Carrion Crow

by Talis Jones

  “I’m not sure you’re even in the top five.”

  “But I am in the top ten. I’ll take it,” she grinned before spitting out another wad of blood. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Well that’s comforting.”

  “I could leave, you know.”

  “Ah, but you won’t.” Sa fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat again unable to find a position that didn’t strain her wrists against the sharp cuffs. “Look, you can’t break me out for a number of reasons, namely Adrianna which is at the top of your list I’m sure.” She bit her lip in thought before nodding. “Get a message to Eisen. He’ll do it. For her, he’ll do it.”

  Jack’s brow pinched unhappily. “There’s no guarantee of that. Even if he does agree we have no way of knowing how long you’ll have to remain here before he can come.”

  “I’ll be fine. I mean, not fine, but I’ll survive,” she shrugged easily.

  “Cassandra does nothing with mercy. She will drive you to the edge,” he warned seriously.

  “And I will wait there for Eisen to come.” Sa’s fierce gaze did not waver as it challenged Jack’s.

  At last he sighed, giving in. “This is your plan.”

  Jutting her chin forward defiantly she answered, “Yes. It is. Now get out of here before the guards come back.”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I’ve been here far longer than I planned. The guards should have been back by now…”

  “Be glad they’re not.”

  Jack placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “Fight her.” Sa nodded giving him a reassuring grin.

  He slipped out of her filthy cell shifting the door shut as quietly as he could. Cautiously he made his way to the corkscrew stairs. There was another way but it was further down and this stairwell was far less used. Dashing up the steps as quiet as midnight he hardly breathed. The notable absence of guards was deeply unsettling.

  A wild shriek pierced the air raising all the hairs on Jack’s body. He ran in the direction of the raucous sound reverberating down the stone halls winding his way through until he stumbled upon a cluster of soldiers – the missing guards.

  Standing tall with a wild face stood a boy of about fifteen years of age keeping his eyes fixated upon the soldiers growling before him. They lunged and flung their weapons at him but he kept dancing out of the way utterly untouchable. More than just an obstacle his softly shimmering body struck fear into the soldiers' hearts afraid of the ghost shrieking before them. Coaxing one towards him a big beefy man charged but just as his sword made to stab the boy’s chest he dashed backwards flowing seamlessly through the cell’s bars leaving the man to collide painfully with the iron and forfeit a tooth.

  Jack’s stare locked with the boy’s who gave a small nod to the side as if urging him to run. After only another moment of hesitation he did. Lunging to the side and racing down another corridor until he reached the stairs and climbed them two at a time. Two floors above the dungeons he paused to listen for pursuit and reflect on the strange boy below. He was a Weepy, no doubt about that. But how had he gotten into the castle? And why? He seemed to recognize him but try as he might Jack could not place a name to the face. With a slight shake of his head he returned to Adrianna’s room.

  “Well?” she asked the moment she shut the door behind him.

  “We’re getting her out of there but we’ll need your brother’s help.” Jack relayed Sa’s plan and Adrianna bit her lip.

  “Can she last that long?”

  “I don’t know.” They let a strained silence fall between them. Suddenly Adrianna’s eyes widened and her face paled alarmingly. “What is it?” he growled as he whirled around looking for what had captured her attention.

  Before them stood the same Weepy from the dungeons except now the wild look in his eyes was gone. “Who are you?” Jack demanded.

  “Nox the Watcher, at your service,” he replied itching his nose. “You’re welcome by the way. But maybe next time you could speed up your secret cahoots, eh? It’s not easy keeping that bunch occupied for long.”

  “Thank you,” offered Jack warily. “What’s a Weepy doing in these castle walls?”

  “Helping you, it seems,” Nox answered rolling his eyes before plopping down on the small sofa by the window.

  “I don’t know you,” he pressed allowing a soft growl into his voice.

  “No, but I sure know you two. You’re all the Whispers are talking about these days. They’re not feeling all that great about your brother since he walked out on them,” he added to Adrianna.

  She had finally overcome her shock at seeing what appeared to be a rather solid looking ghost. Nox was too solid to walk through and yet she could faintly make out the couch beneath him. The slightest shimmer clung to his being and it fascinated her. A Weepy. She’d almost forgotten about their existence. She’d never seen one and people didn’t talk about them much either thinking it taboo.

  “You said you’re here to help?” she asked carefully.

  He nodded enthusiastically. “Sure. I’m down for anything.”

  “Anything?”

  “Well, almost anything,” he amended. “I tell you my town back in the Outer World is dead boring so I’m always looking out for a little adventure when I come here. What do you need?”

  “How do we know we can trust you?” interrupted Jack. “Weepys don’t leave the Silas Mountains. Not anymore.”

  “Well I do. There’s a storm brewing and I’m not about to sit on the sidelines. Kill the witch, save the princess, and all that. That’s what I’m here for.” He puffed out his chest proudly.

  “He could be useful,” offered Adrianna.

  “Or a bloody nuisance,” muttered Jack.

  “I’ll have you know,” he declared to Jack in particular, “that I was born to be awesome. So do you want me on your team or not?”

  “We’re not a team,” snapped Jack.

  “Fine.” Turning towards Adrianna he asked, “Do you still want that favor?”

  “Yes,” she hurried ignoring Jack tensing beside her. He could be a prick sometimes. “We need to contact Eisen. Sa is chained up in the dungeons being tortured to betray the Whispers. We can’t help her but he can. Please, tell him to come. And tell him for once in his life to hurry.”

  Nox stood up and tipped an invisible cap winking at her. “Consider it done.” And with that he fell backwards through her window letting out a loud boyish Whoop! Adrianna and Jack rushed to the window and watched as he glided out of a steep dive and rode the wind into the rising sun.

  “Can all Weepys do that?” asked Adrianna incredulously.

  Jack swallowed tightly. “No. He must be a coma patient. Only such a deep unconsciousness allows the spirit to move into another world so fully and so freely. His physical body is weakening. It’s why it’s able to defy the laws of even this world.”

  Adrianna continued gazing out the window as the very first tendrils of light breached the horizon and she thought about Nox, and the Whispers, and Sa, and Eisen, and how no matter where you go life is never fair.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Footsteps stirred the reddish dust of the earth with a lithe but confident step, each movement an announcement, an instinctual command. Eisen paced his way down his camp where recruits sparred or honed their weapons. Xiomara and Aleksander made good on their deal spreading the whispered word to those willing to disturb the illusory peace that had settled over Oneiroi. They were good, very good. These weren’t people culled from the fields. They were born fighters. Eisen didn’t care about honesty; he only required skill and loyalty.

  On either side of him men and women were locked in makeshift rings where they pushed each other to their limits. Dodging, lunging, attacking, blocking, but above all they were learning. A wise warrior didn’t let arrogance stand in their way. A wise warrior always found something to learn, something to gain, something to improve.

  Despite his unobtrusive stroll through the camp h
e still managed to cast a feeling of unease around him. Hairs prickled on the backs of necks as he roamed past. He was aware of the effect he had on people and he did nothing to distill it. He fed off of it.

  Suddenly he found his path blocked. Before him stood Aleksander looking stern with his arms crossed tightly against his broad chest. “Satisfied?” he inquired.

  “Impressed,” admitted Eisen. Truly he hadn’t been sure what to expect when he procured their help, but he was pleased with the results. They only had about 50 people at present but he was sure the numbers would soon grow.

  “Still set on shaking the Crown from her perch?” he asked both bemused and disapproving.

  “And if she does not fall then I shall climb that tree and slit her throat myself.” Eisen’s words came out smooth. He meant it. Simple as that.

  “You’ll need more than this then,” interjected Xiomara joining their conversation.

  “And what do you suggest?”

  “Show them something to gossip about. Gossip spreads like wildfire amongst all circles of people,” suggested Aleksander. Xiomara nodded in agreement.

  Eisen bowed his head in quick thought. Turning from his companions he shouted, “Who is the strongest amongst you?” Several heads turned as the sparring bodies stilled and the clang of weapons quieted. “Come forwards. I will fight only one and only they who claim to be the best.” It would be a sacrifice of strength from his army for certain, but it would also cull the arrogance.

  A large man stepped forward at the same time as a woman even taller than he. Eisen looked from one to the other carefully. Shaking his head he murmured, “Confidence.” Then he turned towards the raven-haired woman and muttered, “Arrogance.”

  He bent his fingers motioning her forwards and the others fell back to form a ring around them. In one movement he threw his shirt over his head casting it aside ignoring Xiomara and Aleksander’s reaction of surprise. Everyone could see the Whisper’s mark on his chest, a small handprint and the raised scar of a wolf’s claws raking through it stood boldly in declaration for all eyes to see. More scars decorated his back and torso. Titus’ magic had not made them fade but they had stretched horribly. Whatever they had thought of him before their guess had changed once again.

  The woman was a whole head taller than him but size was but a factor, and not an overwhelming one at that. He watched her closely as she crouched, observing the shift in her balance, the spread of her feet, the angle of her fists, and the haughty determination in her eyes. She thought besting him would mark her as special amongst them. She would be right.

  Like a flash of lightning she lunged managing to strike the air beside his head but a breath away from his face. However Eisen was much faster than that. She fought like a coiled snake, lithe and ruthless and slippery. With the prance of a panther Eisen dodged her attacks waiting to see if she would tire. She gave no evidence of such. It was best not to drag this out anyway. With a swerve to the left avoiding her powerful kick he reached out grabbing her ankle twisting it quickly but she managed to leap and counteract the motion by whipping her whole body with it in an attempt to take him down with her. It worked.

  Eisen quickly slipped from the vice of her legs and allowed her to jump back to her feet before landing a series of rapid blows stunning her: jaw, gut, nose. Blood sprayed from her broken nose but she recovered quickly. Just as she made to counter-attack he reached out with one hand and she froze, her eyes bugged wide as she began to panic. Murmurs broke out everywhere around them. Squeezing her throat with nothing but magic Eisen slammed her body hard against the ground where she rolled twice before scrambling back to her feet. With a rabid yell she pounced towards him but he simply grabbed her arms with his power holding her in place watching her rage and writhe like the viper she emulated.

  Slowly he dragged her body towards him and he watched as fear began to penetrate her anger. His eyes darkened as he held her wild stare. She began to fight harder and harder but to no avail. Finally she hung a foot before him, lowered so her face was level with his. A slight twitch that may have been a smile alighted his face and her head snapped to the side as he released her. The woman’s body lay in a heap upon the earth reduced to nothing but an empty corpse.

  The crowd had dared to roar and shout and cheer during their fight but now they stood silent, chilled by his emotionless execution. Perhaps it wasn’t the most impressive display of magic, but it got the message across. He had a mission and he wouldn’t lose to anyone who thought otherwise.

  Snatching his shirt from a blond man’s hands he stalked calmly back to his tent. Inside he found a boy sitting on his desk stroking Henry's feathers with one hand and twirling a pen betwixt the fingers of his other. From the strange texture of his appearance he knew he wasn’t a Jourdie. “What do you want, Weepy?”

  Nox jumped down to his feet holding out his hand to shake. “The name is Nox and I’ve come here with a message.”

  The day was early but the sunrise had long ended. “How are you here?”

  Nox smiled. “That really should have been your first question, shouldn’t it? I mean yeah I’m sure it’s curious why some random kid is in your tent uninvited but isn’t it more curious that I’m here at all, especially since you know I’m a Weepy. Good eye by the way.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Which one?”

  “Either one.”

  “Right. I’m in a coma. Brain cancer. Very unfortunate stuff. But to answer your original question I’m here with a message from your sister.”

  Eisen frowned at news of the boy’s condition but the mention of his sister snapped his attention sharply. “What is it?” he asked quickly.

  “By request of Adri and Jack, they need you to break out the Whisper named Medusa from the castle prison. If Jack does anything to displease the Crown she’ll hurt Adrianna as punishment but if they leave Sa in the dungeons then the Crown will kill her, er well she can’t technically kill her…but how would you like being abandoned and tortured to within an inch of your sanity, eh?”

  Thoughts rolled around in Eisen’s head as he digested Nox’s words. Finally with a shake of his head he answered, “I can’t leave.”

  The boy’s face fell. “Are you serious?”

  “She’s a Whisper. She's strong. I know they will figure out a different way.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be some new hero or something. I thought you were here to slay some dragons and kill the evil queen or whatever.” Some of the light diminished in Nox’s eyes as they raked over the young man before him clad in darkness and vengeance.

  “They will find another way,” he repeated sternly. He didn’t know this person and he couldn’t risk everything to just go gallivanting off to save her. He never claimed to be a hero or a villain, in fact if he had to guess he’d say he was the dragon. He only promised to save his sister. She was the treasure that had been stolen from him and he wanted her back.

  With a deeply disappointed frown and betrayal in his eyes Nox stepped backwards through the canvas walls of the tent disappearing from view. Part of Eisen’s conscience twinged but he managed to ignore it. Adrianna would find another way. He couldn’t fight all their battles. He could barely fight this one.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Pekka stood at the back of the filthy cell watching the Crown shed her fine silken smiles revealing the cold reptilian monster’s hide beneath. They’d been down to the dungeons almost every evening since bringing the Whisper here and every visit Crown Sarai did not ask her to bestow the punishments Pekka felt a little relieved and quite ashamed. She was a soldier true but even her stomach churned uneasily. Pekka even refused to use the girl’s name in a selfish attempt to distance herself from the guilt.

  The Whisper named Medusa released another cry as a tooth flew from her mouth followed by a stream of blood. Crown Sarai did not even flinch. In fact, she smiled. Pekka averted her gaze. They may not be able to kill the Whisper, but they could put her through
enough pain to wish it weren’t so. Medusa screamed again and again and again and soon Pekka’s ears were ringing and she desperately sang an old tune in her head to try and block out the horrible sounds she knew would haunt her sleepless nights.

  Two little crows sat in opposite trees

  Cawing from dawn to ev’ning.

  At last a third lifted its head

  And this is what it said:

  Who’s the better?

  Answer’s neither.

  Who’s the winner?

  Both are sinners

  So let’s just have some fun.

  Crown Sarai walked over, wiping her hands on the dark green sash around her waist, staining it darker with splotches of the Whisper’s blood. Pekka opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. “Patience, General Gabor. We will get what we need soon enough from her.” She paused, turning to eye the prisoner. “Stay here and watch her. She may mumble something in her sleep.”

  The Crown exited leaving Pekka staring dubiously at the limp form of the Whisper. “Sleep” was not an accurate word, in her opinion. Out cold and bloodied to a pulp seemed more apt a description. As her eyes drifted over the girl’s broken flesh her stomach gave another queasy jolt.

  This was not the work of Sarai Morrigan, the young woman who had awed them with her cool intellect and political bravado. Sarai had always been a bit distant, a bit cool, but she wasn’t this, she wasn’t a heartless nightmare shredding the flesh off a living body, even if the Whisper was a traitor to the Crown. Whoever Sarai had become, it wasn’t her Crown. Crown Sarai was not the Crown of Revolution, she was just another repetition of history and Pekka couldn’t help but wonder why?

  * * *

  A light tap startled them and they looked up to see Nox perched on the window seat. “My savior!” shouted Adrianna gleefully, leaping up from the floor and away from what was going to be yet another agonizing set of sit-ups.

  “You’re never going to improve if you don’t train,” admonished Jack disapprovingly.