Her name was Raven

Chapter 3

The day dawned bright and early. Mid-morning found Raven filling bird feeders and picking flowers from the masses in the garden beds. She heard a rider approaching and glanced up to see a man in black dismount. Jarred walked over to greet him and they moved inside at a near gallop. Raven wondered idly what his rush was as she fingered a gerbera petal.

She suddenly remembered she had to check on the kittens and sprang up, racing inside. She passed the meeting room on her way to the lounge and saw Jarred and the stranger inside. Jarred looked up as she passed and shut the door softly, Raven kept walking. Of all the rooms in the manor, it was the only one she was not allowed in.

***

The rest of the day passed swiftly. Hours slipped past without Raven noticing as she played with the kittens. She realised the time and was making dinner in the kitchen when Jarred came in. She looked up and smiled, but the smile faded as she saw his expression.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

“Raven, I think you know the reason why you can’t leave this place. Why you are guarded,” Jarred began, and then stopped. He took a deep breath. “Listen, there’s a man coming. He’s an executioner, and he’s coming for you. Your gift, your healing ability, it isn’t normal, and the people that put you here are scared of it. They will kill you. You have to run. Robin is saddled already; I’ve put some provisions in the saddlebags. You can’t trust anyone. You can’t show anyone your ability.” He sighed and sunk into a chair. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where you can go… I’m sorry”

“It’s ok,” Raven said, kneeling before him and taking his hands. “How long do I have?”

“He’ll be here at sundown.”

Raven nodded and swallowed. Rose. “Thank you,” she whispered, and kissed his cheek. She left the room and headed for her bedroom. In the dark space she opened her wardrobe. Grabbing what she thought was essential she turned to leave, and paused. She grabbed the small battered copy of the brothers Grimm fairy tales and fled the room.

She packed bandages, a brush, her book and the new dresses Jarred had given her along with the food he’d already packed for her. She wore her riding clothes and sheathed a dagger at her side. As she donned her black cloak at the door of the stable she turned back to the manor. She’d called it her home. Jarred had called it her prison.

She followed Jarred, leading Robin along an overgrown path to the orchard. He showed her an old rusted gate concealed in the wall. She lead Robin through it and turned back to Jarred.

“What will happen to you?” she asked.

“I’ll be all right in the end, worry about yourself now child,” he told her.

“Goodbye,” she whispered, and mounted Robin.

***

The manor was on the side of a mountain. The little gate opened onto an orchard that followed the sloping surface for several acres. Raven rode up and discovered a crevice where she could hide and see the manor. The moon rose on the edge of the horizon, a giant ball of orange. From her vantage she could see the riders; they carried torches that burned brightly in the early night. She saw one dismount and head into the house. Nerves rolled over her skin in waves and she sighed in relief when she saw the man stalk out of the manor again. He was yelling and gesturing wildly. The other two riders threw their torches to the ground and one produced a jerry can. Raven quickly realised it contained petrol when he emptied it across the front porch. The fire caught quickly and rose in towering columns.

Raven gasped but stayed hidden. Guards came running out of the manor and more poured out from throughout the grounds. They stood in a mob shouting while the riders mounted and galloped out of the gates. Their silhouettes faded into the night as the manor spat and crackled, collapsing under the fierce blaze.

No choice left, Raven turned her steed into the mountains and left her prison, the only home she’d ever known.

***

The moon set over the destruction. The guards had left in the night, not bothering to put out the flames. It had been a message. Your job is over, you failed. None of them would return. Instead they’d return to their villages and families and refuse to speak of their time in the manor far above civilisation.

Jarred returned to his family and the wife who hadn’t seen him for years. He shook off any questions about where he’d been, but he still felt a shadow on his conscience whenever he thought of the young woman he’d turned out into the night.