Raxx had scoffed, unconvinced of the commander’s short-sighted loyalty to Lori at the time. Now he stood in the same place, also risking his life for Faye, and he finally understood.
Unlike some of his companions, Raxx considered himself a serial monogamist. Though not plentiful, he’d been in a handful of romantic relationships and would even go as far to say he had been in love before, but it amazed him how quickly he seemed to have bonded with Faye.
It was a curious feeling, none like any he had ever experienced before, seemingly transcending all the usual emotions he associated with his other partners. The faerie filled a part of him he hadn’t even known was empty and the more time he spent around her, the more he felt her presence cementing itself into his life.
Raxx shook his head, almost embarrassed for himself. He was pathetic and had no right to judge Lephas any longer.
He hurried on ahead, through a set of double wooden doors leading out into a short corridor. From there, three more doorways branched off. Behind the larger and heavier door at the far left, Raxx knew he would find a treacherously narrow, stone spiral staircase. At the top was the aviary where the king kept his ravens.
Raxx had been surprised Faye knew about Edwin Goldwyrm’s assassination of the ravens. It had taken him many years of scouring abandoned libraries and sneaking a look through private possessions until he had uncovered that truth. The demon would have liked to have read whatever book she had found, though he suspected it would have long since been destroyed. Edwin’s actions appeared to be yet another iconic historical moment the faeries wereverykeen to forget.
Ravens were highly intelligent birds and one of the few animals Raxx had a natural affinity with. Some primal instinct seemed to recognise a portion of himself in them and vice versa. With feathers as dark as night, there was a reason they were termed ‘shadow birds’ by the common folk.
It was a little-known fact, even amongst the demon people who still regularly used ravens to deliver their messages (if they were able to afford one), that the birds of old were nevertrainedto find their way.
Raxx had been amazed when he had first discovered Hestaesia ravens had a map of a certain territory, imprinted on them at birth from their parents. In the wild, it would serve the birds well to fledge with an already detailed description of where to find food, water and where danger lurked.
Eons ago, demonkind had discovered this and captured many thousands of birds, training them to use their innate abilities to deliver messages. If one was lucky enough to be befriended by a raven, it was a bond that lasted a lifetime.
Zelrus employed several large ravens, to enable him to deliver messages all around Hestaesia. There was, however, one bird that was of particular interest and value. The largest raven, by the name of Vorg, sat high on a perch at the centre of the roost.
The bird had been handed down to Zelrus from his late father, King Tennul and the Dawnoaken family had been breeding this particular bloodline of raven for many years. They were the last remaining birds to have been taken, all those years ago, from a breeding ground in Awrelwood. If Vorg were to get lost or injured on his journey, the demons would lose their only communication with the faerie capital.
The king often requested Raxx’s assistance with caring for his ravens and had confided in him, swearing him to secrecy. Not even Commander Lephas knew of Vorg’s true value.
The raven had only recently reached maturity and was soon due to be mated with a suitable female. Naturally, King Zelrus had not got around to arranging it yet, too tied up in the threat of imminent war.
As Raxx approached, Vorg watched him keenly with black, beady eyes shining. The large bird crowed at him, opening his large wings and buffeting the air. Raxx’s own wings flexed in response.
Clearly satisfied with the demon’s introduction, Vorg clacked his beak and hopped from his perch to stand on Raxx’s outstretched forearm. His large sharp talons scratched against the leather as he landed.
The demon dug his free hand into his pocket and fished out Faye’s note. Gently, he tucked the small roll of parchment into the gold metal clasp around Vorg’s leg. He shut the compartment with a loud click and relayed Faye’s detailed directions to the bird.
Vorg flapped his wings once more, keen to get to flight. The demon unclipped the chain that ran between the bird’s leg and the perch, before striding over to a warped, dirty window at the far side of the room.
Raxx pushed hard against the window and, with a sudden jolt, it flew open. Icy winter wind blasted into the aviary. The other ravens crowed noisily, flapping their wings as they caught the scent of the fresh air.
“Be cautious friend,” Raxx murmured, stroking the back of his finger along the bird’s neck. “There are many fates resting on your safe return.”
Vorg tilted his head, as if taking in the demon’s words, before suddenly pushing off his arm with immense power and diving out through the open window. Raxx leant out to watch the bird fly away, but within seconds, Vorg was gone.
Chapter Twenty
“How long do you suppose they intend to keep me chained like this?” Faye asked, sagging with relief as Raxx untied her from the bed.
It had been a long, boring day. Despite Tabitha’s gruelling training, the princess seemed to be building endurance. She hadn’t been nearly as exhausted and had been forced to spend most of her day, waiting for night to fall.
“At least until Zelrus returns,” Raxx replied, standing as he brushed her chains from her ankles. He held out a gloved hand and helped her to her feet, steadying her a moment as she wavered on shaky legs.
When she was confident they would hold her weight, Faye nodded and the demon took a step back, gradually releasing his hold on her. She stretched her arms above her head, rolling her stiff, aching wrists in circles.
“To Tabitha’s again, I presume?” Faye asked, glancing up at the shadow demon. “That witch is a real slave driver.”
“Actually, I had something else in mind.”
“That’s presumptuous of you,” Faye teased with a grin.
Raxx rolled his eyes. “Not like that. You’ll like this even more.”
