Page 5 of House of the Raven
Just as I think all three of them are about to jump me, the sound of footsteps comes from one end of the alley, and a group of guards appears. They come running down toward us without hesitation.
“This is the leader of the veilfallen,” I scream, pointing at my would-be kidnapper.
There is a big reward for his capture—nothing wrong with giving the guards a bigger incentive to catch him.
River narrows his eyes at me. I stick my thumb between my index and middle finger and give him the fig sign.
“Fuck you,” I mouth.
He reacts not at all. The male has ice in his veins. Instead, he turns around and sprints in the opposite direction, followed by his allies. He doesn’t even limp. They’re gone and out of sight before the guards even make it to where I kneel on the ground.
They stare at me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demand. “Follow them.”
A couple of them bristle at receiving orders from a random citizen. The idiots don’t recognize me.Really?
I pull out the chain that hangs around my neck and show them the Plumanegra key, my family’s symbol. It’s a key shaped like a raven’s feather. When they see it, they salute me.
“Never mind that. Capture them!”
As they rush down the alley, I’m not holding my breath for their capture. I know those cold-blooded criminals are gone. And there’s one more thing I know. I’m in a heap of trouble.
2
RIVER
“This night the fear of never seeing her again devours my bones. I long for your embrace, Radina, my beloved mate.”
Kadewyn Zinceran - Fae Trader - 3 AV
My steps echo across the narrow passage. I would know these musty catacombs even blindfolded. The dank smell comforts me, the same as the torchlight reflecting on the ancient stone walls.
The others walk behind me, keeping their distance, carrying the loot. I hurry my step, eager to see what we got. We need funds to keep financing our efforts, to keep us fed, but I would be lying if I said that is my priority.
At the end of the passage, I walk into a concave chamber, remove my cloak and cowl, and cast them on top of an empty barrel in the corner. A table sits in the middle with many items already strewn on top of it. Obviously, others got here before us. Swiftly, my eyes rove over every single piece of what we’ve plundered.
The disappointment hits me, a familiar jab in the chest. I push it away as, one by one, everyone dumps their takings onto the table. I search once more, and once more, but I don’t find what I’ve been looking for these last twenty years.
“Excellent plundering.” Kadewyn, my second, pats everyone on the back as they pass by and walk deeper into the catacombs. He makes a mental calculation, then asks, “Where are Unmenar and Elassan?”
Besides him, only Calierin and I remain in the alcove. We exchange glances.
Kadewyn used to be a trader before the veil fell. He has a wife and daughter in Tirnanog. He hasn’t lost hope that he’ll see them one day.
“I didn’t see them,” Calierin says, her violet gaze turning dark, the way it does when she fights. She’s an accomplished warrior, a member of the Tuathacath, one of the best fae warrior tribes in all of Tirnanog. She possesses magic capable of toppling buildings, which is useful more often than I’d like to admit. She was stranded in Castella while on a perimeter search of the veil. She was the only one of her regiment to be on the wrong side when the veil disappeared.
Everyone here has a similar story and lives before the veil’s collapse, before we became pariahs in the human realm.
Kadewyn shakes his head, long silver hair swaying. “By the gods, they must be all right.”
Calierin punches a fist into her hand. “We can’t lose any more people. If only we’d gotten that stupid girl. We could have changed so much.”
I grunt in agreement. The Plumanegras are my next target. I’ve been working on a plan to infiltrate their palace for some time now. I’ll get to them sooner rather than later. Though Calierin and Kadewyn know nothing about what’s coming. It is too risky to share.
My head snaps toward the entrance. I hear steps in the distance, but only one set. Some moments later, Elassan stumbles in, hands to his gut, blood seeping through his fingers. Kadewyn catches him and slowly eases him to the floor. We both kneel at his side.
“Get him some feyglen,” Kadewyn says.
