The Dawn of the Raven Omnibus 1: Episodes 1-5 Read Online Free PDF Page A

in
terrible trouble. 
    Once she had finished her daily chore of bringing his
breakfast and summoning and swallowing his seed, the most difficult task Kiella
still had before her was overseeing the procurement of a cage suitable for
transporting the beautiful Typhorian captive on a wagon.  Being a captain’s aid
was a fantastic position, one of the best a member of her class could hope for,
and, overall, the captain was actually much kinder to her than many of her
previous masters.  A blacksmith she had apprenticed under had beaten her and
raped her regularly, often implementing tools from his trade in the process. 
Yet, though he treated her much better by comparison, serving the captain was
still very hard work.  By the time the soldiers were all gathered and ready,
and the preparations had been completed, Kiella was exhausted, and yet the day
was only just about to begin.
    As the soldiers marched forward towards the Raganean Forest, Kiella
marched in the rear, alongside the cage, and occasionally stole glances at
Raveena.  She wanted to revel in her incredible beauty again, but her fear of
what lay before them was too great for her to really enjoy it.  Throughout the
entire march, the warrior maiden sat at the bottom of the cage facing behind
them, and seemed dead set against making eye contact with anyone.  Clearly, she
was not in the mood for conversation.  The thought occurred to Kiella that
perhaps she should watch her carefully.  Perhaps, if this were a trap, Raveena
was watching for her own people, looking for the right moment to signal them. 
Of course, it would make perfect sense: lead the soldiers into a situation
where her people had them surrounded and then, when the time came, signal them
to cut off their escape route . . .  Raveena’s attempt at scaring Kiella had
been quite compelling the night before, however, so even as she found herself
fearful of a Typhorian ambush, Kiella was still conflicted as to whether that
was a better or worse scenario than if they were really to come face to face
with the Gekken.
    The army paused for a short break by a stream, ostensibly for
the soldiers and horses to hydrate themselves, but also as it was a good time,
felt Captain Vol, to check with the beautiful captive to ensure that their
course was correct, and to get more specific directions now that they were
nearing the destination she had described the night before.  He also wanted to
speak to the warrior to try and feel her out, because it still seemed more
likely than not that there were no Gekken, and that this was indeed all a
carefully laid out plot.  The captain had debriefed his men thoroughly; they
were ready for anything, so he was confident, regardless of whom they may face,
that they would fight well and be victorious, but he still disliked uncertainty
heading into battle.  If he could pick up any information from Raveena, it
could be most helpful.  He approached her cage from the rear.  He gave Kiella a
pat on the back and asked her quietly for a report on the captive.  Then, he
faced the beauty and stood resolute, waiting for her to acknowledge his
presence.  Again, as with the night before, when no formalities were
forthcoming, he cleared his throat to get her attention and got straight to
business.
    “We are near
the area you described.  Will you please direct us towards our destination?”
    She finally looked up and, with a skeptical air, surveyed the
woods around them. 
    “We are
close.”  She finally muttered.  “Yes, very close.  Turn just slightly more
north and we will be there within the hour.”
    Captain Vol considered himself to be a very astute reader of
people.  He was the greatest gambler and gamesman in the kingdom, and his
ability to tell whether a man was bluffing was one of his greatest skills, but
he could get no read off of Raveena.  Her countenance was considerably
different today than it had been the night before.  She looked uneasy.  Not
consumed by