The Raven’s Witness

“Chomp!”

They always wake me.

My sleep, interrupted. I sometimes wonder if the Ravens are good for me. But Miss Ella was kind to me, all those years ago. She gave me a home. No more sleeping underground in the cold. No more hunger gnawing so loudly it drowned out thought.

“Yesh, Captain,” I reply.

Oh. I remember this place.

The basement of Miss Ella’s mansion.

“Dinner time!”

Uh oh. Uncle Darius sounds serious.

Miss Ella is here. It’s been so long. I think. She left, and then I slept for a bit. I was very upset. Then Uncle Darius had the idea for me to pretend to be his arm.

It was a bit weird.

Difficult shape to turn into. Too many small angles. I got it in the end, though.

Wait.

Why is her heart beating so fast?

That’s not hunger. Or excitement. That’s… sharp. Tight. Like when prey realises it has been seen.

Maybe I should morph into something more sensible. Uncle Darius always says to make it as spooky as possible. Something about fear. Humans are strange. Fear makes them louder, not quieter.

Oops. Darius is waiting.

Keep up the fear.

“Yesh, Captain.”

“What in the Void is that!”

Ah. I know that voice.

It’s that mean one. Lynn Stoneheart. She smells like old sweat and too much salt. Poor diet. Poor temperament.

“This is Chomp,” Uncle Darius says. “A shapeshifter that joined our family many years ago.”

Oh good. He’s doing the speech.

Chomp is an evil beast, blah blah.

Chomp has been tamed by the might of the Raven family, blah blah.

Yawn.

At least I can focus on my shape.

These walls are tight. Six legs might be better. Yes. And my natural chitin. I should stretch it. Staying in one form too long makes everything stiff.

I wonder if he wants me to kill Miss Stoneheart. Or just frighten her.

Either way… teeth seem appropriate.

Ouch!

Still out of practice. I always forget teeth hurt if you bite your own tongue.

Is Darius finished?

“He can be anything,” Darius bellows, “and he is your doom!”

I guess not.

Yawn.

Well, if the goal was fear, I’ve succeeded. Her pupils are wide. Heart racing. Breath shallow.

Wait.

Footsteps above. Many of them. Heavy. Metal after them — weapons. Armour.

Oh dear.

“Um, Uncle Darius?” I interrupt, shrinking slightly.

“Yes?” he hisses.

“Soldiers coming. Many. Many, many.”

Miss Lynn laughs. “Ha! You’re finished now. You’ll never get off this island alive. Even with your monster.”

Monster?

That is rude.

Now I remember why we hated this woman.

She’s so… sharp. Bitter. Full of old fear.

“I’m not a monster!”

…

Ergh!

I can still taste her.

Yawn!

What a time to wake up.

“Damned Rea! What did you expect would happen?” Miss Ella’s voice. She sounds angry. Oh dear. Are they arguing?

“I hoped she’d just get spooked and we’d get an opening to run!”

Oh. My bad.

So, he did just want me to scare her.

Blah. All I can taste is salt. That damned woman. Ergh. I sometimes wish I could shapeshift my tongue. Change my tastebuds. But nooo. Stupid, stupid Chomp. I swear my sister could do it. Or maybe she was just lying to me.

“You are a fool!”

Whoops. Miss Ella sounds very angry. I think I missed something. Too many noises on this ship. Those two idiots are playing that dice game again. When is the short one going to realise the bald one’s dice are loaded? It’s so obvious. The way it taps on the wood, completely different sound.

“You’re being unreasonable, El!”

Did it again. Um. Let’s see. Hard to tell without an eye. Uncle Darius told me to sleep when we got back to the ship. Maybe I can just… sneak a peek.

Oh.

They both look angry.

They never used to argue like this. Or did they? Hmmm. No. Miss Ella is really annoyed. This could go on for a while. Human siblings are strange. Why don’t they just eat the weaker one and be done with it?

So odd.

“It’s ours. Nexhara is done. There’s nothing left for us there. The mainland will chew you up and spit you out.”

I wonder what they’re talking about. Probably boring human stuff.

Ha. I hear the older one getting up. The smell of booze is unmistakable. Blah. Is he coming this way? Usually, he starts his mornings by throwing up into the sea. Odd choice. When I asked Uncle Darius about it, he just rolled his eyes.

“He’s safer away from this. Away from you. Away from that seemingly endless supply of rum, he keeps getting his hands on.”

Wait. Is Miss Ella talking about the older brother?

Not me, I think.

Why did she punch Uncle Darius?

I’m very confused.

And, oh. The other one is listening at the door. They can surely hear those hiccups, right?

“I’m going to the mainland.”

No, wait. Is Miss Ella leaving?

She’ll take me though. Right? Right?

“I’m taking Gus with me.”

Gross. She’s taking the brother.

Bang!

Can that idiot not even open a door? Even I can do that. When I’m pretending to be Darius’s arm, of course.

“Gustav, pack your things. We’re getting off at the next port.”

Wait. She’s serious. I don’t want her to leave.

Where is she going?

Luckily, I still have these legs. I can scuttle after her.

“Miss Ella! Miss Ella!”

There she is.

She sighs. “Yes, Chomp.”

She looks tired. So tired. Her shoulders are heavy. Her heart isn’t racing now, it’s slow. Dense. Like it’s carrying something too big.

“Miss Ella, you’re not leaving, are you? Can I come? I don’t want to stay at sea. It’s stinky!”

“I’m sorry, Chomp. I’m… I’m—”

That pause. She can’t even look at me.

“I see.” Glad I got this eye, so I can droop it.

“Chomp, it’s too dangerous.” She kneels to my level. “Maybe one day you can join me. When I’ve got a proper home. Somewhere safe. Somewhere you can stay.” She hesitates. “And with plenty of food.”

“Food?” I perk up. “Meats, Miss Ella? Lots of meats?”

“Yes, Chomp,” she says softly. “Lots of meats.”

…

“Here, Chomp. This is perfect!”

Miss Ella’s voice is always a nice one to wake up to.

Yawn!

Oh no. I’ve been sleeping too long. I’m going to need a proper stretch after this. I hate being something small for extended periods. I’m not as young as I used to be. I swear, after my thirteen-hundredth year, everything started getting stiff.

Still. It’s good to see Miss Ella again.

I was so excited when we arrived. I’ve never been to the mainland before. And apparently Miss Ella even sent a letter to Uncle Darius. That must’ve taken ages.

Seeing her again was wonderful. She had a feast ready for me. Proper food. Not scraps like on the ship. Shame she chose this nest though. No, not nest. Silly Chomp. Humans call it a city.

It stinks of smoke and sewage. Too many people. So many of them sick, and they just keep walking around coughing on each other. Gross. Rats in the walls. Birds on the roof.

Still… the meat makes up for it.

And the older sibling doesn’t smell of booze anymore. He got himself clean. Whatever that means. It certainly doesn’t involve bathing. He just smells different now. Tea, I think. Uncle Darius robbed a few ships carrying it once. Strange thing to steal.

Ella’s been herself too. Saying things like “I have a plan, Chomp,” and “Shift into something small, we need to get you somewhere.” Meah. Who cares. It’s fun to be involved.

“Chomp!”

Whoops. Got carried away. Probably time to stop pretending to be a little box.

“Yesh, Miss Ella. Are we here?”

“Yes, Chomp.” She’s whispering. Oh. Double whoops. “We need you to unlock that door.”

I look up.

That is a big door. Lots of keyholes. Very fancy.

“What is this place, Miss Ella? It smells… strange.”

“It’s the Mages’ Guild, Chomp,” she murmurs. “We have to be quiet. They’re um, meanies. They won’t be nice if they find you.”

Aww. She’s doing the voice.

“Yesh, Miss Ella.”

I scuttle over to the door and take a breath. It’s been a while since I’ve done this. Locks are easy, really. If you morph your tongue just right, you can feel the pins, trick the mechanism. Clicks and pressure. Humans make it far more complicated than it needs to be.

“Okay, El,” Uncle Darius says. “I’ve deactivated the arcane field. He should be fine.”

Bleh. Boring human magic words.

Focus, Chomp. Think of the meat. Think of how proud Miss Ella will be.

I split my tongue into three.

Ew. This metal tastes awful.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Thump.

The door opens.

“Can I have some water, Miss Ella?” I ask. “That tasted horrible.”

“Later, Chomp,” she whispers. “Later.”

Her eyes are wide. Her heart is fast. What are they looking at?

“It’s true,” Uncle Darius breathes. “By the gods, El. It’s true.”

“This is the future, Rea. Our future.”

Humans are so excitable. The room is just full of metal and paper. That’s it.

“Miss Ella?” I ask. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

No answer.

“This is amazing.”

Silly humans.

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you, El.”

“With this,” Ella says softly, and she’s smiling, really smiling. “We can take everything back.”

Oh.

That smile.

I curl in on myself, settling against the floor. It’s quite comfortable, actually. Probably because it’s clean. Cleaner than the ship. Cleaner than most places.

Good.

If Miss Ella is smiling again… maybe it was worth it.

We can have that house she promised. And all that meat. Fun, fun. I hope we go on another one of her plans soon.

Wait.

I remember that smell.

Magic.

This whole place reeks of it. Everywhere. Thick and sharp, like metal and lightning. It’s in the walls. In the air. It’s—

Oh.

It’s in the room with Miss Ella and Uncle Darius.

“Um, Miss Ella?” I whisper. “Maybe it’s time to go.”

“Not yet, Chomp,” she says.

“But—”

Something is moving beneath the floor.

Miss Ella!