Raven's Song Read online

  Though he could not produce sound, Fredric mouthed his response for Daryl to read, My friend was in trouble.

  “I am so sorry,” Daryl whispered solemnly as he took Frederic’s hand and held it until the man finally, and blessedly, succumbed to his wounds.

  TWENTY NINE

  Del remained in the hospital for nearly a year. The news of his rescue was made public one month after its occurrence, and within another month it had passed from the consciousness of the often fickle public. Frederic’s murder had cast a gloomy pall over this happy event, but this gloom was soon uprooted and replaced by the golden glow of fond and loving memory, Frederic being enshrined forever in the hearts of the numerous individuals who had so dearly loved him. Michael had the VSF placed on high alert as the possibility of retaliation from their enemies was a very real and constant threat.

  Del’s rehabilitation had been extremely difficult at first and genuinely dangerous for those who strove to help him. He often lashed out violently at those who attempted to lay their hands on him, even the most innocent of intentions being misinterpreted by him as attacks. He was deeply introverted and displayed profound antisocial behaviors, rarely speaking to others or leaving the private hospital room which had become his new home. He was also plagued by nightmares and maintained the habit of hoarding food.

  His treatment consisted of cognitive behavioral, exposure, and various other classical psychological treatment techniques. Max and Caitlyn spent as much time as possible with their son, and their presence helped to somewhat alleviate many of his symptoms. They were quickly recruited by Del’s doctors and therapists to assist in Del’s treatment, roles they enthusiastically filled. At Del’s insistence none of his other family members were allowed to visit him. He did not want his condition to cause them any undue stress, which his doctors viewed as a promising sign of an emerging empathy.

  After only three months, Del began showing a marked improvement. He was less prone to violence and even allowed certain trusted staff members and, more importantly, his parents to touch him without permission. He began displaying emotions and began speaking more fully of his tumultuous past. Max and Caitlyn were often enraged and moved to tears as they learned the details of their son’s harrowing past. He also developed a strong and healthy curiosity of the world he had been reintroduced to, and though he remained in the hospital, he studied almost nonstop, absorbing as much information as ebooks and broadcasts could provide on a staggering plethora of subject matter.

  As he approached the first anniversary of his rescue, Del’s doctors decided unanimously that he was finally ready to return home. Max and Caitlyn were informed of this fact early on the morning of February 9, 3184, and after making a quick series of phone calls to relate the news to their relatives, they summoned a Lux-car to their home and were at the hospital in a matter of minutes. They were practically buzzing with excitement as they helped Del pack his modest collection of possessions into a medium-sized suitcase, and after giving Dr. Weiss, her associate doctors, and the hospital staff members who were instrumental in Del’s rehabilitation their sincerest thanks, Max and Caitlyn escorted Del outdoors for the first time in nearly thirteen years.

  Del looked about slowly, then directed his gaze skyward, blinking rapidly against the glare of the morning sun. A swift breeze sharp with winter chill whistled around them, Del wincing slightly at its passing. “Windy,” he observed, a broad smile on his face.

  The ride back to their townhouse was blessedly quick. Del busied himself by intently studying the sights passing by the Lux-car’s tinted window. They were soon pulling up in front of the townhouse, and Del’s face registered mild wonderment.

  “You still live here?” he asked.

  “Of course,” Caitlyn answered, “It’s our home. It’s your home, too, Del.”

  The trio exited the vehicle, and Del stood staring warily at his home for a long moment.

  “Everything okay, son?” Max asked as he gave Del’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, once again elated when Del’s body remained relaxed.

  “Nervous,” Del admitted, “This is not the same as battle. Battle I can do, but talking with people, with my family, I mean, I don’t know if I can do it.”

  Caitlyn smiled as she reached up to straighten the collar of Del’s sapphire dress shirt. “It’s okay, Big Guy, we’ll be right beside you, and everybody’s very excited to see you again. If you get too nervous, just say so. Everyone will understand. Now, you ready to go in?”

  Del nodded, and the trio started up the front steps, Max taking the lead and Caitlyn clasping Del’s hand in her own. As they approached the front door, Del could hear the sound of numerous voices in conversation, and he felt his pulse quicken. His father opened the front door, and the conversation instantly ceased. He and his mother stepped into the warmth of the townhouse’s tiny foyer. Max had stopped in the entryway of what Del seemed to remember as being the living room.

  Max smiled into the room and announced excitedly, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to present Del Von Raben!”

  Del remembered his mother using a nearly identical introduction when she had presented him to his father a year ago. Max motioned Del forward, and after only a second’s hesitation he complied, stepping into the living room. He took a moment to take in his surroundings, which the passage of time had rendered mostly unfamiliar. The room was cheerily lit by sunlight pouring in through a large bay window and a fire crackled softly in a small fireplace. Though the room was a decent size and contained only a modest amount of fine furnishings, it had been rendered cramped by the number of people crowded into it. It was his family, the people who, by all accounts, had been devastated by his absence and whose love for him had remained strong throughout those long, hard years.

  Though outwardly reserved, Del’s mind was busily collecting and analyzing data. The room is roughly twenty by twenty by ten, maybe twelve. The window and doorway are the only entrances, the window appearing to be normal glass plating, the few pieces of furniture providing only marginal martial opportunities. There are twelve adult individuals filling the room; eight males, including a SIR, and four females, all in relaxed postures and arrayed in a rough semicircle around the doorway. Three males present possible threats, one demanding immediate attention due to large stature and musculature-

  Stop! he suddenly and sternly commanded himself, Stop analyzing! They’re family, NOT enemies, NOT threats!

  He knew their names and faces, both from memory and from the photos his mom and dad had shared with him while he was in the hospital. They looked on him with expressions of love, and a few of them were openly weeping, tears falling silently from their eyes. None of them approached, however, and he somehow knew this was out of respect for his lingering discomfort regarding intimate contact. He was standing in awkward silence, trying desperately to think of something to say when one detail in particular suddenly caught his eye. It was a framed picture hanging above the mantle. The picture itself was a crude painting comprised of two little black handprints on white paper. On the mantle below the picture a small white candle sat burning alongside a small screen-cloud displaying a color photograph of a dark-haired little boy, which he recognized as an image of his much younger self.

  It suddenly came on him like an avalanche. The enormity of what he had endured and what had been taken from him ambuscaded him, forcing him to his knees and wrenching a shuddering sob from his lips. Everyone else in the room stirred, some of them standing, some taking a couple of hesitant steps forward, all of them voicing concern. Max and Caitlyn were at his side in a flash, both of them wrapping their arms around him. He did not weep, though he felt an overwhelming need to do so. That simple act was among the things that had been taken by Lurah, the monster who had nearly destroyed him.

  “I’m sorry!” Del stammered, “I’m sorry I scared everyone, but it was so big! I never dared dream of this day. It hurt to hope, you know, to hope that you all were out here, waiting for me. And then I walked in he
re, and there you all were, and you hadn’t changed. I mean of course you changed; you’re older and have lived full lives and all. What I mean to say is when you saw me you smiled like you used to, and I could tell that . . .”

  Del swallowed hard, took a deep breath, then finished, “I could tell that you still loved me.”

  His words were met with deeply emotional assurances that he was correct in his realization. His family now came forward in a wave, and Del found himself awash in a tide of body-crushing hugs and quick, soft kisses that blanketed his cheeks. He did not mind one bit, and let this heavenly tide carry him out to a warm sea he had almost forgotten existed. This wonderful reunion was interrupted by a small, bemused voice calling out from the doorway.

  “What’s everybody doin’ on the floor?”

  The crowd thinned out a bit, and Del revolved around, seeking out the owner of this new voice. A pretty little girl with long ebony hair and big, round brown eyes, was regarding the scene with obvious puzzlement. Del immediately recognized his little sister Eve, and he waited with bated breath for someone to introduce him.

  Max did the honors, “Eve, my sweet love, this is Del.”

  The girl’s eyes grew even wider. “My guardian spirit?!” she asked, her voice full of amazement.

  “He’s also your big brother, remember?” Max reminded her.

  Del was elated when Eve sprinted forward, threw herself into his lap, and enthusiastically squeezed his neck. “Sometimes you didn’t do your job very good, but that’s okay because I love you, Guardian Spirit!”

  “I promise to try harder, and I love you, too,” Del assured the little girl.

  #

  It was a perfect day, one Del would cherish for the remainder of his life. The little townhouse was alive with merriment and joy as Del was reacquainted with his loved ones. His family was delighted to discover that Dr. Weiss and her associates had been able to heal most of the damage which had been inflicted on Del, leaving behind the beginnings of a fine young man. After a period of awkwardness, Del and his cousin James began a friendly banter, and by the end of the day had more or less resumed their close childhood friendship.

  A single tense moment occurred during dinner. They were all seated in the living room, enjoying a huge takeout meal, when James excused himself to the kitchen in order to top off his drink. A minute later a loud crash sounded from that end of the house. Though everyone else in the room reacted with customary starts and exclamations of fright, Del had shot from his seat, sending his food flying across the room. His body was locked in an offensive martial stance before his feet had even touched the floor, and his family looked on in shock as he stood rigid, his eyes narrowed in a murderous glare and a low growl issuing from his mouth, which was locked in an apparently unconscious snarl.

  Deathly silence pervaded the room as Caitlyn rose from the sofa and carefully approached her son. “Hey, Big Guy, it’s all right. James just dropped something in the kitchen. You’re safe, love, I promise,” she soothed, her hands creeping towards his clenched fist.

  James entered at this moment, “Sorry ‘bout that. I knocked over the damn knife block and Woah!” This exclamation had been forced from him as he took in the tense scene which had been unfolding in his absence.

  “See, Big Guy, James just knocked something over in the kitchen,” Caitlyn reiterated.

  James, quick to catch on to his aunt’s intentions, held up his hands in supplication and joined in, “Yeah, Cousin, I can be a friggin’ klutz sometimes. Nothin’ bad’s goin’ down, I swear.”

  Del finally relaxed, his fearsome expression was replaced by mortification, and without a word he fled from the room. Caitlyn went after him while Max and Angelina tended to the mess he had left in his wake. The meal resumed, the cheerful mood gradually returning, and when Del returned several minutes later and began stammering an apology, his family cut him off with their words of forgiveness and begged him to rejoin them. The celebration continued well into the evening, Eve putting up a spirited protest when she was told it was her bedtime. She refused to budge until Del agreed to help their parents tuck her in. After Max and Caitlyn said their goodnights, Eve made Del promise to be waiting for her when she woke up before giving him a big, noisy kiss and snuggling into her pillow.

  Though they was very hesitant to do so, the guests departed shortly after midnight, at which point Caitlyn and Max led their son to his room, which had been left untouched for over a decade. Del had paused to sneak a quick peek at his slumbering sister before joining his parents in his room. He took in the toys and cheerful décor with a wistful expression, nodding when his parents assured him they would update his living space as soon as possible. It had been an exhausting day, and as he began to contemplate sleep, and the nightmares this activity was invariably coupled with, a sudden melancholy overtook him. With a forlorn expression he sank down on his old bed, repeatedly shaking his head in small, slow movements.

  “None of this is real, is it?” he muttered, his hand half-heartedly gesturing at his surroundings.

  “What’s that, Big Guy?” Caitlyn asked as she and Max came and sat on either side of him, Max lovingly draping an arm across his shoulders while Caitlyn clasped his hand in both of hers.

  “None of this is real, is it?” he repeated, “Any minute I’ll wake up, and Lurah will be standing over me, and he’ll beat me and order me to cleanse myself of my imbecilic dreams.”

  Caitlyn and Max both winced inwardly as they felt their son tense up upon mentioning his captor.

  “I don’t think there’s anything anyone can say to comfort you, son. I promise you, though, that this is all very real, and we all love you dearly, and we’ll stick by you through all your hardships from now on,” Max soothed.

  He then started the Raven’s Song, and as the words flowed from him, Del’s body sagged and became wracked by shudders as he drew in deep, shaky breaths.

  They sat together for a long time after the song ended. Eventually Del asked to be alone, and his parents complied, but only after lavishing their love upon him.

  THIRTY

  It was a busy week for the Von Rabens following Del’s homecoming. Del was rarely home, spending nearly all his time visiting various places with his relatives and experiencing the various daily routines they executed, these mostly mundane tasks rousing a childlike curiosity in him. The idea was proposed by his Uncle Bert that he attend high school, finishing out the remainder of the spring semester. Dr. Weiss was consulted, and she felt that time among his peer group in social settings would be very beneficial for Del.

  The following Monday, Del rose early in the morning and prepared for his first day of school. Eve was tickled by the notion that her grown-up brother was just now starting school, and she assured him that it was only scary at first and actually became fun as time passed, citing her twelve-month scholastic history for reference. Del and his family left their townhouse at a quarter after seven, and after dropping Eve off at her elementary school, they headed for H.S. 77, the high school Del would be attending. They had made a brief detour to scoop up James, who was a senior at H.S. 77 and would be attending classes alongside his cousin. Upon being informed of this fact, James had insisted he be allowed to take Del under his wing, guiding the young man through the often murky waters of the late-adolescence social scene.

  James now studied his cousin as the Lux-car coasted to a halt in front of H.S. 77. “Nervous, Cousin?” he asked, a hint of excitement simmering in his voice.

  “There’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s just a school,” Del remarked, his voice strong and steady.

  James had not known what to expect when it was announced that his cousin had been found. He had fond memories of Del as a cheerful little boy who was his best friend in the world. He had been crushed when Del had been taken and equally ecstatic when he had been rescued. The year Del spent in the hospital was almost indistinguishable from the others preceding it, the murder of their grandfather even adding the familiar sting of tra
gedy which had become a common fixture for those who associated with the Von Rabens. The morning Del was released from the hospital had started out hectic. His mother had burst into his room just after dawn and toggled the overhead lights on, to which he had responded with an angry groan as he buried his head beneath his pillow. After she enthusiastically announced that Del was coming home, he had shot from the bed and showered and dressed in record time.

  The wait for Del’s arrival had been full of eager anticipation, and James had spent most of it playing the comedian for his family and engaging in casual conversation with his Aunt Caitlyn’s sister Megan, whom he had had a crush on for most of his life. When the guest of honor had arrived and Del walked into his living room for the first time in twelve years, James never could have imagined he would find that happy little boy transformed into the stoic, battle-scarred apparition before him. His cousin had grown tall and muscular, and was a good-looking guy, if you ignored his mean-looking eyes and the brutal scar on his cheek. Everyone in the room held their breath as they waited for Del’s reaction, James included. When he finally spoke, James thought it sort of strange to hear his cousin’s deep baritone voice stumble over his words in a manner markedly similar to a nervous small child delivering an oral report at school.

  As the day progressed, James found Del to be a great guy once he broke through his cousin’s granite-like tough-guy exterior and the nervous young man cowering behind it, and he found it effortless to resume his friendship with his cousin. That is why he was more than willing to assist Del in becoming acclimated to high school and his fellow students.

  “I could walk in with you if you’d like, love,” Caitlyn offered once the Lux-car was fully stopped.

  “I’ll think he’ll be fine,” Max assured her.

  “Yeah, Uncle Max’s right, Aunt Caitlyn. Your boy couldn’t be in more capable hands,” James bragged.