Interlude: Crow Storm (Patreon)

Interlude: Crow Storm

Fate led them from the tower without a word. The team could only scramble back into the hastily recalled bioship as Fate ignored their questions and took to the air. 

Raven didn’t ask, staying as far away from Fate as she could at any given moment. She could feel the emptiness lingering inside Taylor’s body. Raven tugged at her hood, watching the golden figure fly in front of the bioship. She couldn’t detect even the slightest hint of emotion coming off of Fate, and that emptiness frightened her.

“You can fly next to h-her, if you want,” M’gann murmured. “I can just…”

Raven shook her head, turning her gaze to the panel of flickering lights in front of her. “That wouldn’t be prudent,” she said. 

“I dunno,” Robin said. “Even if Destiny gets mad, that’s gotta be better than this.” Raven felt his emotions fluctuate. “Shit, Destiny was always quiet, this is like, a zombie puppet show or something.”

Raven scoffed. “Sorry if I don’t want to put my life on the line for your curiosity.”

“Wuh—your life?” Kid Flash said. “She’s not gonna, like, pop a cap in you! Glowy helmet or not, that’s still Taylor!”

“Is it?” Raven asked. Her control slipped, tightly wound power trickling out into her limbs before she yanked it back again. She sat tense, ignoring the team’s grumbling as she waited for a reprisal from the glowing entity in front of them. Fate did not so much as turn around, but even still…

Artemis’ voice cut through the haze. “Why are you so afraid of her?” she hissed. “Taylor’s—fuck—she’s your friend right?”

Raven ducked her head. “You seem to be fine sitting here,” she said.

“You think I can fly?” Artemis said. She brushed off Robin’s hand. “No, you know what, fuck all of this. Aqualad wanted to give the two of you time to sort through your issues or whatever, and I was fine with that, until our friend got herself locked into a gold paperweight!” She stood up, walking right up to Raven. “And now the other magician on the team doesn’t want to touch it with a ten foot pole?”

Raven looked away, fingers curling in the fabric of her cloak.

“Hey, uh, this might just be me, but isn’t this really not the time?” Kid Flash asked.

“So when is the time, huh?” Artemis shot back. “After we get into a fight with Klarion? News Flash, Kid, last time Raven and Destiny together couldn’t beat him. You think this time it’s just gonna magically work out, with Raven like this and Destiny…”

Raven laughed once. The sound strangled Kid Flash’s reply. “That isn’t what you need to worry about.”

Robin cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Fate is… stronger than either of us,” Raven said. Or at least, stronger than either Raven or Destiny was willing to become. “Fate is the perfect counterbalance to Klarion. Destiny must have felt it too, when we fought him last.”

“What do you mean by that?” M’gann asked.

“Fate’s aura is the equal and opposite of Klarion’s,” Raven said, suppressing a shudder. “Even layered over Taylor’s as it is.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you won’t look at her,” Artemis said.

It, Raven did not say. She sighed. “Chaos and Order,” she said.

“Yeah, so?” Kid Flash said. But Raven felt the sudden fluctuations of Robin’s aura. She said nothing, even as the boy wonder pulled Artemis and Wally a step back.

“You’re… like Klarion?” Robin said. She watched as understanding dawned on the rest of the ship. 

“Is it time for the next round of accusations?” Raven murmured. She tilted her head down, letting the shadows engulf more of her features. It would make her reactions easier to disguise. Make it easier for her to lie to herself, afterwards. 

“Woah, woah,” Kid Flash said. He waved his hands. “What’s with all this ‘Chaos’ and ‘Order’ stuff? I can practically here the caps.”

“Magic has alignment,” Raven said, looking out the window again. Even the ripples on Fate’s cloak formed a perfect wave as he flew. “I am… not the type of person who should be anywhere near something like Fate.” She didn’t give her reason for staying, but her expression still spoke loud and clear.

“Wait. Why was Klarion after you back in California, if you guys are one the same side?” Artemis asked.

A question that Raven feared the answer to. Still, she had a response ready. She’d had a response ready for this exact inquiry since the day after. Living in Azeroth had taught her that much at least.

“A battery,” she said. “Being on the ‘same side’ as Chaos is an oxymoron, in any case. At most, you hope that you’re not in the way.”

Artemis stiffened, backing off and returning to her chair. “Okay, so you can’t talk to her. Great,” she muttered. “So what’s the plan then? Sit on our thumbs?”

“Well…” Kid Flash started. “I’m pretty sure Destiny said that M’gann was in charge after her. What do you think, beautiful?” 

Raven tugged her hood lower at the obnoxious wink he shot towards the Miss Martian.

“Oh my god,” Artemis said. “Can you stop thinking with your dick for one second—”

“If we could stay focused please,” Raven said, voice cutting off the argument before it could properly begin.

“Yeah, no offence, but we kinda have bigger fish to fry,” Robin said. “She’s turning.”

The bioship jerked as M’gann stopped gaping at the byplay. “I—uh, sorry!” she said.

“Where are we right now,” Robin asked.

M’gann typed in a few quick commands into her computer. “We’re… breaking out over the Pacific Ocean in less than a minute. Unless she stops now, it looks like we’re going to wind up very far from home.”

Robin chuckled. “Well at least there’s one bit of good news.”

“Oh?” Artemis said, “share with the class?”

“We’re over the ocean, which means Aqualad should be able to catch up with us. The League has zeta tubes set up in Atlantis, and they have some of the fastest water travel around.”

Artemis blew out a puff of air. “That’s gotta be better than just flying around after Destiny.”

Robin nodded. “I—” he paused, turning towards M’gann. “I can transfer our coordinates and heading to the mountain.”

Miss Martian blinked. “Uh, you’re asking me?”

“You’re the leader,” Robin said with a shrug.

After a second, M’gann nodded. “Yes, do that.”

“You’re being awfully nice,” Artemis said.

Robin’s brow furrowed, gaze moving to the wind shield. He said, “I guess there’s a point where we all stop liking surprises.”

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A/N: Apologies for the delay. Midterm season took me by surprise, and I'm only this week getting back on my feet. I'm doing my best to stay on top of things, but this is becoming a very busy time of year.

Hope you enjoyed the shorter chapter. I wanted to show the team's reaction after skipping the first bout of shouting, also Robin grows up as Raven's heritage starts peeking into the story. 

Fight starts next chapter!