A Raven in the Hand

CHAPTER 19

Planes, trains, and automobiles, they weren't fast enough for Kayla. She had to find Mark and tell him what she discovered before it was too late. He would probable tell her that there's nothing to worry about, that a little Vodu can't do anything to him. Was that Reaper pride? Or male pride?

She didn't want to take a chance on that thought, she had to find him, know that he's ok and safe. But then, if he had been killed for his power and the Vodu had it, what could she do? She didn't have the power to battle him right now! His first two attacks proved to that. If only she could use her natural abilities, but they would hinder her than aid her right now.

She appeared when he would be, inside a hallway of the arena where the WWE was hosting a show. She looked around the empty hallway, looking for any indication for where the change rooms were. She let instinct take over as her body ran down the halls, searching for him in fear.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her brother talking with Bobby Lashly, he caught her in his eyes the moment she had turned around the bend.

"Kay!" He shouted as he ran to her, an angered look on his face.

"I have no time to talk to you right now…" Kay huffed as she looked around in desperation.

"Well, I need to talk to you…"

She turned to her brother, he could see the fear and pain in her eyes, "Kay, what wrong?"

"Where are the dressing rooms?" She spit out of her trembling mouth, "Please just tell me where they are…"

Dave grabbed a hold of his fidgety sister, "What has he done to you?"

"NOTHING!" She shouted, "I need to find the Undertaker now!"

"Kay, I forbid you to see him…" Dave didn't finish that sentence, the look of her angry eyes short back like darts into his heart.

"Forbid me?" She growled, "You dare to forbid me?"

She ripped herself away from his hold, "I have no time for your fucken bullshit of what you think he is! Now, tell me if you have seen him or not or tell me where the dressing rooms are! I will find him with or without your help!"

"The dressing rooms are just down the hall where you turned from." Answered Bobby as Dave gave him a dirty look.

"Thanks." Kay turned around and ran back from where she came from, without another look at her brother.

It was just moments when she had reached the Undertaker's door, the uneasy feeling she was getting made her nauseous. She swallowed what ever was trying to come up from her gumbo filled stomach as she turned the unlocked door handle, she now wished she hadn't eaten so much. It was dark and still in the room, too quiet.

She cast a simple spell that would allow her to see if magic was used in this room, the room's blue glow shone so bright that it was almost white. Fear and panic was unsettling her stomach badly, she had no choice but to run into the bathroom and allow her stomach's contents for be released inside the toilet bowl. Talk about praying to the porcelain god.

She wiped her mouth with a wet cloth at the sink and looked into the mirror at her worn reflection, fear was written all over her face. She didn't have the power to fight this Vodu, and he had Mark, she was sure of it. She had tried to cast location spells on him when she was in the car, but they revealed nothing to her. How could she find him in time and attempt to save him from a wizard that was much more powerful than her?

Reaper's crow broke her out of her self-pity, she turned to the bird, who looked back at her in concern.

"Oh Reaper…" She touched the bird's head gently with her fingers as atear left her eye, "I don't know how to find him in time…"

It is only natural for a Raven to find Death. They are connected you know... the Matron's voice echoed in her mind.

"A raven to find death…" Kay repeated, she turned to her bird, "You think…you think she meant the raven within me?"

The bird just sat there, there was a smile on that beak.

"Ok, so…the raven within me could find him because he's Death, right? And the raven and Death are connected, right?" The bird could only crow in agreement, "So, if I concentrate on him, then maybe I can find him?"

Reaper jumped on her shoulder as Kay knelt down on the bathroom floor and closed her eyes. The first thing she needed to do was clear her mind, as hard as it was without thinking about Mark's welfare. It took a few moments for her mind to clear, then, for the first time in her life, she allowed the raven with within to come out.

The raven was the source of her power, it also was her soul. The power within grew as she could hear the loud crowing to call forth into the spirit world, calling for Death…and much more. She could feel the feathers of her wings touch the outer walls of the prime material plane as the raven entered the Astral plane. She could see through the raven's eyes, there were the fables Reapers all around, floating still as the raven flew around them. The reapers seem to bow at the raven as she flew past them, and through the veil that kept the separation of both worlds.

Kay could see a vast desert with a thin muddy river passing through it, people were below around the river, scooping up the dirty water in their little pales and jugs. Then the vision turned from the desert to a mountain top, lush with trees and plants until the raven landed on an edge, where a cave entrance was discovered. The raven crowed within the cave, shadows moved around and powerful magic was being preformed. The raven had found Death.

It took a few moments for the raven to return to Kay's body, she discovered that there was more to the totem than just an animal. Nauseated from the trip, Kay flung her head back into the toilet bowl, then stood up on shaky legs.

"Ready for a trip?" She asked her bird as she rinsed the towel again and wiped her face and mouth with it, the bird crowed again in agreement.

It took less time this time for the spell to work, she had just cast a few minutes before coming to the arena. She concentrated on the cave where the raven had landed, and in a few more moments, she was standing in front of the same cave. She gave her surrounding a quick look and starred back in shock.

"We're in Africa…" Kay whispered, "…this is were all our legends say when men first walked the world after the goddess had given birth to them. This is a land of power! No wonder he's here. He can use the power of the land to drain Mark of his power…"

She could feel the magic of the land within her, calling softly to her like an old lover waiting for her embrace. She was drawn to it for some reason, but Reaper's peck with his beak at her ear stopped her thoughts from wondering from the task at hand.

She turned around and starred into the dark cave, there was a powerful magic being used within, and she could feel Mark within the darkness. He wasn't able to defend himself, and she knew it was because to the Vodu who was casting his ritual magic within.

The rituals were still being preformed, she had guessed, she had the time to save him. But the problem she had was not in the time it would take to save him, it was if she could save him. She knew her limitations, she would have to call all her spells to fight him and hopefully not allow him the chance to get her before she could speak out a spell.

It didn't matter anymore, she had to try. She began her potential fatal walk within the darkness of the cave and gave a little prayer to the gods for help. She'll need all the help she could get to pull this off.

To be continued….