Chronicles of Steele: Raven: Episode 1 Read Online Free PDF

Nodding she said, “It’s possible, but I hope not.”
    “Me, too.” The boy pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself. He stood next to the Great Dane, and seemed almost small enough to ride the animal like a horse.
    Raven’s arm throbbed with every beat of her heart. Prickles of pain shot up and down her side. Blood seeped through the linen she knotted around the deep wound. “Let’s go.”
    The couple started down the dirt road at a forced march with the dog walking beside the young baron. A subdued banter between boy and dog played in the background of their walk. Finally Darius turned to Raven and asked, “What’s a reaper?”
    She glanced down at him, and tried to sound cheerful in spite of the pain. “Reapers used to be part of the duke’s elite guard. They worked in the capacity of bodyguard and assassin for his highness. It was a great and noble tradition.” Her eyes grew misty. “The fastest, strongest, and most accurate warriors were the only ones in the guard. But they also had to ascribe to the reaper’s way.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “If a reaper took a life in the capacity of assassin, he was required to actively save a life. It is necessary to keep the scales from tipping him into oblivion.”
    “Why do you say he? You’re a girl.”
    Raven smiled. “Almost every reaper in history has been a man.”
    “Oh. What’s oblivion?”
    “It’s a state of mind. Some people loathe the act of killing a person at first, but as they continue to do it, it can feel like a game. They can begin to feel superior, like the winner of the game. But, if the reaper has to save a life for every life they take, it keeps them humble. It’s a matter of subservience so the reaper doesn’t begin to think of himself as stronger than he is.”
    “Why are the reapers no longer my father’s guard?”
    Raven took a deep, pain-filled breath, but the conversation was working to distract her, so she continued. “When I was a little younger than you, the duke demanded that my father kill a woman, the duchess in fact.”
    Darius sucked in his breath. “My father demanded the death of my mother?”
    “No, it was your uncle and aunt.”
    The boy looked relieved. “I never knew my uncle.”
    “He died before you were born, but your brother might remember him.” She shook her head and continued, “Your uncle chose my father for the task because he was the captain of the thirteen reapers. The duke claimed that his wife was unfaithful with no evidence, and the woman denied it flatly. There were no witnesses either way.”
     “So did my uncle ban all reapers because your father refused?”
    “No, he commanded my father to fulfill the act or the duke would execute my mother and me.” Raven paused for a breath, wincing from the pain.
    “What happened?”
    “My father took us and fled. The duke had another reaper kill his wife and ordered every reaper to give chase and kill the three of us. No reaper would be allowed in New Haven again until the deed was finished, or he’d kill each reaper’s family. Then he imprisoned all of their wives and children.”
    “Did they attack the Duke’s Court in rebellion to get their families back?”
    Raven shook her head, a lump tightening her throat. “No. They came after us.”
    Darius walked in silence for a few moments, kicking the occasional rock. Raven watched him, trying to soothe the lump before continuing. He seemed taken in by the story but gave her a moment to rest before she continued.
    “After only a few months, they found my mother at our new house while my father and I had gone to market. She was shot in the back with a crossbow bolt while she was making dinner. Before we made it back to the house, my father could tell there was something wrong.” She swallowed hard, seeing the scene play out as if she were eight years old all over again.
    “He never went anywhere without his weapons. Some reapers used guns, but not my father.” She smiled at Darius.