Flight of the Raven

by Morgan L. Busse

  Amara.

  Selene dove for the space between Amara and Damien’s soul. Just when she reached the gap, she swept her wings back and touched down in her human form. She drew in a deep breath and brought her arms out in front of her, her dual swords appearing in her hands. “Amara.”

  Amara stopped a couple of feet away from her, mouth agape. “Selene.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  Her nostrils flared. “What do you think? I’m finishing the job.” Her eyes narrowed. “But how are you here? There is no one in this room but Lord Maris. I made sure of that.”

  “There are a great many things I can do now in the dreamscape.”

  Amara studied Selene’s swords, then swung her own arm out in front of her. A single blade appeared in her hand. “Impressive. Mother never taught me this.”

  Selene thought the same thing. She had no idea she could bring her swords here. But then again, if she could transform into a raven or change a dreamscape, it made sense she could change her own presence, including creating a replica of her swords from the real world. “Probably because there has never been a need for weapons before in the dreamscape.”

  Amara looked up from her blade. “So you are here to fight me.”

  “I will if I must to stop you.”

  “A Ravenwood has never killed another Ravenwood.”

  Mother’s words rang out from Amara’s mouth and hit Selene like an arrow in the gut. Was that what it was going to take to protect Damien? The death of her own sister? Before she could think on it further, Amara lunged.

  Selene brought her swords together and knocked Amara’s blade away. Amara lunged again, forcing her to take a step back. She could feel the warmth of Damien’s soul behind her. She couldn’t let Amara come close to the soulsphere—

  Amara’s blade came down. Selene met it with her left blade, then brought her right one around, but was forced to take another step back.

  No more. She couldn’t lose any more ground.

  Just as Amara began another swing, Selene felt her power draw on the dreamscape. In an instant, she transformed into a raven, dove around Amara, then twisted around back into her human form with her blades in hand and went for her sister’s blind spot.

  Amara spun around and caught Selene’s blade, but barely, knocking Selene’s swords to the side. She swung her sword up into a ready stance and stared. “How did you do that?”

  Selene shook her head, almost as dazed as her sister looked. It was as if she and the dreamscape were one. Whatever she thought, whatever she felt, she could do. “I’ve changed. I’ve discovered there is so much more to our gift than we’ve been taught.” Although this was new even to her.

  “Let’s see if you can do it again.”

  Amara had grown in her sword skills. Every time Selene thought she had the upper hand, Amara proved her wrong. Sand shifted beneath their boots, and their cloaks flew around them as they fought along the dreamscape coast of Damien’s mind.

  Selene changed into her raven form for a second time, coming up on Amara’s left side and going for the opening with her swords.

  Amara twisted a moment later, caught her, and charged.

  Selene switched back to her raven form, flew past the sword, then transformed into her human form between Amara and Damien’s soulsphere.

  Both women were panting now as they stared at each other. Then Amara’s eye shifted beyond Selene to the glowing orb behind her. Selene could see the light reflected in Amara’s eyes.

  “Is that what made you defect?” Amara motioned toward Damien’s soul with her sword.

  An aching hunger emerged inside Selene. She wanted to look back at the revolving orb, but she held herself in place. “It’s one reason out of many.”

  “It’s . . . beautiful. I’ve never seen a soul like it.”

  “I know. And it’s not only him. I’ve seen so much beauty, so much light since I left.”

  Amara shook her head as if clearing her thoughts and raised her sword. “It’s a pity I must end him. Something you were unable to do.”

  Selene raised her swords again. “And I will not let you.”

  “I’m curious, what happens to a soul if it is pierced within the dreamscape?”

  Selene paused. Mother never said. The only thing Mother had said about soulspheres was to never touch them. That it would awaken the sleeper. Would severing the soulsphere kill the sleeper?

  Amara charged.

  No time to ponder. She needed to get Amara away from here, away from Damien’s soulsphere. Damien said she could pull people into her own dreamscape. Could she do that with Amara?

  It was worth trying.

  Selene concentrated on Amara. She focused until all she saw was Amara running and nothing else. The beach faded away.

  Amara halted, her eyes wide. “What in the—”

  Her sister’s words were lost in the sudden rush of wind. It took all of Selene’s strength and concentration to stay focused on both her sister and their surroundings. Whatever method she had used to bring people into her dreamscape before, it was nothing like pulling her sister from one dream to another.

  Moments later, they both fell across a stone floor. The area was dimly lit and surrounded by stone. Above them clouds covered the sky. Selene blinked as she brought her mind to bear, then stood to her feet, her swords still clenched within her hands. She had no idea why, but her subconscious had brought both of them to the highest tower of Rook Castle.

  Amara stumbled to her feet as well, and the dazed look from earlier vanished, replaced by a hard look with which Selene was all too familiar. “What did you do to me? Change the dreamscape?”

  “No. I took you away from Damien’s mind. You are in my dreamscape now.”

  “Th-that’s not possible. No dreamer can do that.” But from the way Amara’s voice quavered, Selene could tell her sister was starting to realize the truth.

  “It is. Use your power to feel this dream. You will find you are no longer in Damien’s mind.”

  Selene watched her sister’s eyes grow distant, then come back into focus. Amara’s lips grew tight, and she let her breath out through her nostrils. “So you really are as powerful as Mother always said you were.”

  Whether it was because they were facing each other in the dreamscape or something more, Selene could almost feel the burn of Amara’s hurt and jealousy in her words, but also a tinge of fear.

  “This power hasn’t come without consequence.” Selene lifted up one of her swords and stared at her knuckles. “I never wanted it. It has cost a great deal.” She said those words as she thought of Damien and how he gave up his choice of marriage to save her, how her gift was affecting his people, how much she missed Ophie and Father, and her recent—and last—encounter with the Dark Lady.

  Amara snorted, her confidence returning. “Who cares about the cost if you possess power like that? I would give anything to acquire the power you have. The power to control not just a dream, but every dream. Imagine what you could do and who you could influence—wait.” She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Selene could almost see thoughts flitting across her sister’s mind. “It can’t be.” She shook her head, her eyes bulging. “But it is. This whole time.” Then she threw her head back and laughed.

  Selene held her swords out in front of her. Had her sister gone mad?

  Amara looked at Selene with a gleeful glare. “Mother believed the prophecy of the Dark Lady—the threat to our house—was House Maris. But it would seem she was wrong. Never would Mother have thought it was right there, right in front of her.” She waved her sword. “That threat from the north was never Lord Damien. It wasn’t even House Vivek.” She lifted her blade and pointed it at Selene. “It’s you.”

  Selene took a step back, her swords ready. “What are you saying?”

  “You’re the one the Dark Lady spoke of. The one who would come from the north and be the downfall of our house. It was you all along. Not House Vivek. Not House Mar
is. You. Mother’s prized daughter.” Her sister laughed again. “The strongest Ravenwood. The one Mother pinned all her hopes on. The traitorous offspring.”

  Selene stared at her sister, her vision going in and out of focus while her lungs struggled to draw in breath. How could that be?

  Then, like the pages of a book turning under the rush of the wind, dozens of thoughts clicked into place. The moment she married Damien she became part of the north. She was now the keeper of Ravenwood’s secrets. She was head of House Ravenwood and yet belonged to House Maris.

  And in order to protect her husband and the people of all of the nations, she would be forced to fight her own house. Every last member if she had to. And if she won . . .

  House Ravenwood would be no more.

  She was the threat.

  That one thought rang in her ears until her mind was filled with those words. She was the threat from the north. And now even more so since she had turned her back on the Dark Lady.

  But . . . did it matter?

  Did it matter if House Ravenwood fell?

  Selene looked around at the familiar castle where her dreamscape had brought her. Under the cloudy sky, the purple banners of Ravenwood fluttered in an unseen wind. Down below, she could see the courtyard, gardens, and open alcoves of her home. Could she really destroy her own house and watch another rise in its place? Would a lesser house move into Rook Castle and claim the mountain nation?

  And yet what had House Ravenwood done for their people? She was convinced now that yes, her predecessors had helped their people, but very little. Most of what they earned went back to the women of Ravenwood. And now Ravenwood was set on destroying every other house and people in a wave of hatred.

  No, it didn’t matter if her house fell.

  Selene looked up. “Amara, join me. House Ravenwood is not worth saving.”

  Amara lowered her sword and laughed. “What failures we are for daughters. Mother would be so displeased.” Then her face grew sober. “I can’t.”

  “Why not? I’m sure you know by now that our mother has aligned our house with the Dominia Empire. Why support the empire? Once you were loyal to Mother, but I can tell something has changed. Why give your allegiance to House Ravenwood?”

  “Yes, something has changed. If I leave—if I never become the grand lady of Ravenwood—then Opheliana will be in danger. I need to fulfill this mission. I need to do all that Mother commands of me so that I become the heir of our house.” She lifted her face, and there was fire in her eyes. “I will do everything I can to keep Opheliana safe.”

  Selene’s heart sped up. “Ophie is in danger?”

  A cold rage settled across Amara’s features. “You left in such a hurry that you never discovered Opheliana’s secret.”

  Her hands began to shake. “What secret?”

  “She is not of House Ravenwood.”

  Selene’s mind tried to keep up with Amara’s words. “What do you mean? I know she is mute, but that doesn’t mean—”

  “I saw the mark on her ankle. She is of House Friere.”

  All the air left her lungs in one swift whoosh. “House Friere?” she whispered.

  Amara’s lips curled. “Yes. She is the illegitimate daughter of our mother and Lord Ivulf. I’m surprised Mother even let her live. If her true heritage was ever found out, she would be put out from Rook Castle. And I doubt Lord Ivulf would welcome our mute sister into his house with open arms. And even if he did, would you want House Friere raising Opheliana? Lord Ivulf is not known for his understanding or compassion. That’s why I need to stay.” She lifted her blade. “Why I need to become the head of our house. To protect our sister. A responsibility you discarded when you left.”

  Selene flushed. “That’s not true! I left to help our family, to find out the real reason we were given the gift of dreamwalking!”

  “You left because you were weak! You might have had the more powerful gift, but your spirit was weak. You couldn’t handle all that came with dreamwalking!”

  Selene slashed her blades in front of her. “We were never meant to use our gift in such a perverted way! We were given the gift of dreamwalking to inspire not only our people, but all people. To give them hope, to give them peace. To show them the light.”

  “And how’s that going to help our sister?” Amara yelled and dashed forward to strike.

  Selene jumped back as she brought her blades before her, catching Amara’s sword between them, then thrusting the weapon aside. In this confined area, it would be hard to dodge Amara’s attacks. And she wasn’t sure what would happen if Amara actually managed to slash her. Or if she caught her sister with one of her own blades.

  Amara controlled the middle of the tower, moving in with her sword every chance she got while Selene danced along the perimeter near the wall. She glanced briefly at the surrounding ramparts. Should she fly away? If her sister’s mark was any indication, Amara was not as powerful as she or even Mother, but she still had tremendous power over the dreamscape. Already she had learned how to bring her sword here.

  “I only came here to kill Lord Maris,” Amara said, panting as she paused for a moment. “Give him to me, and I will let you go. I will even let you come back to Rook Castle once I am the grand lady.”

  “I can’t. I am bonded to him, and he to me.” Selene brought her swords in front of her. “Amara, you will never be head of House Ravenwood.”

  Amara’s neck corded beneath her short hair. “Why not?” she yelled across the tower.

  “Because I am already the keeper of our house’s secrets.”

  “What?” Amara took a step back. Her face drained of color, leaving her looking like a corpse.

  “I have surpassed our mother. Our ancient house gift has recognized me as head of Ravenwood.”

  “You?” Her arms dropped. “Your gift is that powerful that it overtook Mother’s? I-I don’t even have a chance?” Her blade disappeared. She shook her head, dazed. “How can that be? I’ve worked as hard as you have. I, too, have sacrificed. I’ve done everything Mother has asked of me.” She fell to her knees. “Everything I’ve done, has it been for nothing?”

  “Amara,” Selene whispered, her heart twisting at the devastation across her sister’s face. “You don’t have to follow Mother anymore. Join me.” With a snap of her wrists, her blades disappeared, and she crossed the tower. “We were not created to be dreamkillers. That’s not why we were given the gift of dreamwalking. Together, we can change the legacy of Ravenwood, save Ophie, and—”

  Amara let out a startled cry and gripped her front.

  “Amara?” Selene closed the distance between them and fell to her knees beside her sister. “Amara!”

  Amara’s eyes went out of focus, then back. She gave Selene a cynical smile accompanied by a guttural laugh. “I wasn’t watching my surroundings. Just another one of my failings.” Then she pulled her hand away from her chest, exposing a gushing wound above her heart.

  42

  No . . .” Selene whispered, her eyes pinned to the wound. “This can’t be.” But the evidence was there before her. Someone had found Amara’s physical body and stabbed her. And now she was manifesting in the dream world what her real body was going through. “Please, no. Amara.”

  Amara crumpled to the ground and stared up at the sky. “I guess you won, Selene.”

  Selene knelt down and placed her sister’s head on her knees. Since she was not in the same room as Amara, she couldn’t see who had delivered the blow. But if Amara was indeed next to Damien’s bed, most likely it was Taegis.

  No, I can’t think about that now. She stared at the spreading stain around the hole in Amara’s tunic. There’s no time.

  Using her power of will, Selene blocked out the panic and grief threatening to overwhelm her. Instead, she brushed the short curls around Amara’s face, wondering for a moment when her sister had cut her hair. Was that one of the sacrifices she had mentioned? “I never wanted this.” Selene caressed her sister’s head. “I n
ever wanted to fight you. I’d hoped that one day we would serve our people together, with our gift.”

  “I don’t think it would have worked.” Amara coughed and blood spluttered out of her mouth.

  Selene bit back a sob. “I think it would have, if we used our gift to inspire our people. Let me show you what I’ve discovered so far.” She placed her hand on her sister’s forehead, then closed her eyes.

  Images flashed from her mind to Amara’s: visions of the first time she saw Damien’s soul, and the overwhelming desire to carry such a light. The times she visited Damien’s dreams and soothed his mind. The day of the Festival of Light when he showed her how he used his power to worship the Light.

  Then she shared her own dreams and desires: to use their gift to help people, all people. To bring peace through their link to the dreamscape. To inspire the weary and the broken.

  As the images sped between the sisters, Selene realized something. Every image, every memory pointed back toward the Light. Her desires, her dreams, her gift. Like Damien’s worship, she began with her gift, and it ended with the Light.

  Even now, she was using her gift to point her sister to the Light, without even meaning to.

  Amara coughed again, and Selene opened her eyes, disconnecting their thoughts.

  “I don’t know . . . what to say,” Amara said, her gaze growing duller by the moment. “It reminds me of some of the things Breven said.”

  Breven?

  Before she could ask, Amara struggled beneath Selene’s hand. “Don’t—Don’t let Opheliana die. Or be taken by House Friere. She’s all I’ve ever cared about.”

  Selene cupped her sister’s face while she screamed inside. She was losing her sister, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it other than comfort her. “I won’t. Be assured I will rescue Ophie. I will show her what I’ve shown you: the real reason we were given these gifts. I will make sure she grows up surrounded by love and light.”

  Amara’s eyes went dim again as she focused on Selene. “Thank you. I-I think I cared about you too, a little. I was just too jealous to see how much we needed each other.”