Raven and the Dancing Tiger
Page 22
"Peter."
Peter whirled, but didn't raise his arms. He already knew who stood there.
Sally.
"It all has to go," Peter told her.
She looked at him warily. Rudi appeared at her shoulder, his eyes liquid brown and appraising.
Peter looked over his shoulder at the prefect, then back at Rudi, who nodded, then went to stand guard over the old man's body while Peter opened the first door.
It was a torture chamber. The charms on the walls screamed at him. Tears, blood, and rage still tainted the room. A dentist's chair with thick restraints sat in one corner. On the far wall was a perch, also with chains attached. A bone saw, still bloodied, lay on the table, along with thumbscrews and other finger vices.
Sally looked around the room, touching the things that Peter couldn't, not without destroying them first. Her eyes were full of tears when she looked back at him. "Yes. Destroy it all."
Peter gladly went to work.
* * *
Peter tore through the rooms, one after another, gleefully destroying all the instruments, tearing apart the padding on the chairs, dismantling every charm. He wished he had a sledgehammer to take to the walls, to collapse the place in on itself. He satisfied himself with complete annihilation of everything that the three rooms held.
After Peter finished the last room, he stood, panting, in the center of the hallway. Prefect Aaron's body had been taken away, and the smell of broken wood, shredded padding, and construction dust covered the scent of his blood. Exhausted, Peter shrank back down to human, though Cai remained close.
Someone coming down the steps drew him back up to full attention, though he didn't reach for his armor.
Prefect Kitridge rounded the corner, then stopped.
Even from where Peter stood, he could see how her hands shook.
Raven-hard eyes surveyed the destruction. Prefect Kitridge carefully stepped into the hallway, paused, grew completely still, then leaned forward, slowly, so just her head passed the threshold of the door to the first room.
She pulled back quickly and looked at Peter. "Thank you," she squawked.
Peter knew it came not just from her, but also from her raven soul.
Prefect Kitridge shook herself, her human soul coming all the way back. "Now you'll have to show them the new way." She jerked her head, indicating the flight of stairs.
"Them?" Peter asked, suddenly threatened.
"The clan. The elders. They've known only the old ways for so long."
"Me?" Peter shook his head. "They won't listen."
"They will now."
Peter took a deep breath, the weight of the coming challenge settling on his shoulders.
The ones who wouldn't listen…well, he wasn't afraid challenge them if he had to. Not anymore.
Cai sent him a strange image, of a nest full of baby ravens, with all their mouths turned toward him. His wings were tired, and he was hungry himself, but he'd never let his babies go hungry.
And Peter knew he could feed them better, feed their souls, help all of them grow up to be full raven warriors.
There should never be another Jesse.
* * *
It was easy to find Sally. All Peter had to do was close his eyes and think of home. There she was, a tug on his heart, drawing him up the stairs.
She sat outside, on the steps leading to the school, looking at the cold half moon staring down at them, listening to unseen ravens carry the news above them. The night smelled like new grass.
Peter sat down next to Sally, who immediately took his hand and looked at it. "It's amazing, what you do. What you are."
Peter leaned over and rested his temple on Sally's shoulder. He knew he didn't have to be worried about her reaction, but he had been.
Cai grew closer as well.
"You need to stay here, don't you," Sally asked without asking.
"Yes," Peter said immediately. The other students deserved the chance to learn how to be full raven warriors, to live without fear, to come into their full inheritance.
He wasn't looking forward to dealing with the elders and the other prefects. At least Prefect Kitridge was on his side, and probably Prefect Becker as well. But there had to be changes. It was what he had always wanted.
"You know, there are a lot of people who need help up here," Peter said, turning his hand in Sally's palm and interlacing their fingers. "Families who need meals and other basics."
"Wyoming has a fairly high poverty ranking," Sally said, nodding. "Plus, other raven clan families who need assistance."
Peter felt himself relaxing even more, leaning on his mate. "I love you more than words can say," he said softly.
Sally chuckled. "I know."
"Marry me?"
"I feel like Wendy, being whisked off to the island of lost boys."
Peter stiffened. No. No more lost boys.
"Of course, I'll marry you," she said, kissing the top of his head. "You're my mate."
"And I'm yours," Peter said. "Both of us."
Cai gave a happy caw as they drew together for another kiss.
The old wounds weren't healed. The mistakes of the previous generation still had to be addressed. But finally, Peter felt like he could do something about it.
Maybe he could change the world. Or at least, his part of it.
About the Author
Leah Cutter's first three novels (Paper Mage, Caves of Buda, and The Jaguar and the Wolf) are all historic fantasies, set in diverse periods of time, such as Tang dynasty China, WWII Budapest, and the Viking era, respectively.
Her recent novels, (Clockwork Kingdom, Zydeco Queen and the Creole Fairy Courts, and The Raven and the Dancing Tiger) are all contemporary fantasies, and set on the Oregon coast, in rural Louisiana, and around the city of Seattle, respectively.
Her short fiction includes fantasy, mystery, science fiction, and horror, and has been published in anthologies and on the web. A collection of her recent short fiction is available in Baker's Dozen. A collection of her mysteries all set in the same future world with a ghost detective are available in The Shredded Veil Mysteries.
Follow this author's blog at www.LeahCutter.com.
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Book Two of the Shadow Wars, The Guardian Hound, is also available.
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