My Raven

The rain mirrored our moods, as we marched on. Many of my comrades have given up on hope but a few still held strong, though it seemed in vain. The lightning illuminated our sorrowful position, its fingers slashed at the ground around us. The leg irons and the shackles about our wrists rattle loudly as we ran. I began to lag behind. Suddenly a whip cracked upon my back. I fell to the ground in pain and weariness, but my spirit was not broken. “Get up,” a harsh voice yelled as a hand grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up. Even though my hands were bound, I returned the favor. Swinging around, hands clenched in a fist, I caught my captor across the jaw. It cracked and was broken. He screamed in pain, his two companions joined him. They attempted to restrain me but I managed to inflict some damage before I went down. I was pulled from the prison-lines and brought before their leader. A halt was then called and camp broken. Once their leader’s tent was up I was brought inside where I was questioned or beaten; I cannot recall which. They then isolated me from the others. Numb from the cold, bruised, hungry, and alone, I passed out.

Reality rushed back like a flood when two men roughly awakened me. Groaning as they dragged me to my feet, I was led not back to the prison-lines like the many other times. Instead with hands bound behind my back and a noose put about my neck, I was tried to the saddle of the Captain’s horses.

The sky was cloudless as we moved on. Having been four days without food and little water my strength declined with every passing moment. By midday we entered the plains. Doggedly I was dragged along. Yet as tired as I was I refused to fall, for if I fell so would my men. But the sun persisted to look down upon us without mercy. My mouth was parched and my tongue swollen; they offered me jeers but not water.

Around three o’clock they allowed my men to rest, while I was forced to walk on with the scouting party of ten or so. Camp was not broken until late that night. Again they brought me before their leader to be questioned and tortured further. Though, through it all I remained unbroken. Battered and bloodied they dismissed me. With the noose around my neck and wrists still bound behind me, I was staked at the edge of camp. Two guards were ordered to watch me.

I lay there half unconscious staring at the starless heavens when the call of a raven aroused my attention. I listened more closely hoping to hear a certain key. It came again and sure enough the pitch was slightly off. Glancing at the two guards I saw that one was asleep and the other was still alert. Slowly I rolled over so that my back was to them.

Patiently I waited, watching the dry grasses about me. All of a sudden there are two eyes before me in the grass. I smile weakly for I knew those deep-green eyes well. They belonged to Val, Leader of the second regiment. “Trevin, you look dreadful.” She whispered. I gave a weak smile then said, “No time…for small talk…go… free…my men.”

“My men are already on it. All we need is you.” She whispered again.

“I don’t think…I’ll come out…of this…alive.” I did not meet her eyes as I said this.

“Don’t speak such things.” Val reprimanded me. I was about to reply when an owl hooted; it was Aaron’s signal. “I must go Trevin,” Val said then her eyes disappeared. With that, I sighed softly and closed my eyes. A few minutes later, my raven returned. "Trevin, Trevin.” I opened m y eyes and looked into hers. “We’ll come for you the hour before dawn.” I nodded slightly, so that only Val could tell. “Until then…be ready Trevin.” She paused then continued, “I will not lose you, my love. You will come out alive.”

I smiled, “So be it, my raven, so be it.” She smiled then vanished. Lying there, my thoughts went back to the day this all happened.

My band and I are mercenaries by trade and thieves during hard times, when business is slow. We are now wanted in many kingdoms throughout Isora for more then just thieving. We are half-elves, wanted by neither humans nor Elf-kind. For these reasons, we have banded together in order to survive. There are three regiments; Val leads the second, Aaron, the third and I command all and the first. Earlier this year my men and I were hired. Only too late did we learn that it was a set up, and that our employer was a fraud. I gritted my teeth as I thought of the men and women I had lost in the ambush.

My thoughts were interrupted by footsteps behind me there were two sets. One holds a torch over me while the other kneels behind me. Grabbing my hair, they force my chin down then brushing aside my ponytail; something is injected into my neck. Slowly, I loose feeling in my limbs and my senses became dulled, but I don’t loosed conscious right a way. I hear one of them laugh but it seemed so distance. “Hopefully this’ll break him and make all our jobs easier.” Their voices faded, the light vanished, and I was in the complete darkness of unconsciousness.

I awoke about two hours before dawn. It was not long before I realized I could not hear. Fear gripped me, as I comprehend this horror. I would be unable to hear my raven’s call. Desperately I prayed that my hearing would be restored before the hour comes, but to no avail. My raven called but I could not hear. My hope sank as dawn’s light began to rise for there was no second chance, by this time tomorrow we would be on the prison ships.

By now I thought the camp would be awake and being torn down. My heart sank and my hope finally died; I closed my eyes as two sets of hands seized me. But they were not rough nor were they forceful. Opening my eye I found Val and Aaron, both looked very concerned for me. Undoing my bonds Aaron led me to safety. We watched from a distance as the camp caught fire and burned to the ground. I was content with being unable to hear the screams of those being burned alive. Turning to Aaron, I said—in what I hoped was a soft voice, “I know Val did not kill their leader, make sure he is well guarded.” Aaron nodded and sent one of his men to relay the message.

I did not regain my hearing until later that morning yet even then everything was still very faint. Val and Aaron saw to it, that all the slavers— expect the leader— were hunted and killed. They returned around dusk laughing and joking. I had fully regained all my senses for the effects of the drug had worn off. I lie next to the fire watching them approached. Val was the first to see me. She ran to my side and was going to throw her arms around me but I held up my hand to restrain her. “Bring the slaver.”

Securely bound, he was brought before me. I could see the terror in his eyes as I was helped to my feet. “I will not treat you as you have treated me and my men. Instead I release you.” Aaron handed me his sword, and with it I cut his bounds. Leaning on the sword I continued, “Go tell your employer, Lord, Master or who ever you serve, that this will not go overlooked. Lives will be avenged. Now go!” My followers parted, as he past them running as if the hounds of Hell were at his heals.

Later that night I lay with my raven next to me. “My fair, fair raven, truly now I owe you my life.”

Val smiled, “But your life is already mine as is mine yours.”

Holding her closer, I whispered in her pointed ear, “I know my raven, I know. Let it remain that way forever.”