Call of the Raven (3 page)

To the cemetery, there appeared to be no end.
Its depth and width spread over many acres of family owned land,
mirroring the vastness of Asher’s misery. Rain fell as he walked
along the lonesome rows, plastering his hair to his head. The
shadowy outlines of the many jagged stones rose up hauntingly
around him like whispers from the unfortunate souls entombed there
within the cold ground—every last rotting corpse only serving to
remind him that hope too was dead.

The temperature had dropped rapidly over the
last couple of hours and now the garden’s mud puddles were covered
in a thin layer of brittle ice. Asher felt drained, pushed to
mental exhaustion. Stopping in the center, the very spot he had
last seen Grant alive, he looked heavenward. The tiny cold pricks
of numerous snowflakes fell upon his face and eyelids. He licked
them from his lips. A sudden gust of wind slapped his hair about
his face and caused a tingling sensation in his ears and fingers.
The manor loomed before him, a dismal outline under the dull
moon.

Built in the mid-seventeen hundreds out of a
dark unappealing stone, he had never considered the structure to be
a thing of beauty. However, after the newer renovations, he found
the inside walls far more comforting. This night it signified
warmth and security and that’s all that mattered. Moving on, Asher
entered through the kitchen and stood dripping water on the tile
floor, allowing his body to warm up.

Seventeen-year-old Kennedy had fallen asleep
at the table with her head on a towel which she obviously had meant
for him. When he gently pulled it out from under her, she darted
upright.

“It’s only me, girl.” Asher ran the coarse
towel through his hair. Relaxing, she dropped back onto the seat as
a foul odor instantly assaulted his nostrils. “What is that horrid
stench?”

“Well it’s not me,” she said defensively.
“You fired the maid last week, remember? That’s the garbage.”

“The incompetence of this household is
unbelievable.” He shrugged off his wet coat and tossed it over the
table before her. Wiping small droplets of water from her face
Kennedy peered up at him.

“Where’s my brother?” he snapped before she
could open her mouth. She was sizing him up, checking his
disposition. For days, Asher had been perfectly aware that she was
working up to something, and usually that meant money was somehow
involved.

“He’s not home yet and neither is Nixon.”

“Unbelievable.” Slipping off his boots, Asher
left them by the door and walked in his damp socks across the
kitchen floor. “No doubt Ari is entertaining his latest fling and
Nixon is out discovering a new way to break the law. So let me
guess, the one person I least wish to depend on is you, but more
than likely you’ve handled my entire schedule for both this night
and tomorrow.”

“I cancelled the Pillar Council meeting for
tonight, took the brunt end of Linn’s wrath and gave you the day
off tomorrow, but then again, you take every day off.”

Asher leaned up against the doorframe and
regarded her with an observant gaze. “Nixon wanted a car. So, what
is it you want?”

“I want to go on spring break with some
friends to Greece.”

Asher shook his head forcefully. “Out of the
question,” he said.

“Why?”

“I don’t
need
to give you a reason.
The answer is no, so there’s no point in discussing it further.
Now, where’s Madam Linn? I wish to avoid her if I can.” Asher
arched his brow at her obvious pouting and with one quick glance
upward she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Oh, all right, I put her in the guesthouse
instead of upstairs, so you don’t have to worry about running into
her.”

“That means absolutely nothing.” Asher
argued. “Linn just loves to flaunt her authority by roaming free
about the manor at all hours of the night, and she all too
frequently haunts the library. The ideal of that would be favorable
since reading absorbs time that otherwise is spent snooping, but
Linn doesn’t sit and read, she paces and reads. I shouldn’t have to
remind you that the library is above my chambers, and that my
disposition is not pleasant without proper sleep.”

“Funny, I didn’t know sleep had anything to
do with your disposition,” she smartly stated.

Asher let a slow leer cross his lips. He had
to hand it to her, she had guts. “I pray that, at least, my reason
for canceling the meeting was sufficient?”

“I told her it was because of the snowstorm
coming.”

He let his smile turn mocking, “Is there one
coming?”

“Yes, there is a snowstorm coming. I was
getting worried about you, but I know how you are about doing this
every year alone.” Pausing, Kennedy nervously picked at her bright
orange fingernails. “I guess you didn’t find anything this year
either.”

Asher shook his head, figuring if she really
believed the idea possible, she would have asked him the instant he
got back, not several lines of conversation later. In her very
tone, he sensed the doubt, so he chose to redirect the
conversation.

“Did Madam Linn ask where I was?”

“I didn’t say anything about you going to
look for Grant. I didn’t see a reason to tell her. You’re right
though. Ari shouldn’t have scheduled the meeting on the same night.
I told him it was important to you.”

“My brother thinks I’ve lost my mind, and you
really must want to go to Greece pretty badly if you’re defending
me to him.”

Kennedy lowered her eyes to her lap and wiped
the tiny orange specks away that dusted the tops of her jeans.
Throughout their conversation she had nervously picked until every
bit of polish was off the first few fingers of her right hand. She
decided not to respond to the accusation.

“Well, like I said, Linn wasn’t very happy
about you canceling the meeting,” she responded instead.

“Looks like I have two storms coming my
way—the weather and Linn.”

Kennedy, still pouting, didn’t look at him.
“Then Greece really is out of the question?”

“I don’t usually go back on my decisions,
girl. Why question me now?”

“Because you never say no to Nixon,” she
mumbled, causing Asher to turn back in his effort to leave. He
narrowed his eyes on her. “I’m sorry,” she quickly added. “I didn’t
mean that.”

“Oh, but you did,” he laughed. “Because you
know that you’re right. I’ll make a deal with you. The day you can
stand in front of me without fear and ulterior motive and explain
the reasons why I cave so easily to him, I’ll personally hand you
and your friends first class tickets to any place in the world you
wish to go. Do we have a deal?”

This time, Kennedy looked him in the eyes and
even though she was clearly puzzled, she nodded anyway. “Fine, I
guess I’ll go to bed now.” She scraped the chair across the floor,
giving Asher the impression that she felt the conversation was a
waste of time.

Shaking his head, he pointed to the full
garbage can. “Not until you get rid of that smell first.”

“Asher,” she moaned to his retreating back,
“do I really have to?”

“Ulterior and motive, those were the
operative words in the above sentence, girl,” he yelled back. “So
yes, you do. Oh, and thanks for the day off.”

At the sound of her loud grunt of protest, he
climbed the servant’s stairs. Each excruciating step caused him to
realize just how weary he was, both physically
and
mentally.
Locking himself in his room, Asher stripped out of his wet clothes,
pulled on his robe and crossed to the window to look outside. Snow
was falling now, steady and fast. Asher hated Indiana weather. Even
in March, when the dogwoods were budding and the green tips of
tulips and daffodils were poking through the thawing ground, there
was still the potential for frost, or worse, snow.

There were no lights from an approaching
vehicle, no one walking on the long drive. Nothing that told him
his brother would be arriving home anytime soon and the thought
bothered him. But then again, why should he worry when this night
was no different than any other night when Ari had chosen to take
advantage of his room at the Plaza Hotel.

Asher’s eyes drifted upward to the black sky.
He had based his whole life around the lunar calendar. Each phase
of the moon affected shifters differently—this night as both Keeper
and the wolf, the influence on him was great.

Even when his magic was at its pinnacle, the
dead moon still managed to clutter his mind and leave him
vulnerable to his emotions. Yet, even in knowing this, he still
found no peace. Convinced that something else was wrong, Asher
pulled away from the window. He felt it in the magic that circled
his body, a forewarning of the unexpected.

***

Snow, heavy and
thick, danced in the
headlights and blew fiercely across the road. The wind buffeted the
Nissan to the right. Even with windshield wipers on full blast, Ari
Lake could no longer see the dividing line, but he hadn’t passed
anyone for miles. Any other time with a snowstorm threatening, he
would have stayed in his room at the Plaza. But of all nights,
there would have to be a prearranged Pillar Council meeting and one
Ari, at least, considered being a matter of importance. He
definitely considered it more significant than balancing dollars
for corporate. Asher, however, hadn’t seen things that way.

Running late, Ari pressed on the accelerator.
In addition to running Lake Inc., he handled every facet of his
brother’s affairs. Ari wondered if Asher truly knew the great
burden he forced him to carry on a daily basis. His neglect of his
people and his avoidance of his duties as Keeper was getting out of
hand.

Ari simply had to get to that meeting.

Yawning from several sleepless nights, he
leaned forward and pushed in his favorite Breaking Benjamin CD,
believing the music would help him stay alert. The motor roared and
the tires locked in protest as he turned sharply into a curve. He
was going to be late for the meeting, but not that late. Had Asher
actually picked up his phone, maybe then he wouldn’t have to hurry.
Ari cursed and hit his fisted hand on the steering wheel. Who was
he kidding? He knew his brother far too well. He knew exactly why
Asher didn’t want the Pillar Council meeting to take place
tonight.

“Damn you, Asher, I bet you’re out there right now
walking in this storm, chasing after Grant’s ghost. But I’m not
going to worry about you. You’ve given me enough to worry
about.”

Ari could feel it in his bones though, an instinct
for danger. Linn had managed to get in touch with him just as he
was leaving the office. After talking with her, he was even more
convinced that troubled was lurking. But, unless he could persuade
Asher that there was a problem, he was powerless to help him. The
car slid and Ari fought to stay on the road. He eased back on the
pedal, breathing in a much relieved breath once it was over.
Heck with the meeting
, Ari thought. Why should he worry if
Asher refused to listen?

He ran a hand along the steering wheel. The car
wasn’t a Lamborghini, but it was new, and he happened to like it.
Just then, Ari saw something outside his car window.

Oddly, it looked like a large flock of birds that
appeared to be chasing after him. Hitting a patch of ice, he tried
to steer into the skid. His car faded toward the ravine and drifted
off the gravel shoulder. He saw the tree and felt the car gaining
momentum, but there was nothing he could do. Bracing for impact,
the car hit hard and painfully drove Ari’s head into the steering
wheel.

Blood dripped into his right eye as he fought to
remain conscious, but he knew it was a losing battle. Hearing a
vehicle approaching and figuring help was on the way, Ari gave in
and let darkness overtake him.

C
hapter Two

Intrusion

Asher shivered uncontrollably
as a
deep and penetrating frosty chill drifted down his collar. He
sensed danger, and at its core, he felt Ari. Going to his bed he
sat down and picked up the phone, but finding there was no dial
tone, he put it back in place with a frustrated curse. He needed to
find his cellphone, and that’s what upset him most. Somewhere below
a door slammed and thinking it might be Ari, Asher crept to the
door. Gently, so not to be detected by whoever it might be, he
flipped the locks and stepped out of his room. Voices drifted up
from the first floor but none belonged to his brother.

Gliding quietly over the carpet in his bare
feet, Asher walked to the end of the dark hall and peered down over
the stair railing to the foyer below. He couldn’t identify the two
men. However, he did distinguish the woman. She was the current
thorn in his side, the leader of the Pillar Council, Madam Linn
Rush. All too often her voice implied sweetness, but underneath
Asher sensed the ice. As he suspected, Kennedy’s decision to place
her in the guesthouse proved useless.

“The meeting has been cancelled,” she
announced. “Asher’s using his brother’s absence and the weather as
an excuse. I told you not to come.”

“Madam Linn, time is of essence.”

“Time, Asher knows nothing of time,” Linn
laughed, “and that reason alone is it’s the one thing he has no
control over. Now go, both of you before he sees you.”

The front door opened as the unexpected guest
departed and Asher felt a gust of cold wind rush up the stairs to
greet him, causing him to shiver violently.

Desiring to seek out the warmth of his
fireplace, he pulled his robe tighter and headed for his office
when a shadow on the opposite side of the hall caught his
attention. Oddly enough, he thought he recognized the ringtone on
his missing cellphone. Small, brown and furry, realizing it had
been sighted; the rat scurried along the baseboard until it
disappeared from sight. Not, however, before Asher noticed his
cellphone sticking out of its mouth.