~
The light of a monochrome dawn crept through the dormer window as Lilly awoke shivering. She could see her breath clouding in the frigid air of the attic. Sitting up, she almost knocked over a glass of water beside the futon. ‘Regina has been in here.’ Despite fear of more poison, she took a sip of the water to soothe her dry and swollen tongue. The cold water splashed down her throat freezing her internally. ‘I must find something to cover myself or I’m going to freeze to death.’ Crawling onto her hands and knees she stood slowly. Her legs felt wobbly as she stared into the gloom and the dark corners of the attic.
The hissing, fluttering, clicking sounds grew louder as she began to walk. Stopping, she stifled a scream. A pair of yellow eyes glowed in the back corner of the attic.
Straightening she called out, “What are you?”
A black mass separated from the darkness and flew toward her, its talons catching strands of her hair as it flew to the ledge of the dormer window. She stared at the raven, her heart pounding and bile rising in her throat. Perched on the windowsill, the bird cocked its head to the side, getting a close up view of her. It turned and beat its wings against the window pain, tapping the glass with its huge beak.
“Don’t worry, I am not going to climb out of the window, or is it you who wants to escape?”
In answer, the bird beat on the window pain, paced about on the sill and lifted its wings again and again. Lilly screamed as the bird shot into the air. It flew back and forth through the attic, screeching and cawing in anger. Lilly curled into a ball and put her arms over her head. The horrid bird finally flew down the center of the attic and back to its perch in the darkness.
Trembling and numb from cold, Lilly peered into the darkness at the back of the attic. Weak sunlight barely pierced the darkness. Lilly was determined to use whatever light she could to search for a warm cover. She kept one eye on the glowing eyes of the raven and felt along the walls and floor for something to warm herself. She found a coat rack with one long ritual robe. “No!” she said firmly, “I won’t wear Regina’s ritual robe.” Beside the coat rack, her hands found something soft. She picked it and felt it. Thank the goddess, it’s Claude’s sweatshirt. She held it close and felt no malevolent energy. I don’t know what Claude has to do with this or where he has gone. I’m going to trust my intuition and believe he has no knowledge of Regina’s plans.
She quickly slipped the large sweatshirt over her head. The sleeves encased her arms and hands and dangled down to her knees. The thick shirt reached her ankles. Returning to the futon, she pulled her legs up into the warmth of the sweatshirt and curled into a ball.
The key turned in the lock and Regina arrived carrying a bucket a bag of warm beignets, a cup of coffee and a roll of toilet paper. “Good-morning Priestess. I know you are ready for some breakfast.” She walked to the futon and held the bucket out to Lilly. “I bet you are needing this badly. Take it into a corner and relieve yourself.”
There was no point resisting, she removed the warm food and gratefully took the bucket to the back corner opposite the raven. Peering into the shadows, she could make out the form of the bird, but his eyes were closed, his head down.
Regina unwrapped the beignets and removed the plastic top from the styrofoam coffee cup. Tempting as it was, Lilly resisted. It could easily be laced with poison. Ignoring Regina’s manic chatter, Lilly lay on the futon and closed her eyes. When she heard the lock click open and the door slam, she opened her eyes and glanced to the rear of the attic. The raven’s yellow eyes were glowing.
Sitting up she looked for her crystal. She always kept it next to her body. Panic built in her chest as she searched. She picked up the futon, retraced her steps to the coat rack, and the corner of the attic where she had relieved herself in the bucket.
The sun was setting before Lilly gave up her search for the crystal. Great sobs shook her body as she admitted to herself Regina had taken the Jewel of Inanna.
Chapter 38
The Knight Arrives
Roland woke with the sunrise in Richmond, VA. He quickly dressed and left a note for Trey explaining there was an emergency. He didn’t want to explain his dream message. Trey had trouble understanding Roland’s Druidic gifts. He put the note where Trey would be sure to see it, threw some clothes and his mandolin in a duffle bag and called for a cab to the airport.
It was shortly after noon when he arrived in Jackson Square. He wasn’t sure exactly where Raven Moon was, but he knew it was on Decatur. ‘I must have passed it on the way from Jason’s up to the Square,’ Roland thought as he ran down Decatur Street.
He slowed when he reached the Abbey Bar which was unusually quiet. Squeaking metal drew his eyes upward to the huge metal Raven perched on the crescent moon. He stopped and slowly approached the magic shop. He sauntered past the large front windows, but the shop was dark. On the opposite side of the building, he found a narrow alley. The old brick wall that housed the shop was windowless. Higher up, there were the windows of an upstairs apartment.
Walking across the street he examined the roof line of Raven Moon and gave a silent cheer. There was an old chimney close enough so he might get a grappling hook on it, if he was lucky. He looked up at the gable window and saw a
