A Conspiracy of Ravens (1) by Stephen Hubbard

Author:Stephen Hubbard [Hubbard, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Publisher: Independently published
Published: 2024-06-29T01:29:59+00:00

TWENTY

CELNOR

CELNOR CRESTED THE hill and looked out over the expanse that opened before him. The sun overhead bathed the whole of the land in warm yellow light, reflecting off the lake that was cut into the landscape. Ripples rolled up onto the shore in small tides, chanting a song of cool depths and peace. The air filling his lungs was crisp and cool but he felt complete comfort. He could hear songbirds in competing choruses in the trees that dotted the hillside, and every ounce of his being smiled when he turned his head and saw the bench where she sat, waiting.

He couldn’t bring himself to approach her right away. He simply stood, smiling.

A true, genuine smile. Her body was shimmering with light, her hair as pure as golden-red sunfire draped over the shoulders of her silver-white robe, cascading down her back in a pool of radiance. Too small for her feet to touch the lush grass, she sat on her hands, swinging her legs back and forth. She fixed her radiant blue eyes on him and smiled, her teeth a perfect row of ivory. Her laugh broke his heart with joy and pain together.

Celnor walked to her and she squinted at him, blinded by the sun as she looked up at him. The smile never wavered as he lowered himself to sit beside her. He leaned back against the wood support of the bench and sighed with contentment, but he could not remove his gaze from the girl. He feared she would be gone if he did, and it had been so long since he last sat here with her.

“Why did you kill that man?” Her question surprised him and he wasn’t quite sure how to approach the subject.

“It was my job.”

“Why?”

“I was asked to do so by the queen.”

“By our queen?”

Celnor nodded.

“Why would the queen want you to kill someone?”

“She has her reasons. You would not understand.” He looked at his hands now, feeling the pang of regret over Tavian. “Sometimes I don’t even understand.”

“The boy was an accident.”

“You are aware of quite a lot,“ he replied with a humorless chuckle.

“I watch over you. You don’t always know I’m there, but I am. Sometimes the things you do are very scary. You walk into shadow. They turn my heart upside down and I want to make you stop. I am afraid you won’t come back out. I cry out to you but you do not hear. Your heart has been closed. Why?”

Celnor saw her turn away and look out over the water. Concern masked her face as her feet continued to swing. He wanted to reach out to her, to put his arm around her shoulder and hold her close.

“You know you can’t do that,” she said. “You know I’m not real.”

His throat constricted and he nodded. “I know.”

“But I know why you want to.” She looked at him again, the look of inquiry wrinkling her forehead as he stared at him with one eye open. “Who is Merrel?”

“I do not know, child.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.