The Talking Gargoyle Part 3

Raven woke with the early morning light shaking him awake, oh no, wait it was Ariana. He opens his eyes to stare at her trying his best to not be mad. He did say they were live at first light, but they both knew that was a lie. It was something he always said and something they never did. He yawned slowly sitting up and rubs his eyes a little because standing in front of the door was a small gray squirrel with blue swirling magic marks on her neck, trying to smile at him.

                He shook his head and then glare at Ariana. “You can’t steal children!” He snapped, “give her back now.”

                “Hey,” Ariana hissed back with a paw on her hip and a finger in his face, “I didn’t steal her. I don’t steal children.”

                “Then where did get her from?” Raven asked shooting to his feet.

                “I found her on the street,” Ariana said, “being chased by some bad looking squirrels.”

                “So, you bring her here?” He shouted at her.

                “Where else can I take her?”

                “The City Guard,” he said. “They can help her.”

                “I don’t like the City Guard,” Ariana said pointing at herself. “Hello, a thief, and we can help her.”

                “No,” he said. “No, we can’t.”

                “What do you mean, no?” Ariana yelled at him. “Isn’t that what we do?”

                “No, we can get paid to help,” Raven said. “I don’t think she can pay us.”

                “We are helping,” Ariana told him crossing her arms. “We just have to get her home.”

                “Where is that?” Raven asked.

                Ariana shrugged and looked at the squirrel in front of the door who was super still. “She doesn’t know.”

                Raven sighed rubbing his eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?”

                “I learn from you,” Ariana said with a grin. “This is kind of your fault.”

                “Right,” Raven said looking over at the child. “Well, what is your name?”

                “Lona,” the scared voice said.

                “Lona what?” Raven asked.

                “Lona Stoneblue,” she said not looking him in the eyes but down at her feet.

                “Do you have any idea where your mom and dad are?” Raven asked.

                “No,” she said shaking her head. “I’m lost.”

                “Why were those squirrels chasing you?” Ariana asked with sweetest in her tone.

                Lona glanced at up and said, “I got away from them.”

                “Away from them?” Raven asked. “Where did they have you?”

                “They had me locked in a cage,” Loan said, and both Raven and Ariana glanced at each other in shock. “Some squirrel with a long white beard and markings like mine was using magic on me.”

                “Great,” Raven huffed, “a Spellcrafter.”

                “Do you know the Spellcrafter’s name?” Ariana asked.

                Lona shook her head no. “Sorry.”

                “No, its fine,” the thief said.

                “We need to take her to the Hoods,” Raven said at Ariana.

                “We can’t do that,” she protested.

                “Why not?” Raven said with his voice rising again.

                “Because,” Ariana said, “they are Hoods, and she bears markings. They are not going to believe her or care.” She pointed at him. “I thought Knights hated Hoods.”

                “We do,” he said, “but not when we are fighting Spellcrafters. They fight them, and so we don’t have too.”

                “Raven,” Ariana snapped, “we are helping her and keeping her safe.”

                He snarled, “Fine.”

                “So, what do we do now?” Ariana asked him, and he stared at her long.

                He shook his head, why do I have to come up with the plan, and then asked Lona, “Are you hungry?”

                “Yes,” Lona said softly seeming scared of him.

                Raven looked back at Ariana and told her, “We get food.”

                They gathered their stuff and headed downstairs for a needed breakfast. Raven order the food, eggs, worm bacon, and cheese grits. He sat down at the table near the barely awake fire noticing Lona was sitting closer to Ariana then him. Ariana couldn’t help but smile every time she looked at the child, and he sighed knowing this wasn’t going to be easy.

                “Lona,” he asked, “do you live here in Bree?”

                “Yes,” she said.

                “Do you have any idea where?” he asked.

                “I think,” she said, “it’s close to the white church.”

                “White church?” He asked more to himself than her.

                “I don’t know its name,” Lona said.

                “Of course,” Raven said with a nod. The plates of food were brought over to the table, and the Keeper eyed the child for a moment and place the apple sweet in front of her. Loan smiled back at the price of apple pie on her plate.

                “Is this all for me?” Lona asked.

                “Yes, it is,” Raven said grinning at the child rubbing her paws together at the sight of sweet. He glanced up to see Ariana smiling at him.

                  They ate their food as quickly as they could and then got up from the table to leave the Traven. Raven told Ariana to go get the mounts ready while he walked over the Keeper of the house. He stopped at the bar and asked, “Do you know of a white church?”

                “A white church?” the old Keeper asked thinking for a moment. “I can’t think of any church that is white.”

                Raven frown and said, “Thanks.”

                “But there are a few churches that have white doors,” the Keeper said. “Like snow white.”

                “How many?” Raven asked. “And, where are they?”

                “A couple,” he said. “They are all over the place.”

                “Again thanks.”

                “Good luck, friend,” The Keeper said as Raven walked out of the Traven to find Lona smiling from ear to ear at the doe Ariana was petting.

                Raven smiled down at Lona and then garbed Ariana pulling her to the side. “Don’t get too close to her,” Raven said, and Ariana question was already writing on her face. “We don’t know anything about her or what is going on. So, don’t get to close. We have to give her back.”

                Ariana pulled free more upset that he garbed her then what he said. “I know,” she hissed at him because he knew she hated to be garbed the way he did it.