Flight of the Raven Read online

  “This way, my lady.”

  Selene followed the young woman along the hallway. The long dress that had been provided for her was loose, but at least it was clean. And she liked the simple lines. The undergarments were also loose, and she wondered whom they had belonged to before her.

  They passed several doors before the girl stopped before the second-to-last one. At the end of the hall was a large arched window. Already the sky was growing dark outside, bringing night swiftly along.

  “Here is your room, my lady.” The servant girl opened the door to a bedchamber half the size of Selene’s at Rook Castle. It contained typical bedroom furniture: a four-poster bed with a coverlet of light blue, changing screens with pictures of the sea embroidered along the front, a wooden chest, and a matching wardrobe. A small stone fireplace stood opposite of the bed. One large arched window graced the far wall. A door of grey wood stood near the bed.

  “The seamstress will take your measurements tomorrow for your new clothing. And I will be your new maidservant.”

  Selene nodded as she took in the room. “What is your name?”

  “Essa, my lady.”

  “Thank you, Essa.”

  Essa bobbed her head and stepped out, closing the door softly behind her.

  Selene stepped farther into the room and looked around. Her eyes kept returning to the door by her bed, and she wondered where it led. Was it an additional room? A private washroom?

  She looked at the handle, then pressed down on the metal lever. The heavy wooden door opened without a sound. On the other side was an even larger bedchamber, with more lavish furniture and décor. The bed alone was twice as big as the one in the room behind her, with a thick blue coverlet trimmed in silver and a dozen pillows. A bearskin lay across the stone floor in front of an ornate fireplace—much fancier than her own—along with two stuffed chairs and a small table in between. A painting hung above the fireplace. A man stood behind a pretty woman, his hand resting on her shoulder. An older boy stood to her left and a young boy to her right.

  There was something about the people that triggered familiarity. But before she could think on it more, the three large windows to the right caught her attention.

  Selene approached the windows and looked out.

  Her heart stopped.

  Water spread out below and to the north as far as she could see. The sun was setting to the left, the brilliant colors in the sky reflecting across the water’s surface. White waves crashed against the rocky cliff upon which the castle stood.

  The sea.

  She leaned toward the glass, her breathing fast. So beautiful. Even more beautiful than Damien’s dreamscape. She wanted to reach out and touch it, to soak in the beauty and let it encompass her being.

  She watched the waves below, and the colors in the sky turned from bright to deep and brilliant. The sun sank to the west, and streaks of red and purple filled the sky.

  The first star came out, hanging over the horizon.

  “Lady Selene?”

  Selene gasped and stepped back from the window. Taegis stood in the doorway between the two bedrooms, a candle in hand. “I came to check on you.”

  “Whose room is this?” she asked, turning away from the window. Even as she asked the question, she knew.

  “Lord Damien’s.”

  Of course it was. Her stomach tightened and fluttered at the same time. “And how is he doing?” she asked, keeping her feelings behind her mask.

  “The arrowhead has been removed. There is an infection, but Healer Sildaern feels confident he will recover quickly. In fact, they plan on moving him here tonight. Healer Sildaern believes his lordship will feel more comfortable in his own bed.”

  Selene nodded. Behind Taegis, she noticed that her room had already been lit for the evening. A reminder of how much her life had changed in a fortnight. She was married now, with separate rooms, separate quarters, perhaps even separate lives, like her father and mother.

  “I ordered dinner to be brought to your room. I figured you would want some time alone this evening instead of being surrounded by strangers.”

  “Yes. Thank you, Taegis.” Selene straightened her shoulders. I can do this. Don’t look at the years ahead, focus on the here and now. Just like a mission.

  He gave her a warm smile, the first one she’d seen from him. “If I may, my lady, let me be the first one to welcome you to your new home.”

  His smile and words comforted her. But they weren’t enough to dispel the lump in her throat or the fear in her heart.

  10

  Selene.

  Selene tossed one way then the other across the bed.

  Selene.

  It wasn’t so much a voice, but a feeling. A feeling that pulled on her as strongly as if the person were calling to her.

  Selene.

  She opened her eyes and sat up. A weight sat upon her chest like a stone. She rubbed the area and looked around. In the dim light she could make out the furniture of her new room and the beginnings of a half moon outside the window. The gentle whoosh of the sea waves was barely audible and reminded her of the wind.

  She sighed and dropped her hand. At least she hadn’t experienced a nightmare tonight, nor seen that shadowy creature. The very thought made her shiver, and she looked around, almost expecting to see something standing in the corner.

  Nothing.

  She rubbed her chest again, feeling that same pull. What was this new sensation, this new . . . feeling? Was it another aspect of her dreamwalking gift? Was someone calling out to her?

  Or was she just dreaming?

  Selene lay back down and stared up at the canopy that surrounded her bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually dreamed, minus the constant nightmares. Maybe this was dreaming. The young maid Essa had reminded her of Renata, which brought to mind all the people she had left behind. Perhaps the guilt was weaving its way into her mind.

  She turned onto her side and pulled the coverlet up around her neck. I did what I had to. I made the best choice I could. I have a chance to make things right in the future. I’ll discover exactly why House Ravenwood has been given this gift and free my sisters. Maybe I’ll even find a way to save Renata.

  A sad smile crossed her lips. I hope so.

  She closed her eyes and gripped the coverlet between her hands. As she started drifting off, the feeling was back.

  Selene.

  She sat up again and looked around. There was no denying it. Somehow, someway, someone was calling to her. A soft moan drifted through the door on her left, the one that led into the bedroom with the windows that overlooked the sea.

  She stared at the door, her heart pounding. There was someone in there—

  Damien. Taegis had said Damien would be moved to his own chambers tonight.

  Another soft moan floated through the door.

  An ache filled her throat. He was in pain. Before she knew it, she slipped from her bed and moved toward the door. She stared at the handle, debating whether or not to walk in.

  Was it possible he was the one calling to her?

  “But that’s impossible,” she whispered. The only way a Ravenwood woman could enter another’s dream and make that kind of contact was through touch. And there was a wall separating her from Damien.

  But what about the pull she felt toward Damien earlier that evening inside the healer’s room? Was it the same pull she felt right now?

  She clenched her hands. I don’t know.

  And she couldn’t ask her mother either.

  She was on her own.

  Selene took a deep breath and pressed down on the handle. She stepped inside. The palest of moonlight spilled through the windows. To her left was the great four-poster bed, with a figure on top.

  Silently she slipped across the room, the action as familiar to her as the night. Damien lay on the bed, dressed in a loose tunic with a coverlet pulled up to his chest. As she approached the bed, he turned his head back and forth. “No,” he moaned,
his eyes fluttering beneath his lids. It appeared he was in the thralls of a nightmare.

  Selene came up to his side and reached out her hand. She brushed his hair back and pressed her palm against his forehead. So hot. Just like yesterday. The fever had not broken yet and was probably feeding into his dreams.

  She bit her lip as she studied him. Her fingers moved from his face to the hand that lay on top of the blanket.

  Was it possible she could help him? If she could bring forth nightmares, then she could change his dreams to more pleasant memories, right? It made sense. If nothing else, maybe it would soothe his mind.

  It was worth trying.

  Selene lay down on the coverlet facing Damien, her heart hammering inside her chest. She took a deep breath. I can do this. Then she closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around his wrist.

  Selene.

  It was Damien’s voice inside her head.

  Before she could process that, the dreamscape rushed past her as she was pulled into the fiery memories filling his heat-filled mind. Selene spread out her arms and within seconds had transformed into a raven. She recognized many of the memories playing below her: the sick couple lying in a bed, three large wooden boxes dropped into the sea, and the stormy day when Damien used his power, amongst others.

  A young man with dark hair and deep blue eyes who looked similar to Damien lay in a four-poster bed, his face gaunt, almost skeletal, and glistening with sweat. “Damien,” he rasped. “Father . . . Mother . . .”

  Damien sat near the bed. At his words, Damien reached over and grabbed his hand. “Shhh, Quinn. Healer Sildaern said you need to rest.”

  “I-I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You’re not alone. I’m here. And the Light is with you as well.”

  Sunlight moved across the window as time turned, and still Damien remained beside the bed. As the sun began to set, Quinn opened his eyes again. “I see it,” he whispered, his eyes bright and feverish.

  Damien lifted his head from where he had laid it on the edge of the bed. “What do you see?”

  “The Light.” He let out a long breath, a content smile on his face. “It’s beautiful, Damien, just like Father said it would be. So . . . beau . . . ti . . . ful.” His lips stopped, and the life faded from his face.

  Damien sat up. “No,” he whispered. “Quinn, you can’t leave me.” He shook Quinn’s hand. “Do you hear me? Quinn! Quinn!”

  Damien bowed his head and broke into uncontrollable sobs. Selene had never seen a man cry like that before, but instead of being repulsed, she wanted more than anything to wrap her arms around him. She could feel his deep and piercing grief through the dreamscape. Such love. Such anguish.

  Beyond the dream, she heard Damien moan.

  I need to change this. I need to find good memories. Happy memories.

  Selene spread her wings and flew up along the wind current, high above the nightmares flashing across Damien’s mind, and searched.

  She dove down toward a memory, pressing her power against the dreamscape, changing the scene from that dark bedroom to this new one, full of light and laughter.

  Three children stood below an ancient oak tree. The trunk was wider than a doorway, with thick branches spreading high above, its leaves forming a canopy of green over what appeared to be a city square. The sun shone brightly overhead, surrounded by a blue sky.

  Selene recognized two of the young people. Only one family had that shade of blond hair. As she circled down, she realized the third was a younger version of Damien, on the brink of manhood.

  The girl clasped her hands together as she stared up into the tree. “Quinn, be careful.”

  Damien folded his arms and laughed. “See, Tyrn, I told you Quinn would beat Elric.”

  The other boy—with that pinched look of adolescence—scowled. “I think they’re both foolish and should come down before someone catches them.”

  A burst of laughter came from high above. Selene landed on the closest branch and looked into the tree. Two boys were making their way up, laughing along the way. One with dark hair, the other with the telltale blond.

  “I’m almost there, Elric,” shouted the dark-haired boy.

  “Think again, Quinn!” Elric yelled as he gathered speed and climbed the next few branches in a flash. By now, the two boys were nearing the top, where the branches were thinner and sagging slightly under their weight.

  “All right,” Tyrn hollered from below. “Time to come down before one of you falls.”

  “He’s right, Quinn,” Damien shouted. “I don’t want to be the one to tell Father that you broke your leg.”

  Quinn glanced down. “But I’m almost to the top.”

  Adalyn—Selene was sure that’s who the girl was—clasped her hands even tighter. “Please, Quinn.”

  Selene studied her for a moment. Long flowing blond hair with a slight curl to it, bright blue eyes, and a gown of white that made her appear almost ethereal. The youngest Luceras was just as pretty when she was a child as she was now as a young woman. Once again, Selene felt that slow burn inside her chest, but then crushed it. That feeling had no place here.

  Quinn shook his head with a smile. “Fine, fine, I’m coming down.”

  “Then are you declaring me the winner?” Elric grinned.

  “No, I’m simply doing what the lady asked of me.”

  Adalyn blushed but continued to look up.

  The two boys scrambled down almost as fast as they had climbed the old oak tree. A bell rang in the distance, bringing moans from the two boys. “I was hoping to explore the glen in the gardens before dinner,” Elric said with a pout.

  Tyrn sniffed as he led the small party along the road past the city square. On either side were narrow two-story buildings with shutters of every color. A few of the windows were open and curtains fluttered through the openings. “You’re lucky you were able to leave the castle grounds,” he said. “You’re supposed to be practicing with Paladin Emeran and improving your polearm.”

  “Father said it is good to build relations with House Maris.” Elric winked at Quinn.

  “By climbing trees?”

  “It was all good fun,” Damien chimed in. “But now it’s time to remember who we are.”

  “Yes.” Adalyn bobbed her head and stole a glance at Quinn, who didn’t seem to notice.

  The five young people made their way along the street toward the open gate ahead that led into the castle grounds. Beyond it stood an elegant building of white with the banner of House Luceras fluttering in the wind.

  Selene watched them leave from her perch along the oak tree, her heart twisting. Was this really what Damien’s childhood had been like? Laughter and camaraderie?

  Her own memories filled her mind as the young people passed the castle gates. Memories of training, Amara’s jealousy, Mother’s constant reminders of the importance of House Ravenwood, and the overwhelming weight of her destiny. The only happy times she could remember were in the castle garden with Petur and times spent talking with Father, sipping tea and reading in his study. And even some of those memories were now bitter ever since she had dreamwalked inside Petur’s mind.

  She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, her wings folded against her body. She wasn’t here to stoke the fires of jealousy; she was here to help Damien. And she could already tell this memory had soothed his mind. It was a happy memory. One of Quinn.

  Again, her throat tightened. Damien and his brother had been close, whereas she and Amara were anything but. She shook her head and spread out her wings. Up into the bright blue sky she rose, drifting along the wind current and searching for another memory to soothe Damien’s mind.

  11

  Damien blinked as the faintest light of morning trickled in through the large windows to his right. He felt tired, but the heated headache and nightmares were gone.

  What the—

  There was a lump on the bed beside him, pinning him beneath the covers.

  He turned his head, a f
rown on his face. It was a body. In a . . . nightdress?

  His mind sped up as he fought the urge to throw back the covers and leap from the bed. Who in land’s end would be in his bed?

  The figure shivered, then rolled over on top of the coverlet, her black hair long and tangled around the pillow on which she lay.

  Selene?

  He carefully pulled back the covers, then lifted himself up on his elbow. Even with her head facing the other direction, there was no mistaking that hair, so black that there was a blue sheen to it.

  What was she doing here? In his room? On his bed?

  She shivered again.

  He rubbed his brow, then reached over and lifted his covers and draped them across her body. She didn’t wake up.

  Slowly, so as not to jostle the mattress, Damien sat up and turned toward his side of the bed. A blast of pain shot through his thigh, and he bit back a gasp as he reached over and grabbed one of the bedposts. Now he remembered. He had been shot during the attack, then somehow Taegis had gotten him to Nor Esen and to Healer Sildaern. He looked down and found his leg bandaged up. The pain was more achy than anything else, which meant the arrowhead was gone, and his leg was on the mend. But ouch!

  He was fingering the bandage when he heard Selene stirring behind him. All he had on was a tunic and undergarments. He stood and limped over to the changing screens as fast as he could and reached for a pair of pants. Whatever the reason Selene had come into his room, he doubted she was ready to see him in this state of undress. His lips quirked at the thought, but then he pushed it back down.

  Pulling on the pants sent another gasp through his lips, but he got them on and secured a belt around his waist, then pulled a sleeveless jacket over his tunic. He had a lot to do now that he was back at Northwind Castle—writing letters to the other Great Houses, collecting what information he could about what happened back at Rook Castle, and starting afresh with the alliance.

  He brought a hand to his forehead. Not for the first time he wished his father were still alive. He felt so alone in leading his people and influencing the other Great Houses.