Mark of the Raven

by Morgan L. Busse

  She hurried to answer Damien’s question so she could pose her own, sharing a little about the seasons and the wild creatures that lived in the mountains, including the timber wolves. “However, I don’t think the mountains can compare to the coast. Please,” she said, her meal forgotten as she placed her complete attention on Lord Damien, “tell me what the sea is like. I’ve heard there is so much water that the sea touches the sky.”

  “Yes, that’s true,” Damien said and put his fork down, a smile on his face. “If you take a ship out to sea, there is nothing around you but water and sky. And if you happen to be out when the sun is rising or setting, the water reflects the most beautiful colors.”

  Selene leaned closer. “And what about the animals? What kinds of creatures live in the sea?”

  “Well, there are turtles the size of a shield and fish bigger than this table—”

  “This table? And you saw them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Amazing,” she murmured as she sat back. “And what is your home like? Do you live next to the sea?”

  Lord Damien chuckled softly. “Yes. In fact, the balcony from my bedchambers overlooks the sea.”

  Her eyes lit up again. “So you can see it every day?”

  “Yes.”

  Selene turned back to her plate and picked up her fork. It was exactly how Father had described it, only even better coming from Lord Damien. She could hear the pride he had in his homeland in the way he spoke. She poked at the last bit of meat on her plate and tried to picture it, but all she could imagine was a mountain lake, only much bigger. She let out a sigh. What she wouldn’t give to see the sea. To see anything. To visit the other lands, to see the Northern Shores, or the rolling green hills of House Luceras, or the vast forests of House Rafel.

  And I will, she thought as she stabbed at the meat. Only for a very different reason. To carry out missions.

  “Perhaps some day you can visit Nor Esen, my home city,” Damien said.

  Selene smiled sadly without looking up and lifted the meat up from the plate. “That would be nice,” she said before placing the piece into her mouth. But the only reason she would be going was if his name—or the name of a lesser house within his nation—was assigned to her. The thought made her throat tight, and she found it difficult to swallow.

  The rest of the dinner went by quietly as Lord Damien turned his attention to the guest on his right. Amara glanced in Selene’s direction once in a while, her gaze darting between her and Lord Damien. The Luceras siblings talked quietly amongst themselves or with Lady Ayaka of House Rafel, who sat next to Lord Elric.

  Selene watched Lady Ayaka from beneath lidded eyes. The heiress of House Rafel appeared to be at least twenty winters, with pale skin and hair as dark as her own. Her father sat beside her, his skin weathered and creased, appearing almost as if he could be her grandfather. His beard was gathered midway down his chest in a slender silver chain, and his hair hung over his shoulders in thin white wisps.

  As Selene’s gaze wandered, she wondered if Mother had ever been assigned to walk in the dreams of the people gathered in this hall. If so, who?

  Her gaze stopped on the elder Luceras lord, and she tried to imagine what it would be like to be assigned to him. He spoke quietly, seemed to mistrust everyone in the dining room, and was overly protective of his siblings.

  That meant he was the cautious type, and it would be more difficult to infiltrate his room in order to enter his dreams.

  Lady Adalyn, however, exuded innocence and beauty. The paragon of a lady. Selene narrowed her eyes. It could all be an act. But if not, Lady Adalyn would be an easy target, apart from the guards who no doubt defended her chambers from the outside.

  But what if she were assigned to kill her target, not merely find out information? Could she do it?

  She glanced again at the oldest Luceras brother. He was bigger than the other brother, broad in the shoulders, with toned muscles and strong hands, the kind of hands that could choke her with a single squeeze. But none of that mattered if he never woke up.

  She watched him, almost mesmerized. What were his nightmares? What scared a young lord like him? What could she twist inside of him to the point that it made his heart stop?

  And could she do it? Could she kill him? Or would she end up shattering his mind like she did to Renat—

  Selene sat back, her eyes wide. Why was she thinking these thoughts? Assessing those around her, looking for their weak spots before even entering their dreams? Her heart thudded madly inside her chest as a cold sweat coated her back. Was she finally becoming a killer?

  With a shaky hand, she reached for the recently filled goblet and held it up. In the candlelight, the crimson liquid sparkled inside the cup. Such a dark, deep red.

  Like blood.

  Selene let out a loud gasp and the goblet tipped, spilling the crimson liquid across the table. This time, everyone turned to look at her. With swiftness she grabbed hold of her emotions and slammed them behind her mental iron doors.

  “Is everything all right, Lady Selene?” Lord Damien asked beside her.

  Selene lifted her chin. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a little clumsy.” She let out a simpering laugh and waved to one of the servants. Her mother stared at her from the end of the table with a glare so hot she could almost feel it scorching her skin.

  Don’t think. Don’t feel. She chanted those words inside her head as she slammed the doors of her heart shut and mentally adjusted the cold mask across her face.

  A servant mopped up the spilled wine. Shortly after, everyone went back to their conversations and she felt alone. So alone. Selene swallowed and glanced down at her empty plate, one thing pressing at her from within: the overwhelming desire to be done with this evening.

  19

  Damien stared at the unfamiliar ceiling inside his guest room later that evening, his hands resting behind his head. A cool breeze swept through the room, ruffling his shirt and his hair. He could hear Cohen in the next room preparing for bed. Taegis was still out in the hall. Karl and Sten were on break.

  His mind began to replay the evening, from his appearance and introduction to the other Great Houses, to the dinner served, then to the people in the room that night.

  Tonight was his first view of House Friere, and both Grand Lord Ivulf and his son Raoul were everything he had heard from his late father: loud, arrogant, and dark. The younger Ravenwood daughter seemed taken by Lord Raoul. Perhaps there was a match in the making there.

  His mind moved onto the next family. It was good to see House Luceras again, although Lord Leo had been overly cold and suspicious of everyone. Of course, Leo had always been like that, even when they were kids.

  Lady Adalyn was as beautiful as ever. A smile touched his lips. Long ago, there had been talk between their fathers about an alliance between their houses. He wasn’t ready to settle down yet, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the brothers approached him during this trip.

  Lord Elric was now a young man and reminded him greatly of Quinn. Damien sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

  Then his mind turned to Lady Selene Ravenwood.

  His first assessment of her had been right. She was cold and quiet. Almost haughty even. But the longer he thought about it, the more it seemed like a mask than her real self. The moment he spoke of the coast, her dark eyes had lit up, burning away her cold visage, bringing life to her features. The way she asked questions, hanging on his every word, he could almost see her imagining the sea.

  But when he spoke of a visit someday—and it wasn’t that uncommon for the Great Houses to visit one another—the mask fell right back into place, followed by her polite, yet cold response.

  With any other person, he would wonder at the change, then move on. But something about Lady Selene kept tugging at him, making him ask why. The only other time he could recall seeing such a face was . . .

  He suddenly sat up. The look she gave him he had seen once before when he was a boy. A messenger arrive
d at Northwind Castle to announce that one of House Maris’s ships had been lost at sea. He remembered going to the memorial along the beach to commemorate those lost during the storm and spotting a little girl his age. She didn’t cry, just stood there by the rippling waves holding a ragged doll in one hand, a look of death on her face.

  It was so different compared to the others grieving there along the beach that it burned an image inside his mind. It was as if she too had died and only a shell of herself remained.

  The memory came back so vividly it felt like he had been punched in the midsection.

  Damien glanced toward the balcony where the moon sat just over the mountain peaks. He rubbed his face and sighed. What had happened to Lady Selene? He thought back but could not remember hearing of any tragic happenings at House Ravenwood in recent years. That didn’t mean she hadn’t experienced something devastating, but what could it be?

  And why did he care?

  He lay back down. Why do I care?

  Because you want to save everyone.

  For as long as he could remember, he was always trying to save things: birds with broken wings, his little brother’s toy boat, even a bat that had once gotten caught in a chimney. When he couldn’t save them, he would become crestfallen and ask his father why it hurt inside.

  “Because you want to save everyone, my son. You have a big heart. And it hurts to see the pain in this world. But that’s not a weakness. It is your hidden strength. Never forget that.”

  Was it possible that it was both his strength and his weakness? When others were able to move on and let go of what they couldn’t change, Damien stubbornly held on. Sometimes the pain felt like a black pit sucking him in. He could put on a smile, and sometimes even shove his heartache aside, but it was always there, waiting for him in the dark watches of the night.

  He still grieved over his parents’ deaths. And Quinn’s death. He couldn’t let go, even almost two years later. And because of that, the pit grew bigger inside of him. Would it someday suck him in completely?

  He rolled over onto his side. If only he could turn off the pain and not feel so much. He didn’t want to stop caring for people, but he just couldn’t let go when he couldn’t take their pain away.

  He thought again of Lady Selene and her mask of despondency.

  Whatever it is, I can’t save her from it.

  20

  Selene entered her mother’s bedchambers and bowed her head. “Mother.”

  Mother stood from a chair set near windows that overlooked the Magyr Mountains and turned, her dark gown flowing with her movement. Hagatha took a step back. The scent of rosewater permeated the room. Sunlight streamed through a window, spreading light across the ornate chairs set near the empty fireplace.

  “That is all, Hagatha. You may go.”

  “Yes, my lady.” Hagatha bowed as she took another step, then slowly made her way to the door, bypassing Selene on her way out. Her posture seemed even more bent and the wrinkles on her hands and face more pronounced. Selene kept her eyes on her mother and away from Hagatha, but that did not prevent the flash of memory of Hagatha’s nightmare and the timber wolves descending upon the woman. Wolves set upon her by Selene’s own command.

  Selene breathed in through her nose and shoved the memory aside.

  As Hagatha latched the door shut, her mother beckoned Selene toward the sitting area near the sunlit window.

  “How was dinner last night?” her mother asked as she placed a hand on the back of one of the chairs.

  Selene came to stand behind the other chair. She recognized the gown Mother wore. Regal, yet not ostentatious. The gown she wore for negotiations. So the first of the talks between the Great Houses would begin today. “It was no different than any other dinner.”

  “And what about Lord Maris? What did you think of him?”

  Selene frowned. If she had not overheard her father and mother’s discussion weeks ago, she would almost suspect her mother had ulterior purposes. But she knew that wasn’t the case. So why was she asking? “He seems like a capable grand lord, despite his young age.”

  “Capable?”

  “Yes. And seems to have a love for his land.” She thought again of the way he spoke of the Northern Shores. She had a feeling that love extended past the land and to the people as well. The thought warmed her.

  “Do you think he is a threat to our nation?”

  Selene blinked. “Threat?” Her mind rushed through her limited knowledge of the Great Houses. House Ravenwood and House Maris had little interaction with each other since the razing hundreds of years ago. But the houses had never been hostile toward each other either. Just civilly cold. “I don’t believe so. Why?”

  Her mother ran her fingers along the back of the chair. “I received a message from the Dark Lady when I first received the summons for the assembly from House Maris.”

  A shadow fell across Selene’s heart, stealing away the warmth from moments ago. A message from the Dark Lady? “What did she say?”

  “That a threat comes from the north.”

  “The north? And you think it is House Maris?”

  “Or House Vivek.”

  Selene looked down at the back of the chair. “Have we been assigned to take care of this threat?”

  “In a way, yes.”

  What does that mean?

  “It is time for you to begin your journey toward becoming head of House Ravenwood.” Her mother came around the chair and sat down, then waited for Selene to do the same.

  Selene sat down and waited.

  “Part of becoming a grand lady is putting your house above all other houses. For generations, the ladies of Ravenwood have done everything to bring House Ravenwood back to power. We have married those we did not love, sold our gift to provide for our people, and even made alliances with our enemies.”

  Selene knew of the first two sacrifices, but what did Mother mean by alliances with enemies? Yes, the Great Houses did not always get along, but she would not consider them to be enemies.

  “Five years ago, during a visit to House Friere, I met with emissaries from Commander Orion of the Dominia Empire.”

  Selene felt like she had been hit in the chest. “The Dominia Empire? I don’t understand. Why would you meet with emissaries from the empire when you know what they did to us? To our house?”

  “Times have changed. They have offered to help us in exchange for our assistance.”

  Selene frowned. “What do we need help with?”

  “The empire will return to us what they stole all those years ago: land and power.”

  Selene’s mind was a swirl of colors and thoughts. “I don’t understand. We have land. We have the Magyr Mountains and Rook Castle. And what do we need power for? Our people, though few, are taken care of and work willingly and diligently for House Ravenwood. What more do we need?”

  Her mother’s eyes flashed. “Before the razing, House Ravenwood was one of the greatest amongst the seven houses. We were revered and our dominion lay beyond the mountains. The other houses took that away when Ravenwood was betrayed and handed over to the empire.”

  Selene stared at her mother. This had nothing to do with gaining back what House Ravenwood had lost. Yes, the other houses betrayed them years ago. But aligning with the empire? That went beyond simple hatred. This was about her mother’s ambitions—ambitions that had been passed down and fed to each Ravenwood generation until it had bloated into the monster before her. If Father was correct, Ravenwood never had power, only influence because they were Dreamers and had the ability to inspire the other nations. Then the razing happened, and now House Ravenwood was power-hungry and willing to destroy everyone around them.

  Selene flexed her fingers as her body tensed. She wanted no part of this. “How?” The word came out in one hot breath. “How exactly will they give us this land and power?”

  Her mother pressed her fingers together. “No matter what we do, we cannot stop the empire. Commander Orion has built up the
empire’s forces, and they possess weapons we cannot defend against. This conflict has been in the making for many years. By aligning our house with the empire, I am ensuring our survival and victory. In return for our help, they will let us rule the land on this side of the wall.”

  “And how exactly are we helping them?” Wait. The covert assignments, the assassinations . . .

  “I think you know.” Her mother watched her with a keen eye. “We have slowly whittled away the other houses, sometimes choosing our own victims, sometimes hired by them to take out one of the other houses. In some ways, the Great Houses have brought about their own destruction. In fact, every house but House Maris has sought to eliminate someone from another house and unknowingly hired our skills. Oh, the delicious irony. In the end, they made our job easier.”

  “Even House Luceras?” Selene asked. She could not imagine the holy House of Light had secretly sought the death of someone.

  Her mother smiled that not-so-nice smile. “Even House Luceras.”

  “But not House Maris,” Selene confirmed.

  Her mother’s smile faded. “No. Never the water nation.”

  “And that’s why you think House Maris is a threat?”

  “That, and because of the Dark Lady’s message.”

  Selene stared down at her lap. She felt like she had walked into the midst of a spider web and could not escape. Instead of fighting the empire, her mother had made an alliance with the very nation that had almost wiped out their family. An alliance of blood.

  Selene brushed a shaky hand across her face. And now she was being dragged into it as the heir to House Ravenwood. “How could you do this?” She wanted to jump to her feet and scream at her mother, but she kept her body firmly planted in the chair.

  Her mother lifted her chin and stared coldly at Selene. “I do not owe an allegiance to the other houses. I only have an allegiance to my own.”

  Selene’s nostrils flared. “And what about our people? What happens to them when the empire marches across our lands?”