Lost Souls

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 Raven woke to a commotion that was slowly spreading through the castle. Light seeped through her grungy curtains and stung her dark green eyes. Slowly she sat up looking around brushing her short raven black hair out of her face.

“Find her!” They yelled as if Raven weren’t sleeping behind these paper thin walls. The scream came again from a deeper voice, the voice of the chief. The door creaked as the heavy set black women pushed it open.

“Come on darling time to get up, I reckon we waked you with all the screaming and rushing about.” She pulled back the wool blanket as Raven slid out of bed, her woolen night gown only came to the middle of her thigh and itched fiercely.

“What is happening, is someone missing?” She asked a huge yawn muddling the last of her words. The women made her bed carefully seeming to think over her response.

“We think Lady Rayne has been kidnapped.” She turned her dark brown eyes on Raven they were round and somber. Raven gasped covering her mouth.

“Who would do something like that?” She asked scared for her princess but also her own well being. Surely if someone could manage to drag away a princess they could take away a mere servant in the night if they wished to.

“We are not sure, the royal guard ‘ve been poking through the whole castle all mornin’.” She grumbled probably angered at the huge inconvenience it caused her. Raven nodded curtly and rushed to the changing room to get dressed into her rags for the day.

She sighed pulling them on they smelled like stale sweat. Checking herself over in the mirror to make sure she was at least a little presentable she walked down to where the servants rushed about in a frenzy. Some waved briefly at her as they whisked by, and some just whisked by.

The chief caught her by the arm making her jump. his mouth was curled in an unpleasant frown, it seemed though more like a grimace. Pulling her forcefully into the other room he shut the door behind them. Raven rubbed her arm as he released his iron grip.

“Uy the princess is missing, and you were ze last one I saw her with.” He hissed trying to whisper, but his accent made it impossible to understand him at a whisper.

“We went for a walk last night yes, but then we parted ways. The Lady went back to her room and I went back to mine.” Raven looked him straight in the eye. The chief set his jaw but did not say another word. The door pushed open as he made his exit.

Raven got her breathing under control before she exited the room, her dark cheeks were flushed as she scampered down the hallway looking for someone to make sense of this whole big mess. Lola had all the gossip on everything so she was the person to find. She looked into every doorway searching for the rotund woman, but there were just too many servants rushing about shoving her out of the way. She was the smallest of them all and she ended up being shoved into a dark doorway. Right into the person she had been searching for. Sighing with relief she held onto the big woman.

“Lola please tell me what is going on.” The big woman jumped with fright turning away from the bag she was shoving things into. She looked around nervously before rushing to the door and closing it quickly.

“I will tell ya child but ya can not tell a livin’ soul.” She came back over to Raven the only candle in the room casting shadows over her already dark face. She took a shuddering breath looking like she was trying to compose herself. “The princess run off last night…” Raven gasped covering her mouth.

“What do you mean run off?” She asked she remembered back to the garden when the princess had been talking to her as a friend telling her of the man she fancied, she just assumed it was the prince she spoke of. She had seen the princess crying it was true, maybe her broken heart was what caused to run off on her own.

“She left early this mornin’ with sir Neo, I helped her escape I did.” She looked at her with wild eyes scaring Raven a bit. “And you better not tell nobody. You hear me child no one.” She said sternly gripping her arm. Raven swallowed nodding slowly but firmly then the giant woman released her and busied packing her bag again shoving all the clothes she could fit into it.

“Where are you going?” Raven asked barely above a whisper. She was terrified that now they were both going to be hanged for treason. Lola slowed looking at the wall.

“I am goin’ into the wild, livin’ in a shack beats hangin’.” Lola said mostly to herself then pushed a picture frame into her bag before zipping it all the way up.” Raven grabbed the big womans apron.

“Please take me with you, you can not leave me here now that I know, they will hang me for sure.” Raven had tears in her eyes that she hadn’t even realized had been falling until her vision went blurry. Lola looked at her with disdain for a moment then her face softened a little. She gathered raven in her arms, she had always been like a mother to Raven but she was terrified to and wasn’t acting rationally.  

“I would if i could lil one.” Lola spoke softly and then she sighed. “But foreigners ain’t allowed on clan territory its dangerous.” kissing her head she released her turning to grab her bag by the thick leather handle. Raven’s heart jumped at the mention of the clans men.

“Wait which clan are you going to?” She grabbed Lola’s apron again tugging on it. Lola turned back to her something in her eyes was guarded like she didn’t want to tell her. “Are you from the Fæ clan?” Raven’s voice hitched in emotion, she hadn’t said that name in so long. The big woman looked surprised.

“What do you know of them lil one?” The big woman gripped her bag in front of her stomach her finger wove into the leather nervously.

“That is my home.” Raven swallowed loudly tears were in her eyes once again. “Please take me with you-” She gulped before continuing. “-My brother is the Clan leader there.” Her chest burned as the hurt bubbled to the surface all over again just like the day her brother left her in this jail.  The big woman eyes her for a moment then once she realized Raven spoke the truth she nodded slowly.

“I’ll take you home...”