They really wanted to rub my beak in it. Weren’t satisfied with my apology. It was a bloody mistake.
He could still remember that day many years ago in the King’s court trying to explain what happened.
They just couldn’t get it.
The sound of a car driving up the gravel lane-way caught his attention. He could make out two people in the small Subaru wagon as it sat idling by the front door.
I hope for his sake he’s not planning on spending the night.
Raven flew out of the tree and perched on the roof of the house so he could get a better look into the car.
It’s show time. I’ll give her a few minutes to make herself pretty.
Chapter 22
Maeve was happy that Owen had offered to give her a ride home. All the dancing had tired here out.
Flash Lightnin’ played an amazing second set and the crowd had called them back for three encores. Even though the house lights were turned on pretty soon after the third encore, people left the Black Sheep satisfied, and tired, after all the dancing. At one point, the band had the whole crowd grooving with their hard driving blues.
On her way back home Maeve couldn’t stop thinking about what the Irish guy had said about her not understanding.
What the hell was he talking about? My breeding and lineage, my potential, my fate. He was right about me wanting to know more about my family. But how the hell did he know that?
Ever since Maeve was a young girl, she had been curious about her family history. All she knew was that her mother had died one day in a car accident on her way home from work. Every time Maeve would ask her father to tell her stories about her mother, he’d clam up and tell her that he couldn’t remember any. He did this for years, until one day, when Maeve was a teenager, he surprised her.
“Your mother was a very special person Maeve,” he told her, tears welling up in his eyes. “I loved her very much. She had a very big family that was protective of her. It was all very difficult for everybody to deal with when she died. You were very young Maeve, and I was so sacred. I didn’t think I could raise you all by myself. Your mother loved you so much.”
“But you didn’t have to raise me all by yourself. Why didn’t you ask mom’s family for help?”
“It’s complicated Maeve. I don’t expect you to understand. Your mother’s family wasn’t normal. I wanted you to have a normal upbringing. I wanted you to have a real chance to make something of yourself.”
“What do you mean they weren’t normal?”
But that was as far as Maeve ever got. Her father completely closed down after that conversation. Every time she tried to raise the topic, he shifted the subject, or just pretended not to hear her questions. So Maeve just gave up trying to find anything else out.
One day I’ll find out, Maeve thought as Owen stopped his car on her driveway.
“You ok Maeve,” asked Owen. “You sure have been quiet since we got into the car.”
“Yea. Just tired is all. All that dancing tuckered me out.” Maeve let a small, tired sigh. “It has also been a long week. Lots of stress.”
“Call me if you want to talk.”
“Thanks Owen.” Maeve reached over and gave Owen a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “And thanks for the ride. Not sure if my legs would have carried me home tonight!”
“I was more worried about that sketchy guy you were talking to outside making an appearance.”
“No worries.” Maeve didn’t want Owen to know that she was also thinking about that same guy. “You want to come in for tea?”
“I’d love to, but I’ve got to work early in the morning.” When he wasn’t delivering pizzas for Luigi, Owen worked at the local bakery, which meant he had to be up bright and early to get the weekend bread baked. “Can I take a rain check?”
“Of course.”
“Great. What are you doing tomorrow night? Luigi called me this morning to let me know I had tonight and Saturday night off.”
“No plans. Give me a call.”
Maeve got out of the car and watched Owen back out of the driveway. She still felt chilled, even after all that dancing. It was in her bones. She fumbled around in her purse for her keys.
I need a good hot soak in the bath. That’d do the trick.
“Cawwww.”
Maeve noticed a Raven perched on the roof above the door as she unlocked it and made her way inside. She could have sworn the bird winked at her.
“Bloody raven” she murmured under her breath, “what the hell do you want.”
Maeve closed the door behind her and locked it. The air inside her apartment was warm and she made a beeline for the bath, filling it with hot water.
After five minutes, she tested the water with her barefoot.
Yikes. That’s damn hot.
She pulled her foot out quickly and added a bit more cold water.
After testing the water for a second time, she undressed and slipped into the hot bath, sinking slowly into the bed of bubbles that smelled of orange and lavender.
Ahhhhh. Just what I needed.
Maeve stretched out her legs and sunk deeper into the bubbles.
What a crazy week. At least I’m ending it on a high note. Money in the bank. A good night of dancing and even the potential for growing something with Owen. I like him.
Maeve slipped her head under the water, and came back up again, her red curly hair slicked backed and full of bubbles.
If it wasn’t so late, I’d call dad and ask him about this Irish guy, who certainly seemed to know a lot about me and the family. Maybe, considered Maeve, this guy was a long-lost uncle or something and he wanted to take me out for diner to introduce himself. Maybe he wasn’t a creep at all.
Maeve sighed, feeling the warmth finally returning to her bones.
And I just lost the only chance I’ve ever had of knowing anything about my family. Maybe I’ll send him an email and ask him some questions. What do I have to lose?
Maeve felt totally relaxed, lying in the hot bath. Noticing that the water was getting tepid, she emptied the tub watching the water swirl down the drain and feeling the pull of gravity on her skin.
I should probably get out of here and go to bed before I prune up too much.
After toweling off, Maeve slipped into her warmest pair of flannel pajamas, switched off all the lights and crawled as deep as she could beneath the layers of sheets on her bed.
I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight.
It didn’t take long for her to drift off. But she was a light sleeper, and a small click outside her bedroom woke her up.
“Hello?” Maeve’s sleepy voice cut through the dark stillness of her apartment. “Is that you Izzy?”
After a couple of seconds and no reply, Maeve curled back into the warm dreamy comfort of her sheets.
“Hello Maeve,” drawled a thick Irish accent. “I hope you’re dreaming about me.”
Maeve woke, startled, and lay frozen on her bed. Her mind raced to the kitchen and the drawer full of cooking knives.
There’s enough distance between him and me and the kitchen. I can make it. But I have to go NOW.
Maeve bolted out her bed towards the hall, but standing in front of her was a man, all dressed in black, with a sinister smile on his clean-shaven face.
“Where you going so quickly there love.”
Even though it was dark, Maeve could make out a strange light in Raven’s eyes.
“I’ve waited a long time for this.”
Chapter 23
“That way.” Iyash pointed down the street. “Drive slow.”
Paul drove the car slowly down the main street of the village. The local bar on the corner was a happening place, the windows were all steamed up and a handful of people were standing outside smoking and laughing with each other, oblivious to the cold.
“I can’t imagine how we’re going to be able to find this woman.” Susan felt like they were on a wild goose chase. “It’s like
finding a needle in a haystack.”
“We’ve got to trust Iyash, ” Paul was more optimistic about their chances of finding her. “He knows what he’s doing.”
“I think she’s further down here.” Iyash pointed down the main street. “Keep driving.”
“Grandfather can track down almost anything,” noted George. “He’s found some pretty interesting things over the years.”
“Well I hope we can finally track down these objects.” Susan wasn’t looking forward to having to explain to her Director that two more objects had gone missing from the museum. “I still can’t believe that they were stolen, especially after all that new high-tech security system was installed.”
“This Raven guy is a special kind of thief,” observed Paul. “I don’t think the new security system is any match for him really.”
“He’s right,” added George. “Raven is a pro. He can shift dimensionally. Your security system is no match for him. That’s why Marduk hired him.”
“I’m still not convinced” Susan crossed her arms. “He must’ve know somebody in the inside to let him in and out. There’s got to be some kind of logical explanation to all this.”
“There. Over there.” Iyash pointed across the street towards the river. “Stop the car.”
“But there’s nobody there.” Susan was starting to wonder if she had made the right choice coming along with these guys.
“Maybe he sees something we don’t.” Paul slowed the car down.
“Why don’t you park over there.” George pointed to a parking lot that was quickly emptying out. “Looks like a show is over. It’d be less conspicuous than if we parked on the side of the road here.”
“What if somebody sees an old man outside talking to invisible people in the dark,” asked Susan. “That’s pretty conspicuous.”
“Nobody will notice me.” Iyash got out of the car. “I’ll be back soon.”
The old man disappeared over the crest of hill going down towards the river.
“I’ll park the car.”
Paul pulled into the parking lot of an old sketchy looking building. Over the main entrance was a big sign made out to look like a goat with two curly horns . Underneath the mouth of the goat was the name Mouton Noir
“Cool. This is the Black Sheep! I’ve always heard about this place. Looks like Flash Lightnin’ played tonight.” Paul nodded at the big slate board out front with the weekend’s musical guests. “They’re amazing! I saw them play last year downtown. They were playing on the same bill with Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck. It was an awesome show!”
“So what are we going to do if he comes back empty-handed?” Susan wanted to have a plan B. “If we have an idea of what this Raven guy looks like, I think we should consider reporting this to the police.”
“We can tell them to be on the look out for a guy all dressed in black that may or may not have wings.” Paul laughed.
“Seriously Paul.” Susan was starting to feel tired. It had been a long day. “No offense or anything, but I don’t have much faith in the intuitive . I’ve never trusted psychics. How can they even pretend to know the truth like that? It’s all a sham if you ask me. It may be time to call in the authorities. We’re already in over our heads.”
“Speak for yourself Sue. I think we have an opportunity to do some good. If what these two have been telling us is right, we’re poised on the threshold of something big. Not just for ourselves or Iyash and George, but for all of humanity.” Paul turned the car off. “We’re in this for a reason. These guys need our help and I’m not willing to give into the fear of being in over our heads. Anyways, I need a good distraction from my dissertation. It was starting to really bum me out.”
“I guess I can suspend disbelief a bit,” sighed Susan. “But I’m concerned that we could get into some very serious trouble over all this.”
“There he is,” interrupted George. “Looks like he found what we needed.”
Iyash crossed the street towards the parking lot where they were all sitting in Paul’s car.
“I don’t see the objects.” Sue peered out the window of the car.
“Its information that he’s found.” George sounded pleased. “He knows where Raven is.”
“And if we find him, we’ll find the objects,” added Paul.
“Great.” Sue was relieved. “Finally we’re getting somewhere.”
Iyash opened the door and got into the front seat next to Paul.
“Ok. Drive that way.” Iyash pointed north. “Raven is here and a girl is in grave danger.”
Paul started driving north down the main street.
“So how’d you figure out where he is,”asked Susan.
“There are little ones hanging out around here.” Iyash motioned towards the river. “This girl is something special. They’re her protectors and Raven is here to do mischief.”
“Like bodyguards?” asked Paul.
“Kind of.”
“C’mon. You actually think we’re going to believe that there are little people – faeries – hanging around protecting some girl?” Susan was having a difficult time believing all this.
“Believe what you want Susan.” Iyash pointed right. “Turn here Paul. Across the river, then the first left. She lives in the second house. Hurry.”
Paul sped the car across the bridge, barely slowing down to make the left hand turn onto the small road. He turned up a long winding driveway. A large oak tree was silhouetted against the white siding of the house, which seemed empty. There were no lights on and no car in the driveway.
“Are you sure we have the right place?” Susan didn’t want to be responsible for waking some family up and having to explain that faeries told them that they would find a shape-shifting raven here.
“Yes. This is the place.”
As soon as Paul stopped, Iyash rushed out of the car up towards the house.
“Paul and Susan. Stay here.” George managed to say before rushing out towards the house after his grandfather. “This may get ugly.”
“I don’t know about you, Sue, but I’m not staying in the car!” Paul jumped out of the driver’s seat and followed George and Iyash up to the house.
“Paul wait!” cried Susan as she reluctantly followed him out of the car.
Iyash was the first one up to the front door and before George, Paul and Susan were up to the house, he was pounding on the door with his fist.
Chapter 24
“You’re almost as beautiful as your mother was.” Raven stepped closer. Putting his cold hand on Maeve’s shoulder. “She was a strong woman, Maeve. It was very difficult to kill her.”
Maeve stepped back, out of Raven’s reach.
“Keep your slimy hands off me.” She was shocked at this mention of her mother. “What do you know about my mother. She was killed in a car accident asshole.”
“Ah, my pretty little Maeve. How little you know.” Raven crossed his arms. “Your mother was not killed in a car accident. It’s a long and complicated story and unfortunately, we don’t have the time to get into the details right now. I’m running on a strict time line here.”
“I could care less about your timeline,” replied Maeve. “What do you want? You can have the necklace.”
“Ah, a little more accommodating now aren’t we.”
Raven was enjoying his power over this young beautiful woman. He could do anything he wanted at this moment.
“We could’ve avoided all this if you had been a little more agreeable to me earlier.”
“You’re not a professor or a jewel merchant are you?” Maeve took another step backwards.
“Good observation skills. No, I’m not. But I am here on important business and I need your complete cooperation.”
“Like I said, you can have the necklace.”
“Excellent. That’s a good start.” Raven stepped closer to Maeve. “Where is it?”
“Over there.” Maeve pointed to her closet. “In my jewelry box.”
“Perfect. Go get it so you can model it for me.” Raven took another step closer and grabbed Maeve’s bare arm. “Now.”
“Ok. No problem.”
Maeve tried to stay calm. She had taken a woman’s self-defense course once and the one thing the instructor always stressed was the best ways to counter an attack was to stay calm and appear not to resist. When the attacker least expected it you delivered an effective, deadly blow.
This guy is going to get a good swift kick in the balls. But I’ve got to time it perfectly or I’m in deep trouble.
“I want you to put the necklace on,” instructed Raven.
“Sure, whatever turns you on.”
As Maeve turned to go inside her closet there was a loud knock on the front door, startling both of them.
“You expecting somebody?” Raven was pissed off at this interruption. “I hope it’s not your boyfriend changing his mind.”
Maeve had to think swiftly. She wasn’t expecting anybody.
Maybe it is Owen. But why would he decide to come back so late? Maybe it’s my guardian angel come to rescue me from this sleaze-bag.
“Ah, it’s probably my roommate Izzy. She always forgets her keys and locks herself out,” lied Maeve. “She was supposed to go on a trip this weekend with her boyfriend, but they’ve been fighting a lot lately so maybe it didn’t work out.”
“Well it’s my lucky night then, isn’t it.” Raven relaxed a little. “Two beautiful women are better than one. Go answer the door and no funny business. I’ll be watching.”
Maeve was relieved at the few minutes this opportunity afforded her to come up with some kind of plan.
I could open the door and rush out into the driveway and run to the neighbors. But what if they’re not home and all I have are my pajamas and I can’t run around the neighborhood without shoes. I’ll freeze to death.
Maeve made her way to the front door.
Maybe whoever it is has a car and we could drive away to safety. Anything is better than being mauled by this creep.
Maeve reached the front door. There were no windows, not even a peephole on the door, so she couldn’t see who was on the other side knocking.