Chapter 3: Fear itself
Snape convulsed on the floor, his eyes rolling back in his head, as Raven just stood there with a look of horror on her face.
don't just stand there, do something! Thorne hissed into her mind, galvanizing her into action. She knelt beside Snape, and muttered softly, "Sorry about this..."
She raised her hand and smacked him, hard.
"Wake-up, Dammit!" she yelled. Snape continued to convulse. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Still he continued to lay there, twitching. Raven took a deep breath and began to smack him over and over again, harder than before.
"Wake-up! Don't just lie there!" she snarled, "Fight it!"
Raven raised her arm to smack him once more when a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Snape sat up slowly, his cheeks red from her blows.
She stood and helped him up as well, as he rubbed his cheeks gingerly.
"Thank you.. I think..." he winced. He looked around for a moment, as if unsure of what had just happened.
"You were sucked into your fear..." she said quietly, "I had to force you out of it somehow. You believed that it was real, so it affected you as if it were... If I hadn't hit you, you would have choked to death."
Snape's eyes narrowed. "Did you see my fear?"
Raven said nothing, just turned back to Thorne, running her fingers through his mane.
"What did you see?" he hissed. Raven rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand.
"Let's just say that you should count yourself very lucky that it was I that saw your fear, and not the hunter..." She looked up at him finally, her eyes filled with weariness. "But rest assured I won't tell her... You're not the only one with a skeleton in his closet."
Snape opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He was struck speechless for the moment. Raven seized the opportunity to distract him.
"Grab one of Thorne's tails. He'll lead us to Deanna so we can get the hell out of here."
Snape did as she said, strangely subdued. Raven held onto Thorne's scruff as they wandered through black mists to find Deanna.
"Murderer!" A pale young man howled mournfully, gathering a bloody bundle into his arms, "We just wanted to be left alone!" He said through racking sobs which left trails down his ensanguined face, "What did she ever do to deserve this? She was just a child! Just a child." He pressed the lifeless form to him, rocking it lovingly, as if his sobs were some kind of macabre lullaby.
Deanna stood transfixed by the small bloody form. She still held the instrument of the child's death. She shook herself. No, she thought desperately, She is- was not just a child, she was a vampire. No… I can't become emotionally involved, I can't…
And yet she couldn't tear her eyes away from the horrific scene that sprawled before her. For a moment, she was beside herself, looking at the entire scene, like watching a movie. Who is the monster here? Who is the life-sucking messenger of death now? Oh God…
The scene had changed, she now stood on what looked like a battlefield. Bodies were strewn haphazardly, irreverently piled, some half naked, some covered in the grime of war, some encrusted in dried blood. It was as silent as death, and just as cold. She shivered. Something brushed up against her leg and she jumped. It was a blackbird with what looked like an eye dangling from its beak. Deanna felt nauseous.
The bird gave a great croak and flew off a few feet into the lead-lined dawn. Not knowing why, she ran after it, trying not to step on the dead in her path. It flew on until she could find it no longer.
"Why do you watch where you step?" A voice said in her ear.
"Perhaps she is afraid she will fall into our stench."
"Afraid to sully yourself, hunter?"
She spun around unable to pinpoint where the voices were coming from. Suddenly, there was a loud croak in front of her. The blackbird had returned. "That's not why!" She whispered, "That's not why!" She said to it.
Before her eyes, the blackbird transformed into the girl from before, the one she had killed.
"Why do you watch where you step?" She repeated the question.
"Because it wouldn't... It wouldn't be right," Deanna stammered.
"They are only vampires. They do not deserve your reverence."
"It's… it's not like that! You don't know, okay! You have no idea…"
"I think I have a very good idea." The girl said with an earnestness that belied her seven-year-old face, "You are the Destroyer of Worlds… you descend upon us like the Angel of Death --"
"Stop --"
"All fear your power over them. And you like it --"
"NO!"
"You thrill in the hunt... the chase..."
"I protect the innocent!"
"How like a goddess you pour out your wrath --"
"STOP IT!"
"-- and Death falls like rain, upon all: the evil and the innocent --"
"I don't want to hear this --"
"-- the rich and the poor --"
"Stop it, please! Just stop --"
"-- the happy and the miserable --"
"I said to stop!" In a flash, Deanna held a knife to her throat. She just wanted her to stop talking, and if it meant cutting off her head…
"Are you going to kill me again, hunter?" The girl hadn't flinched, she just looked up, curious, as if she was asking about the weather.
Deanna let the blade fall into the mud.
She fell to her knees, exhausted and miserable and half-mad with guilt, "What have I become?" she whispered to herself, retrieving the blade from the mire and hesitatingly putting it back into her belt. She was answered by a rough and rather large tongue that licked the side of her face. Deanne opened her eyes to the sight of two very large green eyes looking down at her. She scooted backwards, disoriented, and realized that instead of the girl, Thorne, Raven and Snape stood before her.
"We got to you just in time," Raven said softly, looking extremely exhausted. Snape said nothing at all, a sullen look fixed upon his face, while he avoided Deanna's eyes. Raven motioned for Deanna to grab onto Thorne's scruff. "Hold on to him tightly so we don't get separated.. He'll get us out of here." She then grabbed Thorne's second tail and motioned for the Draven cat to start walking.
why didn't you ask her to take my tail? he asked curiously.
I don't want them snapping at each other, she replied wearily. Please, just get us out of here... Quickly.
Thorne cast one last worried glance at Raven before they navigated their way through the mists.
The group's footsteps began to echo as the mists cleared to reveal a stone hallway. Thorne paused for a moment, unsure of what was happening. He increased his pace, and the others had to jog just to keep up with him. As they wandered further down the hallway, they came to a large portrait of a cruelly handsome man with emerald green eyes and silver hair.
"Oh god... not this..." Raven whispered.
The others turned to look at her, but she was no longer there.
"Where is she?" Deanna asked, looking around wildly.
Thorne let out an inarticulate roar of anger and frustration. the strain was too much for her... he hissed to the others. her fear has taken her. we must find her before...
The room wavered as the scenery changed. They found themselves in a library. A small girl with black hair and large green eyes sat contritely on the edge of a chair. It was an extremely young Raven. Looming over her was the man from the portrait, his eyes blazing like green poison.
"What have I told you about touching my books?" he boomed at the child. She said nothing, but kept her eyes downcast. The man snarled and backhanded the girl hard, knocking her near halfway across the room with the force. She landed with a sickening crunch.
"Stop it!" Deanna yelled, trying to grab the man that now stood over the prone child. Her hands passed right through him.
don't bother, Thorne sent with barely controlled fury, we won't be able to affect anything until we find the real raven... until then we have to sort through her memories until we locate her...
Deanna turned away, her face filled with outrage and disgust.
"Who is he anyway?" she asked softly as they walked away from the man, who was now kicking the little girl.
that was raven's father, viktor...
They wandered into another memory, Raven was a little bit older and hiding under a bed. She was writing a scroll for her charms class, with only a small stub of a candle to light her work. She froze at the sound of pounding footsteps, and quickly blew out the candle and held very still.
"Raven!" her father's voice yelled. "Where
are you?"
She kept silent, holding her breath and keeping her
eyes shut tight. After a few moments she heard stomping steps and the
slam of a door. She let out her breath and was about to light her
candle again when a hand grabbed her leg and roughly pulled her out
from under the bed. Thorne plowed on, trembling in anger, not wanting
to witness anymore.
Finally they could hear the sounds of voices arguing.
"You will do as I say, girl." Viktor hissed.
"Never.. I'm not a child anymore, you can't force me.." came Raven's voice.. The voice of an adult.. Thorne dashed towards the voice, pulling Snape and Deanna behind him.
They came to a room, where Viktor stood facing a 17-year-old Raven. Her eyes blazed with anger and defiance. Her father tilted his head and snarled at her, before backhanding her hard across the face, sending her to the ground.
"You need to be taught a lesson, you little bitch." he hissed as he pulled a curved dagger from his belt.
Raven's eyes widened and she scrambled across the floor in a vain effort to get away, but he was faster, using the blade on her with a ruthless efficiency...
Deanna turned away, tears welling up in her eyes. Thorne howled in anger, his fur bristling. Snape stood and watched, his face unreadable. Viktor finally stood up, tossing the dagger carelessly to the floor, before leaving the room. The young Raven curled into a ball, whimpering as she clutching at her tattered clothing, bleeding profusely from the multitude of cuts that now covered her body.
Snape's eyes alighted on a figure hunched in a corner of the room. He pulled on Thorne's tail to get his attention. The Draven cat looked towards the direction that Snape was pointing to and saw real Raven sitting on the floor, her face blank, her eyes dead and dull-looking. Both the young and the real Raven stood up. The young Raven picked up the dagger that her father had used on her, while the real one pulled the same dagger from her robes.
Thorne hissed in alarm and jumped towards Raven to stop her, causing Snape to lose his grip and fall to the ground. Deanna was jerked forwards with Thorne on his mad dash.
The Draven cat lunged wildly at the real Raven but passed through her as if he were a ghost. She didn't even notice him as she methodically peeled off one of her gloves and held the blade to her bared wrist.
Thorne looked at Snape, his eyes full of fear and despair.
DO SOMETHING! he yowled in the Potions Master's head before his form began to flicker. Then in an instant both Thorne and Deanna were gone.
Snape hesitated for a moment before he rushed Raven, grabbing her wrists and holding them behind her. The dagger clattered to the floor, but Raven struggled like a wildcat in his grip. Finally Raven stopped her erratic movements and slumped to the floor like a broken puppet, her eyes still dead and haunted. Snape slipped the curved blade into his vial case to keep it from slicing his pocket.
"Raven," he said, kneeling next to her fallen form. Pulling out his wand, he commanded, "Ennervate!" It didn't work. He was hoping he wouldn't have to slap her like she did him, "Raven, wake up!" He shook her by the shoulders as hard as he could. Nothing. He slapped her lightly across the face. It didn't work. Wincing, he slapped her a little harder this time. Not even a sign that she was alive. He repeated this until he thought he couldn't have slapped her harder without fracturing her jaw and still, nothing. She was clearly farther gone than he had been.
What can I do?
He thought quickly, rifling through options in his mind until he fell on one he thought could work. He went to pull his potions kit out of his pocket when his hand closed on a bottle. Phoenix tears. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it, hesitating. It was for emergencies only, but if this wasn't an emergency….
He uncorked the bottle and raised it to Raven's lips. The milky pearlescent liquid passed between them, and almost immediately, Raven groaned and began to wake. He quickly shoved the empty bottle back in his pocket and helped her sit up.
"What happened?" She gingerly felt her jaw and Snape helped her stand up. They were both shaky.
"I'm- I'm sorry I had to slap you so hard, you were very far gone, I think. I almost thought it wouldn't work." There was no need for her to know about the phoenix tears.
"Thanks... I think." She smiled weakly.
Raven fingered her swollen cheeks, and let out a mirthless chuckle, "I guess we're even now..."
Snape's head snapped up, "What?"
She avoided his eyes and began playing with the sleeve of her robe. "I mean, about the whole smacking bit..." she mumbled. The both of them stood in an uncomfortable silence.
Snape was the first to speak, "I had no idea." Snape said quietly, "I was wrong not to suspect… I knew Viktor. I should have known… It seems obvious now."
Raven stiffened slightly. "How... How did you know my father?" she asked with forced casualness.
Snape mentally cursed his indiscretion. "We were associates," he said, hoping that didn't shout "Death Eater" to Raven. Suddenly an odd look crossed over Raven's face.
"What's wrong?" Snape asked, panicking inwardly and fighting the urge to grab his left arm.
Raven's brow furrowed with worry. "I- I don't know.. Something's happened to Thorne..."
