The Unkindness of Ravens

by Cory Huff

  By the time the afternoon came, she was feeling quite well. She decided it was time to see what was happening in Atania if her dream was coming to fruition yet. She was going to live, so she needed to figure out what to do next, and where she could be of service. She had a lot to make up for Mindee’s misdeeds.

  Dubhaine headed out. The goblin camp, led by a mean, cunning, gnarled veteran goblin warrior named Sand, was nearby. Despite her low estimation of her woodcraft, she was still able to approach the goblin camp unseen. The same misshapen tents were strung up, attached to any nearby tree limb. They were lolling about, napping. Nobody to murder right now, she supposed.

  She watched as Grok, the smallest of Sand’s band of bug-eyed, dark green murderers, played with some object. It looked like an egg made out of smooth, glossy, jet-black stone. Grok was studying it carefully, patiently. He seemed to be tracing something on the surface of the stone. He traced it over and over again. Dubhaine had a sudden realization that he was tracing a central line, with fine lines coming off of it like little tick marks. The short hairs went up on the back of her neck. He was trying to read some magical object inscribed with an Ogham invocation.

  During her time at the Bard’s College, Dubhain had never met a goblin who was capable of invoking the Ogham. Their tribes in the Kjeldoran mountains had shamans who could invoke their hedge magic, but nothing as powerful as the Ogham. There had been one goblin bard who had studied at the college and learned a great deal of music and storytelling, but as far as she knew, he had never mastered the ability to invoke the Ogham reliably. What was his name?

  Suddenly Grok let out a little squeak and clapped his hands over his mouth. The stone was floating in the air in front of his head, just above forehead height, an inch away from his skin. Dubhain watched, holding her breath, as Grok stood up and the floating stone moved with him, maintaining its relative floating position. Grok nearly crossed his eyes trying to see the stone. It was comical. Grok turned in a circle, towards her and she drew deeper back behind the tree she was using for cover.

  The slapping of goblin feet on the forest floor caught both of their attention as a scout ran toward Sand, who had bolted up at the sound of running feet. Sand stood up as one of his spindly warriors rushed into the camp and began babbling in their language. Dubhain could only make out a few words. Perhaps warrior? Weapons. He was distressed. She saw Grok pocket the stone and walk into camp as the rest of the warriors gathered up their arms and prepared to move out.

  Dubhaine decided she would follow them.

  9. Don't Go Out at Night

  Sophronia walked back from her strange encounter with Jannon, the mysterious dark-robed figure she had met today in Ghealdar. It was getting late. She felt energized. Liam had his tutor, and she had hers. But hers would be secret. She would wait for Liam to reveal what he knew, and then she would show him what she had learned, and he would be astonished. He was not going to outpace her. Not when she had already put this much work into mastering the Ogham.

  She felt a slight twinge of guilt at what Jannon had asked her to do, but what harm was there in observing and reporting? She would tell Jannon everything, and she would have her teacher. Whatever the price was, it wouldn’t come back on Liam. If it looked like Liam was going to get hurt, she could warn him.

  She tried not to think about what it meant that Jannon had observed them unseen and followed them here to Ghealdar.

  Up ahead, she saw Aidan sprinting towards her. She sighed. Then she smiled. He was young, and he was so full of energy. His sorrow over his father hung over him like a cloud, so it was amusing to see him so enthusiastic as he ran up to her.

  “Are you ok? Where have you been? I’ve been out looking for you for half the day! You don’t look hurt. You doing ok?” He breathed hard between each sentence. He finally stopped, staring at her. She marveled at how he was so open and unguarded. After spending the day with such a mysterious figure, the difference between Aidan and Jannon was so glaring that Sophronia had to laugh. Aidan looked confused. “What?” He asked. Sophronia just laughed harder.

  “Aidan,” she said after a moment, “I’m sorry for getting snappy with you back on the Thir. It’s been a stressful time for all of us. I’ve had a change of heart. I think you’re great. I think Liam studying with Badb is going to turn out for the best.”

  Aidan looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “What? What happened? Did you eat a mushroom out here?”

  Sophronia smiled again. “No, Aidan. I’m just feeling inspired. It’s been a good day to be out…walking and thinking, I guess.”

  “We should get back. It’s getting late.” Said Aidan. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  Sophronia nodded, and they both started back to their safe house.

  Just as they were returning, with the sun dimming behind the buildings of Ghealdar, they saw Liam. He was walking briskly. He also had a bird on his shoulder: a tiny, dull, brown finch, not more than two inches long. It cocked its head as Liam approached them and they all came to a halt in front of the house. He looked at Sophronia warily.

  She held up a placating hand, “I’m sorry Liam. Truly. I found it frustrating that Badb would not teach me, but I’ve made my peace with it. How did it go?” She looked at the finch pointedly. “Is this your new familiar?”

  Liam seemed to take her apology in stride. “This is...Ean.”

  They all looked at Ean for a moment. The tiny finch looked at each of them in turn. It hopped around on Liam’s shoulder and took in the rest of the street. It jumped back around and then flew to the house’s front door, landing in front of the closed door and chirping once.

  Sophronia and Aidan looked back at Liam. He shrugged his shoulders. “Uh, Badb said she was sending someone back to Atania with me. We’re supposed to leave tomorrow morning.”

  “What?” Sophronia and Aidan spoke in unison.

  “We should get inside before darkness comes,” responded Liam, ignoring their astonishment. “We don’t want to be outside if whatever happened last night happens again.” He gestured across the street, where a raven had just landed. “Looks like its already starting. The sun is almost set.”

  Liam stepped up to the front porch and turned the door handle, pushing the door open. Just as he did, the raven across the street cawed loudly. Ean hopped up into the air and flew inside. Sophronia entered right behind Liam and suddenly ducked as the sparrow flew out the door and directly at the raven perched across the road on a rotted windowsill.

  As soon as the raven saw the sparrow coming, it launched itself into the air, cawing loudly. The high pitched tweets of the sparrow sounded angry as it chased the raven into the sky. Liam, Aidan, and Sophronia all looked at each, a little stunned. Aidan spoke first, “What just happened?” The birds were climbing rapidly. Ean was a tiny little speck darting at the raven’s tail feathers. The raven kept turning, trying to use its size to intimidate the enraged sparrow, but the diminutive bird flew around the raven and continued pecking and plucking. More ravens appeared, flying up from other roosts in the city.

  Liam called out, “Ean, come back.” His voice lacked authority. Sophronia nearly laughed as a mix of emotions passed over Liam’s face. He had no idea how to put a stop to this. Not that she did either. She’d never seen anything like this.

  Things looked grim for the little sparrow. It was under attack from multiple angles. But the little bird flew heroically, performing seemingly impossible acrobatics as it darted between the birds. Their battle carried them down the street as the sun finally set, and the moon illuminated the birds.

  Liam stepped back out into the street. “Ean,” he yelled, “Stop? This is ridiculous. That sparrow is going to be killed by ravens, and I’ve only had him for a few hours.”

  He jogged a few steps, yelling again, “Ean! Come back! Stop!”

  Sophronia spoke loudly, “Liam, get back inside. We’re all in danger after sundown, remember?”

  Liam nodded and looked at the two of th
em. “I was told not to lose Ean. It’s a test. I can’t just leave him to his fate.”

  The wind had begun to pick up. It smelled like rain. The sound of birds cawing suddenly became much louder. Aidan spoke, “Liam, look!” He was pointing back at the sky. They all looked up and realized that the air was filling with crows. They were rising into the sky, chasing the ravens and Ean. There were hundreds of them. Thousands.

  As the murder of crows converged in the sky, darkness quickly descended. The birds blotted out the moonlight as Sophronia watched.

  Aidan heard the screams. Sophronia knew because she heard him whisper, “Oh, Creator. Not again.” Her guts twisted at the fear in his voice.

  He shouted at Sophronia and Liam, “It’s happening again! The screams! We have to get inside!”

  The crows quickly overtook the ravens, and the ravens disappeared, quickly annihilated in the maelstrom of crow beaks and talons. Ean disappeared as well. Sophronia spotted a helpless look on his face as he watched. It had been just hours, and he certainly couldn’t face Badb now.

  The crows banked and wheeled, screaming out their bloodthirsty triumph as they narrowed their flight into a line that fit between the houses. They flew down the street at chest height, straight at Liam. They were perhaps a hundred feet away. Liam turned and sprinted for the house, making it the front door just a step behind Sophronia. Aidan slammed the door shut behind them and there were immediately numerous thumps as the birds rammed into the closed door.

  All three of them stared in horror as the thumps continued, unabated. It sounded like a torrential thunderstorm. Then they started when the front windows started shaking. The birds were flying into the windows. Sophronia pulled back a curtain just as another bird hit, and the sound made her flinch. Another bird immediately flew at the window. She saw it break its neck and fall to the ground just as another one hit. This one didn’t break its neck, but instead clawed and scrabbled at the window. It’s black eyes locked on Sophronia’s, and she shivered.

  The bird she was watching didn’t have time to move as another bird ran into it from behind, then another and another. The window showed a tiny crack, the length of the top digit of her pinky. It grew as another bird hit. “We have a problem,” she said, her voice strained. “They’re breaking the window. If they get inside, they’re going to tear us limb from limb.”

  “Get upstairs. Close that curtain and get upstairs. Maybe we can hold the birds at the door,” Said Liam. They all scrambled upstairs back into the bedroom where they hid the previous night.

  Aidan shut the door behind them. They could hear the thumping and cracking glass downstairs. He grinned, “I’m beginning to think coming here was a bad idea. Maybe we should go back.”

  Liam looked at him like he was crazy. Sophronia chuckled. Then she laughed, and Liam shushed both of them. “They’ll hear us up here.”

  “They know we’re in here, Liam,” said Sophronia. “Crows are smart. They’re not going to let this go. We have to get out before they figure out how to get in this room.”

  Aidan spoke, “we can’t go outside, can we? Whatever was out there last night might sweep us up into the battle that rages in the city at night.”

  Sophronia considered for a moment, “We either take our chances in the city, or we wait for the crows to find this other window. What would you rather do?”

  Aidan looked at Liam, who shrugged.

  “OK, let’s go and find a new place to hide,” said Aidan.

  She crossed the room to the back window, which looked over a back alley that continued for several houses away from here. She opened the window and looked out. “No crows on this side. Should we run for it?”

  Aidan nodded. Liam shook his head, “How will we get down?”

  “It’s only a second story, Liam. We can just lower ourselves and drop the final 10 feet. No big deal” said Aidan.

  Liam shook his head, “I’ll break my leg.”

  The glass shattered downstairs.

  Liam immediately said, “Show me how to do it.”

  Sophronia opened the window all the way. With the sun down and just the moon shining, it was difficult to see anything, let along the ground. It was large and easy to fit. She went out feet-first, belly down until she was holding herself up by her arms. She looked down, took a breath, and let go. She rolled into a backward somersault when she landed and came up to her feet in the alley. She immediately gestured down her arm, invoking the Ogham. She took a few steps down the lane to look around the front of the house.

  Liam shook his head. “You go next,” he gestured to Aidan.

  “I bring up the rear. That’s how this works Liam,” Aidan was trying to be heroic as hundreds of crows filled the front room downstairs. Sophronia simultaneously wanted to roll her eyes and record the moment for a story. They heard the thumps as the birds flew into walls and furniture. Their croaks and caws sounded downright demonic when accompanied by the unholy accompaniment of the screams of death outside.

  Liam shook his head again but went. He awkwardly lifted himself into the windowsill. He was plenty strong enough, but he had very little experience climbing or tumbling. He awkwardly got his knees under him, belly down on the windowsill, and then slowly lowered himself. He grunted, “here goes” and let himself fall the 10 feet to the ground. He swung his legs as he fell and landed awkwardly on his ankle. He felt a sharp pain. He tried rolling but just ended up sprawled out and humiliated. Nothing hurt seriously though, so that was good.

  Aidan landed next to him, lightly, and didn’t even roll. He helped Liam up and turned to follow Sophronia. Liam tried following him but came up limping. Aidan noticed and stopped to wait for him. Liam waived him forward, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Go.” He glanced nervously at the house as they moved away from it as quickly as they could. Aidan kept glancing back as he followed Sophronia. Liam figured out how to hobble after him.

  Sophronia was watching them, her distraction glamour active as she stalked down the street. The glamour would cause people’s eyes to slide right by her, knowing they saw her but not registering it. Thus she avoided notice when the blonde, silver-armored woman marched by her, blade bare, face intent on dealing death. She wanted to greet Badb, but some instinct held her back.

  Aidan noticed Badb approaching and called out, “Badb! Can you help us? The crows…”

  “Are my hounds. They will feast on your flesh,” she spoke in a flat voice, “after I drink your blood.” She snarled as she lunged forward with her sword, directly thrusting at Aidan’s heart.

  Sophronia barely avoided gasping as Aidan’s quick reflexes allowed him to dodge to the side. He wasn’t quite fast enough, but his chain shirt stopped the weapon from piercing him as it glanced off of his side. Aidan drew his shortsword and ax in time to stop her backswing in a cross-block. Even overextended as she was, her swing made Aidan wince when it connected with his block.

  Badb snarled, and she saw long fangs that she didn’t have earlier in the day. Indeed, her entire visage transformed from a beautiful, otherworldly creature to one of rage and horror. Her nose had grown to a hawkish, ridged, point. Her skin was still pale, but had a forest green tinge to it, as if seeing a tree through dirty glass. Her hair was wild and ragged. Her eyes were tinged with red. They were wide, to the point that her eyeballs seemed to be bulging from her tiny face. “Badb, what’s going on? What are you doing?” pleaded Liam.

  Badb ignored Liam and pushed against Aidan’s crossed weapons. He grunted and held his ground. She smiled, her new, massive fangs were grotesquely prominent. They appeared to have pushed the rest of her teeth crooked. She lined up her feet directly opposite Aidan and shoved hard. Aidan flew back, leaving his feet. The air was blasted from his lungs as he hit the stone wall of an alleyway fence, and he didn’t move.

  Liam ran to Aidan, “Badb stop!” Badb grabbed Liam’s wrist, twisting it upright and driving down. Sophronia saw the bone in his forearm snap, and he screamed in agony. Badb tossed him aside like a rag doll. />
  Sophronia ran straight at Badb, inwardly wincing when she heard Liam’s arm snap. She drove her dagger straight into Badb, just under the armpit where the fighting manual said plate armor had a gap. Badb snarled in rage and pain. She whirled around, and Sophronia backpedaled. She must not have stabbed the exact right spot. The manual said a blow like that would cripple or kill anyone. Then again, Badb was a legendary Sidhe general. Perhaps the same rules of anatomy didn’t apply here.

  Sophronia backpedaled more as Badb looked around for the source of her pain. Sophronia thought that her glamour should give her an advantage here. Badb wouldn’t be able to look at her. She circled behind her, to be sure.

  She saw Liam rise back to his feet. He had a look of determination on his face, and he flung his hand out at Badb. She felt a rush and tingle as Liam’s unpredictable control of the Ogham again manifested in a thunderous blast of energy, hitting Badb directly in the back. Last time he fully opened up to the Ogham, he had collapsed a cavern. The time before that, he flung Mindee off of an embankment, throwing her more than twenty feet. The energy slammed into Badb with the full force and fury that Liam could manage.

  Badb stumbled forward several steps, dropping her sword.

  Sophronia sprung into action. She charged forward and leaped to stab the fey general in the back of the neck. Just as her foot left the ground, she realized her mistake. Badb caught her mid-air, one hand around Sophronia’s neck, the other grabbing her right hand where the dagger was. Her grip was crushing, and Sophronia immediately panicked as that grip choked off her airway entirely. Badb grinned, “I’ll drink your blood after I deal with your friend.” She ripped the dagger from Sophronia’s hand, breaking two fingers in the process. She turned and looked at Liam, “Night time is my time. Time to die, half-breed.”

  Badb ignored Sophronia’s struggles as she bent to pick up her sword. Sophronia kicked, punched, scratched, and struggled, but the little fey general might as well be made of stone.