by Amy Cross
The girl stayed in the shadows.
“Come forward, child. You've been to my room before, there's no need to be scared.”
Pausing for a moment, Anna finally stepped forward, until her face could be seen in the flickering light cast by the lamp on a nearby desk. Her eyes were open wide and she was clearly struggling to keep from trembling, as if pure fear had taken hold of her soul.
“And how are you feeling on this fine night?” Ms. Eversham asked. She waited for a reply, before reaching a hand out. Her fingernails were long and dark, curling slightly at the tips. “Come to me, child. Don't be shy. I want to get a good look at you.”
After a moment, Anna took a step back into the shadows.
“Have you learned nothing since you arrived here?” the older woman continued. “Anna, when I give you an order, I expect you to act upon it at once. This silliness must end and you must come to me immediately.”
Slowly, Anna made her way forward, until she was finally close enough for Ms. Eversham to reach out, grab her shoulder, and pull her the rest of the way.
“How are you feeling, Anna? Are you settling in and getting on with the other girls? I know they can sometimes be a little rough on the new arrival, but that's just part of life's rough and tumble. You mustn't take it too seriously, it's their way of getting to know you and trying to understand how you fit into this place. There's a strict hierarchy here, but that's true of every place in the world. They want to know if you're a leader, Anna, or a follower, and whether they can trust you, and whether it's safe for them to turn their backs on you. Tell me, are you playing nicely?”
Anna stared up at her for a moment, before slowly nodding.
“Do you find the games to be a little rough?”
No reply.
“You can be honest,” Ms. Eversham added. “You'll get used to it eventually, but I fully understand if you're struggling a little. Are you struggling?”
Anna shook her head.
“You're not just saying that, are you? You're not giving me the answers you think I want to hear?”
Anna paused, and then shook her head again.
“Now,” Ms. Eversham continued, “I have it on very good authority that Jennifer Kazakos might be coming here to Raven's Briar to try to rescue you, and that she might have some co-conspirators with her. I know, I know, such a quaint idea. You remember Jennifer Kazakos, don't you? In your old life on Thaxos, she was the woman who gave birth to you and raised you. She was your first mother. Before me.”
Another pause, before Anna nodded.
“You know what to do, don't you, if you see her again? We talked about this, if you recall. It was one of our very first conversations.”
Anna nodded again.
“And how are things going in that department?” Ms. Eversham asked, leaning closer and smiling. “Can I see?”
Anna paused.
“Come on,” Ms. Eversham continued, reaching up and placing a hand on the side of Anna's face. “Show me.”
Slowly, Anna opened her mouth to reveal two razor-sharp fangs.
Part Forty-Three
I
In the distance, the voice of the Parios port-master could be heard calling through the dawn air, announcing the imminent departure of a ferry to Athens. A little further off, as the sun's light began to tint the dark sky and turn it morning-blue, the bells of the local church began to ring, signaling the start of a new day.
On a south-facing wall of the main guesthouse, a tan-colored lizard scuttled across the bricks, stopping for a moment to flick its tongue before scurrying into a crack, seeking refuge from the coming day.
“We're close,” Madeleine said, sniffing the air as she stood on the guest-house's balcony, overlooking the dusty town square. “I can feel it in my bones.”
“You've been saying that for a week now,” Jennifer pointed out, already fastening her boots. “Those exact words, in fact. Every morning, you open the blinds and say we're close, and then you sniff the air and say you can feel it in your bones. Don't you think it's time to consider another approach to finding Raven's Briar?”
“Ye of little faith,” Madeleine replied, turning to her. Her eyes were still heavily bandaged, but she had an uncanny ability to look in exactly the right direction every time. “And for your information, you've complained in exactly the same way for each of the past five mornings.”
“That's because you said you could find the place!”
“I can!”
“It's been a week!”
“You need to be patient!”
Sighing, Jennifer got to her feet and headed to the door. In just one week of searching, with barely even time to eat, she'd visibly lost weight.
“Where are you going?” Madeleine asked.
“I'm going to ask around.” She reached out and began to open the door. “Maybe someone in the town can tell us something, or I can just head out into the brush and -”
Before she could finish, Madeleine pushed the door shut, having made it across the room in an instant.
“You don't understand,” Jennifer continued, with a hint of urgency in her voice, “every second counts. We need to find Anna before they... before they do whatever they do to children at that place. The more I sit around this place, the more I start thinking about what might be happening.”
“You need to be patient,” Madeleine said again, more firmly this time.
“You're blind,” Jennifer pointed out, staring at the bandage that covered Madeleine's eyes. “Don't you think that thing is maybe a metaphor for your ability to lead us anywhere?”
“You want me to take it off?”
“God, no.”
“I can.”
“No!”
Before either of them could continue, the door handle turned, and Madeleine stepped back to let Kate into the room.
“Are you two having the same argument you have every morning?” Kate asked, slipping past them and heading to the table by the window. “Where are you up to so far? Has Madeleine threatened to take off her bandage yet?”
“It's almost like you two don't want to see my hideous, empty eye-sockets,” Madeleine muttered. “Frankly, I'm offended.”
“I finally got hold of a better map,” Kate explained, unfolding the map she'd found at the local post office, which showed not only Parios but also the surrounding area. “This thing runs for twenty miles in every direction from the edge of town. It was designed for geologists and government workers, so it has elevations marked. Madeleine, should Raven's Briar be within a twenty mile radius?”
“The place needs to be close enough for supplies,” Madeleine replied, “so... yeah, twenty miles should be enough.”
“Why don't we just go out there and comb the landscape?” Jennifer asked. “We could have covered every square inch by now.”
“You really don't trust me, do you?” Madeleine muttered.
“Less and less with each passing day,” Jennifer told her.
“Let's try not to bicker,” Kate continued. “Madeleine, we -”
“No-one's attacked us yet,” Madeleine said suddenly.
Kate and Jennifer both turned to her.
“There,” Madeleine added with a sigh, “you got me. I admitted it. That's the plan.”
“You want us to be attacked?” Kate asked.
She nodded.
“By who?”
“By someone from Raven's Briar. Trust me, the Eversham woman knows we're here, and I guarantee she doesn't like it. She'll already have sent someone to keep an eye on us, and eventually she'll decide she wants us off her doorstep, which is when she'll make her move. Once she sends someone or something to attack us, we can kill it and then follow the scent right back to the front door of Raven's Briar. Job done. First part, anyway.”
“That's your plan?” Jennifer asked. “I thought you said you could actually find the place?”
“Like, what, a sniffer dog?” Madeleine replied. “My plan is sound, and it'll work if you two jus
t calm down for five minutes.”
“It's not the worst plan in the world,” Kate admitted, “but after a week, I think maybe we should have a back-up, in case we need a different approach. That's why I figure we need to work with the map and try to figure out the most likely spots for this place. None of the locals seem to have a damn clue about it, so obviously it's hidden away pretty well.”
“Too well,” Jennifer muttered, pointing at a hill that was marked on the map just a short way out of town. “I'm going to go up there today and see if I can spot anything. Maybe there's a road this isn't marked on here, or some other sign of a building that shouldn't be there.”
“I'm going to cross off places where Raven's Briar can't be,” Kate added, “and then try to work with what's left.”
“And I'm going to sip cocktails in the morning sun,” Madeleine told them, “and wait for hideous demons of the night to come swarming into town and try to rip my skin off.”
“It's not a joke,” Jennifer said darkly, staring at the map. “Anna's out there somewhere, and we have to find her.” Turning, she headed to the door and grabbed her jacket. “I'll be back at sundown. But if we don't get anywhere today, I think it's time to try a different approach. No offense, Madeleine, but sitting around waiting isn't going to cut it anymore.” With that, she hauled her bag over her shoulder and hurried out.
“Are you going to tell her,” Madeleine said after a moment, turning to Kate, “or should I?”
“Tell her what?” Kate asked.
“The obvious. The inevitable.” She paused. “We both know it. Anna Kazakos is a lost cause. She's dead or... worse.”
“I don't believe that.”
“Then you're naive.”
“So why are you here?” Kate asked. “If you don't think we can save Anna, why did you bother coming with us?”
“Partly because I quite fancy ripping an orphanage to shreds,” Madeleine replied, “but mainly because I wanted to piss Edgar off. And let's face it, you just know that after a week he's going to be out of his mind with anger.” Smiling, she patted Kate on the back before heading to the door. “Oh yeah, there's going to be quite the welcoming committee waiting for us when we get back to Thaxos.”
***
By the time the high-morning sun had risen and begun to bleach the dusty streets, Kate had already spent several hours in the guest-house's courtyard, going over the map and trying to work out where Raven's Briar could be hidden. She figured that if Madeleine was going sit back and wait for something to happen, and Jennifer was going to go for pure physical exertion, she might as well try a more intellectual approach. In fact, she'd been working so hard, she'd barely noticed anyone around her.
“You a geologist or something?” a voice asked eventually.
Looking up, Kate saw that the guest-house's owner, a plump, balding man with a ready smile, was setting a fresh jug of water on the table next to her.
“Sorry,” he added, “I didn't mean to pry.”
“No, it's fine,” Kate replied. “I'm sorry, I just...” She looked down at the map, on which she'd made several marks to indicate sections where she felt the orphanage couldn't be located, although now the whole thing seemed more like guesswork than science. “No, I'm just working on something.” She paused, before turning to see that the man was already heading back inside. “Hey,” she called after him, “do you mind if I ask you something?”
He turned back to her.
“It's...” She paused again, as she realized that she had nothing left to lose, and that she might as well trying asking everyone she met. “My friends and I are looking for an orphanage named Raven's Briar. Do you have any idea where that might be?”
“Raven's Briar?” The man frowned. “No, can't say that I've ever heard of it. I don't think it's around here.”
“It has to be,” she replied.
“Well...” He paused. “I've lived here all my life, and I think if there was an orphanage anywhere in the area, I'd know about it.” Heading back over to her, he looked down at the map for a moment, before pointing at the area to the north and west of Parios. “There's nothing out there but dirt and sand,” he explained. “You definitely wouldn't build anything in the area, the soil wouldn't support much of a building anyway. And to the east, the land is even worse. Dry and arid, with barely anywhere to shelter from the sun.”
“What about supplies?” Kate asked. “Maybe someone comes into town regularly and collects items?”
“Not that I'm aware of.”
“But it's possible, isn't it?”
“Anything's possible,” he admitted, “but if someone's told you there's an orphanage around these parts, I think maybe you've been given bad information. There's an old Catholic place in the next town along, run by a group of nuns. It's called St. Stephen's. They turn out very neat, very well-behaved girls.”
“That's not the one we're after,” Kate told him, staring at the map. “Raven's Briar is around somewhere. We just have to find it.”
“I wish I could help you,” the man replied, turning again and heading back inside. “I'll ask my wife, but honestly, I think you're on a wild goose chase.”
“I'm starting to think so too,” Kate muttered, taking a sip of water as she continued to look at the map. “I just can't -”
Before she could finish, she was startled as a fist-sized rock landed on the map and then slid down onto her leg. Looking around, she didn't see anyone at first, before finally spotting a little girl standing in the shade on the other side of the courtyard. As soon as they made eye contact, the little girl waved at her before turning and hurrying out of sight, leaving Kate frowning for a moment before she quickly folded the map and got to her feet.
Hurrying across the courtyard, she reached the spot where the little girl had been standing and looked along the alley, only to see the girl at the far end, waving again.
“Wait!” Kate called out, taking a step forward.
Smiling, the girl hurried around the next corner.
After glancing back over her shoulder toward the guesthouse for a moment, Kate finally realized she had no choice but to follow the girl. She made her way quickly along the alley, which was lined on either side by high stone walls, before reaching the next turn and spotting the girl up ahead, waving once again.
“Hey!” Kate called to her. “Can we -”
Before she could get another word out, the girl laughed and then ran out of view.
“Wait!” Kate shouted, running along the alley until she reached the spot where the girl had been standing. Looking around the next turn, she saw that it led to nothing more than a dead-end with a metal door set into the wall. After glancing back to make sure she wasn't being followed, she headed to the door and tried the handle, only to find that it was locked, although the door itself was rickety and seemed as if it would fall down in a strong gust of wind.
Nearby, the bells of the local church ran for noon. Another half a day lost.
Taking a step back, Kate looked up at the top of the wall. After a moment, she reached up and grabbed the top, before starting to haul herself up. She almost slipped a couple of times, before finally managing to reach the top. When she looked over the wall, she saw that there was a small, enclosed orchard on the other side with orange trees filling the space, and the little girl was crouched in one of the corners, apparently picking weeds that had grown through cracks in the stone floor.
“Hey!” Kate hissed, trying to climb up a little higher before finally making it to the top of the wall. Staying in place for a moment, she watched the little girl. “Hey, up here!”
Slowly, the girl turned to look up at her.
“Did you want something?” Kate asked. “Why did you throw that rock at me?”
The girl raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, before slowly starting to smile.
“How did you get through the -” Pausing, Kate looked back down into the empty alley, before realizing that she'd come too far to turn back. Swinging
her legs over the wall, she dropped down into the courtyard and then took a couple of steps toward the girl, wincing a little as she felt a flash of pain in her still-damaged ankles. “My name's Kate. Kate Langley. What's your name?”
The girl looked back down at the weeds in her hands.
“That's a very pretty dress you're wearing,” Kate continued, crouching next to her. “I wish I'd had one like that when I was your age.”
The girl paused, before holding the weeds out to her.
“For me?” Kate asked, before taking the tattered leaves. “Thank you.”
“Emily,” the girl replied.
“Emily? That's a nice name.”
“You're pretty.”
“Thanks,” Kate replied. “I'm not sure...” She paused. “Can I ask you a question?”
Emily stared at her for a moment, before nodding.
“Why did you throw a rock at me just now? Did you want to get my attention?”
Another nod.
“And why's that?”
“I...”At this, Emily paused again, before looking over at a small door that led from the orchard into a nearby house. “I wanted to know if...” After a moment, her voice trailed off.
“If what?” Kate asked.
Emily turned back to her. “I throw rocks at lots of people,” she said finally. “I want to know if they can see me.”
“If they can see you? Why wouldn't anyone be able to see you?”
“I don't know,” Emily replied. “But if you can see me, and if other people can see you, then you can tell my mother that I love her.”
Kate frowned. “I can?”
“Please,” Emily continued. “I've tried, but she doesn't know I'm here.”
“What do you mean?” Kate asked. “Why -”
Before she could finish, she heard a latch turning nearby. Glancing at the door, she saw it open as a woman stepped through. With long blonde hair tied back into a bun, she immediately bore a striking resemblance to the little girl.
“I thought I heard a voice out here,” she said cautiously. “Can I help you?”