R?ven shook her head gently. ‘I must take breaks on long journeys.’
‘How long does it take you to fly from Frost Arch to Flamethroat?’ asked Jack.
‘A full day,’ said R?ven before sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘What did you want to tell me, Avalon?’
The sound of my name from her lips made me feel dizzy. She watched me closely and waited for me to talk. I sighed, taking a few moments to gather my thoughts.
‘I didn’t tell you this because it is a very sensitive subject,’ I began slowly. ‘But you must promise to keep it to yourself.’
‘I shan’t speak a word,’ promised R?ven.
‘All right,’ I said. I trusted R?ven.
I started from the beginning and told R?ven everything.
‘My sister was born as a Human and has been taken by The Realm and sold into slavery. Nicholo Martinez bought her. I am here, along with my family and Jack, to get her back. My parents have started a pro-Human group called H.E.L.E.N.A, which aims to bring down the slavery industry.’
I said it all very quickly in the hopes that it would not seem quite so bad. R?ven’s reaction was not what I expected. She leaned forwards and embraced me. Once she had released me, I looked at her confused.
‘What was that for?’ I said.
‘For being brave,’ said R?ven. Black spots popped in front of my eyes. I didn’t know if I could handle the sound of her voice much longer. Jack had resorted to stuffing his fingers in his ears.
‘It’s not bravery,’ I said. ‘I have to do this. She is my sister.’
‘I have seen The Realm take many Humans during my deliveries,’ said R?ven. ‘I heard that they recruited a Power-Seer in order to track down Humans living as Mages.’
To my right, Jack’s knees buckled. He crawled to the other bed and flopped onto it, seemingly exhausted. He had a much harder time hearing R?ven’s voice than I.
‘So that’s how they found Helena and all those other Humans,’ I said, the anger rising inside me.
‘There is panic amongst The Realm,’ R?ven continued. ‘The Human population has increased significantly over the last decade.’
‘That is why they are neutering them,’ I said.
R?ven nodded. ‘They want to control the Human population. I know that Martinez is a registered Human breeder.’
‘How do you find out this stuff?’ Jack chimed in.
‘I hear things,’ said R?ven. She smiled slyly. ‘I am very good at eavesdropping.’
‘That is why we need your help,’ I said quickly. ‘R?ven, will you join H.E.L.E.N.A? Will you help us?’
R?ven looked at Jack and I in turn and saw the desperation on my face.
‘Will it be dangerous?’ she asked.
‘No,’ I lied.
‘Yes,’ said Jack at precisely the same time. We looked at each other crossly.
R?ven looked between us. ‘You are a bad liar, Avalon.’
I sighed. ‘Yes. It might be dangerous.’
A smile played on R?ven’s lips. She nodded.
‘Thank you,’ I said, pulling her into a tight embrace. ‘Thank you, thank you.’
Once released, R?ven said, ‘I will send word to Frost Arch, telling Gretchen that I am taking a leave of absence.’
‘Where will you stay?’ asked Jack.
‘She can stay here, with us,’ I said. ‘There is enough room. Jack and I can share a bed-’ I stopped abruptly, my face becoming pink.
R?ven pursed her lips. ‘No. I take up very little space in my alternate form.’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling where she inspected the rafters.
‘Are you sure?’ I asked.
R?ven nodded. ‘You won’t even know I am here.’
~
I was eager for my parents to return so I could tell them what I had learned during my trip into town. I was sure they would be pleased with the information regarding Martinez’s animal spirit.
However, the news of the other Vulmessian was wiped from my mind when I saw my mother and father. They returned to the lodge with smouldering clothes and ashen faces.
‘What happened to you?’ I asked, rather alarmed by their appearance.
My mother and father ushered my into their room, closing the door behind them securely.
‘Keep your voice down,’ said my father as he locked the door.
‘Mum,’ I turned to her. ‘Why are your clothes burnt?’
My mother walked over to the basin in the corner and picked up the washcloth. She avoided the question by washing the dirt from her face.
I turned to my father. ‘What happened?’
My father wiped the sweat from his brow and collapsed into a chair. ‘We are just doing our part.’
‘Your part?’ I repeated.
He nodded. ‘To bring down the Human market.’
I turned to my mother. ‘Is that why you didn’t want me going to the market today?’ I asked, ‘Because you planned an attack on it?’
I remembered what the guard had said yesterday. Three attacks on the Human market in the last week.
‘You’re the ones who have been attacking the Human market,’ I said.
Heaving a sigh, my father sat up and looked me in the eye. ‘We are doing what needs to be done. We are trying to destroy the slave trade-’