accept just that.” He watched one of her eyebrows lower
slightly in confusion.
“What does it mean?”
“The day I decided to
leave my homeland was the day I received it. And it’s not a come-home-soon type
of mark. Quite the opposite. It means traitor .”
“Traitor?” Glory stared in stunned belief. “Why’s that?”
A
sigh. “Be lucky your father
understands you, Glory. With my kind, you don’t just walk away and everything be all right. To them, it’s no better than treason.”
She was silent a moment,
her finger still tracing the inked curves. It was not long before she settled
along the last arc, then let her hand fall back to her
side. Curiously, she asked, “Will your family accept me?”
As they nestled close
together, he finally answered, “I hope so.”
CHAPTER
5
Jangus spent the
better part of his day memorizing Lexington’s layout.
Mark the locations,
he said . A cackle. I’ll do better than that. I’ll taint them! Taking a raven form, the
Healer soared over the open streets. Angling his tail feathers, a mix of black
and white dropped below. To his amusement, the dropping landed on some
unsuspecting forehead. Many others had met the same treatment, and still into
the night as the raven continued to scour Lexington for humans.
Height was his savior,
with the approach of night his camouflage. Even so, humans never seemed to stop
moving. Between merchants in the market area, thieves slipping in and out of
back alleyways, and close-knit buildings, humans had a wide range of places to
be found. Secretly, the Healer hoped this was the most he would encounter in
one area, and let loose another one of his liquefied droppings in protest.
How quickly this
whole place could be leveled! I would be more than honored if Chronicles let me
do so. Delighting in those thoughts,
the raven turned toward the smell of fresh baked bread. With empty stomach, he
sought out the smell’s location.
A family of five was
just sitting down for their evening meal when the raven alighted on their windowsill.
He peered around the side of the curtain gently ruffling in the open breeze
where he spied a loaf of bread sitting on the table.
How convenient. No one took notice until he hopped down on the counter
with a caw.
The littlest girl
pointed. “Look! A bird!”
The mother turned in
her chair, a look of shock displayed upon her face to find it boldly perched so
close to the table. “Be quick!” She motioned to an older daughter. “Shoo it
back out the window!”
“Yes,
Mama.”
Jangus eyed the young
girl’s approach. He ignored her desperate waves in attempt to frighten him.
When she tried to pick him up, he merely pecked at one of her fingers.
“Ouch!” She stuck the
sore finger in her mouth, then shook it a few times.
“Did you see that? It bit me!”
“Someone must have
kept it as a pet.” A boy briskly walked over to the countertop. “No bird would
be so stubborn.” She peered down at the raven, then drew back in surprise. “No wonder they let it go. There’s something wrong with
its eyes. They’re white!”
“It might be blind.”
Their father rose from the table. “I’ll handle this.”
He proceeded to grab
the bird when Jangus launched into a wild flutter of feathers and cawing. The
youngest screamed when Jangus dived at the man’s face. Thrown off guard, the
tall man swatted dramatically around his head, but Jangus was too quick. With a
cackle, he avoided a toss of wooden spoon.
Ha! They couldn’t
catch me if I were in my true form! He mused over their chaotic reactions, then decided it
was more fun to bump into overhanging pots and pans. An upset broom toppled
from its lone corner. The Healer felt the wind of their hands slapping at empty
air and continued cackling in laughter.
Having had enough, the
eldest daughter picked up the broom and slung it over a cupboard. Years of evading
other Healers in play brought out his evasive skills, and
slightly in confusion.
“What does it mean?”
“The day I decided to
leave my homeland was the day I received it. And it’s not a come-home-soon type
of mark. Quite the opposite. It means traitor .”
“Traitor?” Glory stared in stunned belief. “Why’s that?”
A
sigh. “Be lucky your father
understands you, Glory. With my kind, you don’t just walk away and everything be all right. To them, it’s no better than treason.”
She was silent a moment,
her finger still tracing the inked curves. It was not long before she settled
along the last arc, then let her hand fall back to her
side. Curiously, she asked, “Will your family accept me?”
As they nestled close
together, he finally answered, “I hope so.”
CHAPTER
5
Jangus spent the
better part of his day memorizing Lexington’s layout.
Mark the locations,
he said . A cackle. I’ll do better than that. I’ll taint them! Taking a raven form, the
Healer soared over the open streets. Angling his tail feathers, a mix of black
and white dropped below. To his amusement, the dropping landed on some
unsuspecting forehead. Many others had met the same treatment, and still into
the night as the raven continued to scour Lexington for humans.
Height was his savior,
with the approach of night his camouflage. Even so, humans never seemed to stop
moving. Between merchants in the market area, thieves slipping in and out of
back alleyways, and close-knit buildings, humans had a wide range of places to
be found. Secretly, the Healer hoped this was the most he would encounter in
one area, and let loose another one of his liquefied droppings in protest.
How quickly this
whole place could be leveled! I would be more than honored if Chronicles let me
do so. Delighting in those thoughts,
the raven turned toward the smell of fresh baked bread. With empty stomach, he
sought out the smell’s location.
A family of five was
just sitting down for their evening meal when the raven alighted on their windowsill.
He peered around the side of the curtain gently ruffling in the open breeze
where he spied a loaf of bread sitting on the table.
How convenient. No one took notice until he hopped down on the counter
with a caw.
The littlest girl
pointed. “Look! A bird!”
The mother turned in
her chair, a look of shock displayed upon her face to find it boldly perched so
close to the table. “Be quick!” She motioned to an older daughter. “Shoo it
back out the window!”
“Yes,
Mama.”
Jangus eyed the young
girl’s approach. He ignored her desperate waves in attempt to frighten him.
When she tried to pick him up, he merely pecked at one of her fingers.
“Ouch!” She stuck the
sore finger in her mouth, then shook it a few times.
“Did you see that? It bit me!”
“Someone must have
kept it as a pet.” A boy briskly walked over to the countertop. “No bird would
be so stubborn.” She peered down at the raven, then drew back in surprise. “No wonder they let it go. There’s something wrong with
its eyes. They’re white!”
“It might be blind.”
Their father rose from the table. “I’ll handle this.”
He proceeded to grab
the bird when Jangus launched into a wild flutter of feathers and cawing. The
youngest screamed when Jangus dived at the man’s face. Thrown off guard, the
tall man swatted dramatically around his head, but Jangus was too quick. With a
cackle, he avoided a toss of wooden spoon.
Ha! They couldn’t
catch me if I were in my true form! He mused over their chaotic reactions, then decided it
was more fun to bump into overhanging pots and pans. An upset broom toppled
from its lone corner. The Healer felt the wind of their hands slapping at empty
air and continued cackling in laughter.
Having had enough, the
eldest daughter picked up the broom and slung it over a cupboard. Years of evading
other Healers in play brought out his evasive skills, and