Chapter Eight

Raven watched as Walter ordered drinks for him and his men. Walter looked different to the men who were with him. He seemed cleaner and smoother than the others did. The other men had sharper, more primal features than Walter. Raven wondered why this might be the case. Was Walter just more conscious of his appearance than the others were, or was there something else?

Despite the noise from the other patrons, Raven could still hear Walter laughing and joking. Walter might be many things but an introvert was not one of them. Raven knew that Walter could only be here for one thing, so he stared hard at Walter. After all, whatever was meant to happen should happen quickly. Eventually, Walter looked around and saw Raven. Far from shy away from the confrontation, he raised his glass to Raven and made his way over to his table. Raven smiled as Walter and his friends sat beside him.

"Walter," said Raven.

"Good evening to you," said Walter. "How good it is to once more be in the company of the renowned Raven, a most accomplished magician."

"What do you want?" asked Raven.

"You have to ask?" asked Walter. "I don't have much time to play games with you. The moon rises soon and it is that special time of the month for the good people of Cobbleknock."

"You want revenge. I understand that, I do, but we should take this fight outside," said Raven. "Our host over there values his business, and our quarrel has nothing to do with him."

"What? What are you talking about?" asked Walter. "I don't have time for a fight, and I'm not so petty to seek revenge. I just want my property back and then my friends and I will be on our way."

"Property?" asked Raven.

"Yes, property. Property that was stolen from me by you and your friend," said Walter.

"We never took anything from you," said Raven.

Walter's mood changed and he suddenly looked agitated and annoyed.

"Well, that is strange. I find myself asking why someone like you would feel the need to lie to me," said Walter. "Unless, of course, you wanted to keep the Bloodstone for yourself."

Raven had no idea what Walter was talking about but he was intrigued by his accusations.

"Bloodstone?" asked Raven. "What is that?"

Walter was tapping his fingers rapidly on the table, his patience wearing thinner by the second.

"There I was, abandoned on the road, miles from home with a long trek in front of me. Good fortune came to me, however, when a tradesman appeared not five minutes after you had left. For the promise of a small sum of gold and cheery conversation, he agreed to take me back to Cobbleknock. It was only during this journey that I noticed that the chain around my neck was gone. More importantly, the Bloodstone that hung from the chain was gone," said Walter. "Now I knew that the tradesman was not responsible for the theft. He was never close enough to me. You, however, had ample opportunity. After all, you put me in a sack, beat me and threw me out of a wagon."

"I don't have your Bloodstone," said Raven.

Walter banged his fist on the table in frustration, causing his friends to jump.

"My dear Mr Raven, you don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. You understand what the people of Cobbleknock are, don't you?" asked Walter.

"Dim-witted?" said Raven.

Walter smiled and moved his hair away from his eyes.

"Yes. A comment said in jest but unfortunately ingrained with truth," said Walter. "I would like to point out to you that it is our more primal nature I am referring to."

"What do you want me to say, Walter?" asked Raven. "I really do not have this Bloodstone of yours."

"Then who does?" asked Walter.

Raven was pensive but he was not going to let Walter know what he was thinking. In the end, it did not matter much as Walter echoed his thoughts.

"Where is your friend?" asked Walter. "The thin one."

"He's not here," said Raven.

"I can see that," said Walter. "Might he be upstairs in one of the rooms or maybe on an errand?"

"I don't know," said Raven. "He just sort of disappeared on me."

Walter stared at Raven for what seemed an age. He did not say one word, he just wore the look of a man who had just received the answer he least wanted. At last, Walter snapped out of his trance and rubbed his face with his hands.

"And you don't know where he disappeared to?" asked Walter.

"Unfortunately not," said Raven.

"He didn't happen to mention anything about a shiny new acquisition, did he?" asked Walter.

"You think Patto has your stone?" said Raven.

"I think we both know that your friend has my stone," said Walter. "The fact that you seemed unaware of this does very little to reassure me."

"Eventually, he'll return and I will ask about this stone," said Raven.

Walter was not at all happy about Raven's reply. He screwed his face up and snarled out loud, causing a few of the bar's patrons to look at him and the room to fall silent.

"My apologies, friends," said Walter, standing up and holding a hand up in atonement. "A slight cold caught on my journey here."

The bar burst back into life again and Walter sat back down.

"The Bloodstone is very important to me. I was rather hoping to have it back tonight. Before the moon is full, you understand?" said Walter.

"What difference does this Bloodstone make to your condition?" asked Raven.

"It prevents the transformation. For the people of Cobbleknock, the transformation is normally a choice, but once a month the transformation is a compulsion. A compulsion that cannot be prevented. What is worse is that a normal transformation leaves you in possession of your wits and rationale. The compulsive transformation, however, rips that part of you away, leaving only the savage," said Walter. "The Bloodstone prevents that foul transformation. It saves my soul, Mr Raven. Now, do you still wonder about the reasons for my urgency?"

"Well, I still haven't got it," said Raven.

"Damn it," said Walter, standing up and kicking the table. "I can't go through it again, I just can't."

As Walter calmed himself and sat back down at the table, the doors of the bar burst open. Four burly men, all of them at least seven foot tall, came into the room and shouted.

"Everybody out," they screamed.

The patrons of the bar did not need telling twice. They left quickly, not looking at the new arrivals as they left. Raven went to stand up but Walter held him by the arm as his men stood up to further prevent his departure.

"We are going nowhere," whispered Walter. "There is still the little matter of personal property to address."

Raven sighed and leant over to Walter.

"So you know what follows that entrance?" asked Raven.

"Do I care?" said Walter.

Raven glared at Walter but resigned himself to the fact that he would have to remain seated, at least for the moment.

"Good evening, one and all," said a pompous voice.

Walter turned to see a man dressed in top hat and tails, twirling a black and silver cane in his hands.

"What is that?" whispered Walter to Raven.

"You have not come across these before, have you?" asked Raven. "That, young Walter, is a Middleman, and those big ugly ones, they call the Protectorate. We are in for a very long night."