Flamethroat (36 page)

Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘Who?’

‘Ræ
ven
Blacklock.’

Jack sat up straight. ‘Great! Where is she? Is she coming here?’

‘She will be here within the hour,’ I said, checking the clock on the mantelpiece.

‘She could join the activist group,’ said Jack eagerly.

‘Do you know her stance on Human rights?’

‘Hm, no,’ Jack pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘I’m sure she will sympathise with us.’

‘I hope so.’

‘It would be so easy to get Helena back with Ræ
ven
.’

‘She could sing them all to death,’ I said brightly.

Jack shot me a glare. ‘To sleep, you mean?’

‘Sure.’

‘Sometimes you are violent.’ Jack eyed me warily.

‘Sometimes you are condescending,’ I retorted.

Jack sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed, deciding to ignore my rude comment, ‘Do you think Martinez’s animal will be a problem when we try to get Helena?’

‘I’m not sure,’ I said. ‘If she is anything like Hawthorne, then they will be in tune with one another.’

A tapping on the window interrupted us. Jack jumped up from the bed and wrenched it open at once, allowing Ræ
ven
to swoop into the room. She glided elegantly to the floor and transformed at once. Jack grinned at the sight of her.

‘Hey!’ said Jack, closing the window once again.

Ræ
ven
smiled in greeting and allowed Jack to kiss her on the cheek.

‘You came,’ I said happily.

I was nervous to discover what Ræ
ven
would think of H.E.L.E.N.A. Would she help us? I couldn’t deny that her assistance would make a world of difference.

‘Of course,’ said Ræ
ven
.

Beside me, Jack swayed and steadied himself on the window ledge.

‘It’s good to see you,’ he said. ‘What are you doing in Flamethroat?’

‘I am on a job,’ said Ræ
ven
coolly.

‘Er, won’t your boss notice if you are gone too long?’ said Jack.

Ræ
ven
shook her head gently. ‘I must take breaks on long journeys.’

‘How long does it take you to fly from Frost Arch to Flamethroat?’ asked Jack.

‘A full day,’ said Ræ
ven
before sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘What did you want to tell me, Avalon?’

The sound of my name from her lips made me feel dizzy. She watched me closely and waited for me to talk. I sighed, taking a few moments to gather my thoughts.

‘I didn’t tell you this because it is a very sensitive subject,’ I began slowly. ‘But you must promise to keep it to yourself.’

‘I shan’t speak a word,’ promised Ræ
ven
.

‘All right,’ I said. I trusted Ræ
ven
.

I started from the beginning and told Ræ
ven
everything.

‘My sister was born as a Human and has been taken by The Realm and sold into slavery. Nicholo Martinez bought her. I am here, along with my family and Jack, to get her back. My parents have started a pro-Human group called H.E.L.E.N.A, which aims to bring down the slavery industry.’

I said it all very quickly in the hopes that it would not seem quite so bad. Ræ
ven
’s reaction was not what I expected. She leaned forwards and embraced me. Once she had released me, I looked at her confused.

‘What was that for?’ I said.

‘For being brave,’ said Ræ
ven
. Black spots popped in front of my eyes. I didn’t know if I could handle the sound of her voice much longer. Jack had resorted to stuffing his fingers in his ears.

‘It’s not bravery,’ I said. ‘I have to do this. She is my sister.’

‘I have seen The Realm take many Humans during my deliveries,’ said Ræ
ven
. ‘I heard that they recruited a Power-Seer in order to track down Humans living as Mages.’

To my right, Jack’s knees buckled. He crawled to the other bed and flopped onto it, seemingly exhausted. He had a much harder time hearing Ræ
ven
’s voice than I.

‘So that’s how they found Helena and all those other Humans,’ I said, the anger rising inside me.

‘There is panic amongst The Realm,’ Ræ
ven
continued. ‘The Human population has increased significantly over the last decade.’

‘That is why they are neutering them,’ I said.

Ræ
ven
nodded. ‘They want to control the Human population. I know that Martinez is a registered Human breeder.’

‘How do you find out this stuff?’ Jack chimed in.

‘I hear things,’ said Ræ
ven
. She smiled slyly. ‘I am very good at eavesdropping.’

‘That is why we need your help,’ I said quickly. ‘Ræ
ven
, will you join H.E.L.E.N.A? Will you help us?’

Ræ
ven
looked at Jack and I in turn and saw the desperation on my face.

‘Will it be dangerous?’ she asked.

‘No,’ I lied.

‘Yes,’ said Jack at precisely the same time. We looked at each other crossly.

Ræ
ven
looked between us. ‘You are a bad liar, Avalon.’

I sighed. ‘Yes. It
might
be dangerous.’

A smile played on Ræ
ven
’s lips. She nodded.

‘Thank you,’ I said, pulling her into a tight embrace. ‘Thank you, thank you.’

Once released, Ræ
ven
said, ‘I will send word to Frost Arch, telling Gretchen that I am taking a leave of absence.’

‘Where will you stay?’ asked Jack.

‘She can stay here, with us,’ I said. ‘There is enough room. Jack and I can share a bed-’ I stopped abruptly, my face becoming pink.

Ræ
ven
pursed her lips. ‘No. I take up very little space in my alternate form.’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling where she inspected the rafters.

‘Are you sure?’ I asked.

Ræ
ven
nodded. ‘You won’t even know I am here.’

~

I was eager for my parents to return so I could tell them what I had learned during my trip into town. I was sure they would be pleased with the information regarding Martinez’s animal spirit.

However, the news of the other Vulmessian was wiped from my mind when I saw my mother and father. They returned to the lodge with smouldering clothes and ashen faces.

‘What happened to you?’ I asked, rather alarmed by their appearance.

My mother and father ushered my into their room, closing the door behind them securely.

‘Keep your voice down,’ said my father as he locked the door.

‘Mum,’ I turned to her. ‘Why are your clothes burnt?’

My mother walked over to the basin in the corner and picked up the washcloth. She avoided the question by washing the dirt from her face.

I turned to my father. ‘What happened?’

My father wiped the sweat from his brow and collapsed into a chair. ‘We are just doing our part.’

‘Your part?’ I repeated.

He nodded. ‘To bring down the Human market.’

I turned to my mother. ‘Is that why you didn’t want me going to the market today?’ I asked, ‘Because you planned an attack on it?’

I remembered what the guard had said yesterday.
Three attacks on the Human market in the last week.

‘You’re the ones who have been attacking the Human market,’ I said.

Heaving a sigh, my father sat up and looked me in the eye. ‘We are doing what needs to be done. We are trying to destroy the slave trade-’

‘By injuring innocent people?’ I interrupted.

‘No Humans were hurt,’ said my father.

‘And what about Mages?’ I said. ‘Have you forgotten about them? Not all Mage’s support the slave market-’

‘Don’t talk to me like that, Avalon,’ he scolded. ‘You don’t understand the full extent of-’

‘I understand better than you think,’ I said.

‘The Mage’s in that market were there to buy and sell Humans,’ he said, becoming pink in the face.

I felt myself becoming frustrated and knew continuing to fight with him would be hopeless.

‘Just … just don’t tell Jack what you have done,’ I said coldly.

‘Why not?’

‘He’s a Healer, dad,’ I said, ‘He
helps
people.’

I saw my fathers jaw clench.

‘Stop arguing you two,’ said my mother. ‘Avalon, no one was hurt. We just set the stalls alight.’

‘Oh, is that all?’ My tone dripped with sarcasm.

‘Don’t you want to stop the slave market?’ she asked.

‘Of course I do,’ I said, becoming frustrated. ‘But you might accidentally hurt someone. What if there are other parents there, like you? Families who are tying to buy back their Human children.’

My father’s face fell. I knew I had won this argument.

‘Let’s not talk about it,’ my mother said, handing my father a washcloth.

‘Yes, let’s avoid the subject all together,’ I said harshly.

‘What did you do in town?’ My mother said loudly.

I sighed and leaned against the mantelpiece. ‘You may be interested to know that I found out what Martinez’s animal spirit is.’

My mother gasped and my father dropped the washcloth.

‘You saw it?’ said my father.

‘No,’ I shook my head. ‘I went into a groomers and the shop assistant got Hawthorne confused with the Martinez spirit.’

My parents looked at each other with wide eyes.

‘I don’t understand though,’ I said. ‘Why have you not seen this animal yourselves? Doesn’t Martinez take it outside?’

My father shook his head. ‘Tom Truscott tells us that the animal barely leaves the manor and when it does it has multiple escorts. No one has gotten a good look at it, apart from the manor staff. Maria told us that every once in a while, Martinez holds parties to show the animal off – but they’ve never been invited.’

‘Hmph,’ I folded my arms. ‘The lady in the shop must have thought I was an escort.’

‘Hawthorne must be worth a fortune,’ said my mother.

I shrugged. ‘I don’t care how much he is worth. Do you think Martinez would be angry if he discovered that his spirit is not one of a kind?’

‘Probably,’ grunted my father. ‘Do you think the animal will be a problem when we try to rescue Helena?’

I pursed my lips, ‘I don’t think so. Hawthorne will be able to take her on.’

‘Her?’

‘Yes … I don’t know her name, just that she is a female.’

My father sat back in the chair and seemed to be thinking hard. ‘This information may be valuable.’

The following three H.E.L.E.N.A meetings were just as informative as the first
. Each night we met in a different location of Penny’s choosing. The members were hesitant to accept
Ræ
ven
into the group, as she had no Human relative. They were also suspicious as to why she did not wish to speak, but learned their lessons rather quickly when Ræ
ven
began to explain. At the end of the meeting however, everyone was very impressed by Ræ
ven
’s Powers. We devised a rescue plan over several meetings.

During the day Jack,
Ræ
ven
, Hawthorne and I spent our time together in town, learning about Flamethroat. Hawthorne was very popular with the locals. Many children asked to pet him, or sit on his back. Hawthorne seemed to enjoy the attention.

On the fifth day in Flamethroat I sat with Hawthorne on the docks, watching burly men load crates of herbs and spices onto ships. Jack had gone to fetch us something to
eat
, while
Ræ
ven
circled overhead in her bird form, enjoying freedom.We’d had much more freedom since Robert and Maria had offered to pay for our room at the Inn.

The sun was setting beautifully against the ocean and the sound of waves hitting the dock was very soothing. I leaned against Hawthorne and heaved a sigh.

Behind me, I heard the unmistakable sound of a horse and cart slowing to a halt. I looked around to see two jet-black horses pulling an elegant charcoal carriage. It stopped only a few meters away from where Hawthorne and I sat. I watched as the window of the cart slid open and a gloved hand beckoned me towards it. I looked around nervously. There was no one else on the dock apart from Hawthorne and I. The hand beckoned again. It would be foolish to get closer, but I was confident in Hawthorne’s abilities to protect me. I got up and made my way towards the cart, stopping when I was a few feet away.