A Flight of Ravens by John Conroe (thriller books to read TXT) 📗

many times to count.  Come on out and have some.”

He didn’t move, his brain flooding with memories, recent ones.  Savid—the alpha was called Savid.  He was called Ash.  The young pup was Welton, the older one Brent.  He stood and looked back toward the city.  No one moved on the near streets, even though the sounds of an active community came from farther inside its borders.  The alpha had seen to that.  Turning back to the stands, he found the others all staring at him.  The youngest was smiling, his hand raised in greeting.  The oldest sat calmly, alternating bites of buttered bread with spoons of bacon and beans.  Treena and Sissa watched him, Sissa’s face seemingly blank.  Yet he knew that face, knew the subtle signs of body language, understood she was anxious.  He was too.  Anxious at her response to the sight of him.  Yet she hadn’t moved, hadn’t screamed, hadn’t even flinched.

“Ash?” she called, her voice uncertain, yet hopeful.  “Ash, would you like some bread?” she asked, holding up a thick slice.

His feet were moving before he was even aware of them, his steps slow, uncertain as he stepped fully into the open.  But she just sat there, calmly holding the bread, her face now relaxed and maybe even hopeful.

His feet made the decision for him, moving him across the frozen ground, slowly at first, yet getting a little faster as his pack sat, watching, waiting, and even eating.

Suddenly he was there, right in front of her, inhaling her scent, searing her image into his head, hearing the fast beat of her heart.  He crouched, making himself smaller, bringing his head down lower, almost as low as her own.  She smiled, moving the hand that held bread toward him.  “Take it, Uncle Ash,” the young one said.  “If you don’t, I will.”

He immediately gave the boy a little growl and carefully took the bread from her palm, using forefinger and thumb claws to delicately pluck it away. Then he stuffed it in his big mouth, slipping it past his gnarled teeth.

“Hah, I knew it,” Welton said.  “Mom’s chive butter is the best.  And wait till you taste the beans.”

Sissa—his mate—reached for him slowly, her movement freezing him midchew. He didn’t move a muscle as her hand lightly brushed the fur on his arm, her eyes studying it with sadness but also something like wonder, before flicking up to meet his own.  “Soft.  Much softer than I expected,” she said with a small smile.  He could feel the heat of her hand, smell the scent of her hair.  Both boys were still eating steadily but watching, and when he looked at the alpha—at Savid—he found him smiling.

“Told you,” Savid said.

“Welcome home, gravel head,” Sissa told him.

Author’s Thoughts, Notes and other Drivel:

As usual I must thank Susan Helene Gottfried for her editorial work and Gareth Otton for his art skills.  A Flight of Ravens will be followed by A Mischief of Rats, hopefully in Fall, 2021.  I have at least one Demon Accords to finish (Blood Drawn) before I can get to that one.

2020 was a difficult year for the whole planet.  I was asked many times if Covid-19 would be a topic I would put in my stories.  My answer was always the same – I already did – Web of Extinction dipped into that when it came out in the fall of 2019, just a few months before the real deal.  The pandemic taught us all a lot of lessons: be prepared to take care of yourself and your family and if you’re able, help some others too (toilet paper anyone?), be resilient, be patient, be careful, and be kind (especially to your loved ones), are the ones that stand out for me. It’s interesting to write about times of chaos, stress and pandemonium, but it’s another thing to live it.  The vaccines are rolling out as I write this (haven’t had mine yet) and there is light ahead.  But we would all do well to remember what 2020 taught us.

John Conroe

P.S.  Keep scrolling to find the list of characters and terms and stuff.

Cast of Characters and Other Stuff

Savid Thomas DelaCrotia – Our protagonist.  Ex-captain Ranged Reconnaissance Squadron,

Holder of the Kingdom Cross, Lead Shadow, 3rd son of High Family

DelaCrotia.

Princess Brona Olivia Tersi Warcan – Crown princess of Montshire, heir to the kingdom, head                                                                of the Shadows.

King Helat Morrison Warcan – Ruler of Montshire.

Queen Ilana Warcan – Deceased, Brona’s mother.

Lord Rucian DelaCrotia – Head of High Family DelaCrotia, Savid’s father.

Lady Jean DelaCrotia – Savid’s mother, wife of Rucian.

Salis – Brona’s Wenkroy bodyguard.

Marda – Brona’s secretary.

Gracid DelaCrotia – Savid’s oldest brother, heir to High Family DelaCrotia.

Tallen DelaCrotia – Savid’s second oldest brother, spare heir.

Jolanna DelaCrotia – Savid’s sister.

Trell – a.k.a. Trell the Magnificent, self-appointed minstrel of Montshire, graduate of the Royal Academy of Montshire.

Shadows: (a squad of Shadows is a murder)

Jellaquin (Jella) – Drodacian Forester, battlemaster, Lady Jean’s childhood friend, Savid’s instructor, hater of all things Sylvanian.

Ash Newberry – Savid’s Shadow second-in-command, leads his own murder.

Cortney Gamas (Cort) – Shadow sapper in Savid’s murder.

Soshi Leighton – Shadow sniper in Savid’s murder.

Drew Holden – Shadow generalist in Savid’s murder.

Hemppe – Shadow, runs The Knife and Needle, Shadow dispatcher.

Yawl – Mountain cat partner of Jellaquin (think big female mountain lion or cougar).

Tipton – Savid’s horse.

Stewart – Shadow who runs the Dodgy Dogin Rattle.

Corell – Waitress at the Knife and Needle.

Terry – Waitress at the Knife and Needle.

Brin – Cook at K & N.

Steadings – New inductee to the Shadows.

Esllings (think psychics):

Oscar – Truth Reader (full telepath), Brona’s edge in interrogations.

Sydney – See-er (clairvoyant), three-minute range, child.

Kassa – Truthseeker (empath/some telepathy), freelance.

Other Nobles:

Kiven Armstrong – Lord Marshal of Haven.

Lord Victor Shipley Sampson – Friend of Lord Leica and Lady Jean’s entire birth family.

Lady Agatha Kardian – Doesn’t give two damns.

Lady Olden –