Drown Under Earth - Shadows of the Night 3

Chapter 40

Hi!

Another busy weekend, and almost no time to write... Still, I had to get this one out and finish editing. Anna is in big trouble. Again. I hope you like it :-)

Lara

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Chapter 40

Hearing the voice made me straighten up, forced a shiver along my skin that burned. Gone was the lingering numbness, the shellshock-like state the portal left me in.

Stone walls, adorned by tasteful paintings, seemed to be closing in on me. The luxurious furniture could not hide the fact that this wasn't your John Doe living room. Raphael's cellar and secret hiding place was what it was. A cage. Dark. Claustrophobic. Threatening.

I stared at him, and, for a moment, all I saw was the face of a well-known stranger, nothing that would have pointed at him being the 'big and bad' in the game. There he was, sitting on the black leather couch like a benign king. I knew that he was anything but that. Raphael Medici was a criminal. And he was a dangerous one.

"Hello Raphael," I said with a casualty that I didn't feel.

If I couldn't convince myself maybe I could at least fool the Raven and the rest of rogues. We weren't alone. Beside my captor, the audience consisted of a woman I was already familiar with. A thin face and a nose that was too narrow to call her handsome. The black mass of locks that almost came down to her shoulders made her stand out, however. It was Catherine, the witch that dragged me to the Raven the first time.

She was reclined on a leather chair facing the small glass table inserted between couch and a cluster of other leathery sitting accommodations. Her legs were crossed, her arm slung over the backrest of the armchair – a casual stance that belied the tension around her eyes and mouth. Her gray blue eyes flashed with recognition when my eyes brushed over her. Then she smiled, inclining her head in my direction. Remembering that she had chased me through a mall, branding me as a thief, I noted that there would be no warm feelings between the two of us.

My gaze wandered over the rest of the room. Goth kiddo had somehow made it to the wall opposite of us without me noticing. His back was resting on the stone wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Judging from the way he was looking at me, there would be no warm feelings between the two of us either.

I tried to wiggle free from the older rogue witch's grip, without success at that.

"It's alright. Let her go, Gerald. Ms. Johnson is our guest this night, isn't she?"

With the last two words Raphael turned his eyes on me.

When I remarked that the Raven looked like a benign king, I did really mean it. His facial features were worthy of an aristocratic heritage. The straight nose could have fit on a woman's face, but did nothing to make him look female. The high cheekbones added a sharp look to his face. Add to that the random gray strands in his dark brown and short cut hair, and you had the king right down to the last detail.

Staring into his light brown eyes, I wondered what he had in store for me. Did he know that I knew he was involved in Warrens' murder? Was he going to kill me, right here? My legs felt shaky, as fear began to make its way into my system.

Gerald's grip tightened as he forced me to turn around.

Looking at Raphael, he said, "Of course. There's just one more thing." He reached into my jacket and came out with my gun in one swift move.

The Sig Sour S280 was specially designed for silver ammunition. Although I was not facing death warmed up currently, I would have felt better with the thing in my holster.