Raven Saga 01 - Raven

waiting outside, stepped in and suggested we send a changeling. Jo offered to fly back home but she was too tired. She needed rest.
    “I vill talk to Finley. Ve vill decide who to send, okay?” she had said before walking back out again.
    “She's a strange one,” I said to Gabriel quietly and he laughed loudly.
    “Perhaps a little. But she is an incredible woman. She is responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of people during the First World War,” he said clearly in awe.
    “But surely she's too young to have been involved,” I asked confused.
    “Ursula has recently celebrated her two hundredth birthday,” he said, impressed, “when she was 61, she was bitten by a vampire.”
    I gasped, not expecting it at all.
    “She wasn't directly involved in the war itself, but there was a very nasty vampire around at that time, Olivier Duran was his name. He was ruthless, killing anybody and everybody. Ursula made it a point to stop him. She prevented hundreds of murders. That's how the Elders discovered her. They're always on the lookout for those that help other people like that. So they sent a couple of people over to France and they worked together to stop Duran.”
    “Wow,” said Jo, “that's impressive. Did they kill him?” she asked.
    He shook his head, “Unfortunately he managed to escape. He hasn't been found since though so we're hoping that he now keeps his killing to a minimum.”
    “But how does Ursula survive? She needs blood doesn't she?” I asked and Gabriel nodded, assuring us we weren't in any danger from her.
    “She has extraordinary self control. She usually feeds off the blood of other animals, occasionally from the stock they keep in the medical supply here.”
    Tabitha appeared with Zoltan, “Can we come in?” she asked.
    “Of course, come in, come in,” said Gabriel.
    “Zoltan is probably the fastest here at the moment and so he'd like to deliver your message to your family, if that's okay with you,” said Tabitha.
    “That would be wonderful. It's very kind of you to offer, Zoltan. Thank you. Perhaps we should write a letter. That would be best. Jo dear, please hand me the ink pot and some paper... thank you.”
    After he had written a lengthy note to our family and Zoltan had taken it away, Jo stepped out with Tabitha for a while as I stayed with Gabriel.
    “Gabriel?” I asked.
    “Yes dear?”
    “What did Charlie do to you?” I whispered.
    “It's not important now. You can see I'm okay,” but he decided to tell me after seeing the stubborn expression on my face.
    “I believe that he drugged me before I went to sleep. I think he must have put something in my tea. It paralysed me but I was conscious of what was happening. He removed me from my sleeping bag... and told me that he was going to... deliver you on a plate to Vivian.” A tear fell from his eye as he spoke. “And then he pushed me down the mountain. I couldn't even lift my hands to protect my face from everything that I fell on, stones, twigs, branches, rocks. I seemed to fall forever. It was cruel. Very cruel. But I am safe and I am recovering. And more importantly, you are safe and well,” he said as he lifted a bruised hand to my face and softly brushed my cheek with his fingers.
    “I fear I will never forgive myself for putting you in that position,” he added.
    “No Gabriel, no... please don't think like that. There is nothing to forgive. She would have got me somewhere else if it wasn't here on the mountain. She was desperate for my blood, Gabriel. But she got what she deserved in the end,” and I told him how my blood had affected her, how her face had changed beyond recognition. All the beauty she craved, gone for good.
    He smiled and I could see in his eyes that he was exhausted.
    “I should let you sleep now, Gabriel,” and I kissed him gently on the cheek and went to stand up, but he took my hand before I could go.
    “Lilly... did she tell you anything about your... father?”
    I sat back down, took his hand in mine and held it tightly.
    I had hoped to wait until he was better before I told him the truth but he needed to know. Just as I had needed to know. And so I told him. That she had almost killed my father, 'almost bled him dry' and then he had escaped, without taking me with him. I told him that we didn't know if he was alive or if he was... dead.
    Gabriel and I sat sobbing together, thinking of the man he had been and wondering what kind of man he had become – dead or