Mark of the Raven

by Morgan L. Busse

“So the other houses are safe at the moment, yes? You said that you were sent here because of something the Dark Lady said, not because of the alliance between Ravenwood, Friere, and the empire.” Saying those names left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  Selene lifted her chin. “My mother wasn’t sure who was the threat: House Maris or House Vivek. So you were both to be eliminated tonight.”

  Damien felt like he had been punched in the middle. “House Vivek? Are you saying that someone is killing Lord Rune and Lady Runa right now?”

  “Yes. My mother.” Selene straightened her shoulders as if gathering her courage back. “And she will soon be here to see that I fulfilled my mission as well. So we need to leave. Now.”

  “No.” His muscles quivered. “I will not leave House Vivek. How could I leave behind the one house that needs our help the most at this time? If House Vivek falls, it will leave a void behind, ready to be filled by the empire.”

  “And what about your own house?” Selene’s eyes flashed, the barest hint he had broken past her cold veneer. “What happens when both House Maris and House Vivek fall? I can’t save you both. I can only save one.” Her words hitched at the end.

  Damien stared at her, his heart pounding, his blood whooshing inside his veins. “And what kind of man would I be to let someone else die?”

  “It wouldn’t matter if you left at this very moment. They are most likely already dead. My mother is fast and thorough. You would only be throwing away your life, and then there would be fewer houses left. Live, Lord Damien, and find a way to save the people House Vivek leaves behind.”

  Damien sucked in a breath and turned away. Everything he had done to help House Vivek had been for nothing. Nothing! But there was no way he could have predicted that one of the other houses would turn on them so fiercely. He held an arm across his middle, feeling as though he was going to retch.

  “How do we escape?” he heard Taegis ask, his voice cold and controlled.

  “There is a tunnel near this room that leads to some old mine shafts connected by an underground river. We will follow it north where the river exits the mountains and feeds into the Hyr River that follows the border between our two countries.”

  Damien barely listened as he struggled to bring his racing thoughts back together. Lord Rune had a son—a son he had sent off quietly to be raised as a scholar in the libraries of Vivek, but who could still rise up and lead House Vivek and her people. The nation of wisdom still had a chance. But Damien was the only member of House Maris left. If he died, he would leave his people leaderless. He needed to escape, he needed to live. For his people. For Lord Rune’s son. For all the nations.

  He turned back as Taegis spoke to Selene, his sword still out and ready, just in case. “The Hyr River? How long will it take to get there? And you know the way? We won’t find ourselves trapped underground?”

  Cohen paled as he watched the exchange. Karl and Sten stared at Selene with distrustful looks.

  Selene focused on Damien. “About a day. And yes, I know the way. As a lady of Ravenwood, I know all of the secret passages and recently inspected the one we will be following.”

  “Then your mother knows the passage as well.”

  “Yes. That’s why we need to leave now. It won’t be long before my mother discovers that I—” She blanched and looked away.

  Damien crossed his arms. “That you chose not to kill me.”

  She paused, then nodded.

  “All right, then. Let’s go.” He turned around and reached for his jerkin and belt.

  Taegis stepped back, his sword still trained on Lady Selene. “You believe her?” he whispered.

  Damien tugged on the leather vest with more force than necessary. “I believe her enough to think we should escape.”

  “And how do you know she won’t turn on you in the tunnels?”

  “I don’t.” He started on the clasps. Perhaps Lady Selene might change her mind and decide that she would rather assassinate him than face the consequences of betraying her house. “That’s why we will be taking her swords and you will be protecting me.” He finished the last clasp and glanced at Taegis. “What choice do we have?” A painful lump filled his throat. “If what she said is true, and I believe it is, then we need to escape.” His hand shook as he placed his belt around his middle, the faces of Lord Rune and Lady Runa hovering along the edges of his mind. He stopped and pressed his eyes shut.

  Taegis let out a long breath beside him. “You’re right. But I have one request.”

  “Yes?”

  “I want not only her swords taken away, but her hands bound as well.”

  “I think that is wise. Proceed.”

  Damien let out a long breath, then cinched his belt tight, looping one end over the other. Cohen appeared moments later, dressed and ready. Taegis gave instructions to Sten and Karl, then proceeded to inform Lady Selene of their decision. Her face paled, but she nodded.

  Damien glanced around the room. He needed to focus. There wasn’t much time to gather supplies for their getaway, and who knew how long it would take for them to reach one of his villages on the other side of the border once they emerged. He spotted their saddlebags in an empty corner on the other side of the room and headed over to see if there was anything left from their trip here.

  After rummaging around, he was able to procure hard biscuits, a sack of barley, and some dried meat. At least it was something. He also grabbed the waterskins and quickly filled them with the water from the washing pitcher. He stuffed the provisions in the smallest saddlebag and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

  “All right.” He turned around and found Taegis had already taken Lady Selene’s weapons away and hidden them, but her hands were still loose. “I gathered a few things for our trip. I’m ready to go.” He felt like his heart had been replaced by a bundle of bricks, but he had to keep going. His hand tightened around the saddlebag strap. He would see to it that House Vivek’s people were taken care of.

  “I’m ready as well.” Cohen adjusted his maroon cloak over his clothing with one hand while he held the abbey’s book of sacraments with the other. He spotted the saddlebag across Damien’s shoulder. “Would you like me to carry the bag?”

  Taegis glanced over. “Good thinking on the supplies, my lord. Let Karl or Sten carry the saddlebag.”

  Damien handed the bag to Karl, grabbed his own sword and sheathed it, then looked at his party. “Taegis, you are in charge of Lady Selene. Sten, Karl, you will assist him. We will each take turns carrying the supplies.” He gave each man a firm look. The four men nodded back. “Now, let’s go.”

  36

  Damien’s question as to why Lady Selene’s hands were unbound was answered when Taegis led her to the balcony outside.

  Selene headed to the railing and pointed down below. “There is a small cavern beneath this balcony that leads to the mine shafts.” She spoke in crisp words, leaving no doubt she had pulled her cold mask back over the troubled woman from moments ago.

  Damien was impressed with her ability to change her persona so quickly. No doubt she had trained hard to hide who she was and camouflage her true self. What else did he not know about her?

  Taegis stepped up beside her, his sword still drawn. “We will go together.” A threat hung in his words. He glanced back. “Then Karl, then you, my lord. Sten and Cohen will follow.”

  Damien nodded. He watched as Selene gracefully bounded over the railing near the rocky wall and disappeared below. Never had he seen a woman who could move like that. Then again, the women he knew did not sneak into rooms with the intent to murder. He shook his head and followed after Taegis.

  Below the balcony was a narrow rocky ledge with a small opening that led into the base of Rook Castle. Taegis and Lady Selene stood just inside the opening. Taegis was currently binding Lady Selene’s hands behind her with his belt. Damien stepped to the side as Karl jumped down from the balcony and landed on the ledge.

  Cohen followed, his feet landing on the edge
of the stone protrusion. He wobbled for a moment before regaining his balance. “No wonder we didn’t know about this passage,” he said, his voice cracking. “You can’t see it from the balcony, and there is hardly a spot to land on.” He gave a nervous laugh and stepped inside the cavern as Sten touched down nearby.

  As the men and Lady Selene moved into the cavern, Damien glanced back. Moonlight bounced off the craggy Magyr peaks and patches of pale light mingled with the shadows in the valley far below. He turned around and headed into the dark tunnel. The next time he would see the sky, he would be near his own country.

  After the first bend, Damien could hardly see and Cohen bumped into him from behind.

  “Hold up,” Selene said. “There are two torches here, hanging from brackets along the wall. And a flint rock in a tiny opening near one of them. We will want these for our journey.”

  Damien listened as Taegis felt along the wall. “Found a torch and the flint rock,” Taegis said. Moments later, sparks flashed and the torch caught fire, lighting the small space with orange light. Taegis held up the torch and looked back. “Sten, grab the other torch.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With the torch now lighting their way, the small group continued along the low, narrow passage, the crunch of gravel beneath their boots and soft, measured breaths the only sound.

  Minutes later, the passage intersected with a wide-open area the size of the bedchamber they had left behind. From here, five passages emerged.

  “Which one? Damien asked, his voice echoing inside the cavern.

  “The first one on the right,” Selene answered. “It will take us to an abandoned mine shaft, which will lead us to the underground river I told you about.”

  “Where do the others go?” Taegis asked.

  Selene glanced back. “Other parts of the mine and castle.” Then she turned around and continued toward the passage she had indicated. Taegis stayed next to her, Karl close by. Damien, Sten, and Cohen followed.

  Unlike the tunnel they had recently exited, the mine shaft was wider—at least two persons—and tall enough that Taegis’s hair barely brushed the top. The air was stale and cool with no smell to it.

  Damien remembered his father saying that the mountain nation was once famous for the gems and precious metals that were mined from the caverns that dotted the Magyr Mountains, bringing wealth and prestige to the mountain people. Then the razing happened and the mines dried up, plummeting the mountain nation to near extinction. Even now, the mountain nation was the smallest of the nations, with no house gift, and few resources by which to fund itself. Truly, its only value was its central location to all the other Great Houses and nations.

  Damien shook his head. House Ravenwood had used its strategic location to help the Dominia Empire by bringing all of the Great Houses together in one place to gather information and destroy any unity between them.

  But in a twisted way, he could understand why. His chest tightened at the thought as their small company plodded along the dark mine shaft. The other Great Houses—including his own—had never bothered to help House Ravenwood. His father had even surmised that long ago the original House Ravenwood had been given over to placate the power-hungry empire, although there were no records of such an exchange.

  Now the Great Houses were being handed over to the empire by the very house they had betrayed hundreds of years earlier.

  And no one saw it coming.

  Except . . .

  Damien watched the back of Selene’s head. Her dark hair hung in one long braid down the back of her head, reaching almost to her waist. He could barely make out her slender body, hidden by the dark clothing she wore and the shadows that filled the passageway.

  Once again he wondered why Lady Selene had chosen to rescue him. Did she not hold the same bitterness the rest of her house did? And what would happen to her after he was in his own country? Would she go back?

  He frowned. Back to what? What would Lady Ragna do to her daughter once she discovered Selene’s defection? He had promised Caiaphas he would keep his daughter safe. How did he do that in this situation?

  Hours later, Taegis called for a rest. The first torch was already halfway gone, and they still had farther to travel. They would need to conserve as much light as possible.

  Karl placed the saddlebag on the ground and said something about relieving himself. As he disappeared around the corner, Damien walked over to the saddlebag and pulled out six hard biscuits the size of his palm. He gave one to Taegis and Cohen, then paused in front of Lady Selene. She looked up from where she sat against the wall, fatigue and sweat across her face. Dirt had mixed in with the sweat, causing her to look like she had shadows across her cheeks and below her eyes.

  Sten came to his side. “My lord, I can watch Lady Selene so you can eat.”

  “No, my friend. Go ahead and rest. I will watch her first,” Damien said without taking his eyes off Lady Selene. He held up a biscuit for the guard.

  Sten paused, then took the biscuit and sat down nearby. Taegis watched from the shadows.

  Damien crouched down. “I’m going to untie you so you can eat. Don’t do anything rash.”

  “I won’t,” she said in a flat voice, then she twisted her body around so he could access her bound hands.

  Damien frowned. Perhaps those dark circles were more than dirt and fatigue. He still did not have his answer as to why she was doing this, or what would happen to her afterward.

  She can’t go back, he thought as he undid the belt wound around her wrists. She betrayed her house. Lady Ragna will not show mercy, not even to her own daughter. But can I really bring her to the Northern Shores? By her own words, she was originally sent to assassinate me. Can I trust her not to fulfill her mission?

  He stepped back as she brought her hands around and rubbed her wrists. “Here.” He held out the hard biscuit. She took it without looking at him and began to nibble on the edges.

  Damien watched her, waiting for . . . what? For her to suddenly run? For her to lunge toward him? Instead, she slowly ate the biscuit, pausing at one point when he swore he saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

  She finished the rest, then wiped her hands on her thighs. “I, uh . . .” Her face darkened. “I need to relieve myself.”

  Oh. He hadn’t thought about that. “I’ll come with you.”

  Her head snapped up. “What?”

  “My lord,” Taegis said, taking a step forward.

  “I’ll have my back turned, but I’m not letting you go alone.”

  Her face darkened further, but she nodded and stood. Damien felt his own face flushing. He had never been around many women, just his mother and the servants, and the few times he’d visited Lady Adalyn and Lady Bryren. But this was different. He didn’t even know . . .

  Damien abruptly stood and motioned to Lady Selene. “There’s a spot we passed a few minutes ago that should do.”

  Selene didn’t bother to acknowledge his words. Instead, she walked hurriedly in the direction he had pointed. There was enough torchlight to see the small hollow, but also enough shadows to provide privacy.

  Damien followed until he was a short distance away, then turned around and waited, hoping with all his might she would not do anything reckless.

  A minute later, she emerged. “Thank you,” she mumbled, then headed back toward the light.

  Damien let out a sigh of relief as his shoulders sagged. Never had he thought about the difficulties of traveling with a woman.

  After passing around the waterskins and securing Lady Selene’s hands, Damien quickly ate his own biscuit. “All right,” he said as he wiped the crumbs off his pants. “Let’s keep going for a little longer.”

  Sten grabbed the saddlebag and gave the unlit torch to Karl.

  “My lady,” Karl said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he took a step back and waved for Lady Selene to lead the way with Taegis.

  She made no indication that she had caught the guard’s disrespectful tone. Damien fr
owned at Karl. Yes, Lady Selene was the enemy, but there was no reason to treat her in such a way. He would speak to Taegis about that.

  Damien started after them, Cohen and Sten behind him. More hours passed as they went deeper and deeper into the mountains. At times the passageway became jagged, and they had to carefully make their way along the broken path. Other times the tunnel narrowed to the point where they had to stoop down. Damien could hear Cohen breathing heavily during those periods and felt the same sense of panic inside his own chest.

  “How much longer?” Cohen asked breathlessly as he ducked to avoid a particularly jagged point.

  Lady Selene paused. “We are almost to the underground river.”

  “Thank the Light,” Cohen muttered behind Damien. “I feel like the mountains are going to fall on us.”

  “How much farther after that?” Damien asked. Having already lost almost a night’s sleep and walking for hours, he was exhausted and was sure he wasn’t the only one.

  “A couple more hours” was her reply.

  “Only a couple of hours?” Taegis said in disbelief. “It took us nearly three full days to travel from the border of our country to Rook Castle.”

  “Yes, but you were traveling across the mountain roads. Here, underground, there aren’t as many obstacles, and we follow almost a straight path.”

  “Can you travel this way to any of the other nations?” Damien asked.

  She didn’t answer for a moment, but Damien caught her mouth moving from the side of her face in the torchlight. Her shoulders sagged. “I-I can’t say.”

  Interesting. That information was a house secret, one she was not permitted to speak of. What other secrets did Lady Selene have locked away? “Do you think they are pursuing us yet?”

  “Yes.” There was no hesitation in her voice.

  “And which way are they coming? By tunnel or by mountain?”

  “I’m not sure. It depends on who my mother sends and if they know these tunnels. She might even send a raven to one of the strongholds at the base of the mountain.”

  Damien grew quiet as he thought. Did they have time to rest? Or should they push on? Karl stumbled in front of him, barely catching himself before walking again. They needed at least a moment of reprieve. And they would probably make better time refreshed than they were making now.