Raven (19 page)

“
This seems too easy.” I read into his pleasure. “What is it you think you will trick me with this time?” I tried to read through his lies.

“
Darling girl, if I were pleased, you would see me
smile.
I am content is all. I rarely visit the surface, so what harm does it do me?”

I smirked. “Like I said, though, everyone must leave, even the angels, unless sent to collect souls. You will have no part, or no way of knowing what is happening here in this world. You will be severed from it for all eternity.”

I saw Ariana’s expression turn sour. Clearly she wanted to find a way to work things in their favor. She tried to get Nicholas to look at her once more, but he refused. “Very well.”

Ariana let one annoyed breath leave her perfect mouth.

“
Silence,
Ariana,” Nicholas snapped, swinging his hand in an attempt to slap her—he missed. “You have your deal. Just fulfill the
prophecy.
” He spit as he said ‘prophecy’, as though jealous of its very creation.

I saw Sam look at Edgar with frantic eyes, but Edgar did not respond. Sam looked at me instead. “Elle, are you sure about this?” His eyes seemed frantic, but I looked away.

“
Sam, this is the deal and it’s final.
Margriete—
” I barked. “Hand me your journal.” I had seen her slip her gold journal into her belt before we left, and I remember thinking that it had been the perfect thing to use as a contract. The pages were strong.

Margriete was quick to slip it from her belt and hand it to me. I placed the book on the table, running hand slowly across the cover before hastily flipping it open and turning to the back. I found a blank page, and with a powerful snap, I ripped it from the spine. It took all my strength to do so, the paper laced with real gold. I then reached for one of Edgar’s feathers, plucking it from his large protruded wings. I touched the feather to the paper as the page before me begun to write up a contract, filling it with words, faster than I could write.

On this day, the 11th of August, in the year two thousand and ten, the world of the gods has agreed to leave the surface of Earth for all of eternity, except when transporting souls to Heaven. Only then can a magical soul enter, and even so, only the angels are allowed. I will repeat, no god is to ever see this land again. Furthermore, under no circumstances, but the above mentioned, may they leave Heaven, and under no circumstances may magic return to the surface, or act to rule over the Human race. This is a binding contract, signed by the bloodlines of both the gods of Heaven and the human beings they have created. This contract is under the ownership of the humans alone, and will never be allowed to fall into magical hands, ever again. If the contract is broken, one or both parties may rebut their claim in a court of Heaven, and proper and fair punishment will follow.

Effective August 15th, 2010.

All Sales are Final.

I tilted my head in question of the last part, but figured it was okay in the end. Satisfied, I took Edgar’s feather, touching the sharp tip to my finger and drawing a small bead of blood as I punched it through the skin. I let the blood fill the quill of the feather like a rich red ink. I placed the tip of the feather against the page and signed my name, the blood seeping into the gold and creating a deep ridge. I plucked another feather from Edgar as he winced with an angered face. I handed the contract and the fresh feather to Nicholas, instructing him to do the same.

Nicholas took the page with a wary hand, looking it over and then looking at me. I sat still, my jaw clenched and my head spinning. He followed my lead, punching the feather into his finger. As I watched, I saw that the blood was black, indicating the true color of his heart. He showed me the bleeding finger as proof, and then signed the page. He set the feather down when he was finished, shoving it back toward me with a frown.

“
It is done,” he added.

I took the page in my hands, rolling the thick foil in my grasp. “Thank you.” Satisfied, I stood.

He reached over and grabbed the cigar from the stout man’s mouth, putting it in his own and inhaling deeply. He held the smoke in his lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling. “Edgar, Sam, Margriete—
Elle
—we’ll see you soon.” He nodded once more and I took it as our cue to leave.

Sam and Margriete stood, turning without a second look and walking beside me through the archway and back into the forest. As our feet crossed the threshold, the small castle began to implode. Folding in and on itself until nothing but a marble remained. I watched as it rolled vigorously back to the cave where it disappeared. The gryphons resumed their stance beside the cave, no longer concerned by us. I smiled, looking at Edgar. He smiled as well, though there was something about it that seemed off, something that was missing. Perhaps it was the fact that he would miss it here.

WALK HOME

Edgar

“
Hey,” Sam barked, walking up beside me as Elle and Margriete walked on in front of us. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves, the air filled with their happiness. “Are you alright with this?”

I nodded.

Sam exhaled and looked to the ground. “I know the risk here. I know Elle doesn’t quite understand what can happen. I know she thinks about it, though. I hear her mind whisper in her sleep.”

I nodded again, feeling my heart sink. “I just hope that doesn’t happen. I hope things go seamlessly.”

“
The gods are also aware of the same risks we are. That’s why they pressed that particular point.” He was being vague in case anyone overheard. I could see he was trying to keep this conversation amongst us, for once.

I glared at Sam anyway. It wasn’t a subject I really wanted to address, either.

“
Oh, chill. I bet everything will be fine.” Sam rolled his eyes away from mine.

Elle was so worried about what happened to us, that she barely cared about what happened to her. I knew that either way she would be safe, either way she would have someone there. This was the part I had dreaded, though, and the root of the reason behind my faltering mood and lies.

I nodded once more as Elle turned. “Hey, hurry up. I want to get back so that we can have a few more night of fun before you all have to leave. I want to enjoy this!” She bounced in the air, happiness seeping from her as though nothing were wrong. She made it seem like a vacation, a mere week or two away. I didn’t blame her for thinking that way at all. How else do you cope with such a burden?

I smiled. I was glad that she had struck her bargain, and happy that she would at last find her peace. There was nothing I could do but love her, and hope that it was enough to guide her back to me in the end.

THE BLACKOUT

Estella

“
Edgar?” The room was dark, the wind roaring outside. “Edgar?” I whispered louder, shaking him awake.

“
Hmm.” He moved, rolling over.

“
Edgar, I’m scared.”

He took a deep breath. I saw his eyes blink open in the dark, glimmering with whatever light filtered into the room. “Elle, don’t worry.”

I let a sharp breath leave my lips. I was wide awake, finding it annoying that he could sleep at a time like this.

I felt his hand grasp my wrist then, his fingers cold as they felt the bones that were beneath. My heart rate slowed and his energy entered my body like a drug, making every fear dissipate. “Is that better?”

I nuzzled against his body. “Yes, but still, I’m frightened. I’m afraid of what will happen. What if it kills me?”

Edgar’s palm traced up my arm. “You will be fine, darling. I promise.”

His words brought me comfort, and as I lay against his body, I felt as he relaxed and his breathing became shallow. He fell back to sleep, leaving me once again in silence. I watched the shadows as though something was there. I pulled my arm out from under Edgar’s grasp, looking at it, wondering where the power was.

It was then that a light flashed across the floor of my room, leaking in from under the door. I carefully lifted my head to look, sliding away from Edgar and to the side of the bed. I watched the light, as the dust from the room rose through the single ray. The light moved then, fading as though to leave. I looked back at Edgar as he let out a heavy sigh of dreaming. Content that he was still asleep, I slid my feet from the bed, gently placing them on the chilly floor. I let my nightgown fall around me as I stood, walking away from Edgar on tiptoes.

Reaching the door, I saw the light almost completely fade. My anxiety to follow grew. As slowly as I could, I placed my hand on the handle, opening the door and poking my head out to inspect. My eyes met the source of the light then, and a smile grew on my face. The prophecy was floating at the top of the stairs, its light a welcoming glow.

I stepped out, turning to shut the door of my room behind me. I waited for the gentle click of the latch, then let go. I turned back to the prophecy and it floated toward me.

“
Hi,” I whispered, reaching up and tapping the top of the cube with my fingers. The prophecy twisted from side to side with apparent happiness. I let out a gentle chuckle, wiggling my toes against the floor. The prophecy turned then, and floated away from me. I watched, wondering where it was going when it turned back, as though to urge me to follow.

Curious, I did as it wanted, walking down the stairs as the prophecy made its way to library. I rounded into the room, watching as the prophecy continued forward and out into the greenhouse that I had all but abandoned. The prophecy’s light reflected of the glass wall, beautiful as it filled the room with a blue green glow. I watched as the prophecy moved over a few of the tables, swaying down toward the dirt in waves.

“
What?” I asked, wondering what it was trying to say. “Do you want me to grow you something?”

The prophecy shot upward with a sharp swing, as though to show excitement. Then it bobbed up and down and I smiled, enjoying this more than I was enjoying my attempts to fall asleep. I walked up to the table, running my hand through the barren dirt as a trail of small poppies grew behind my touch.

The prophecy’s light grew bright and cheerful, shaking with joy. I chuckled as the sound echoed off the glass and back to me. The prophecy moved to the next table, making the same side to side swaying movement. I followed its lead, moving to the next table where I buried my hand deep inside the dirt. I rubbed my pointer finger and thumb together. A seed grew between them and I left it behind, pulling my hand from the soil, a vine following fast behind it. I smiled wide as the seed grew into a large sunflower that grazed the ceiling, the head of the flower at least a foot across. The sunflower’s seeds began to shed from it, sprouting in the nearby dirt and creating a whole grove of yellow. The prophecy glowed even brighter then, picking up excitement as it circled the room and ceiling, finally resting near a pot in the corner.

“
Oh, I see what you’re saying,” I sang.

I tiptoed over to the pot beneath the prophecy, the pads of my feet gathering up the dirt that was on the ground. I knelt down beside the pot as the prophecy watched over my shoulder. I dug both hands deep inside, the dirt reaching my elbows. I pinched my fingers together once more, leaving two bulbs behind. I quickly pulled my hand out as the plants shot skyward, bright purple clematis blooming across the ceiling and latching onto the grids of the glass.

The prophecy spun then, following the vines as they continued to spread, outlining the frame of the door and causing the echo in the room to fade. I had forgotten the beauty in this world. Forgotten what a flower even looked like. All summer it had rained, the plants dying. But here, looking at all this, you would think all that was nothing more than a bad dream. I pulled myself off the ground, wiping my sodden hands on my nightgown and leaving it covered in dirt.

I approached another table that was full of small pots in every size and color. I touched the tip of my finger to each as a different type of perennial bloomed behind me, in every color imaginable.

The fun began to snowball, and I moved on to the next table. Here, I grew my favorite plant, the purple clover. I waved my hand, allowing it to spread across the whole table as the small lavender flower and deep purple leaves grew larger than ever. The prophecy continued to dance about, growing brighter and brighter by the second. I was dancing now, too, imaginary music playing in my mind. It was then that I saw the prophecy begin to shake. I watched the light inside it grow brighter and brighter, like a burning sun.

I stopped dancing, the flowers continuing to spread around me, filling the room with fragrance and color. The prophecy was shaking faster now, and I felt my heart begin to race, my eyes growing wide as I watched it. I didn’t understand what was happening. What had I done? My feet were flat against the moist greenhouse floor, the feeling of grit and gravel between my toes. My hands were stiff at my sides, my nails blackened. The smell of earth filled my nostrils as I puffed hard.

The prophecy froze.

I took a deep breath, feeling it fill my lungs in slow motion, oxygen seeping into my blood. I exhaled hard, and it was then that the prophecy flashed, a red light beaming out toward me and filling my mind with thoughts and images.