The crowd stills.
I address them next. “Thank you for your enthusiastic welcome. I can’t begin to tell you how nervous I’ve been. And I know this change might fill some of you with doubts and fears, but isn’t that what great change is all about? What discovery hasn’t been met with danger and uncertainty?
“The Raven Hands have been dwelling in the darkness of tradition for too long. There are loyal women amongst us who’ve been bestowed with gifts, yet they have gone unrecognised and haven’t been allowed to be called a Raven Hand just because of their gender. Today marks a new age, and I’m honoured to be the one to bring the Raven Hands out of the darkness and into the light.”
A riot of applause follows, and I find myself smiling and clapping along with them.
“But what does this mean for the future of the Raven Hands?”
The clapping dies down as all eyes fall on a tall man in the centre, his hair thick and unruly, a raven tattoo peeking above the collar of his shirt. And I wonder if this is the man who had a gun to my head the first time I walked into the Great Hall. I never have learned who that was or if he remains a Raven Hand after threatening my life.
Valdemar turns to me.
I clear my throat. “It means more recruits. More bodies. More people with more diverse gifts to fight the cause,” I tell them.
“And what is the cause?” the man shouts.
“The same as what it’s always been,” Valdemar answers. “To rid the streets of Amontillado of the filth and rubbish. To make this city a safer place to live, and for people like us to not have to hide or be made to feel like lepers.”
“Does that include Adolphe Fortunato?” the tall man asks, and I feel Valdemar’s hackles rise. “We’ve followed your orders for the past ten years and not taken retribution against him or his corrupt organisation. We all know that what went on that night is not what it seems. You would never have killed your Blood Brother,” he continues, the people nearest him taking a step back as if to distance themselves from his words. “But ten years is a long time, and in your absence, Fortunato has held this city in a firmer grip. So, what do you intend to do about Adolphe Fortunato?”
Valdemar doesn’t answer. He can’t. I know his thoughts. He lost Ed because of Adolphe Fortunato and, along with Jupiter and Jacinta, is now under the spell of Dr Tem-Pest. He doesn’t want to risk losing any more Ravens at either of their hands. This is a fight he isn’t willing to have.
But I am.
“Let me assure you, Adolphe Fortunato will be dealt with,” I say.
Valdemar stiffens. I can hear him screaming his protest in my head, but I ignore him.
“He will pay for what he’s done. Mark my words. He will pay,” I tell them.
A fraught silence hangs before the applause erupts. This is what they’ve been waiting for. This is what the unrest has been about. They want revenge. They want blood. And the first thing I’ve done as their leader is to promise them it.
I smile as I feel Valdemar’s anger flap under my skin.
“What the fuck have you done?”he hisses down the bond.
I turn to him.
“I’m giving them what they want. What I want. And it’s long overdue.”
“But—”
“Trust me. I’ve got this.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The restof the evening is a blur of Valdemar fighting questions, receiving slaps on the back of congratulations, and never-ending drinks. I’m dragged away by various women who’ve associated with the Raven Hands either through being involved with a Raven Hand or knowing they have a gift themselves but have been unable to become full-fledged Ravens.
But it’s when Jacinta pulls me to one side that I truly realise what tonight means.
“Hey, I want to thank you for what you’ve done, the way you saved Val. And I also need to apologise for how hostile I was at the prison.” Her eyes are large and watery, her nails rounder and smoother.
“There’s no need to apologise. You didn’t know who I was, and you were just being protective.”
“And I want to thank you for finally making this official.” She rolls up her sleeve to reveal a large raven tattooed on her left hand. “I can’t tell you how many years I’ve waited for this. How many meetings I’ve sat through, knowing I wasn’t really part of them, that I would never be considered one of the flock. Val was great and would always include me, but it was never the same. I’ve never truly felt like I was a Raven Hand. Not likethe men. And it’s been hard, knowing you’ve finally found your calling, knowing there are people out there like you who can do extraordinary things but still not feeling like you belong because you’re the wrong gender. Tonight, I think I speak for all the women when I say that we finally feel like we belong. Tonight, we have become Ravens.”
I smile, an unfamiliar sense of pride swelling in my chest. Who the hell am I? What has happened to the old Evangeline, the one who relied on prescription medication and talking to the dead to get her through the day? But it feels right. So right. Like fate.
