Chronicles of Steele: Raven 2: Episode 2 (12 page)

Could it be true? Her father didn’t deserve to die for her. Gregory was probably better off without her. Why couldn’t she have been the wife he had needed?

It grew increasingly difficult to push those thoughts aside.

The witch cackled in the blue light, but Raven couldn’t turn her head to see what was going on. The old woman’s hand petted the top of her head. “Too bad I didn’t know you earlier, dear. I might have found more use for you, too. Come, Darius.”

 Footsteps shuffled along the floorboards, and then a dragging sound. A door creaked and a cold draft entered the room. A door out? But this room had none. The wind’s icy fingers raced up Raven’s spine. Footsteps crunched in the snow outside.

Nikki’s urgent barking filled the silence once the crunching had grown too distant. The blue light continued to dominate the room. Raven’s eyes became dry with her inability to blink and the tears that had already fallen. Drool pooled at the corner of her mouth and she wanted so much to swallow, but instead it soaked the floorboards under her cheek.

Despair blanketed her. The witch’s words continued to echo in her mind, and she couldn’t let them go, no matter how painful it was to think on them. The room grew colder by the minute, and soon each breath formed an icy cloud in front of her face. Nikki had succumbed to howling, her cries desperate and mournful.

What seemed like an eternity passed. Her determined struggle against her unseen bonds helped her push the witch’s words away.

She blinked. The sudden movement of her eyelids startled her and she flinched slightly. Still, her limbs would not respond. The blue light dimmed. Although she was not yet cold, she shivered uncontrollably. The despair fled and her anger warmed her. She willed her arms to move, fought against the invisible tethers. Sweat beaded on her forehead only to be wicked immediately by draft produced by the open door. Her eyes darted around the room, the first of her muscles to come under control.

Grant made a choked groan, and Raven tried to speak but could do no more than sigh. That guardsman would not gain control of himself before she did. She would not be incapacitated while he stood over her. He may have saved her once, but that was one time too many. She had always been able to take care of herself; this time would be no exception.

She strove against the inability to move until the moment the blue light snuffed out. Both she and Grant leapt to their feet simultaneously. She gasped for breath now that her chest was no longer constricted. Her muscles relaxed against the strain of her struggles.

Not only was Darius gone, but an empty chair sat where the red-haired woman had been tied. In the wall, a door-sized hole had been formed in a perfect rectangle. The wind had piled snow into the corners of the small kitchen. Raven could barely use her gelatin muscles to walk to the door. She leaned against the frame of the doorway and surveyed the drifts of snow. The clear, cold sky was awash with stars, but the first signs of morning painted the eastern sky purple. Clear footprints led away from the house toward the woods. Behind her, Grant groaned. She turned toward him. “We need to go after them.”

He leaned against the table, looking as weak as she felt. The door cracked open and a voice called in. “Captain, may we enter?”

Grant cleared his throat and called back, “Colton, get Rupert and hurry.”

The door swung shut in response, and muffled voices called out on the other side. Raven shivered. Why had the witch taken Darius?

FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:

The Chronicles of Steele: Raven
is a steampunk fantasy novel that was over two years in the making. I’m so glad it’s finally making it to your hands! It has been written in four episodes which will be released about 2 weeks apart and FREE on the day of release. To find out when the next episode is available, please sign up for my spam-free mailing list at:

http://paulinecreeden.com

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