Stolas was the tall one with pitch-black feathers, born with the ability to distinguish medicinal herbs and, to some extent, appraise gemstones.
Mapa was the ordinary-sized one with lively eyes and considerable intelligence, able to understand human speech and use that cleverness to gather followers.
Once the two new ravens received their names, they immediately spread their wings and hopped onto a beam at 2 Kirk Street-not the highest one, but the second highest.
When Muninn swept a glance over them during the change of shifts, Stolas and Mapa showed respect and submission.
Stolas and Mapa had been born with extraordinary bloodlines.
But precisely because their bloodlines were extraordinary, Stolas and Mapa could clearly sense the difference between themselves and Muninn.
"Clever ravens."
Malinda spoke softly as she watched.
Arthur, meanwhile, stroked the [Raven Feast], which now had another crack, and quietly hummed-
"One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a girl, four for a boy,
Five for riches, six for poverty,
Seven calls a witch-say no more."
The distinctive cadence drew Malinda's attention.
She had witnessed Arthur use a Contract and the [Raven Feast] to subdue Stolas and Mapa, but, much to her frustration, she had detected nothing unusual.
There was none of the aura she had imagined.
Nor was there any radiance.
Everything had been perfectly normal.
Yet that was precisely what made it abnormal.
Because even with the [Raven Feast], it should have been impossible to disregard the time normally required while also improving the resulting quality.
All of that defied the norm.
Yet it had happened all the same.
Malinda stared at Arthur, involuntarily pondering the rhyme he had hummed.
But apart from the word "witch," everything in it was ordinary.
As for having a girl or a boy?
Malinda paid that no mind at