Chronicles of Steele: Raven 3: Episode 3

PAULINE
CREEDEN

CHRONICLES OF STEELE: RAVEN

Episode Three

© 2014 Pauline Creeden

Cover Design Copyright © 2014 by
Alchemy Book Covers

Interior formatting and design by
Marcy Rachel of
Backstrip Publishing

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may
be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or
stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission
of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All
characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious and are products
of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Synopsis:

Episode 3 of a 4 part Steampunk Fantasy set in an alternate
universe. A tenuous alliance and the hunt for a kidnapper. Can sworn enemies
become allies?

Remain open minded.
Watch for change in both people and environs.
When things do not go as expected, be willing to change one's expectations.

R
AVEN HELD NIKKI on a leash and
trudged in the knee deep snow after the three guardsmen. They were so different
one from another. The fair hair and skin of nobility proved Colton’s heritage.
He could almost blend with the snow. In contrast, Rupert’s dark tone rivaled
Raven’s hair. And Captain Jack Grant’s appearance lay somewhere in between,
with his russet hair and green eyes. He stood taller than the other two, but
seemed younger than Rupert. His eyes met hers and she averted her gaze.

The
morning sun cast long shadows from the trees overhead, and reflected off the
snow in clear spots. Rupert stopped and bent low to the ground. “The tracks are
becoming hard to follow. The wind has blown snow into the prints and made them
shallow.”

Raven
shook her head and unhooked the leash from Nikki’s collar. The camel-colored
Great Dane bounded ahead, woofing as she loped over the snow. Raven passed the
men in a jog after the dog. “I suggest we follow her. I’m sure Rupert is a fine
tracker, but I’ve never heard of anyone who could out-track a dog.”

The
guardsmen crunched in the snow after her. Raven’s legs were tired, and her
thighs yelled at her that they wouldn’t be able to keep up this jog for long.
She ignored them, hoping for a second wind as they burned. A flock of
blackbirds took off at the sight of the dog barreling toward them. The ruckus
they made didn’t slow Nikki as she continued bounding across an open field. On
the other side of the clearing, a dark figure stood and bent over an object.

 Raven
bolted toward the other side. Her legs and arms pumped hard as she raced across
the field. The snow had been blown into drifts along the edge of the woods,
making the field itself shallow and ankle-deep rather than half way to her
knee. The easier running helped her gain that second wind.

As
she approached, the hunched over body stood erect and turned toward her. Nikki
reached the person and greeted him with tail wagging.
Monroe!
He pulled
the hood of his cloak from his head and held a stern face in greeting. His eyes
looked past her and focused on the three guardsmen behind. He swept his rags to
the side and exposed the hilt of his sword.

“Stop!”
Raven cried out as she slowed in front of him. “They are with me.”

He
nodded and bent down again. A shock of red hair hinted at who the dark form
might be, half -hidden in a snow drift. Monroe’s blue eyes met hers. “She’s
dead.”

Raven
started. “Did you—”

“No,”
Monroe shook his head and pushed the snow from the woman’s face. “I only got
here a moment before you.”

Grant,
Rupert, and Colton assembled beside them. She felt indignant at their gasping
for air. Did guardsmen not run to stay fit? She shook her head. Grant met her
gaze and offered her half a smile before standing up straight. He nodded toward
the body. “Is there any sign of the young baron or the witch?”

“None.”
Monroe drew up to his feet.

The
body suddenly jerked. It startled the men and caused all four to unsheathe
their weapons. The redhead spoke in a garbled tone, deeper and less feminine
than before. “Mother where are we going? Snow is getting in my joints . . .
can’t . . . keep . . . up.”

It
jerked again and died.

“An
automaton?” Colton stepped forward, studying the body on the ground.

Monroe’s
eyes grew wide and he shook his head. “Her flesh felt cold, but soft and human.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen one which actually looked human.”

Raven
narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “It moved and spoke like a human. I, for one,
was completely fooled.”

Rupert
stepped forward and shook his head. He spat at the mechanical woman and his
nostrils flared. “Witchcraft.”

Captain
Grant pushed back his long coat as he leaned forward to take a closer look. He
studied it for a moment, lifting a limp arm and letting it drop back into the
snow. “Well, I’m willing to bet the Baron’s condition caused this automaton to
fail. I guess we’re lucky she didn’t explode.”

The
mouth dropped open and a hiss of steam escaped from the body. Everyone took a
hesitant step back. Raven shook her head. “This is a distraction. It makes no
difference. We need to keep following the trail.”

Nikki
sniffed around in the snow, running in all directions as if searching for a
scent. They watched her for a moment, the automaton all but forgotten. The
Great Dane howled and bounded off to the north. The chase began again. Snow
crunched beneath Raven’s boots, and the going became slow as she pushed through
drifts. She heard the running water before they reached the fast running
stream. Nikki ran back and forth on the bank. Raven looked both directions. No
bridge.

Monroe
had stayed right behind her through the woods and stopped at the river with
her. He didn’t pant or huff, and she couldn’t help but smile at his reaper
ability to stay with her. He assessed the fast moving water. It seemed only a
few feet deep, but in no way crossable. “It appears the trail stops here.”

“Nikki
can’t find a scent either direction, so they must have crossed.”

Monroe
pointed to an empty patch of shallow snow where the drift had failed to cover
completely. “Or there may have been a small boat moored here for the witch to
use.”

Raven
nodded.

The
three guardsmen finally caught up to them. Sweat dripped from Colton’s forehead
and caused his blond curls to stick to his face. He was the first to speak.
“I’m starting to wish we’d brought the horses.”

Monroe
eyed him. “Nobility can afford to keep their horses in shape while their bodies
are spoilt. Guardsmen used to walk and run when I was one.”

Captain
Grant held up a hand. “Monroe, there is no need to insult us. We are all on the
same side here. Let’s keep the hostilities toward our common enemy.”

The
red band on his jacket had been caught by a tree branch, and hung loose on his
arm. He ripped off the loose portion and wiped the sweat from his forehead on
his sleeve.

Monroe
nodded and paced up river. Raven split into the opposite direction and paced
downstream. There had to be a way to cross, or another boat, or some clue.
Nikki stayed beside her and trotted a few steps ahead. The day grew warmer, and
the snowmelt dripped from the tree branches overhead.

Colton
and Grant crunched in the show behind her while Rupert had gone with Monroe.
Raven attempted to ignore them. It had been two years since she’d travelled
with her father, and she’d grown accustomed to being alone. Darius had not been
the same. He needed her protection and took orders from her. These two men
could take care of themselves, and if anything, she might need to defend
herself from them at any time. This tenuous alliance kept her alert.

Out
of the corner of her eye, she saw Colton glance at the sword attached to her
back. The red cord hung over her shoulder and occasionally tickled her neck.
Was it his? In the darkness, she couldn’t tell which of the guardsmen she’d
taken it from. He didn’t say a word about it, but his eyes were drawn to it
magnetically. Should she give it back to him? Part of her wanted to. Maybe it
would work as a peace offering and garner trust between them. But the sword was
a spoil of war, hers by right. Would he see himself as weak if he didn’t win it
back from her?

Captain
Grant strode next to her, jogging to keep up. “What are you thinking?”

“What
do you mean?” Raven furrowed her brow at him and then continued to look for a
means to cross or travel the river.

“You
shrugged and threw your hands up. I thought maybe you’d come up with a plan and
rejected it.”

Raven
shook her head. She didn’t need to tell this man her thoughts. “I didn’t think
that the Wood Witch lived so near the road. In the stories, she always lived
deeper in.”

“Sometimes
truth is stranger than fiction. I remember hearing stories about her being in
the center of Preston Woods, near a lake.”

“Right,
not a road. Not a river, for that matter.”

“Could
she have more than one house? It would make sense then.”

He
lost his footing as he stepped in between two stones. Raven shot out an arm to
catch him. She smiled. Maybe it wasn’t just Gregory who lacked sure-footedness.
She continued. “I thought at first that the house belonged to her daughter, and
she was there to pay a call. She talked to the automaton as though it had
thoughts of its own. Thoughts, choices, answers, even. But now we know it was
just gears and cogs—it makes little sense anymore.”

He
nodded, his eyebrows furrowing together.

Raven
stopped and Colton stepped on her heel, unable to halt as suddenly. He
apologized, and she rolled her ankle to relieve the small pain. She checked
back upstream but could find no sign of the other two. “Do you think the others
might have found something?”

Captain
Grant shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m sure Rupert would give us a whistle if he
wanted our attention.”

Raven
nodded and continued downstream. The water had gained intensity and depth as
they walked. Their walking became more difficult, as the shore drew into a
narrow strip against the forest. Still, no matter how far she looked ahead, she
found nothing helpful. She stopped again.

Colton
caught himself just before stepping on her this time. The pale-haired man got
on her nerves a bit. She eyed him as she spoke to Grant. “What do you suggest,
Captain? Should we continue this endeavor downstream or turn back and rejoin
the other two?”

As
she finished her question, she spotted a dark object bobbing on the river and
it was heading swiftly toward them. She shook her head and pointed. Grant and
Colton followed her gaze. As the object drew near, she smiled. The dark-skinned
guardsman sat at the middle of a small boat, with oars. Monroe, at the back,
handled the rudder. He steered it to shore right where Raven stood. Grant and
Colton grabbed the bow. Rupert hopped out and the three of them pulled it
ashore.

The
rickety johnboat seated more than six. Nikki leapt into the boat uninvited and
lay at the stern with Monroe. He rubbed the dog’s ears, and she licked him full
on the face. Raven tilted her head and grabbed the side, bound in and sat in
the bow. Colton and Rupert sat in the middle, each with an oar. Captain Jack
Grant pushed the boat off and hopped in. She caught him by the arm as he lost
his balance. He settled in beside her, and she drew comfort from his close proximity.

Raven
grabbed Grant's arm as the choppy water threatened to tip their craft. They
settled into the fast flowing waves, and it seemed the oars were hardly
necessary. Her cheeks burned, and she released Grant's arm, turning slightly
away.

Monroe
manned the rudder like a professional boatman. The morning sun that had
followed them all day reached a zenith overhead. The woods surrounding the
river swept by in a monotonous rush, unchanging. Raven yawned.

Captain
Grant leaned toward her and whispered, “If you’d like to doze off, we could
keep an eye out.”

She
shook her head, but tired tears stung her eyes and she yawned again. Could she
let her guard down around these men? She trusted none of them like she did her
father. Without showing Grant what she was doing, she pinched herself in the
thigh. She needed to stay alert. These men had had no more rest than she’d had.
If they could continue, so could she.

Captain
Grant nudged her with his elbow. In his gloved hand, he offered her a stick of
jerky. His jaw moved in an even rotation as he bit off a stick from his other
hand and chewed. Raven’s stomach growled. She hadn’t realized she’d been hungry
until the food sat right under her nose. Grant smiled and moved the jerky
toward her again. She nodded, took the small stick of meat, and said, “Thanks.”

Unused
to sitting close to a stranger, she found it difficult to position herself
comfortably. Their thighs touched on the small bench of the bow. It reminded
her of when they’d ridden his horse together. Why hadn’t it felt uncomfortable
that time? She’d never been so close to a man, except her father and Gregory.
Unless it was in a fight, she’ never let one get this close. Her face flushed
as she took her first bite of jerky and stared at the dappled light reflecting
off the water. She needed to think about something else. “What do you know
about the Wood Witch?”