Free Chronicles of Steele: Raven 3: Episode 3 by Pauline Creeden Page A

him shiver.

    Raven
had hardly slept. Marietta snored. The constant noise coming from her open,
drooling mouth kept Raven from ever getting anywhere near restful, deep sleep.
Still she remained in the bed until the room gained the white hue of early
morning. The witch rolled over, and the snoring finally ceased.
    With
a sigh, Raven pulled herself inch by inch from the mattress. She gathered her
things with as much stealth as possible. There was no purpose in rousing the
witch any earlier than necessary. After a quick glance about the room, she
turned the handle slowly.
    The
light in the hallway shone a little brighter than it had been in her west-
facing room. She didn’t feel good about exploring the city, and since the first
floor had no windows, Raven opted to head for the roof. The unnecessarily long
zigzag trek made her ready for some exercise. On the fourth floor, she found no
spiral staircase and no window on the end–instead she found a door. Curiosity
had never been a fault with her. She had no interest in trying any of the
closed doors in the halls on the way up, but this one she opened.
    It
led to a small staircase. At the top, a heavy metal trap door with a bar across
it blocked her path. She moved the bar aside and heaved against the rusted
door. The hinges protested with a squeal, but at this height, Raven did not
fear waking any of the downstairs' inhabitants.
    The
trapdoor opened to a corrugated copper roof. Raven nodded and pushed herself up
on the gently sloping metal. The ice cold copper chilled her hands, but she
ignored the cold and sat on the slope. Black smoke filled the otherwise clear
sky in two columns from the factory across the street. The muted light
reflected off the burnished surface on which she sat. To her right, the river
rippled in golden waves. A cold wind blew the hair from her neck, and she
smiled. The icy chill refreshed and revitalized her.
    Once
she felt accustomed to the slope of the roof, she pushed herself slowly to a
standing position. The view from the building would have been a complete circle
save the factory across the street. She started toward the peak. Her cobbler
had scored the wooden sole on her boots with a pattern that gave her reasonable
grip on the slick surface. She reached the peak and set her feet on the narrow,
rounded edge. The surface reminded her of the balance board her father had
taught her to use back home. After a few deep breaths, she began to practice
her martial arts.
    She
continued her exercise until the sweat beaded on her forehead. The sun reached
high enough in the sky, she knew the crew in the building could no longer be
asleep. She sat on the edge of the roof and slid down the copper, using her
feet to keep herself from sliding too quickly. At the trap door, she let  her
feet dangle for a moment before she lowered herself to the top step below.
    After
closing and latching the trapdoor, she started down the stairs and along the
zigzag of the hallways. On the second floor, nothing stirred. She continued to
the first floor, where the bustle of conversation and cutlery welcomed her.
    “Ah,
there she is,” Monroe announced with a smile when her heel clicked against the
first step of the spiral staircase.
    The
group of men was at the table in all four chairs while Marietta moved about the
kitchen. She lifted a plate in Raven’s direction and smiled. “Here you are,
dear. If you’ve never had Ipswich Sweet Loaf, you’re in for a treat.”
    Grant
and Colton both bolted to their feet, each offering their chair to her. Colton
sat nearer to her entry, so she took his chair with a nod of thanks. Grant
remained standing. He leaned against the back of his chair and grinned at her.
“We were wondering where you might have been.”
    The
group stared at her. She glared back at them and then down at the bread on the
plate in front of her. “I found a quiet place and did some training.”
    Monroe
stood and nodded with approval. “As you