Flight of the Raven

by Morgan L. Busse

  Amara narrowed her eyes. “And what mission is that?”

  Her mother crossed the room and placed her long fingers along the back of one of the chairs near the fireplace. “You will finish what your sister did not: the assassination of House Maris. Shortly before the Assembly of the Great Houses began, the Dark Lady sent a message to me that there was a threat to our house from the north and if it was not dealt with then it would mean the end of House Ravenwood.”

  “And the threat was House Maris? Then why did you dispose of House Vivek?” Amara bit her lip. She should have worded her questions in a less accusatory way, but her mother didn’t seem to notice.

  “The only information I had was that the threat was from the north. So I took House Vivek and Selene was assigned to House Maris. And the rest you know.”

  Yes. Instead of killing Lord Damien, Selene had gone and married him. “So this threat still exists?”

  “Yes. The Dark Lady confirmed it.”

  Amara frowned. Then why hadn’t the Dark Lady specified which house was the threat in the first place? But she wasn’t about to ask Mother that, as she was sensitive to matters where the Dark Lady was concerned. “So my mission will be to kill Lord Damien Maris.”

  “Yes. When the water-wall goes down, you will need to be prepared to go, whether that will be traveling to the capital city of Nor Esen or elsewhere.”

  Amara crossed her arms. “And what about Selene?”

  “What about Selene?” her mother said in a low, dangerous voice.

  “If I go after Lord Damien, surely I will meet up with Selene. Should I kill her as well?” Although how she would do that she wasn’t sure. She could barely keep up with her mother in the dreamscape; going against Selene would be suicide. Perhaps she could use poison or her sword. If Selene didn’t know she was coming, she couldn’t protect herself.

  “You will do nothing to Selene.”

  Amara’s nostrils flared, and she gripped her forearms. “Why? Are you hoping to bring that traitor back?”

  Lady Ragna stood still, so still that she seemed as though she were a statue. Except for the cold rage that burned in her eyes. Amara quivered inside, but she didn’t show it on her face. To show Mother fear was to invite verbal abuse.

  “No,” she finally answered, “because I want to take care of Selene myself. A Ravenwood has never killed another Ravenwood. But there are other ways to deal with her. Selene is a traitor—a traitor to our house. So I will be the one to take care of her. Not you.” There was finality in her voice.

  Amara narrowed her eyes and stared at her mother. Was this her final test to see if she was worthy to be Grand Lady Ravenwood?

  “This mission will not be easy. Lord Damien has a deep and influential mind that will be difficult to maneuver. You will need to practice and hone your gift every night until the time comes for you to leave.”

  Amara straightened up and uncrossed her arms. Was that why Selene had failed? Had Lord Damien somehow influenced her? Maybe Mother had overestimated Selene’s power.

  “I will have the Vanguard Garrison alert us when the wall goes down,” her mother continued. “Then it will be up to you to trail Lord Damien and finish your sister’s task. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes.” For once she was thankful she looked more like Father than Mother. It would be easier to hide her connection to House Ravenwood.

  “Good.” Her mother pressed a hand to her forehead and looked away.

  Amara studied her mother in the dim light with a raised eyebrow. Was that worry she saw in her mother’s face? What in all the lands would cause her mother to be anxious?

  “After the last snow melts, I will be traveling to Ironmond to make my own preparations and meet with Lord Ivulf.” Her hand dropped and tightened into a fist. “We will usher in a new era, one where House Ravenwood is in power. Then the other houses will taste of our bitterness.”

  Amara watched her mother but didn’t speak a word. Hatred ran deep within Mother, so much so that if she were cut, Amara was sure hate would flow from her veins. Would she become like that someday?

  “Now go. I need to rest.”

  Amara bowed, conflicting thoughts tumbling through her mind. “Yes, Mother.”

  She mentally shrugged as she left the bedchambers and her mother behind and followed the hall to her own room. If that was what it took to keep her sister safe, she didn’t care. Opheliana was the only person who mattered to her. She would become as dark as she needed to be.

  23

  I’ve received letters from Houses Merek, Luceras, and Vivek.”

  “When?” Selene sat on the other side of Damien’s desk. Snow continued to fall outside from the storm that started the previous night. But the inside of Damien’s study was warm, thanks to the thick quilt over her lap, the fire nearby, and a cup of hot mulled cider.

  “Sometime yesterday. We’re lucky the carrier birds were able to make it before the storm began.”

  “Wait, House Vivek sent a letter? Who answered for them? Have they chosen a lesser house to fill the role of Great House?”

  “No,” Damien said slowly and held up the creased parchment. “Lord Rune’s son, Renlar. Now Grand Lord Renlar.”

  Selene blinked. “Lord Rune’s son? When did he have a son?” This didn’t make sense. She looked down and rubbed her forehead. Did her mother know about this son? If so, what was the purpose in taking out Lord Rune and Lady Runa if there was still a successor to House Vivek? Was House Vivek still a threat to House Ravenwood?

  Ugh, and why do I care about that? I turned my back on Ravenwood when I left my family and home.

  “As dual rulers of House Vivek, it was always assumed one sibling would continue on after the death of the other. I don’t know all the details behind Lord Rune’s secret marriage, only that it resulted in the birth of a son.”

  She looked back up. “How come I’ve never heard of Lord Renlar?”

  “Very few have. He was raised away from the palace as a scholar in one of the great libraries. Lord Vivek disclosed information about his son to very few people. My family was one of them.”

  “I see.” So he had been hidden away for some reason. More house secrets. “House Vivek is not without a leader.”

  “No. Lord Renlar has chosen to step forward and lead his people. He is strong in both body and mind. Given what he wrote in his letter, it doesn’t appear that he believes the explanation given for the death of his father and aunt.”

  Selene wrapped her fingers around the warm mug and breathed in the spicy, fruity fragrance, her mind spinning from this new information. “I don’t think my mother expected people to believe it forever. Just long enough to sow seeds of doubt and disunity until she revealed her true colors, behind the might of the Dominia Empire.” What would Mother do when she discovered House Vivek had endured? Kill again? So much pain, so much death. For nothing.

  Damien tapped the top of his desk. “I believe the Dominia Empire will make its move once the last of the snow melts. Do you think your mother and House Friere will make their alliances known by then?”

  She lowered her gaze and stared into the deep amber liquid. “I don’t know. I’m ashamed that my family is even part of this.”

  “When I was at the assembly, Caiaphas told me your mother would never ally with the other Great Houses. He said her hatred runs deep. But he didn’t believe that was true of you, and I don’t think so either. He said that you might be the ally we were looking for.”

  “Ally?”

  “A representative for House Ravenwood. Someone who would be willing to use her gift for the welfare of all Great Houses and peoples.”

  Selene blinked. “My father said that? When did you meet with him?”

  “The night before the gala. That was the same night I promised him I would protect you.” Damien laughed softly. “He was very adamant about that. Now I know why. He knew you were the missing piece to the alliance—that you possessed the gift of House Ravenwood.”


  “You keep saying alliance. What is this alliance you speak of?” Suddenly, a conversation with her father came roaring back to the front of her mind—the one where she realized he was part of some secret coalition. The one where he revealed why he had married her mother: to find out if the dreamwalking gift still existed.

  She stared at Damien, her whole body tingling. “Are you part of some secret alliance?”

  Damien gazed back. “Yes. It’s a coalition whose purpose is to unite the Great Houses. Your father is part of that group. And so are a number of lesser lords and ladies. When my father died, I inherited his position as the leader of the group.”

  “The . . . leader?” The room began to spin around her. She raised a hand and placed it against the side of her face in an effort to make everything stand still. Her father’s words filled her mind. “There is a group of people who have been searching for a way to unite the Great Houses. This group has existed for many years, quietly working to bring every nation together.” And Damien was one of them. No, he was the leader of them.

  “Is that why you called for the Assembly of the Great Houses?” Selene asked.

  “Partly. Also because we could no longer deny the threat that Commander Orion and the empire pose. I had hoped that the encroachment of the empire would have been a catalyst to unite the Great Houses, but I didn’t realize that hatred and greed ran so deep, or that House Ravenwood and House Friere had already aligned themselves with the empire.”

  “Aren’t you afraid for your life?”

  “Yes.” He looked back at the fire. “Although my position as a grand lord does give me a measure of safety. The others, however . . .” He tapped a finger against his knee. “There are some who have given their lives for the cause.”

  Selene shivered, despite the warmth of the room. People who were accused of being a part of this group died. Her mother had a man thrown from the wall of Rook Castle last year. And House Friere burned three others.

  Damien’s fingers stopped their tapping, and he seemed to be thinking. “On the surface is the treaty between the Great Houses. But underneath, real unity between the peoples will require everyone working together: grand lords and citizens alike. The general guides the army, but it is the soldiers who fight. That is why the coalition exists, and why it is made up of more than Caiaphas and myself. It is a treaty, in a sense, that crosses borders and includes all people from all the lands, not just lords and ladies from Great Houses. We have grown over the years. The coalition is large enough now that they could rise up in place of the Great Houses.”

  “And do away with our gifts,” Selene said, her eyes flashing as she remembered her mother’s words.

  Damien shook his head. “No. That has never been our goal. We want unity. We want to work with the Great Houses, if possible. There is a reason the Light gave seven families special gifts. Gifts to help all people, not only the family.”

  Selene looked away. He’d voiced the doubt that had been lurking inside of her ever since her dreamwalking training had begun a year ago: that the women of Ravenwood, although claiming to help the mountain people, had really only been helping themselves.

  “The Great Houses are only as strong as our people,” Damien stressed. “And we can help our people become even stronger by the gifts the Light has given us.”

  There was a knock at the door, interrupting their conversation.

  “Yes?” Damien said, glancing at the door.

  The guard on duty looked in. “Steward Bertram wishes to speak to you, my lord.”

  Damien stood. “Yes, I am expecting him. Tell him I will be with him shortly.” He turned toward Selene after the guard left. “I’m sorry to cut our time short. One more thing before I leave. Your father believed you and your gift could help unite the Great Houses and their people.” He moved around the desk and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m still coming to know you. But your father’s trust weighs in your favor. And I hope you know that the fact that I have shared about the coalition means that I trust you as well, even though your gift . . .”

  “My gift?”

  “We have yet to discover what your gift can really do. You’ve helped me twice with my dreams. But . . .”

  Oh. She could see the hesitancy in his eyes. There still seemed to be a shadow lurking inside his mind concerning her dreamwalking. “Because of what it was previously used for,” she said softly.

  He dropped his head. “Yes.”

  At least he was honest. “But doesn’t my marriage to you already connect me to your coalition?”

  “Partly. Although I would prefer you to join of your own volition.”

  “And my gift?”

  “We’ll continue to search for other ways you can use your power.”

  She held his gaze. “I think I want to find out more about my dreamwalking gift before I join.”

  Damien bowed his head as he pulled his hand away. “I understand. And I am happy to help you in any way I can.”

  Did he really know what he was offering? Did he mean that he’d be willing for her to use his dreamscape? And would she actually take him up on that?

  He reached the door, then looked back. “Oh, and one more thing. Would you be interested in joining me in the breaking of your fast tomorrow morning? There is something I would like to show you.”

  Selene raised her eyebrows. “I have no obligations tomorrow. I believe I can join you.”

  He smiled back. “Wonderful. It has something to do with my family, and I would like to share it with you.”

  Her pulse increased. What could that be?

  “Good-bye, Selene.”

  “Good-bye, Damien.”

  The door shut quietly behind her, and she sat in silence as the fire burned low and the snow continued to fall.

  “There is a reason the Light gave seven families special gifts. Gifts to help all people, not only the family.” Damien’s words were similar to the ones he said the night of the gala back at Rook Castle: gifts were given to help people. And even those leaders without gifts could serve their people through sacrifice and love.

  But what about my gift? I refuse to hurt anyone else with my power. And I can only visit one mind at a time. She leaned forward and placed her head in her hands. Yes, she had brought peace those times she visited Damien’s dreams. But he was only one man, one dream. Was that truly the extent of her gift? But . . .

  She raised her head. Did that matter? If what Damien said all those months ago still proved true, then she could serve people through sacrifice and love.

  She stared at her fingers. She was already familiar with sacrifice. But love? How could she still love her people when she was no longer at Rook Castle? Could she love the people here, in the Northern Shores? What was love, really?

  Selene stood and headed for the door. I need to find out more. More about my gift. More about the Light who gave me this gift. More about who I am.

  24

  Little raven,” a cold voice whispered.

  Selene stood in the entryway to Northwind Castle. The air was hazy and dim, with that dreamscape-feel. Down the corridor, a light disappeared around the corner, leaving the area in shadows.

  “Selene,” the voice rasped, using her name for the first time.

  She closed her eyes, ignoring the sudden chill, and pressed against the dreamscape with her power, pushing out with her mind until her hands shook at her sides. Change, change!

  A cold breath blew across her cheek, filling her nostrils with the smell of rotting flesh. “There you are, little raven.”

  Selene gasped and her eyes flew open. She flung herself away from the Dark Lady. “Get away from me!”

  “I cannot,” the shadow whispered. “For you are mine.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two people, pale and translucent like spirits, standing beside the broad doors that led out into the courtyard. Taegis and Sten.

  She shook her head, confused. What were they doing here?

  Before she could
find an answer, the Dark Lady glided toward her. Selene spun around, transformed into a raven, and flew off.

  She soared along the hallway, passing more and more translucent people. She clicked her beak. Who were these people? Were they real? Or was her mind filling this dreamscape with her own memories?

  She rounded the corner and searched ahead for the light. It appeared at the very end of the corridor. She passed by more people, some vaguely familiar. But she had no time to stop and look at their faces, not if she was going to catch up to the light—

  Surprised and terrified shouts filled the air behind her. Selene hovered for a moment and looked back. The Dark Lady drifted along the hall, passing the same people she had flown by moments ago. As she passed them, they collapsed across the floor, lifeless.

  A frigid stinging filled her chest. What did the Dark Lady do to those people?

  The Dark Lady looked up, and her lips spread in a sinister smile.

  Selene spun around, soaring toward the end of the hallway. Dart’an! I can’t let the Dark Lady catch me.

  The light disappeared upstairs. Selene flew in pursuit. The light seemed to slow down along the corridor with the windows that overlooked the sea. Selene sucked in a breath of air and winced at the stitch in her side. Not only did the light seem slower, it appeared more brilliant, overtaking the darkness of the hallway.

  She stretched out her body and pumped her wings. I’m almost there. I can reach it. Maybe if I touch it, this nightmare—and the Dark Lady—will disappear.

  But the light swerved around the corner and vanished.