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“I trust you.” I leaned into his touch.
“You need rest. From tomorrow, you’re going to run on a tight schedule. Good night.” He bussed me on the forehead and opened the door.
“Good night.”
A bit dizzy after the chaste kiss, I dragged myself to my bedroom through the lingering smoke in the air. Only Roy could leave me speechless after a mere kiss on the forehead. But at least I was going to work with him again.
~ * ~
A HARSH WIND blew across Raven Park the next morning, tainted by the lingering smell of smoke and burned wood. Dressed in my uniform, I stood with my other fellow cadets in the cemetery on the east side of Raven Park. Tall cypress trees formed a green wall around us, hiding the manor and the destruction of the mill.
Commander Allen had ordered a service for the victims of the bombs. Staff and cadets were gathered around countless coffins lying on the ground. The River Exe flowed in slow ripples across the green expanse of the English countryside, as if mourning with us.
I wondered if the victims’ relatives had been informed of the death of their loved ones. Beasts of Roy’s age didn’t have any family. They grew up in Raven Park, taken care of by the staff. But what about the technicians who worked at the mill and had died? I wouldn’t be surprised if their relatives had signed a non-disclosure contract and were ordered to mourn quietly at home and forget about their dead. Or perhaps they hadn’t been informed at all. It would be typical of Raven Park to not divulge any information.
Clare was standing a few feet from me, next to Kenneth. Ashcombe was next to me, wearing a dark suit that enhanced his large body. As the commander spoke from a platform in his dress uniform, ravens cried around us, their screeches ripping the morning air. The commander cut a stunning figure, inspiring calm and strength, but grief struck him. His voice didn’t crack when he urged us to caution, but sadness clouded his sharp eyes. “Like never before, we must be united,” he said, a hand closed over the wound in his leg. “We won’t let a traitor destroy our work or our purpose.”
Michael shifted his weight, breathing hard and tormenting his hands.
“Are you all right?” I touched his arm.
“I got injured last night,” he whispered. “A blow to my head. Something dropped from the ceiling. Bruce healed me, but I still feel dizzy.” He rubbed the top of his head.
I expected Bruce to rebuke him with one of his silly jokes. Instead, he wrapped a comforting arm around his partner and pulled him closer. Even Peggy remained silent, gazing at Michael with worried eyes.
After the coffins were buried and hundreds of flowers were scattered over the recently disturbed soil, everyone went inside, heading to the great hall where a buffet was served. I loitered, waiting for Roy who was talking with Murphy. Commander Allen was limping along the line of graves, his mouth set in a hard slash. He paused in front of a grave and tossed a white daisy on it. I walked over to him, saddened by the way he hunched his shoulders.
“Are you all right, sir?” I asked, angling towards the tomb. I suppressed a gasp. It was Lukas Turner’s tomb with no date of birth or death. Not even a picture. Only his name carved in the stone.
“This day reminded me…” Allen passed a hand over his face. “They say he was the rebellious one of the two. It’s not true. Roy is the temperamental one. Lukas wasn’t a rebel. I put some ideas inside his head, though. Things that stirred a rebellion within him. Dammit if I don’t regret it.”
“I don’t know the full story, but I’m sure that his death wasn’t your fault.”
“Every death in Raven Park is my fault. Especially Lukas’s.” He paused, sucking in a deep breath. “The things I told him, they took root in his mind, and he was like the wind. Always changing. Once a breeze starts to blow, it can turn into a hurricane. That’s what happened to him.”
On cue, the wind picked up speed, cleansing the air from the smell of smoke.
He leaned on his walking stick and flashed a sad smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Be careful in Venlo.” Brushing past me, he patted my shoulder and walked along the path to the manor.
I followed. Roy and Murphy were nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t worried though. Now Roy had no choice but to work with me.
In the great hall, a group of people played a sweet tune on violins and sang Irish songs in honour of the fallen beasts. The wind raged outside, shaking the trees as if it wanted to uproot them. It was a good metaphor for what was going on within Raven Park.
My beast leapt when she detected Roy’s presence. He was standing in a corner of the room, a glass in his hand. As if sensing my stare, he tilted his head up and burned me with his gaze, summoning me. I sauntered over to him, ignoring Peggy’s disapproving glance.
“Did you sleep well?” I asked, grabbing a glass of apple cider from a tray.
“No. I want to get the job done. The longer it takes to finish it, the more lives will be at stake.” It was in moments like that, when he showed his caring and compassionate side, that I couldn’t reconcile this Roy with the one who killed Lukas.
“This man we have to meet in Venlo, does he have a connection with Nathan?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? Murphy has his theory. A theory I consider valid. Nathan offered to destroy the mill in exchange for favours by the Nazis. Which favours and of what nature we don’t know yet. The contact should clarify what the deal between Nathan and the Nazis is.” He massaged his temple. “Also, we’ve searched Nathan’s room. My guess is that he wanted to blow it up, but something didn’t go as he’d planned, and his room wasn’t damaged by the explosion. Behind a secret panel, we found the guard uniform he wore to sneak inside the mill. A button was missing. It belonged to Stanley, his dead partner.”
“Do you think he killed his partner to take his uniform?” I gripped my glass harder.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t exclude it since Nathan wouldn’t have risked exposing his plan to his partner. But at the moment, it’s not relevant.” He took a sip and scanned the packed room. “I found the documents he stole from my room.”
“And?”
