Disclaimer: Teen Titans isn't mine

This is part one of a sort of two-part chapter. (It was too long for a single chapter, so it's broken up into this one and the following one, whenever I happen to write it.)

"Speech"

Thoughts


Blue eyes wander across grey skies. Rainfall meanders down at the heavens' faint call. In the skies, the raven flies, circling above those who stand atop the castle wall.

Honor begets treachery. Virtue entails weakness. Mercy breeds enemies. Death belies companionship.

The air is soft; his eyes are hard. The land is marred beneath blue-grey steel. Black marks the color of where the earth is charred, the scars which gathering mists fail to conceal.

Life is short. It is short for our friends, but all too long for ourselves. We live here, waiting and watching, as our friends die around us and the world is immersed in flames. The long existence is the slow, torturous one. All that matters is lost over time. The vibrant colors of this world pale behind dispassionate, fogged eyes. One gains everything, but loses everything. All that matters amounts to nothing, for it all dies. And we are left.

Silent cries float gently by. Below echo the low sounds of mourning. Above, the ravens descry the distant flames of warning.

She is still here. We are all still here. Old enemies become new friends.

Hands clench into fists. Grudging belief is only a facade. Much remains hidden with the mists. Contrived alliances are flawed.

We cannot do anything.

Dark robes billow in the wind. The day is achingly slow. It feels as if one has sinned. Death is far from the final blow.

The procession reaches the pyre. A few words are spoken. Silence beaks the song of the lyre. Everything is broken.

Red flame gleams in dark eyes. It carries a sensation of horror, but he cannot turn away. To burn the body, as if he were one of the demons' prey... a custom it is, but not a want of his. Fire breathes fear. Heat stokes hatred. A flash of anger blazes, then fades. The scarred earth demands cold logic.

He is a statue among the immobile guardians. The rain is cold here, the air stifling. It is not so much of a feeling as a sensation. Suffocation presses in and extinguishes their lifeblood. It is coming, but he cannot stop it. I could not even save my one real friend.

The fire burns on; he looks away. It scorches his flesh though he is nowhere near it, a feeling in of itself. What feeling?

Blue eyes wander over blackened ruins. Life surges and ebbs. It is all a catastrophic failure. His fault?

The ashes are cold. The leaves flow by on the wind. He shivers involuntarily, as the raven's cries reach his ears - just barely. What song do they sing? What solace do they bring? The soft voices around him enfold, enrapturing - his soul they bind.

There is pity. And empathy. Even a hint of sympathy? A demon is incapable of understanding. She is only capable of destruction. The lands all around are scorched and dying.

Her fault.

...

My fault.

Hubris dyes the land in shades of crimson and black. No enemy can be found, save for the one that stares back at him from the mirror. The wind is cold, and the rain stings like acid. If only the sky were a bit clearer, and the heavens a little more placid.

There is a soft hymn from below. The hero's rite is sung. It is for those who die a good death, to send the soul along.

There was nothing good about the way Victor died.

Nothing good at all. He was cut down in the dark, by an enemy he could not see - what could have felt in his dying moments? It was certainly not the way he wanted to die. Being unable to do anything. Being helpless. Feeling helpless.

It feels like we all are.

The ravens pose the question: is it not so?

He slouches toward the castle wall, putting his chin down on his arms. The day is dreary and the rain is cold. The masked sky greets his maskless eyes. It is quiet, but tepid, not serene, not quite as it should be. There are too many things missing.

Mother. Father. Victor. My people. The ones we are supposed to protect. Our lands. Our faith, our religion.


His senses tingled. A woman – no, a girl – walked toward him. Part of him was tempted to draw his sword and separate her head from her body, but he knew that it wouldn't happen - her reflexes were too fast and besides, he was in no mood to fight. Her silent presence paused beside him. He sensed that she was not looking. There was an odd sensation of... fear? Or maybe just nervousness. And concern as well. For him?

She was a little restless. Again, he fought down the urge to attack, and forced himself to remain still. It won't do any good. I know that Blood admitted to killing Victor earlier, but somehow… I just can't believe it! Why would Brother Blood, of all people, murder Victor? Her explanation was bullshit. There's no way he would have lived so peacefully among us for so long, then just turned into a killer overnight. She must have done something. But I won't figure out what by attacking her from the front.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out quietly.

He turned; red tinged her cheeks. "Come again?"

She bowed her head down. It was probably the greatest sign of deference she had ever given him.

"I wanted to save him. I wanted to stop... this." Violet eyes ran over charred earth.

"Why?"

"It's our world. As much as you would love to deny it, I live here too."

"I'm not denying it."

"Oh."

He shook his head. How had it come to this? He turned to face her, moving closer. Surprisingly, she let him. Somehow, she seems innocent. That's strange.

His eyes were still cold, though. "You killed my parents."

"I'm... sorry. But, you - and they - tried to hurt my ravens." She looked up at the sky, where the dark forms of hundreds of birds floated aimlessly.

"What are they?"

She drew back. "You... wouldn't understand. It's too hard for others to understand."

He paused for a moment. The sounds of their cries reached his ears, melancholic and surreal. It was an odd sensation that he gleaned from them, an inexplicable emotion. What were they? Perhaps she was their mistress? Perhaps the other way around. They were powerful, stronger than her even, but not usually as frightening and distant. They felt almost like a force of nature, their soft voices beckoning like the earth's song on the wind.

"What are they singing?"

"Something for your friend." Her voice was husky.

Richard grimaced and turned away. She can tell what I'm feeling, but she's not actively scanning my thoughts. I suppose it would be better to be honest with her for now, and see if an opening arises later. Sometime.

"I haven't forgiven you."

She seemed to withdraw further into her hood. "I know. I could sense it. You still wanted to kill me. Rather, you still do."

"You don't seem surprised."

"I suppose I'm not. You'd want revenge, of course."

He fixed his eyes on hers. "Let me repeat myself. Were it just that, I would have no trouble allying myself with you to defeat this demon lord or whatever he is. This is a matter of principles. Demons have no place in God's world. You and your kind don't belong here."

Her eyes darkened. "Don't lump Jinx in with me. I could understand you wanting to be rid of me, but-"

"Not be rid of. As much as I hate you, everyone deserves a chance. We would purify the evil from your soul and let the Lord make the judgment."

Her eyes darkened further. "You actually believe that."

"There is no actually about it. This is the religion of our country and our people. This is what we believe in. And, as you say, you live here."

"It's not just your country."

"It's not, because your demons are running all over it."

"My demons? You think I'm working for my father? I-"

"Excuse me. Your kind. Maybe you're not directly related; it doesn't really matter. You're part of the reason they're here."

"They'd come regardless of my presence!"

"You don't know that."

"I do. If there's one thing I know, it's the way Trigon thinks. And before you say anything, I'm not trying to help him."

"I don't trust you."

"I-" she bit her lip again. He really had no reason to, except out of necessity. "Isn't there anything I could do to at least make some amends?" Her voice was soft again.

He snorted. "I would say, an eye for an eye, but that would be pointless, since we're trying to kill your father anyway."

"Was that... a joke?"

He stepped forward and stretched a hand out. She understood and brought her fingers out too, touching his lightly. She flinched at the contact but let him stare at her, azure and amethyst locked together as the wind blew around them. Her eyes were shimmering pools, barely hiding a swarm of emotion beneath; his were darker than normal, restraining hatred and despair, confining his urge to kill.

His thoughts could not have been more apparent to her. I don't hate you as a person. But I cannot forgive you. And I cannot forgive what you are.

She shook her head at that.

"You can't accept that I'm different."

"God demands it."

She sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you about that now. Can we work together to beat Trigon? I'd hate to have to fight you because of this."

"All business now, are we?"

She stood back, wrenching herself free from his gaze. Something in her posture was different.

"I... I really am sorry about your friend. I think I've already said that, but I really mean it. Please, try to understand. It's not like I'm not sympathetic. I'm just... getting used to this."

"Getting used to what?"

Expressing myself, I guess? She closed her eyes.

Richard snorted. As silent as ever. She's hiding things again. I know she must be evil. She just must! It's all a matter of striking when I can find the right time… but for now, I have to play her game. And I have to restrain myself. She's tense because I am. I need her to relax, or I have to catch her off guard.

The masked knight tapped his foot impatiently. "How can I trust you if you keep all these secrets?"

"You wouldn't trust me even if I told you," she snapped back.

"You don't know that."

"You and I both know it."

"Hmph. You sure have a way with being sympathetic."

She bit her lip again. I guess this is what Jinx had to put up with. I... really will have to make it up to her some time. I'm such a terrible person... she closed her eyes, then pressed her hands together and bent down slightly.

"I wish you well. You and him both. Regardless of what may have happened, I know what it's like to lose people you care about. And I know how hard it can be. Despite our... quarrels... I would not have wished this upon you. I am sorry I cannot make it up to you."

He nodded. She's spouting off bullshit again. So why does it sound like she means it? No, no. It's all a fake. Remember, demons cannot be trusted.

"This still doesn't change anything, does it?"

"It does not."

There was a fleeting moment of frustration on her face, but it passed quickly and she bent her head again, acknowledging his bluntness. Turning, she floated away toward one of the entrances into the castle and disappeared. A moment later, the ravens flew off.


"Rae? Hey Rae. Cheer up."

"I'm perfectly cheery."

"You don't look like it. Come on, that wasn't too bad. Woulda helped if you didn't have to talk to a robot."

Raven sank down toward the ground, holding her head. Jinx looked at her worriedly, but the demoness merely shook her head. "You heard him, right?"

"Aww, don't get hung up on him. Not everyone takes that whole 'purify the witches' stuff to heart. He's just being stupid."

"Stupid or not, he thinks it's the right thing to do. As a matter of principle..."

"Yeah, whatever. We can do without 'im."

"Not really, no."

"Well, he's not gonna fight you for now, right?"

"But later..."

Jinx sat beside her friend, looking a little nervous. "Yeah, well Rae, I hate to say it, but we gotta take care of business first. 'Cuz if we don't, there won't be a later."

"I realize that. Ugh. This whole situation is kind of absurd. Why did I even bother talking to him?"

"At least you tried, right? You know, that whole coming out of your shell thing, expressing yourself more-"

"Jinx," Raven leaned back. "That's not really who I am though."

The pinkette leaned her head on Raven's shoulder. "I know. I know how you are. And believe me, I like you how you are. I dun really want you to change. But even you gotta admit that it hurts to keep it bottled up all the time. And it'll be easier for us to make friends with 'em if you at least pretend, right?"

"As far as I can remember, my mother kept everything to herself..." the sorceress's voice dropped to a whisper, low and husky. "I wonder how she felt. I wonder how Richard felt when I killed his parents. And now Karen, when I failed to save Victor-"

"Rae. It's not your fault."

"I couldn't protect anyone in the end."

"Raven."

"Look at what Trigon has done to this place. And I just couldn't stop him. I... wasn't strong enough. Ugh. What am I supposed to do, Jinx? I'm just useless- mmpf!"

Jinx clapped a hand over the other girl's mouth. "Listen to me. It's not your fault. 'Kay?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm not being self-deprecating." Her voice came out muffled.

"You totally are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Raven pried Jinx's hand off of her mouth and sighed. She glanced at her wrists and the other girl followed her gaze, toward the pale skin normally covered by her sleeves. A warm finger rose up and traced the scars, pulling back the dark cloth and tracing them further up her arm, fuchsia eyes staring at the faint lines marring the otherwise flawless skin.

The demoness shivered. "I wanted to kill myself after you left. I tried really hard to do it. But they wouldn't let me."

Jinx's voice was soft. "I'm glad they didn't. I just wanted you to trust me, Raven. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just... confused. I didn't know how to get through that thick head of yours. Ugh."

"And now we're stuck in that same situation now. Getting these guys to trust us."

"Yeah. But it's different, right?"

Raven nodded. "It is. Try as they might, they won't be able to understand us and what we've been through. But at the same time, it's not as simple as just teaming up against a common enemy. We're here for more than that, right?"

"I dunno, Rae. As much as I'd like it if they stopped seeing us as freaks, I don't think that'll happen. Not with ol' Richie, anyway."

"I thought that was your dream, though. You even left because of-"

Jinx pursed her lips and her eyes gleamed; Raven broke off immediately, biting her lip. They stared at each other for a moment, gazes ripe with intent, but then Jinx's cheeks colored and she laughed softly.

"You're so much less stubborn now. What happened to you?"

Instantly, Raven's eyes turned into a glare. "I thought you were mad at me for saying that."

"Hey, you're the empath, right?"

"Doesn't mean I can read your every emotion without prying into your mind. Seriously, I thought we were going to have to go through another lecture about trust again."

"Lecture?"

"You know, the one where you tied me up and-"

Jinx's eyes gleamed yet more brightly. "Something tells me you enjoyed it."

"Yes- well," Raven coughed lightly. "No. I, um... err-"

The pinkette grinned widely. "For real, though. Yeah. That making people trust us was a dream of mine. Still is. But your - our - happiness comes before that. 'Kay?"

"But that doesn't mean we can't try. It's not like it should be that hard. We really do intend to help-"

Jinx sighed. "Way to ruin it. You're supposed to just say 'okay' after that. Not add a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo and make things weird."

"Oh... sorry."

Raven looked away. A pair of pink eyes followed the shift in her posture, then their owner sat back, frowning. "Seriously, what's gotten into you? You seem so down."

"Really? I do?"

"You've said sorry more times today than you've had in like centuries."

"Probably true. I don't know. It's something about today."

"Like what?"

Raven shrugged. They stared at each other. Dulled mauve and sparkling fuchsia locked together.

"Raven..."

Her mouth twisted. "It's hard to explain."

"You mean, you don't want to explain it."

Raven huffed.

"I knew it."

The demoness fidgeted with her hands. The other girl stared intently, waiting. Moments passed; Raven didn't look up. Jinx continued staring, remaining motionless. Somehow, their height difference became more obvious now, despite the fact that both were sitting. It was something in Raven's posture and her aura, but, at least to Jinx, she looked so small, like a tiny, fragile doll. She really wasn't, but ever since Raven had dropped the whole ice queen facade, her emotions had seemed to be in such disarray that Jinx didn't know what to make of it. Raven was supposed to be the calm, controlled one, but...

Raven looked up. They opened their mouths at the same time, then broke eye contact, both blushing.

"You go first," the pinkette breathed out.

She didn't receive a reply.

"You gonna talk?"

"I-" Raven sighed. "I know we're supposed to trust each other now, but... I mean, even lovers keep some things to themselves. Lots of things, sometimes. Depends on who it is. Right?"

Jinx frowned. "But Rae, I can help. It's not good to keep things bottled up. O-of course it's only if you wanna talk. I dun wanna force you-"

"I mean, it's not that. I just... it's hard to explain, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess it's fine to keep some secrets. Like, I don't have to know everything. 'Course not. But it'd be nice if-"

"Hold that thought," Raven stood and Jinx followed suit.

A moment later, Terra appeared from around a corner and moved toward them.

"Hey. What'chu guys doin'?"

"Nothin' much. Just havin' a nice chat," Jinx's eyes shifted toward Raven.

"Oh. Either of you seen Richard?"

"She was just talkin' to him. Like... uh, how long has it been?"

"A while," Raven muttered. Time passes quickly when I'm chatting with Jinx, I guess. "But he might still be there. Go check up on the roof. What do you need him for?"

"Dinner time. Pretty much nobody's eaten all day. Been busy with the funeral."

"Victor was precious to you, was he not?" Raven's voice was soft.

Terra looked at her curiously. "We weren't really that close, I guess. But he had good relationships with some of the others. They didn't take it so well."

The demoness looked away, retreating into her hood.

"Hey, what's wrong? I didn't say anythin' bad, did I?"

"Nah, she just thinks you guys are blamin' her for it. Well, actually no. She thinks it's actually her fault," the pinkette muttered.

"Why in the world would you think that?"

Both of them turned to Raven, who closed her eyes. Jinx sighed.

"She's kinda weird sometimes. Thinks she's gotta protect everyone 'n stuff. Her fault if anyone dies at all."

"Huh. Not what I've heard. Guess Richard has a biased view of her, though."

"Duh. Dunno 'bout the others though. I hope they don't hate her too much."

"Nah. Just a bit bitter still, I guess. But I mean, Father Blood even confessed. Least that's what the other cardinals said. 'nless you think she manipulated them?"

"Bet some of your buddies think that."

"Guess it's possible."

"Rae wouldn't do something like that!"

Terra blushed. "Nonono, I meant that Roy and Karen think so. And probably Richard."

"Oh. Ugh, that guy."

"What about 'im?"

"He's infuriating! His conversation with Rae was full of so much... so much, ugh!"

"Oh? What'd they talk about?"

"Oh, you know, stuff-"

Raven coughed lightly. "I'm still here, you know. And I'm perfectly capable of telling her myself."

Jinx turned crimson. "Right."

Terra's face was rather red as well. "I can just ask Richard. Gotta go get him anyway. Hey, by the way, wanna join us for dinner?"

"That... would be a bad idea."

"C'mon, I know some of you guys aren't that buddy buddy yet, but-"

"It's not that. My friend and I need to talk about things," Raven's eyes shifted. Jinx blanched slightly, unsure of what Raven was getting at.

"Oh. Okay. Well, see ya later then."

Terra offered both of them a brief smile and continued down the hall. They waited until she was out of sight, then another few seconds before turning back to each other. Jinx plucked at Raven's sleeve, suddenly feeling much smaller than she had before.

"Rae, did I do somethin' bad-"

"No, no..." Raven shook her head. "I just feel a bit off. I..." she blushed. "I wanted to sleep, but... I..."

"Yes?"

"I... didn't want to be alone," she blurted out quietly.

Jinx stood there, surprised for a moment, then laughed. "Ohhh, so that's what it was. That's so cute! Come on, why are you embarrassed about it?"

"This is new for me," she muttered, eyes shifting away. "This whole affection thing and trust and all of that..."

"We'll work on it. I mean, it feels good to be able to trust me, doesn't it?"

"I-it does. Kind of. Y- yes. I suppose it's nice to know that you'll be with me, no matter what happens."

Jinx grinned. "Getting better at this, aren't ya? Anyway, you look pretty tired. Wanna go?"

"That would be nice."


Night

She woke up, feeling somewhat hungry. It was dark, and she was only dimly aware of her surroundings. Still groggy, the warmth of the blankets still lingered, even after she had slipped out from underneath the blankets and pulled on some clothes. Yawning, she shuffled across the floor toward the door and reached for the handle. Then, a thought occurred to her and she turned back.

Pink, cat-like eyes opened in the darkness, scanning the bed. They found nothing; Raven was gone.

Jinx frowned. "Raven?"

Quiet. There was the sound of wind from outside, but besides that, nothing else.

"Raven, are you there?" She tried again, but received no reply.

Jinx swallowed a bit of fear and tried to repress images from floating into her mind, but slowly grew paler as she imagined Raven being impaled by a bunch of swords as the Titans assaulted her, or being tied up and raped by Richard, or choking to death in the hands of Trigon, or-

She's not that vulnerable! Just because she was actin' a bit weird earlier doesn't mean she won't defend herself. Right? She's still strong! She's still Rae.

Jinx took another step forward. My Raven. It's my job to protect her too.

She shuddered without knowing why. The images returned - Raven, chained and tortured within the Titans' dungeon or captured and tied up in the castle's courtyard, being whipped and humiliated in front of a crowd of people, or... no, no!

They kept flowing. She thought of Raven, alone, wandering the night without anyone to look out for her. What could there be, out in that darkness? It could have been Trigon, lurking, waiting to ambush her. He was stronger than her. They both knew that. Yet, usually Raven was aware enough to avoid him if she could, but today, she had seemed so out of sorts. It was possible that...

For whatever the reason, the thought of Raven being alone terrified her like it had never before. Why did she seem so vulnerable?

It doesn't matter. I should go look for her.

The hunger gnawing at her insides forgotten, Jinx opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The stones were cold against her bare feet, the air dry and lacking any sort of warmth. The darkness was dense and thick, but her eyes could make out dark shapes within it - the walls, the unlit braziers, and the nearly motionless forms of... birds?

Crimson eyes opened, but she was not afraid.

Initially, she remembered, there had been some innate fear of the ravens, just because they were so very odd, and so clearly more than just birds. It became worse once she had happened upon the Demon's Grove, but then, remembering that Raven was part demon as well, the fear associated with that vanished as well. What had changed?

In the end, she remembered, despite their appearances, they were a force of nature. They were the silent watchers of the land and its protectors. At least, that was what she assumed. Of course, they also seemed to have a strange relationship with the demoness who shared their namesake, so then again, it was not clear what they specifically were. But in any case, they were there to protect the person she wanted to as well.

"Lead," she whispered. "I'll follow."

She was met with a soft cry, one only for her ears, one that she faintly recognized, though she knew not how. Her breath caught in her throat momentarily, and in that instant, everything exploded into color around her; mostly, it was violent shades of crimson and sanguine, jagged blue steel tearing through that, and the faint shade of mauve behind it all. Faintly, she understood what it meant, though the sensation was all too jumbled up for her to make out anything. Surprise, but then again, not surprise, flitted through her briefly; it was not her own emotion. Then anger, then fear and uncertainty all came. Caution followed next - that could have only been Raven's feeling, but at the same time, aggression bled into it, then chaos.

The raven flew off into the darkness. Jinx stood there a minute longer, breathing heavily, then looked around frantically.

"Wait!"

She covered her mouth, realizing she yelled rather too loudly, but there were more important things to worry about than waking some people up. Jinx ran down the hall after the birds' amorphous forms, out in the open onto a balcony and toward one of the towers.

There? No, not there. Rae's not there. Where is she?

Jinx blinked a few times, shivering. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the new environment and soon, the stars and moon were visible, illuminating her surroundings with a soft, ethereal glow. The ravens encircled her above, crying out softly, but then suddenly, more frantically, distressed.

"What? What is it?" Jinx fought down a wave of panic. "Where is she? Where-"

She broke off, wincing in pain as a streak of pure vermilion ran through her head. What was that? Was it- Rae! Oh no. Does that mean-

The ravens cried out again, then dove downward, flying nearly parallel with the vertical castle wall as they descended. Jinx swore under her breath and followed, balancing her descent with a constant stream of pink energy as she skidded down the grey stone.

"Raven? Raven, are you there?"

I hope she's not hurt. I really hope she's okay. I know she's not weak, but... Jinx took a deep breath. I guess I'm not used to the idea that she could be vulnerable. Yeah, right. Rae, vulnerable. Right.

But she is!

She followed them further. The ravens reached the edge of a forest and tore into the trees as if they were not really there. The branches cut through the bodies of energy, which promptly reformed as they traveled through the dense trees.

"Raven?" She called out again. "Rae-"

The ravens' song reached her ears and she paused, looking around. She must be close. Their voices changed. What are they trying to tell me? Look up? Look around? Look down. Nothing. I see- shit.

"Shit," she swore under her breath again.

Jinx knelt down and tentatively reached toward a piece of cloth on the ground - the tattered remains of Raven's cloak. But it doesn't make sense. There wasn't a sign of a fight around here. Right? Rae'd put up a fight if she got caught, right? She wouldn't go down easy. Unless... unless... no.

She took another step forward, deeper into the forest. About fifty paces in, the ravens stopped again and this time, Jinx was acutely aware of their eyes fixating on her, glowing with a myriad of diverse colors.

She sniffed at the air without knowing why she was doing such a thing, but instantly, she knew there was something up. There was the scent of blood and scorched flesh - but more than that, she realized that the number of ravens in this area was many times greater than the small flock she had been following. That can only mean-

Jinx almost didn't dare to breathe as she looked to her right.

There was one motionless figure on the ground, nearly severed in two. Her face turned completely white for a moment, but then she realized it wasn't the one she was looking for, so she continued searching. To the left?

There was another figure, slumped against a tree. A knight? A knight! But it wasn't one that she recognized. Anger flared up momentarily, but despite her sudden urge to kill the man, finding Raven was more important at the moment.

That left one direction and - oh my god.

She rushed over toward the tiny, motionless person hidden behind one of the trees, and squeezed her fists together so tightly that she drew blood. It wasn't that Raven was injured, not outwardly, at least, but the fact that she was stark naked and not breathing were not good signs. Strike that. That meant only one thing, and-

Wait. Jinx reached forward tentatively and put a finger to Raven's throat.

Never mind. She's breathin'. Forgot that her body works a bit different. But... Jinx's eyes flashed with anger. I have to check. She put a hand down toward Raven's lower regions. Above, the ravens were silent.

Was she- okay no. It doesn't seem like it. There's no... no... well, you know. Stuff. But that doesn't explain why she's like this, or where her clothes went, or anything.

Jinx cradled Raven's head in her lap and bent her head down.

"Hey Rae. Rae? Can you hear me?"

There was nothing.

The pinkette groaned and looked up again, first at the knight, who had still not moved and was probably dead, given how much blood was surrounding him, then toward the other, most certainly dead figure, and her eyes widened as she realized who it as.

Sebastian Blood? That creepy priest guy who killed Victor? Oh god, that means Trigon was here, right? That would explain why all those ravens were here. They were defendin' her. Ugh. Still doesn't explain what she was doin' all the way out here in the first place though. But it's not like she's in any condition to tell me.

"Rae? Please... please wake up. I don't think I can drag you all the way back to the castle. Not with you like this, anyway. Come on, we gotta get out of here."

Raven's eyes opened. Jinx breathed in sharply, expecting a response, but starting panicking once she realized how vacant Raven's stare was.

"Shit, Rae. You're really freakin' me out. What the hell happened to you?"

Raven's hand twitched, reaching for Jinx's own. The pinkette complied, trying to share what little warmth she had with the other girl, while continuing to look around for clues.

There was a trace of powerful, crimson fire - so Trigon had been here after all, as she had thought. But why is there a knight here? Her brows furrowed. Did Richard have something to do with this, or...

That damned bastard. If I find out he so much as touched Rae, I'm gonna fuckin' kill him. But he wouldn't team up with Trigon, would he?

She shivered again and looked up toward the ravens for help.

"Please," she whispered. "Raven's hurt. Can't you take us back to Avalon? It's cold and we gotta get her somewhere safe. And warm."

The silence was filled with blank, colored stares. They were unresponsive, almost comatose, just like her, and there was nothing Jinx could do about it. She groaned in frustration and stood, carrying Raven's body in her arms, but slunk back down as the ravens suddenly cried out, almost as if they were in a panic.

Taking flight, the birds disappeared and Jinx felt a small prickle of sensation work its way down her spine - someone was coming.

Swearing to herself, she covered Raven's body with the remains of her cloak and tensed up, pink energy forming in her hands. Okay. Deep breaths, Jinx. You can do this. Just gotta sound assertive. Or confident. Or whatever.

"Who's there?" Her voice squeaked slightly and she mentally cursed at herself. "Show yourself."

Silence bled through the night. Jinx groaned. "Do we have to do this the hard way?"

There was still no response. The sorceress's eyes began glowing pink, but then a distinct, male voice stopped her.

"No. I didn't come to fight."

Jinx's eyes widened momentarily, then her whole face twisted with hatred. So it was him.

In the distance, the ravens regathered above the castle of Camelot. Above, the moonlight suddenly dimmed, and below, the faint rumble of unknown magics churned in the ground. And in her arms, Raven stirred very slightly. Jinx took another deep breath.

"Alright. Get out here now and give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."