Exitus - 3. Part I, chapter 3

- III -

An hour or so later, Raven wasn’t enjoying that peeling, dry sensation under his shirt anymore. He finished his coffee and pushed away the empty cup.

“I need a shower badly,” he said in a low voice, looking at Julian who continued sipping his coffee with an undisturbed look on his face. “Julian…!”

“I heard you,” the blond nodded, making no effort whatsoever to hurry up.

“Damn you,” Raven grumbled, suppressing a rather strong desire to start scratching his stomach. “You need one as much as I do,” he sighed and nodded for another cup of espresso. “I know that for a fact,” he continued. “Doesn’t it drive you nuts…? The itching alone… Ugh…!”

The blond definitely did not look like anything was driving him nuts right now – he looked as immaculate as ever.

“Damn you…” Raven muttered again, and another itchy wave made his shoulder twitch.

“There is an art exhibition in the Central museum today,” Julian lowered his cup. “We are going,” he nodded. “I still nurture a hope to find something that is not cursed in any way, and that we both agree on… For the study,” he added after a few seconds.

“Ah,” Raven sipped his espresso, knowing that the blond was talking about buying a new painting. “That’s fine… However…” He looked at Salamander pointedly. “I am not going anywhere until I have my shower!”

“Mmm,” Julian shook his head with fake regret. “I am afraid there is no time for that…”

“Julian…!” Raven’s hiss came out louder than the brunet expected, and Julian let out a low laughter.

“Too easy,” he muttered and emptied his cup.

“Dammit!” Raven said with frustrated relief and finished his espresso in one big gulp. “Let’s go already!”

“Fine,” the blond sighed and pushed his chair backwards.

They went outside, and Raven enjoyed a mild breeze and tentative tickles of the sun on his skin. He sighed with regret, knowing that the weather would change pretty soon, and it would be raining quite heavily, probably by the end of next week. He was thinking about that melancholically when suddenly, there was something strange shimmering in the air. He slowed down and looked around with a puzzled frown.

“What?” Julian slowed down as well.

“I don’t know…” Raven said slowly, trying to figure out what it was that he felt.

The invisible shimmer trembled harder than it did several seconds ago, and this time, Raven definitely did not like that tremble. It made every single hair on his body to stand up rigidly, and then there was some dark, nauseating fear, slowly making its way around the pit of his stomach.

“What is that?” he muttered, glancing around wildly. “Do you feel it?”

“No,” Julian said slowly, looking around with narrowed eyes. “What do you feel?”

“It’s like some weird tremble…” Raven noticed that his hands started to shake. “Like some nasty sound wave… It’s…” He thought for a second. “It’s cold,” he continued, shoving his hands into his pockets. “And it’s scary as hell… I don’t even know what I am scared of,” he tried to smile. It didn’t work. “It’s like some blind panic…”

The tremble shimmered even harder, and this time, it burrowed itself deep underneath Raven’s eyelids.

“Fuck!” he screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling as if he had two extremely sharp icicles trying to burst through his skull. “God, it hurts…!”

Suddenly, there was a stricken understanding splashing in the blond’s eyes. He swore through his clenched teeth and grabbed Raven’s shoulder.

“Move!” he barked, and the brunet managed to open his eyes, half-noting that the excruciating, sharp pain had disappeared as unexpectedly as it struck him two seconds ago.

“What…” he started saying, but Julian growled something unintelligible and shoved him aside, hard.

Raven flew sideways, landing on the asphalt, feeling completely disoriented and dumbfounded. He looked up and opened his mouth to say something, when all of a sudden, there was that tremble again, except now, it was farther away from him, and it was stronger. Then the air ripped itself apart with a silent shriek, and Raven let out a startled exhale when a pitch-black flash of light appeared out of nowhere, zooming towards the stunned blond who didn’t have any time to move out of its way.

Raven had no idea what it was, but somehow, he knew it wasn’t good. He jumped up and lunged at Julian, but he was too late. The black flash collided with Salamander’s chest, and suddenly, it disappeared into nothing. The tremble was gone, the air stopped shrieking.

“What in the bloody hell was that?” Raven asked in shaky voice. “Julian, you okay?”

The blond stood still without saying anything. Raven stepped closer to him and put his hand on the rigid shoulder.

“Julian, what…” he started saying when the blond collapsed on the ground without making a single sound. “Julian…!”

Raven fell down on his knees, ignoring the immediate impact-induced pain. He reached for Salamander’s throat with trembling fingers.

“Wake up…” he muttered, feverishly trying to find a pulse. His fingers were shaking so badly that he couldn’t tell whether he felt pulsations or his own twitching digits. “Wake up… Shit…!”

His hand dove into one of Julian’s pockets, searching for the phone, and then he remembered that he told the blond to leave the gadget at home.

“Shit!” he screamed wildly and looked around. It seemed like they were the only people in the parking lot. “Julian…!” He shook the blond by the shoulders and got no response. “Shit!” He screamed again and jumped up.

He raced back to the coffee shop, his mind nothing but a pulsating nightmare. He got to the phone, called an ambulance, screaming into the phone without even realizing it, and ran back outside.

…The medics arrived five minutes later, and when one of them finally looked up after examining the blond’s unresponsive body, Raven started to shake.

“No,” he said, immediately recognizing the look on the medic’s face. “No, no…”

“I am sorry…”

“No, no, no…”

“I am really sorry, but…”

“No, no… Fuck, no…!”

****

“No… No…!” He screamed out and jerked upwards, shaking uncontrollably. “Ah, fuck…” he muttered, realizing that he had another nightmare. “Son of a bitch…”

He sat up, scowling at the cold rain that kept coming down with gloomy dedication, and leaned on the gravestone with his back. He closed his eyes, not even trying to figure out if he had rain running down his face or tears. Probably both, he thought indifferently. He sat still for a while, and then opened his eyes when he heard unsteady footsteps. He sighed and straightened up, knowing whom he was about to see.

“Got your smokes!” the familiar voice said with woozy cheerfulness.

Raven let out a small smile when he saw a wrinkly face that gave him a toothless grin.

“Hey, Bill,” he said and scooted to the right just a little, making more room on the wet from the rain stone bench. “Have one,” he opened the pack that the old caretaker handed him.

“Sure thing!” the man agreed with the same cheerfulness. He sat down on the bench, and Raven smiled again when he smelled a very familiar by now mix of old smoke and cheap whisky on his breath. The smell didn’t bother him; it comforted him instead.

They smoked in silence for a while, and then the man shoved his hand underneath his thick shirt and fished out an old silver flask.

“Want some?” he offered the flask to Raven, who shook his head.

“No,” he said and dragged on his cigarette. “Thanks, Bill.”

“Sure thing,” Bill nodded and swiftly unscrewed the lid, his hands surprisingly coordinated for a drunk. “Good stuff!” he said with satisfaction a minute later after he took several deep gulps out of the flask. He made a loud smacking sound with his lips, as if underlining his words. “Good stuff,” he said again and put the flask under his shirt. “Say,” he looked at Raven thoughtfully. “You’ve been here for three weeks… Gonna go home one of those days?”

“Probably not,” Raven leaned on the gravestone again. “Everything I need is right here,” he nodded.

“I don’t mind having you here,” the caretaker dropped his finished cigarette on the wet ground, and Raven handed him the pack. “I like you here,” the old man said with satisfaction while fishing another cigarette out of the pack. “Good company is not easy to find, you know!”

“Right,” Raven hemmed.

“It’s just…” Bill shrugged and shoved his hand underneath his shirt again. “It’s raining,” he nodded and repeated the entire flask ordeal. “Only gonna get worse, you know.”

“I know,” Raven nodded, watching him hide the flask yet again.

“You are welcome to come to my cabin, you know,” Bill deeply dragged on the cigarette, narrowing one of his watery eyes against the smoke. “Not too far from your mate,” he added, and Raven blinked at that. “Right behind those trees,” Bill nodded to the right. “Close to your mate…” He looked at the grave.

“I see,” Raven muttered.

“The weather will be a real bitch soon,” the caretaker continued. “If you feel like your ass is about to be frozen off, head over to my cabin…! I have cards,” he nodded with another toothless grin, and Raven smiled weakly.

“Thanks, Bill,” he said quietly. “I might stop by one of those days,” he added thoughtfully, knowing that the old caretaker was right – the weather was going to turn into a real bitch rather soon.

“I have cards,” Bill said again and fished out the old flask. “I used to be good at cards, you know… Poker was my favorite…” He made several deep gulps and lowered the flask. “Worked magic with the ladies,” there it was, another toothless grin.

“You don’t say,” Raven smiled, and the caretaker made a satisfied grunt.

“Aye,” he said. “Real magic! Every time some bird would see me win a game, she’d be swooned out of her knickers…! Good times,” he sighed wistfully and reached for another cigarette. “Wish I could bring it back, you know…”

“Yeah,” Raven said quietly, glancing at the gravestone. “I know… Too bad it’s impossible, right?” he tried grinning but wasn’t sure if it worked. “Nobody can turn back time; that would be one hell of an ability…”

“Aye,” Bill sighed again, and Raven expected his hand to dive for the flask. He was somewhat surprised when the old man didn’t do that. “Too bad… Well,” he shrugged. “Claudia is the only one who can, but I’ve heard she never does that… I s’pose that’s why that bird is in charge,” he nodded, and this time, he did reach for his flask. “Responsibility,” he said a minute later to no one in particular.

“What did you just say?” Raven muttered, feeling suddenly-cold, and the rain had nothing to do with that.

“Oh…” the caretaker blinked rapidly and somewhat guiltily. “I mean, she is in charge of the other side, you know… Didn’t mean to insult Reagan!”

“I don’t care about that,” Raven stared at the old man without blinking. “Insult her all you want, I don’t give a shit… What did you say about Claudia being able to control time?”

“Oh,” Bill visibly relaxed. “Aye,” he nodded. “That bird is the only one who can do it… I’ve heard that Reagan was green with envy when she found out,” he added in a low voice.

“Wait…” Raven closed his eyes, his head spinning. “Wait… Are you sure? Are you sure she can do that?”

“Aye,” Bill nodded seriously. “The only one,” he nodded again.

Raven opened his eyes and blindly stared into the rain without saying anything for almost a full minute.

“I gotta go,” he said finally and stood up, tossing his cigarette pack at the caretaker. “Keep those!”

“Stop by one of those days!” the caretaker called after him, not being a bit surprised to see Raven leave. “I have cards…!”

****

He was somewhat surprised to find the set of house keys in one of the pockets of his soaked jacket – he was positive that he lost them. He impatiently pushed the key into the keyhole and turned it, his hands shaking. The key turned with smooth ease, and he walked inside and kicked off his wet shoes, while throwing the keys on the small table.

“Master Delamorte…” he heard an astonished voice and looked up.

“Sebastian,” he nodded briefly. “Tell someone to make coffee, would you?”

“Yes, master,” the butler blinked several times, as if trying to figure out what to make out of Raven’s sudden return – the brunet was gone for the last three weeks, ever since the funeral. “Anything else you would like?”

“A sandwich,” Raven nodded and headed upstairs, pulling off his jacket as he walked.

He knew that he had to look presentable for what he planned to do. He looked into the bathroom mirror and sighed. He looked anything but presentable right now. His hair was a dirty mess, he needed to shave badly, and his clothes were soaked and torn in several spots.

“I look worse than Bill,” he muttered and quickly pulled off his clothes while turning on the shower.

…An hour later, he nodded to his reflection in the mirror, satisfied with his self-inspection. Now he almost looked like his old self. He turned off the lights and left the room, enjoying the aroma of coffee that spread throughout the entire house, it seemed.

…“Anything else you would like, master?” the butler asked him in his usual rigid manner while Raven was chugging down coffee and finishing a decent size sandwich.

“Yeah,” the brunet stood up after the plate was empty. “Tell someone to clean the grand piano.”

The butler blinked at that.

“Yes, master,” he said with a slight nod.

“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Raven finished his coffee and headed towards the front door, grabbing the keys on his way out.

****

He parked the car next to the curb and climbed out without locking the door. He quickly crossed the street, grateful for the fact that it has finally stopped raining, and pushed the black, smooth button of the doorbell several impatient times. The heavy door opened a minute later, and Raven faced a middle-aged woman, who immediately reminded him of Sebastian – same rigid posture, same tightly pressed lips.

“Master Delamorte,” the woman said with a slight shadow of surprise. “How may I help you?”

“I need to talk to Renee,” the brunet nodded, and the woman let out a small sigh.

“I am afraid that would not be possible,” she said in a dignified voice. “Madam is rather busy. If you wish to leave a note, I would be more than happy…”

“Now,” Raven interrupted her with a small, cold smile, and the woman slightly stuttered without looking away from his bizarre-colored eyes.

“Yes, master,” she muttered finally, and stepped aside to let Raven in. “This way,” she said when she shut the door.

Raven followed her into a big, impressively decorated room, and headed towards one of the chairs.

“Would you like some coffee or…”

“That would be lovely,” Raven replied absent-mindedly as he sat down. The woman produced another stiff nod and left the room, her back painfully straight.

She came back several minutes later, and Raven was somewhat impressed by how quickly the coffee was ready. He took the cup out of her hands and gave her the same small, cold smile.

“Thank you,” he said, immediately losing all interest in her and looking away, scanning the paintings on the walls with his eyes.

The woman nodded and left the room once again, without saying anything else. Raven sipped his coffee without even noticing the taste, his mind racing.

“Raven,” he heard several minutes later, and turned his head, setting his cup on the table.

“Renee,” he stood up and stretched out his arm, offering her a handshake.

The tall blonde barely touched his fingers and sat down in the chair across from him.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” she asked, crossing her legs, the tone of her voice cold and slightly irritated.

Raven sat down as well.

“Thank you for seeing me,” he said evenly, nodding his head, and the blonde shrugged.

“You didn’t leave me any other choice, really,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

Raven picked up his half-empty coffee cup.

“I need a favor,” he said after a few minutes, and one of blonde’s eyebrows immediately flew up in an ‘Excuse me?’ expression. “Actually,” Raven continued slowly. “It wouldn’t be a favor, not really…” He sighed and looked at her above his cup. “I need you to arrange a meeting with Claudia for me,” he finished with a slight nod, and the blonde was mute for several seconds.

Raven sipped his coffee, his expression composed and undisturbed. Finally, the blonde let out a short, low laughter.

“Absolutely,” she nodded with mild energy. “However, may I ask you two questions first? Before I run to the phone, stumbling over my own two feet…”

Raven let out a small smile – he was prepared for something like this.

“Go ahead,” he nodded calmly.

“Question number one…” The blonde leaned forward, entwining her fingers together. “What gives you an idea that I would be able to do such a thing…? Question number two,” she continued after a slight pause. “What in the world gives you an idea that I would do such a thing? I had never gotten along with my brother,” she narrowed her eyes just a little. “And believe me when I say it… I couldn’t care less about you, even though I was somewhat surprised at Julian’s choice for a mate,” she shrugged, her expression reflecting bored, politely hidden disgust, and Raven smiled again.

“Therefore,” the blonde continued. “Why would I do anything for you?” She straightened her back, clearly getting ready to stand up. “I believe, you remember the way out…” she nodded, and Raven interrupted her.

“Answer number one,” he said and leaned on the back of the chair. “You are the mother of two Guardians, whose Godmother is Reagan herself. If anyone would be able to get hold of Claudia, it would be you,” he nodded. “Answer number two…” He set his coffee cup on the table and connected both hands at fingertips without changing his relaxed posture, even though he was agonizingly rigid inside. “There is a certain musical instrument that you have lusted after for the past fifteen years…” He smiled again when he saw her expression. “That instrument would be delivered to your house two hours after I know when and where I get to meet Claudia.”

The blonde remained silent for a minute or so, studying Raven’s face with narrowed eyes. Finally, she let out a sharp, annoyed exhale and stood up, unlocking her fingers.

“I will let you know,” she said unwillingly without looking away.

Raven stood up as well.

“Use Julian’s number,” he nodded without offering his hand this time. “I remember the way out,” he nodded again and left the room without saying anything else.