Raven (Gentlemen of the Order 2)

Beside him, Sophia inhaled sharply.

“Forgive me.” He mumbled a curse but gave no further explanation.

They continued in silence but for the hypnotic whispers of the trees in the night breeze. Mist and moonlight filtered through the overhead canopy, the hazy veil reducing visibility on an already uncertain path.

“Miss Draper!”

The doctor’s distant call reached Finlay’s ears.

Could the fool not follow instructions?

“Miss Draper!”

Sophia gripped his hand as they ploughed through muddy puddles. “What if this is the night I lose her forever?”

Having asked himself the same question in the past, he tried to ease her anxiety. “We won’t stop looking until we find her.” Aware of a light ahead and hearing the hounds bark, he said, “Look. Blent is approaching the deadwood.”

The deadwood posed a powerful presence in the dark. To the naked eye, the circle of seven leafless trees looked healthy and robust. One might be fooled into thinking they were deciduous trees standing dormant in the depths of winter, but autumn was still weeks away. But for the charred logs and powdery ash of the burnout campfire, the ground was a barren wasteland.

Blent entered the clearing, whistling and calling to the white and tan dogs who had their noses pressed to the ground, sniffing for Jessica’s scent. Dr Goodwin stumbled behind, holding the lantern aloft and complaining about the state of his expensive Hessians.

“Any sign of her?” Finlay asked, releasing Sophia’s hand.

“No, sir.”

“This is ridiculous.” Dr Goodwin groaned as his boots squelched in the mud. “Why the devil would Miss Draper wander out here in the dead of night?”

It was an odd thing to say. As Jessica’s physician, he knew her fragile mind made her behave irrationally. Surely he had questioned her about the night she met the nameless figure in the woods. And what of her sleepwalking? Wasn’t that part of the problem?

“We should have checked the house before charging outdoors,” the doctor added, determined to air his frustration.

In this instance, he had a valid point.

Finlay thought back to the figure in the window signalling to someone outside. Perhaps the plan was to have them all head to the woods at night so the stranger could gain access to the house.

Panic flared.

“Does she always come to the deadwood when sleepwalking?”

“Blent found her here twice.” Sophia struggled to remain focused, her nervous gaze kept drifting beyond the clearing. “And this is where she met the man who gave her the incantation bowl.”

Dr Goodwin’s dismissive snort sent a burst of white mist into the chilly air. “No doubt it was a poacher spinning a yarn to make sure she stayed at home. The hounds are bound to scare away wild animals.” He gestured to the remains of the campfire. “Or perhaps a vagrant is living in the woods. Either way, talk of witches and magical bowls will only add to her confusion.”

“And if she was sleepwalking, how did she remember meeting the man?” Finlay said, surprised to find he agreed with the doctor. “She was clear about who she’d met.”

That said, she had described the man as an angel.

Sophia frowned. “What are you saying?”

“This place and its stories feeds a wild imagination. If Jessica was sleepwalking, she likely invented the part about the angel.”

Might the angel be a metaphor for salvation? he wondered.

Was it Jessica’s way of asking to be freed from her prison?

“Then how do you account for the bowl?”

Finlay shrugged. “Perhaps she found it here. Herbalists roam this area. The bowl could be nothing more than a decorative object used to carry their bounty.”