, recognised the vile feeling she felt as the murmur she'd been shown in her dream. It was even more powerful now that she stood near the source.

Hinchmere took his place at the podium and began to speak. Raven pushed forward again. She knew what she had to do, had known it since the dream. But she hadn't wanted to think about, or mention it to Duran. He'd be furious with her. She apologised silently to him and shoved past another person. She knew when Hinchmere saw her, heard the stutter in his speech. Knew when he recognised her, heard him gasp and fall silent in disbelief. She gripped the edge of the podium and vaulted onto it. She stood up and brushed herself off, facing Hinchmere.

"You're supposed to be dead!" He muttered. Whispers broke out through the crowd. Raven reached up and threw back her hood, unclasping the cloak. The whispers turned into excited chatter.

"Lord Franz Raymond Reginald Hinchmere, you have been tried and found guilty," Raven said, but the voice that came out of her mouth was not her own and surprised even her. It was deep and powerful, an ancient rumble.

"Guilty of what?" Hinchmere hissed.

"Torture, murder, conspiracy, abduction, fraud, black magic, sorcery, necromancy, cheating death," the list was long and with each word the crowd became more stunned and disbelieving in turn.

"For your sins you have been sentenced to death, but you have cheated death, and in so doing, the natural order. We will claim your repentance."

Raven stepped forward, a puppet in her own body, and reached out towards Hinchmere. He stood frozen in shock and fear. He called for guards, police, anyone but no one moved. Raven pressed her palm against his chest and felt the slow sluggishness of his heartbeat.

"This heart is old and weary. So many stolen breaths, it is long past time." Raven whispered. Hinchmere's eyes bulged as a golden glow radiated from Raven's fingertips into his chest. The moment it touched his heart it ceased to beat. Hinchmere collapsed to the ground and the stunned audience gasped.

Men ran towards Raven now, climbing onto the platform. She turned to confront them. The light flowed freely from her now. It lit up the world around her and she saw life pumping through the veins of the hundreds around her. She gasped at the power and strength that slammed into her. She saw the life that was dark and twisted, that resided within. She caressed the innocents that rushed for her with her magic. They slowed and slept. She let the others with the black hearts come. They surrounded her. She flung both her arms out, forcing the light into them. They screamed and crumpled as their hearts too ceased.

She couldn't catch the light now; it was racing away, taking her with it. It spread, using her as a conduit. It had taken her sixteen years to know how to let it out, but she knew now that this was always what her gift had been meant for. She let the golden threads spin and tumble. Her consciousness was tied to the power using her and she followed it. She didn't need to do anything more now, it was gaining power, sensing the balance of the world returning. She watched in awe as it spread far below her and sunk deep into the earth, taking the black corrupted blemishes with it. The song returned for the first time since the day of her execution. This time there was no flaw. It was a cacophony of drumbeats and bells, all working together to merge harmoniously. It was the heartbeat of the world.

Raven couldn't find her body in the tangledthreads. She couldn't hear her own heartbeat amongst the millions. She drifted.