Flight of the Raven Page 34
Damien placed the candle down on a side table, then turned back toward her. He noted the dirt on her cheeks and the streaks of mud where her tears had fallen and wondered where Selene had been tonight. But his questions would have to wait.
Without a word, he pulled her in again and held her. There they stood, in the candlelight, her head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her body.
Tomorrow would bring answers, along with a renewed push to sign the treaty and prepare for war. The assassination attempt tonight was only the tip of what was to come. It was the first arrow shot, and more would be coming—and soon.
But for tonight, he would take care of his wife.
When the war came, they would face it then.
Together.
44
Harsh sunlight radiated down on Lady Ragna as she stood before the wall that for hundreds of years had kept the Dominia Empire out of their lands. But no longer.
Tents were set up behind her along the sandy hills, filled with House Friere’s military. She had left her own forces behind at Rook Castle and the strongholds around the mountain area, ready to move upon a word from her. Over the last few months, she had carefully dropped hints and woven the idea of aligning with the empire for the good of the mountain people into her military. Her commander and captains were primed for when she announced the real deal. And for those who balked at the idea, they could either obey or be replaced. Permanently.
A hot wind pulled at her silk gown and headscarf. It would be a while before she was back at Rook Castle and the cooler air. This heat was abominable, and it was only spring.
Far off, near the wall, Lord Ivulf spoke with his own commanders. His scarlet cloak rippled in the wind. Not for the first time she wondered if she should have made a more permanent alliance with Lord Ivulf all those years ago, instead of with Caiaphas. But her mother had ruthlessly crushed the idea. Ravenwood women never married the heads of other Great Houses, and so she had obeyed.
Unlike her traitorous daughter.
Her nostrils flared, and Lady Ragna smoothed her gown in an effort to bring her emotions back under control. It wouldn’t matter soon. At this moment, Amara was taking care of the plague that was House Maris. She might not be the strongest Ravenwood woman to ever live, but Amara was tenacious and driven. She would get the job done. Once Lord Damien was dead, Selene would be next.
With the Dark Lady at Lady Ragna’s side, and her increased nightly walks, which had been steadily strengthening her own gift, she would be ready to confront her daughter. And in the end, she would win.
Lady Ragna smiled to herself as Lord Ivulf broke away from his commanders and approached the wall. The sand-colored wall towered over the area, several hundred feet high, with jagged teeth at the top, making it difficult to climb over. The few who made it between their lands and the empire had done so by boat, circumventing either the maelstrom to the south or the watchful eyes of House Vivek and House Maris to the north.
But soon the great divide between the nations would be gone.
Lord Ivulf came to a stop, a small figure next to the massive barrier. Her smile widened as she watched him spread out his arms and prepare to use his gift. It had taken both the lords of House Maris and House Friere to erect the wall, combining water and molten earth together to form the boundary.
Today, it would take only one man to bring it down.
At first, nothing happened. Then a resounding crack filled the air. A split appeared at the top of the wall, right above where Lord Ivulf stood. The crack widened as it tore down the middle of the wall. A moment later, Lord Ivulf brought his hands together, then pulled them apart as if opening a door.
Both sides of the wall moved.
Like a set of double doors opening, the split widened until she could see blue sky and desert landscape on the other side. And not just landscape, but also an army. Tens of thousands dressed in burnt orange and olive green, with hundreds of Dominia Empire standards fluttering in the wind.
When the crack became as wide as to let in five men, shoulder to shoulder, Lord Ivulf fell to one knee, and the wall stopped moving.
Lady Ragna held up her gown and ran across the sand. Had he overexerted himself? Neither had been sure how great his gift was, or if he would even be able to do it.
Now they knew.
Just as she reached Lord Ivulf, a man came walking through the gap, flanked by four other men. He was tall and broad, with dark hair that curled around his head. There was no facial hair along his chin. Instead, a scar ran across the left side of his face, from the tip of his mouth up to the end of his eyebrow, giving him a fierce appearance. He was dressed in an elaborate uniform of the same burnt orange and olive green. A matching cloak fluttered behind him as he approached.
Lady Ragna bent down and reached for Lord Ivulf’s arm, but he brushed her away forcefully and stood on his own. From the corner of her eye, he appeared very pale, sweat coating his face and dripping from his chin.
The man stopped a couple of feet away and looked them over. Lady Ragna came to her full height and looked back with as much haughtiness and chill as she could. There was no doubt who stood before them, and she would remind him of who she was, and the power she brought with her.
A few seconds later, Lord Ivulf bowed, but Lady Ragna remained where she was.
“Welcome, Commander Orion of the Dominia Empire.”
Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of the FOLLOWER OF THE WORD series and the steampunk series THE SOUL CHRONICLES. She is a Christy and INSPY Award finalist and won the Carol Award in 2018 for best in Christian speculative fiction. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel. Visit her online at www.morganlbusse.com.
Sign Up Now!
Instagram: Bethany House Fiction
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Newsletter: www.bethanyhouse.com/newsletter
Facebook: Bethany House
Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Morgan L. Busse
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
The Dominia Empire (Map)
Character List
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
List of Pages
1
2a
2
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398