The Avian Chronicles: Book 1, Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Departure

She jumped up immediately and bowed as low as she could, expressing her profuse apology to Raven and forgetting to help the young woman up. At the same time the assassin fumed as she stood up and dusted off her travel clothes, not hearing anything the child said.

Raven finally looked at the girl, whom looked so much like a boy that she was still trying to figure out which gender the child belonged to, even though she had felt the evidence.

"Why did you run into me, you insolent runt?" she shouted at the child, whose eyes were on the ground in shame.
"I…I did not mean to, Ma'am" the child stammered pitifully.

Even in her anger Raven could that he, she, the young woman corrected herself, was obviously honestly sorry. The pitifulness of the girl touched Raven's rarely shown softer side, one that she hid from even her mother. That softer side thought that perhaps the child could help them find someone who knows the history of the town.

"Tell me your age, child" she said, visibly trying to soften her voice for the girl's benefit. It surprised her male companions to see this side of her
"Fifteen winters, Milady" she replied in a false deep'ish voice.

So, the girl was pretending to be a boy? Though for possible what purpose? Raven decided to play along out of curiosity. "Do you perhaps know of anyone who is well versed in the history of this town?"
"Indeed, Milady. I can even take you to him!"

The girl felt a tap on her shoulder, turned around and looked into eyes that were incredibly green, set in face of the most handsome man she had ever seen. The girl hid her reaction well, keeping up the pretence that she was a boy.

"Do you know of any inns that are comfortable but cheap? We have travelled for days to get here and require rest first." Falcon asked her politely.
"Of course, Sir" she replied as best she could without swooning at hearing such a handsome voice.

She led them through the market and down a few side streets until they came upon a street of inns and taverns. They trio checked in and the girl told them that she'll be glad to meet with them the next morning in the town square.


"Go to the village and take whichever magic users you can find, but make sure their tails add up to nine!" the Blood Witch ordered her minions. They nodded and left the seclusion of the cave and ran, silently, towards the village where their prey lay.

Hours passed before the minions returned with ten large foxes, some with two tails. "You have brought me too many, you dolts!" she screamed at them, her eyes bulging in anger. "Are we meant to keep the rest?"

"You never know if you require extras, Mistress….."
"And if they were to escape? None of the villagers saw you or followed you?"
"We became the elements and returned before our presence was noted"

The Blood Witch gave no reply other than an order to lock the beasts in the pens, but to put three with two tails and three with one tail into the cavern furthest back in the complex. She would tend to them soon.

The companions were surprised when Finch led them to the outskirts of the town, thinking instead that she would have taken them somewhere in the inner parts of the town. The house she took them to looked rather old and worn, but with a large yard.

Still thought to be a boy by Falcon and Phoenix, she kept her voice deep whenever she spoke. In the yard of the house was an old man moving what seemed to be large chunks or glittering stone from a pile.

The Master smiled when he saw his Pupil, though seemed confused when he saw the three following her.

"Who might these people be, Finch? Perhaps customers?" he asked as he dusted off his hands and walked towards them.
"Unfortunately not Master, but they are looking for something"
"Looking for what, if I may inquire?"

Falcon bowed and introduced himself, "Good craftsman, I am Falcon the Bard. My companions, beginning with the beautiful young woman, are Raven and Phoenix. We are here simply for historical information. This fine young man said you might be able to help us."
"Of what sort?" the Master asked the bard sceptically.
"The history of Cave Gate" Falcon replied conversationally.

The Master tapped his lips in thought before allowing the group into his home. He sat them at his dining room table and asked Finch to prepare some refreshments.

"I am Chensor, Master to Finch who is my pupil. I am also a Crystal Shaper" Master Chensor said to introduce himself to the companions.
"A Crystal Shaper?" Raven asked in a curious voice.
"Yes, a Crystal Shaper. One who uses magic to make crystals grow and/or manipulate them into any preferred shape" he answered proudly.
"And that is what you are teaching to Finch?"
"Yes, as well as other skills that will aid him in the mines"
"The mines?"
"All the young men over fourteen summers or winters work in the mines, either digging it, hauling it, or finding it, the last of which is what finch does"
"I see. As Falcon said outside, we are trying to find out the history of Cave Gate."

Chenson nodded. "Is there an event that you are specifically interested in? Cave Gate has had its share of takeovers due to the crystal it mines"
"That makes sense, I suppose"

At that moment Finch entered with a tray of clay mugs of clear, fresh water. She set the mugs down in front of her Master first, then Raven, Phoenix and finally Falcon. She smiled at him innocently when he thanked her and received a knowing smile in return. That smile made her freeze. Did he know? No. He could not have figured her out already. She had fooled the town her whole life; an outsider wouldn't have been able to figure it out. That Raven woman may have though...

Master Chenson's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Finch? Falling asleep on your feet already, I see. It would be best for you to go sleep before your shift tonight"
The miner girl put the tray down and left for her room to prepare for bed. Just as Finch was out of earshot, Raven opened her mouth to speak.
"Finch has it down perfectly," Falcon cut in before the assassin could let out a sound.
"Excuse me?" replied Chenson, who was taken aback by the sudden statement.
"You may as well be honest. I know Raven already knows Finch's true nature as a person"

Despite her irritation at having been interrupted, Raven wasn't surprised that the bard had picked up on what she'd found out when the brat had run into her. He was trained in the way of performances after all.

The Master of crystal magic sighed deeply. "Yes, Finch is a girl. But please, I implore you to share this with no one" he said in a desperate voice. Phoenix had dozed off without touching his tea. "How did you find out? Nobody in the town is aware of it. They all think she is a boy who is late in maturing" he continued in a quiet tone, mindful not to wake his sleeping apprentice.

The bard just tapped the side of his nose and smiled knowingly before speaking, "How I know is not important, nor is the fact that I. We only seek historical information on what we seek" he finished sincerely.
"What is it you seek?"

Raven saw the bard deliberately pause and nodded his apology for stealing what she was to say. She nodded and knew it was her turn. "We were hired by a collector to find a pendant set with a rare stone, a pendant set with Dragon's Eye" she said him, wondering what reaction he would give to the name of the stone.
"I know of a pendent that was once owned by a governor who looked over the town three hundred years ago. The story goes that the city was attacked by a clan far to the Northeast, who was in turn attacked ten year later. Their fortress lays undisturbed since."

The two conscious companions nodded and listened carefully. The story was a lead. Finally.
"What happened to the Fortress after the attack?" Falcon asked out of both curiosity and a need to know more.
"The clan's numbers were decimated, with few members escaped. It is said that those who lived returned to the ruins of their home to bury their dead, which must have been a monumental task, and to set traps so that raiders could not plunder any treasures that could not be retrieved" the Master said, almost sadly.
"Do you know perhaps where the survivors went?"
"I do not. There are rumours but I do not know where exactly. "
"How will we know if the pendant is even there, Falcon?" the young woman the green-eyed bard quietly.

The Master, even in his advanced age, heard her question. "I may a solution to that, if you are willing to consider it?"
"And that would be?" the young woman asked, suspicion plain in her voice.
"You will need someone who can sense and find crystals, like they do in the mines"
"Where and for how much would we find someone like that? I doubt the mine would let someone with abilities like that go so easily"
"That is true, but I know of someone who would not cost anything to take with you, save food"

Falcon was already catching on to the old man's suggestion and nodded slowly.
"Who would that be?" Raven asked sceptically.
"Finch" Chenson said matter-of-factly.
The assassin scoffed.
"You think that little runt will be able to travel with us? It will be dangerous-"
"I am well aware of that Miss Raven. I have been preparing her to leave this town since she started learning her magic. I have even taught her how to defend herself, if the need arose"

Raven's intense blue eyes flashed with anger but she held her tongue over the interruption. He was many summers her senior. Respect your elders. That phrase was engrained into her mind since she could remember by her mother, the Guildmaster. "You have yet to tell how she can help us validate whether the relic is there or not" She said calmly after having schooled her temper as she had learnt in her training. Showing too much of certain emotions could get you killed, even in a not-so-dangerous situation.

"Of course. Many of the skills Finch has learnt have to do with sensing crystal and locating it, and other things such as growing it. Though she still has much to practice with the latter before she can use it to make anything of value."
"Did you just say growing crystal?" the bard asked the Master with a very confused look on his face for he had never heard such a notion before, though surely it took thousands of summers for crystals to grow underground.

Chenson nodded and got up, walked to a desk with many draws and crystal figurines atop it. He opened a draw and scratched around until he found what he was looking for: a piece of Rose Quartz. The duo – Phoenix was still sleeping and had started to snore loud enough for Raven to consider kicking his chair over – looked at the Crystal Shaper in confusion.

Both wondered what he would do with it, until Falcon became too curious to stay quiet and had to ask, "So you are able to do more than just shape it, Sir?"

He nodded and sat down again at the table. Master Chenson then began drawing a white symbol in the air then hit it with his palm. He then drew another but slightly different symbol and hit it with his palm. His hands began to glow and he proceeded to make the crystal grow and shaped it as he did so. The air filled with a soft tinkling sound while they watched in amazement the crystal becoming larger and changing shape into an elegant dagger of perfect Rose Quartz.

"So it was you who crafter all those figurines on the desk?" the blue-eyed assassin asked in amazement. "What about all the shops in the market area that sell figures like those?"
"There are a fair few on us in this town, though this skill of growing the crystal is kept secret. If the owners of the mines knew, they would shut down the mines and have us grow all the crystal."
"I see" Raven replied with a nod. Beside her Falcon seemed to be deep in thought. Eventually he broke his silence.
"What would be the earliest that she could leave with us?"
"Six nights' time. That is when she has her break"
The bard nodded. There were still a few hours before Finch was due to wake before her shift. When the diminutive crystal miner awoke, Master Chenson told them of where the mountain stronghold was and explained to Finch what was to happen. Raven added that if the girl was to travel with them, the assassin herself would test the apprentice's fighting skills.
Over the next six days, after Phoenix had been filled in back at the Inn over what he had missed, route and provision planning was done. When Finch was awake for a few hours each day between her shifts she would practice her crystal finding magic as her Master had said it would be important for her journey with the companions.

Finch had never left Cave Gate in her fifteen summers. She was both excited at finally being able to travel but also worried for Chenson. His health was degrading with age and she felt a duty to care for him. He had been like a father to her, raising her since before she could remember. Finch knew she would have to leave anyway, before her body began growing into that of a woman.




"Today we test her" Raven said flatly.
"Do not be too rough with her, Raven" Falcon cautioned her.
"You may be the leader but you will not tell me what to do" She replied dangerously.
"Raven, Finch is a petite little girl..." stated Phoenix, trying to help though he was still shocked that Finch was a girl.
"In a real fight an opponent will not go easy on her. Finch must be prepared for that if she is to travel with us to that strong hold and beyond if need be!"

Falcon shrugged and conceded to the assassin's logic. Not long after they headed to Master Chenson's place to fetch the little miner. The route was familiar now as they had gone there every day over the past week- Falcon for info, Raven to train Finch when she had time before shifts and Phoenix because he was too bored staying at the inn all day.

When they arrived Finch was busy practicing her crystal growing magic. The now familiar tinkling sound filled the air as the girl, her dark brown eyes squinted in concentration, shaped a piece of crystal in the featureless form of a weathered statuette. She smiled when she was done. Her shills had greatly improved.

Raven cleared her throat. Finch suddenly remembered that she had been sitting outside at a table on the veranda. On the table were three other statuettes, though none with as much definition as her latest attempt. She turned to look at them and Phoenix had a worried look on his face. Raven's was serious. That look made her start to worry for she had experienced the blue-eyed woman's temper.

"Come with me, Finch. It is time for your test" Raven said matter-of-factly.
"M-My test?" Finch asked, a bit confused by the statement. Raven was already walking around to where she had trained the miner girl. Finch looked at Falcon for some explanation but he merely nodded that she must follow that assassin.

Finch took a deep breath and followed Raven to the back of the house. The older woman was speaking to her Master. She slowly approached them. Master Chenson was nodding and turned to look at her and motioned for her to move faster.

"Make your practice daggers please, Finch" her Master requested.
She nodded proceeded to drawing the symbol for growing crystal magic, then the symbol for shaping crystal magic, both glowing white with the energy she used to draw them. Energy tingled through the air as she hit both with the palm of her hand. The miner-girl took two crystal shards from the pouch at her hip and began growing and shaping them into the likeness of two blunt-bladed daggers.

As Raven reached for her rapier, Master Chenson stopped her. "You will need something a bit more conventional for this, Miss Raven. If I may?" he said as he released her arm and took her rapier to measure its weight and dimensions, then returned it and took a crystal shard from his pocket and shaped it into an exact – if blunt - copy of Raven's weapon.

The assassin tested her practice weapon. "I'm amazed that its feel is the5 same" Raven said in true awe. Her face been serious once more as she turned to look are Finch. "In the journey ahead you will need sharp reflexes if bandits were to suddenly attack us"
"Bandits?!" Finch exclaimed, but as the word left her mouth the older woman lunged at her. The lung was parried by one of Finch's daggers, the blade held normally. Raven smiled at the girl's block. Finch was shocked and panting hard, trying to understand what happened.
"Why did you do that?!" the apprentice screamed as she broke off from the parry but kept her eyes on her trainer.
"I said you would need to be ready if we were attacked" Raven lunged again, aiming for Finch's stomach, only to be parried again by the swift little girl. She suddenly reversed the grip on her daggers and ducked under the assassin's arm to take a swipe at Raven's hip. Suddenly she wasn't there, for the Raven-black haired young woman spun out of reach, her waist-length single braid flying in a wide arc and her crystal rapier already in position.

Raven reminds me so much of her, Falcon thought sadly as a memory of his childhood bubbled up while he and Master Chenson watched the young women sparring. Phoenix and plopped himself down under a tree to sleep since he had thought that whatever they were there for would take all day. The sparring continued in the background, the sounds of crystal vibrating as blow were blocked or deflected towards the ground.

Suddenly Finch was on the ground, Raven standing over her with the tip of the assassin's crystal sword pointed at the girl's neck. "I win" Raven stated proudly – though the victory wasn't surprising - with satisfaction twinkling in her sky-blue eyes.

"So that is it? I am not going with, am I?" tears poured down Finch's cheeks are she blurted the questions. She rolled to her feet and wiped her face, but as she turned to walk away she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Expecting it to be Falcon's hand, she turned to look at him. The miner was crestfallen when she looked into a pair on sharp, sky-blue eyes.

"What are you crying about? Who said that if you lost, you will not be coming with?" there was no pity in her voice when she spat the words. "I said I was testing to see how ready you are, and you lost. That does not mean you were not prepared enough. You are ready enough to hold your own. Be proud of that at your young age" Raven said in a gentler tone.
"R-really, Raven?" Finch asked after sniffing loudly.
"Really, Finch."

A jolt of went through Finch's body when she once again felt a hand on her shoulder. It was his, she was sure of it. The short-haired little girl almost swooned. She was very surprised by what came out of his mouth a moment later.
"Master Chenson, if you are able, could you sharpen Raven's sword. Finch, would you be so kind as to make a sword for me? I wish to challenge my companion" Falcon said so nonchalantly that all three were surprised by the request. Raven was the first to recover and cleared her throat.

"I accept, Falcon. Though I do not expect you to have such great skills"
"You may be taking that back, Raven. Master Chenson, Finch, if you will?"
"Of course, of course" stuttered the Master as he quickly sharpened the assassin's crystal replica, his apprentice following suit. It took longer than expected but soon the girl was done crafting a very plain but sharp crystal sword for the bard.

"Are you ready?" he asked her after they walked away from the crystal-shapers and touched blades.
"More than you know, bard" Raven replied calmly.
Then the air once again rang with the hum of crystal.

He is much better than I would have guessed, Raven thought as she span to parry Falcon's thrust, her waist-length braid swinging wide. The bard recovered his stance quickly. It was no wonder why he had requested that the crystal swords be sharp. He knew they would both be able to keep themselves from harm.

The bard slashed diagonally upwards, from his left to hers, and made the assassin stumble due to the sudden ferocity. Raven glanced at Falcon's green eyes – as green as if jealousy were to manifest into something physical – and saw his determination to win, as well as a flicker of something else. They continued you dance of swordplay for many minutes, Falcon smiling the whole time.

"How can you smile when you are fighting like this?!" Raven growled as she parried another slash but the bard didn't reply, he just kept smiling as if he were enjoying their fight. Maybe he was, but it didn't stay on his face much longer. With a flick of her wrist Raven sent the bard's sword flying, then knocked him down with a kick to the chest.

"I win, Falcon" she triumphantly said as she levelled her blade at his neck, but the smile of superiority was wiped from Raven's face when Falcon started laughing. "So you have, fair adventuress" he said good-naturedly as he moved the blade's tip away and got up to dust himself off.

"How can you laugh when you have lost?" ask the assassin in a perplexed voice. He had just lost their match he is laughing. Is it that the lost means nothing to him at all, not a jab at his pride?
"I laugh because I enjoyed myself" green-eyed young man replied easily.

Falcon walked away to retrieve his weapon while Raven groped for an understanding of what he just said. The bard walked up to Master Chenson and Finch and bowed formally to them both. "Thank you both. You have allowed me to relive something that brought me great joy in my childhood" he said wholeheartedly.
"You are w-welcome, Falcon" she stuttered, not accustomed to being thanked in such a way.
"Have you finished packing your things?"
"I have only a few small things left to pack. Are we leaving soon?"
"As soon are you are ready. Now hurry" saying as he urged her into the house to finish packing.

While the bard and Master were talking Raven walked across the yard to the tree under which Phoenix dozed. Put in a foul mood by inability to understand Falcon's joyful, she couldn't restrain herself from kicking the lazy boy awake. He woke with a start and jerk up.
"Get up, we are leaving soon"
"Yes Ma'am!" he barked as he scrambled to his feet.

"May I ask one last favour, Sir?" Falcon enquired of the Master.
"For the doors you are opening for my dear apprentice, you may ask for anything I can grant you!"
"May I keep this weapon but in a different form?"
"In a different form? What would you like it to look like?"
"Could you change it into a trident for me? It is an odd request I am sure but please, could you?"
"I do not have any practice in forming such weapons but I shall try. Could you illustrate how it should look?"

As the bard drew his trident his companions approached from the tree, Phoenix rubbing his hip. The Master was shaping the sword into the trident as they arrived and as Finch left the house, carrying a backpack and wearing plain travelling clothes.

"What, in the name of all magic, is that for, Falcon?" Raven asked him incredulously, for what use could he possibly have for a trident made of transparent rock.
"Fishing" he said with a smile. Raven's only reply was to cover her eyes and shake her head.

Not long after, Finch began saying her goodbye to her now former Master. "Before you go, my Dear, take these with you" Master Chenson said as he handed Finch a parcel. "We do not know how long you will be gone. These will help you help these fine young people and help you learn more".
"Thank you, Master Chenson."

Tears ran down her cheeks as she said goodbye and promised to visit when her job was over. The others then said goodbye, Raven was still in a mood but forced herself to be respectful.

The four left via the Northwest exit of the town, heading towards the mountain range in the distance. As the sun was setting they arrived at the edge of the Fox Wood forest. A little while in and they stopped to make camp beside a large, crystalline pool fed by a series of waterfalls. Falcon, as leader, sent Phoenix for wood; he sent the young women out to gather whatever wild vegetables they could find nearby. In the meantime Falcon stripped down to his breeches, took his trident from her magic bottomless bag and dove into the pool.

"You must get a lot of attention from men, don't you, Raven?" Finch asked as she picked a wild lemon off a tree not far from the camp.
"What would make you think that?"
"Well, you are amazingly beautiful, and you have such big...you know" the crystal shaper replied as she looked down at her flat chest.
Raven sighed. "Now is not the time for talk like that. When we give this all to the bard we will take a dip in the pool and converse over such womanly things" she said in a quiet tone, not quite meaning to show a bit of her more sensitive side around the petite girl.
"You seem less scary right now that you did over the past seven days"
"I am not as scary as I appear. It is just necessary in my job to keep anyone from getting too close to me"
"What job is that?"
"I work as a guard for my mother's trade caravans. She is the head of a merchant guild"
"I see. You said we are giving this all to Falcon. Aren't you the cook?" Finch had stopped her foraging to ask.
The shook her head and couldn't suppress a small laugh. "How I wish I could prepare food like the meals he has made for us"
Finch was a bit surprised and stayed silent until they finished and walked back to camp. By the time they arrived Falcon was already cleaning and skewering fish next to a blazing fire, one that phoenix had lit with his magic and was feeding with sticks to build it up – he had done it enough times by now to know how. The bard stuck the skewers of fish into the ground close to the flames and the smell of roasting fish soon filled the air.

Raven walked over to the bard and proceeded to dump her load on top of him. "There is what you requested, Leader. Finch, just drop your things on him and follow me."
Buried under wild fruit and vegetables, Falcon did not quite know what was going on but decided to let it pass. He managed to dig his way out of the ingredients and started preparing them with some he removed from his bag. Just like she used to do, he thought to himself and then shook his head to clear his mind of the memories.

The water was chilly when Raven and Finch got in. "So how did you get them to become so big?" Finch asked raven while the older woman undid her long braid.
"I did not do anything to them. They just became this big. To answer your earlier question; No, I do not get a lot of attention from men"
"Maybe it is the way you act around others. I saw you kick poor Phoenix awake."
"He is lazy and needed it" the blue-eyed eyed young woman half-lied.

Soon the little miner started shivering due to the cold water and because the sun had just gone below the horizon. Raven started pulling her out of the pool to dry off beyond the poor girl shivered herself to pieces. Once out, they towelled off, dressed and went back to the camp and the warmth of the cooking fire. When they arrived they were greeted by the smells of spiced vegetables and fire roasted fish.

"Perfect timing" the bard said as he handed them both large leaves and gave them each a helping of the veggies from his pan and a good-sized fish. Phoenix was already eating with abandon. As they sat down to eat a low, deep growl came from behind them. They all froze.

The growl came again. They all turned to see what it was. Out of the forest came a giant six-legged, nine-tailed fox. It inhaled deeply and then snarled at them. It was something even Falcon had not heard of. Suddenly his trident was in his hand and he charged the fox monster to keep it at bay and shouted for the others to grab their things and run. There was no such luck. A wall of twisted trees and vines suddenly surrounded the camp and the monster walked closer. It would kill them. No one must be around to know of its existence. Not yet.

Suddenly its foreleg burned with a deep cold as Falcon slashed with his trident, its fur freezing over near the gash. It roared and back away, re-evaluating its prey.
"Phoenix, make a hole in those trees already!" Raven screamed.

He started drawing the symbol for his fireball spell with his energy when the monster lunged at him. The Fox's teeth sunk into his shoulder as Phoenix hit the symbol with his palm. The Fox let go as a huge fireball flares at the boy's hand and careened at the barrier, blasting a gap large enough for them to escape. Falcon kept the thing at bay, slashing it across its right eye before they all ran for the hole.

It roared behind them and chased the companions. None looked back. They all ran for their very lives, not even pausing to decide what paths to take, sometimes hacking and crashing through the undergrowth. Eventually they saw gaps between the trees and ran straight for, thinking the gaps to be the edge of the Fox Wood.

They broke through the trees to find, not empty wilderness but a village. They are gasped loudly for air as they came to a stop. Surely the Fox wouldn't follow them into a village. There were blurs of movement all around them. They were surrounded, and the villagers' features mad hard to see in the darkness.

Someone with a deep voice said something in a language they could not understand, but the tinkling of chains made it all clear.