Mark of the Raven Page 7

  Selene stood. “I was just leaving.”

  Amara stepped out of the way, as if to usher Selene out as fast as she could.

  Selene patted Ophie one more time, then turned around and headed out.

  “Thank you, Lady Selene,” Maura said as she passed.

  Selene gave her a small smile, then left the nursery. A lightness entered Amara’s voice behind her as her sister babbled about the toy she had found for Opheliana.

  Selene held her hand over the handle. Why couldn’t she and Amara get along like they both did with Opheliana? Were they destined to always be rivals?

  She opened the door, stepped out into the hall, then closed it, laying her head against the smooth wooden surface. The hallway was cold and silent. For the first time, she felt a twinge of feeling toward Amara, devoid of the recent aloofness and coldness she felt toward her sister recently. It wasn’t much, but it was a spark.

  Was there a way to change the future of Ravenwood? A brighter hope where she and Amara could use their gifts in a way other than hurting people, and in doing so, work together?

  Selene straightened up and held a fist to her heart. “If there is any way that can happen, then I will find it, no matter what.”

  8

  It is time for the last of your training.” Lady Ragna stood in a pool of moonlight cast by the nearby window weeks later. Every part of her was covered in black, save the upper part of her face. Her dark eyes stared out at Selene from below her cowl.

  Selene stayed in the shadows, her own body wrapped in similar black loose-fitting clothes and head cover.

  “As I shared before, our most lucrative contracts are those that require a life. Given how easily dreamwalking has come to you, I don’t think you will experience any setbacks with dreamkilling.”

  Selene folded her arms. She had spent all evening preparing for this mission, setting aside her emotions, fears, and trepidation. Every time she felt herself vacillating, she pictured Ophie. She would not let Ophie grow up to be a dreamkiller. That meant she had to take on the mantle. Or find a way out for both of them. For both of her sisters. “Whose dream will I be walking in tonight?” Please don’t let it be someone I know.

  “Your maidservant Renata.”

  Selene felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Renata? She was going to be forced to dreamkill her shy maidservant? Her insides clenched violently inside of her, but she did not show anything on the outside.

  “You seem very calm about the matter.”

  Remember, lock away your heart. “I am ready.” The lie slipped through her lips so easily it shocked her. Again, she never let it show on her face.

  Her mother studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll lead the way.”

  They entered one of the more lavish guest rooms of Rook Castle. “There is a small entrance to the underground labyrinth beneath the balcony of this room.”

  “I know.” Selene knew almost every tunnel and opening below the castle, the knowledge gained from years of exploring the underground maze as a child.

  “You do?” That bit of information seemed to take her mother by surprise. Her mother glanced back as they crossed the wide bearskin rug that lay on the stone floor across from a large four-poster bed.

  “Yes.” Maybe Selene shouldn’t have revealed how much she knew about the caverns.

  Her mother turned back and exited out onto the balcony. At the stone balustrade, her mother gracefully maneuvered over the railing and disappeared. Selene followed.

  A few feet below, a large boulder jutted out from the mountainside. Selene landed beside her mother in front of the entrance to a small cave. Without saying a word, her mother entered, Selene close behind.

  Like most of the tunnels beneath Rook Castle, this one was narrow, dark, and rugged. A cold wind whipped through the passageway, whistling through hidden holes and crevices.

  Selene shivered and rubbed her arms. Just think about Ophie. But instead of Ophie’s face, all she could see was Renata’s. She remembered the day she met the small, timid girl. Renata was so skinny that her arms and legs reminded Selene of a chicken. Her mousy brown hair hung over one shoulder in a stringy braid, and her eyes looked much too big for her pale face.

  Renata was from one of the lower mountain villages that had been pillaged and burned by bandits. She was one of the few villagers to escape. After the survivors arrived at Rook Castle, her mother found placements for each of the people. Renata was assigned to Selene as a maid, despite her lack of experience. But the girl had proven a fast learner and hard worker who spoke little, traits of which her mother approved.

  The tunnel began to ascend at a steady incline. They were almost to the servants’ private quarters. Selene swallowed, her entire body cold and her throat tight.

  The tunnel changed from an incline to stairs. At the top, her mother pressed an invisible indent in the wall and with a quiet groan, the stone door slid open, revealing the inside of a large fireplace. Her mother stepped over a pile of charred sticks and into the large common room used by the servants. A long wooden table took up most of the area, with doors on either side that led to small private rooms.

  Selene brushed her hands as her mother shut the secret passage behind them. “This way,” her mother whispered and headed toward the farthest room on the right. Selene followed, her heart growing heavy inside her chest. Her fingers were cold, like icicles hanging from a roof. Long, slender, frozen objects. She clenched her fists to get feeling back into her limbs, but they remained cold.

  Her mother quietly opened the narrow door and slipped inside. The room was small, barely the size of a pantry, with a cot on the right and a single wooden chest beneath the window. Renata lay on the cot, curled up beneath a single quilt. Selene shivered. She could almost see her breath in the air. How did Renata stay warm? She would make sure the girl received another quilt—

  A sickening feeling washed over her. An extra blanket wouldn’t matter, not after tonight.

  Her mother shut the door and went right to work. She knelt down beside the servant girl and drew back the quilt. In the pale moonlight, Renata appeared even smaller and more pallid than usual.

  How can I do this? Selene fought the urge to grip her own neck in a choking hold. How can I hurt this girl?

  Her mother looked back up. “Are you ready?”

  Dizziness washed over Selene, causing her vision to darken for a moment. You can’t stop now, a voice whispered inside her head. You’ve come too far. Finish it.

  With one last burst of will, Selene knelt down beside her mother. Her vision cleared, and her fingers stopped trembling.

  Don’t feel. Don’t think. Just do the job.

  Before she could form another thought, Selene placed her fingers across Renata’s thin neck and closed her eyes.

  She sunk into the dreamscape as if she were submerging herself in a pool of warm water. The moment she entered, she shifted her body, settling into the form of a raven. With a caw, Selene flapped her wings and hovered in the air. Renata’s dreamscape was dark, save for a full moon that hung in the night sky. Down below, fog crept through a narrow valley between two mountain peaks.

  Silence filled the air, save for the sound of her wings. Selene scanned the area below her. Somewhere within the swirling grey were Renata’s fears and memories. Selene hovered a moment longer, then dove down into the misty banks.

  The silence pressed in on her as she made her way through the fog. Every few seconds, the mist would lift, revealing a memory or long-lost thought. She caught a glimpse of Renata sitting on the floor beside a fire in a small cabin with an older couple. Then she spotted Renata in a field of wildflowers, weaving daisies into a wreath. The farther she flew, the darker the images became.

  Selene flew by a hill covered in stones arranged in a burial mound. Renata sat, her face held between her hands. Then Renata packing the few things she owned into a small chest and closing the door to the empty cabin.

  The fog grew even thicker, almost
suffocating. Selene landed. She was close to Renata’s greatest fear. She could feel it. The dreamscape mist swirled around her, leaving her cold and blind.

  She looked back but could no longer see the other memories. She twisted and glanced forward. Nothing. She closed her eyes. Her connection with Renata was strong. Already, she could feel the girl’s heart beating faster and a cold sweat breaking out along her skin.

  Selene remembered her connection to Petur, and how light-headed she felt when she saw him again after the dream experience. If her reaction was that strong with Petur, what would happen when she killed Renata?

  Selene thought she was going to retch right there. It was more than just hiding her heart away.

  She had to stop her own heart if she was to become a killer herself.

  Coldness washed over her until she was numb inside. Selene lifted off the ground again and dove into the fog.

  A road stretched out in front of her, hedged in by tall, dark trees. A caravan of wagons slowly made its way along the dirt path. Selene spotted Renata near the back, walking slowly with her head bent down.

  Selene landed on the back of a wagon and watched the procession. Somewhere here was Renata’s greatest fear. But what?

  She watched the people trudge along, their garments much too thin for the mountain roads. Selene narrowed her eyes. Mother said she used contract money to help their people. Shouldn’t they be dressed better?

  A shout went up near the front of the caravan. Selene craned her neck to the side. More shouts erupted. Men dressed in dark clothing came pouring out from the surrounding forest. Some horses spooked and took off to the right, dragging a wagon behind them. Arrows rained down on the travelers. Screams and cries rent the air.

  A man staggered past Selene, an arrow sticking out of his right shoulder. Bloody hands reached up and grabbed the side of the wagon. Startled, Selene flew up into the air. A fire burst from inside another wagon, spooking the rest of the horses. The wagon twisted from their sudden movement and fell to its side in a ball of flame.

  A child lay nearby, his face lit up by the orange light, his hand clutching his chest, his breaths ragged. As a women bent down to help him, she was grabbed from behind. Two men dragged her past the tree line and into the darkness. Seconds later, her scream filled the air.

  Selene blinked. She felt as though she were going to topple over. Too much around her. Screams. Fire. Pain. Darkness.

  A cry caught her ear, vaguely like Renata’s. Selene shook her head, then lifted into the air and flew toward the sound. Renata stood with her back to a tree, her hands up, shielding herself from one of the bandits. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her toward himself. His face was covered in a dark, unkempt beard, and his eyes glittered red in the light from the burning wagon nearby. He smiled at her, then pulled her behind the tree.

  A deep chill penetrated Selene’s numbness, shaking her to her very core. She could see their legs and knew what Renata’s most hateful memory was.

  Selene could hold back no longer. She fell to the ground in her human form and retched. Behind her were the cries of a little girl, and the screams of people being ravaged.

  No! No! She covered her ears. I can’t—I can’t do thi—

  A torrential power welled up inside her, erupting from her chest and lifting her to her feet. Selene flung her arms out and yelled at the sky. “Noooo!”

  The power burst from her and tore across the dreamscape like a fierce gale, devouring everything in its wake. Trees, wagons, horses, and people disappeared, leaving nothing but grey mist around her and an orb the size of a wagon wheel pulsating within the darkness.

  Selene shook as she held a hand to her face. “I can’t do it,” she panted. “I can’t—” She sobbed and held her hand over her mouth. Nearby, the black orb pulsed again. Within the swirling darkness were thin pewter chains rotating within the orb.

  “Renata,” Selene whispered, her eyes growing wide at the sight of the orb. She could feel Renata’s essence within the sphere. This orb . . . It was Renata’s soul.

  She reached a hand out toward the soulsphere, but never touched it. Such darkness. Such . . . pain. She could feel it radiating out from the orb.

  She drew her hand back. How could she take the life of a girl so bound in darkness that visible chains encircled her soul?

  That same fiery rage from moments earlier returned, so strong it threatened to burst again from her body. But Selene held it back. Instead, she let it burn inside of her and wash away the shock and horror from earlier. There was no reason—absolutely no reason—to kill Renata.

  Selene held up her hand, then clenched it into a fist. She knew her power now, and it was as strong as Mother had imagined. Even stronger. She did not have to kill an innocent girl to prove it.

  A resounding crack sounded in the distance. Selene glanced up. The cracking continued, like the sound of a frozen lake breaking out of winter’s embrace. Then a splinter appeared in the mist above her. Something was happening to the dreamscape. Almost as if . . .

  Selene melted into her raven form and flew toward the sky where the barrier between the dream world and reality lay. The splinter spread into multiple fissures and the cracking sound grew closer. Just as she reached the top, the sky split and shattered like glass, falling into the mist below. Selene passed through the barrier. Behind her, Renata’s dream world fell away like shattered bits of mirror, leaving behind a void of darkness.

  With a gasp, Selene sank back into her body.

  “What happened?” her mother whispered furiously.

  Selene blinked, bringing her mind and body back into reality.

  “The servant girl, she’s not dead! Why are you back? Selene, I command you to go—”

  “No.” Selene twisted her head and glared at her mother.

  Her mother grew very quiet, but her eyes burned. “What do you mean, no?”

  Selene lifted up from the floor, her knees cold and numb. Renata looked pale in the moonlight, and there was a trickle of blood beneath her left nostril.

  “What are you doing? You need to finish the job!”

  “I said no,” she said between clenched teeth.

  Her mother slowly rose to her feet. “You would defy me?” she said in a low, cold voice.

  “There is no reason to kill an innocent and hardworking servant girl.”

  “If you cannot kill a simple girl, then how will you ever kill a nobleman?”

  Selene looked down at Renata. Something was . . . off. The blood looked almost black in the moonlight. Blood. Wait, there should be no blood. Her eyes widened. That shattering inside the dreamscape . . . had it done something to Renata?

  Her mother glanced down as well. A moment later, she spoke. “I see. Perhaps you accomplished your mission after all.”

  “What do you mean?” Panic clutched at Selene.

  “The girl. You did something to her.”

  The satisfaction in her mother’s voice sent a chill through her body. “What do you mean?” she asked again.

  Her mother studied Renata in detached curiosity. “What happened in the dreamscape?”

  “I don’t know. It’s like the dream shattered.”

  Her mother’s head shot up. “Shattered?”

  “Yes.” Selene held a trembling hand to her head, remembering. “There was a cracking sound, then a tear appeared in the sky. As I passed the dream barrier, the dreamscape shattered behind me, like glass.”

  Her mother slowly shook her head, her face deep in thought. “I’ve only heard of this happening once, by the first Ravenwood.”

  “By Rabanna?”

  “No, the very first Ravenwood, when the gift of dreamwalking was given to our family. I thought it was simply a tale. It would take a great deal of power to shatter a dreamscape. But . . .” She looked up and there was a fire in her eyes. “Perhaps there was some truth in the tale.” She looked down again at the servant girl. “I’m guessing that by shattering the girl’s dream world, you shattered her mind as w
ell.”

  “Shattered . . . her mind?” It couldn’t be. Selene shook her head. She couldn’t have done that. Not when all she had wanted to do was leave Renata’s worst memory alone.

  “I’ll discreetly have a healer check out the girl in the morning.” A smile spread across her mother’s face. “This is even better than I had hoped for.” The moonlight glinted off her dark eyes. “You are indeed powerful, Selene. So powerful.”

  Selene just stared down at Renata. Guilt clawed at her insides, leaving her feeling mauled from the inside out.

  “Now”—her mother wiped her hands as if wiping away blood—“we need to get back to our rooms before the sun rises. If the girl’s mind is indeed shattered, we will need to do away with her.”

  “What?” Selene’s head snapped up.

  “We have no room for a disabled servant in the castle, especially one bedridden and addled in the mind. It might have been better if you had outright killed her, but now we know what you are capable of.”

  Her mother turned and headed for the door. Selene stood there, the fire reigniting inside of her. Her mother paused and looked back. “Are you coming?”

  Selene clenched her hands into tight fists. “No.”

  Her mother frowned. “No? You’re not coming?”

  “No, we will not do away with Renata.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She looked up and stared coldly at her mother. “I will not let you kill her.”

  Her mother sighed. “Be reasonable, Selene. There is no use for her here. In fact, she might prefer it that way.”

  “And I said no,” she snapped. Her mind was already feverishly searching for a way she could help Renata. She had to! She couldn’t leave her servant girl like this. If she possessed this kind of power, the kind that could shatter minds, couldn’t she help them as well? There had to be a reason her ancestors were given this gift!

  Selene glared at her mother. “If you do away with Renata, I will go after you.”

  Her mother’s eyes hardened. “A Ravenwood has never killed another Ravenwood.”