Mark of the Raven

by Morgan L. Busse

  At the halfway point, the water reached her waist, and Damien let go of her hand. Holding out both arms, she slogged through the icy waters. Her teeth began to chatter and every wave made her flinch.

  The waterline receded on the other side of the river. Damien scrambled up the rocky bank first, then turned and held out his hand. Selene grabbed hold and scuttled up behind him. Taegis followed with Cohen and the other two guards panting behind him. They climbed onto a wide, flat rock, dripping wet and teeth chattering.

  Selene wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging as much warmth as she could to herself. Cohen did the same, his maroon robes clinging to his thin body. Damien stood still, his eyes narrowed as he searched the far bank and forest.

  The horn sounded again, much closer.

  Taegis swore under his breath. “What do we do?” he asked, glancing at Damien. “We don’t have time to get Lady Selene far enough away from the riverbank.”

  “I know.” Damien closed his eyes and sucked in a long breath through his nose.

  “We should have left her behind,” Karl said under his breath.

  “Not another word, Karl,” Taegis barked.

  Damien didn’t answer.

  Selene watched their exchange, the familiar tendrils of ice wrapping around her heart. What did Taegis mean about getting her far enough away from the riverbank? Did it have to do with Lord Damien’s power—

  His dream of that stormy day came back to her in vivid clarity: a wall of seawater, the Dominia ships rising in the air, dead men floating on the surface. And his fear that he would kill again with his power.

  If he raised the water here and now, he would not only take out the men following them.

  His power would kill her too.

  Damien opened his eyes and stared at Selene with a severe, serious look on his face. Like he had a hard decision to make.

  The invisible tendrils inside her grew stronger, gripping her from within, squeezing her chest until she couldn’t breathe. It felt like the trees were closing in on her and the rushing of the river was deafening. Karl was right. He should have left her at the cave. Instead, she had foolishly given in to hope.

  Her face blanched, and everything began to spin around her. It had all been just a dream. For a brief moment she had believed she would live. What a fool she had been.

  “I promised your father I would protect you.”

  Selene blinked. “Protect me?”

  Damien ran a hand along the back of his neck. “But there is no time to get you far enough from the river. Once I raise the river boundary, the water will sweep you away along with our pursuers.”

  “I see.” The gift of House Maris was one of protection. Damien could protect his people with water. But she wasn’t a part of his people. She wasn’t a part of any people now. She swallowed. “I understand.” She looked across the river. She had a small amount of time to cross back and hopefully slow down the men chasing them.

  “But if you marry me, the waters will see you as part of me.”

  Her head jerked back. “What? What did you say?” Did she hear him right?

  The tendons stuck out along his neck as he glanced back across the river. “It’s the only way I can save all of us. I need to raise the boundary now, but I can’t with you here.”

  “But we’re both heirs of our houses. It’s not done.” And he would know of House Ravenwood’s secrets.

  He would know she was a dreamer.

  Taegis stepped forward. “Wait, Lord Damien, are you sure about this?”

  He held up his hand toward his guardian, his gaze on her. She could see it in his eyes. He was not asking her out of love. He did not want this. But he was offering himself to her.

  To save her.

  “Cohen, do you know the rites of matrimony?” Damien asked without looking at the priest.

  “Matrimony?” Cohen said.

  “I’m taking Lady Selene as my wife. Unless you object?” he asked, his question directed to her.

  “Lord Maris,” Taegis said again. “Damien!”

  Karl and Sten looked on in shock.

  Selene couldn’t speak. This wasn’t happening. Things were moving fast, so fast she couldn’t seem to catch her own thoughts.

  Damien grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him. “Yes . . . or no.”

  Something rose inside of her. One desperate gasp for hope. It roared inside her chest, bringing life and warmth back to her limbs. She would do anything—anything—to live and take hold of the Light. Even marry a man she did not love. After all, none of the women of Ravenwood ever married for love. She would be no exception. She would even risk the fact that Lord Damien would find out about her gift.

  It was worth it.

  Heart racing and throat dry, she looked into his eyes and nodded.

  38

  Damien’s heart pounded inside his ears. Lady Selene said yes. Or at least she nodded. He would take that as a yes. “Perform the rites, Cohen.”

  Cohen stepped forward, his eyes wide as he stared at Damien. “My lord, are you sure?”

  “Yes, and we haven’t much time.” Already he felt panic bubbling up his throat, and every nerve in his body screamed for him to stop. But deep down, he knew this was the only way. He couldn’t leave Lady Selene behind, and he certainly would not drown her with his own power. He might not love her, but he would not be her executioner. Many other houses married for reasons other than love. Saving her was his reason.

  Cohen took his place in front of the couple. Damien positioned Lady Selene in front of him, then clasped her hands between his own and lifted them between their bodies.

  Taegis stood nearby, worry etched across his face. Sten appeared stoic, and Karl sported a terrible scowl. At least they had the three witnesses required for a marriage, even if some of them were unwilling.

  Damien focused on Lady Selene as Cohen began to chant the rites. Her face was pale and her fingers chilled. When he had imagined his wedding day, this was not what he thought it would be. Nor the woman who he thought would be in front of him. But here he was, and this bond would be for the rest of his life. Well, Caiaphas, you got what you wanted. I’m marrying your daughter.

  The words Cohen spoke were simple. A pledge between himself and Selene to honor and love each other, to serve the Light, and seek no others. Then Cohen switched over to the ancient tongue as warmth began to spread between their palms.

  At the sensation, Selene’s eyes widened. Damien frowned. Didn’t she know what would happen during the bonding? That their souls would soon be connected?

  His heart beat faster, and he closed his eyes. The moment they joined, he would know her, and she would know him.

  I have a duty to my people, and to the people of this land. By marrying Lady Selene, I will know Ravenwood’s secrets, which might help us against the empir—

  Damien barely heard the last words of the rite. His eyes flew open, and he stared at the young woman in front of him. The moment the last word was spoken, a flame flew up between their joined hands. In that instant, he knew her—all of her. The very essence of who she was.

  And he knew her power.

  “You . . .” Damien took a step back, his mind barely comprehending the truth the bonding had just bestowed on him. “You can’t be . . .”

  Selene was deathly pale, her pupils large and dark.

  At Taegis’s shout, Damien shook his head and let go of Lady Selene’s hands. He tried to clear his mind, but all he could feel was the impression of her power.

  She was a—but she couldn’t be! They were all dead!

  Focus, Damien!

  A hundred feet from the river, their pursuers appeared between the trees. At least twenty men in all, dressed in the black and purple colors of House Ravenwood and approaching fast.

  For a split second, Damien thought of yelling out to them, to warn them to stop and turn back. But that would bring them too close, and if some were carrying bows, they would most likely start shooting.

&n
bsp; He had no choice. He needed to raise the barrier now.

  Drawing on the ancient power inside of him, Damien held out his hands toward the river. He curled his fingers and readied his arms to raise the boundary.

  One . . . two . . . three.

  He gave a great shout and brought his hands up. A massive weight pulled down on his arms as the river steadily rose into the air, foot by foot. Every tendon bulged, every muscle was tight as he brought the river up. Blood rushed through his body, and his face grew hot. Sweat began to trickle down the sides of his cheeks and forehead.

  Through the stream of running water, he could see their pursuers caught by the raging tidal wave on the other side. Like an enraged monster, the water tore through the men, whipping them into the air in a frenzy of white waves and foam, and dragged them to the left and down the riverbank. Their screams were barely audible above the roaring water as the river marked them as enemies to House Maris and wiped them out.

  Damien swallowed, his muscles quivering under the weight of the river. Spray from the water washed over his face. It didn’t matter that the rational side of him knew those men had come for either him or Lady Selene—or both. He could only feel regret. His power had once again taken lives.

  Was this what it meant to have a protective gift? That in order for some to live others had to die?

  Why, Light, why?

  The moment the water-wall reached thirty feet, Damien thrust out his hands and twisted his wrists. The boundary was now set, a barrier that extended along the entire Hyr River and could only be brought down by him. He and his people were safe from House Ravenwood, or any other house for that matter for as long as the river barrier remained locked.

  Selene was safe.

  He stumbled and fell to his knees, breathing in deep draughts of air. The pull of both the sea-wall and the river-wall were hitting him hard. Taegis came to stand beside him, sword drawn, ready to protect his lord. Sten and Karl also took a defensive stance. But there was no need. There was no one left on the other side of the riverbank.

  Damien held a fist to his mouth as bile rose up his throat. His eye caught a shadow on his right, and he glanced over to find Lady Selene staring down at him.

  He slowly rose to his feet and let his arm drop. His body felt like it would collapse beneath him, but he kept his back rigid.

  “You . . . the river . . . those men.” Selene glanced at the river-wall, her fingers brushing her parted lips. “I had no idea your gift was that powerful.” She looked back at him, her face a strange array of emotions. “Thank you.” She visibly swallowed. “Thank you for not letting the river take me.”

  Damien nodded, too tired to do much else. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and sat down on a slab of stone.

  Slowly, his heart rate returned to normal, and his body cooled. His mind also returned. He glanced up to find Selene’s back to him, her arms wrapped around her body, staring at the river-wall while Taegis hovered close by her with a concerned look on his face.

  Now he knew why Caiaphas had been so adamant about an arranged marriage between Damien and his daughter, why he believed Lady Selene Ravenwood was the person who could unite the Great Houses. It was the one secret Caiaphas could not reveal about the Ravenwood family.

  Lady Selene was a dreamer.

  “It will take a couple of hours on foot for us to reach the small village of Riveram,” Taegis said to Damien five minutes later. “We will most likely find lodging and provisions there. Do you need to rest or should we push on? If you are still exhausted from raising the barrier—”

  “No. I’m fine.” Damien stood up. His strength would not fully return until he took one of the barriers down, but he could certainly walk for a little longer. He could see the exhaustion on the faces of his men—as well as Lady Selene’s—and knew something more than the cold, hard earth would go a long way toward helping them regain their strength for the long trek home.

  “All right, then.” Taegis turned to Sten, Karl, and Cohen. “Time to go.” He turned toward Selene. “My lady, are you ready?”

  Damien frowned as he spotted Selene standing away from the others. Her cold mask was back in place. “Yes,” she said, lifting her chin, her arms still tight across her middle.

  Taegis seemed taken aback by her cold, abrupt answer. Karl scowled and looked away.

  Damien opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. Beneath the mask, he could see it. She was afraid. The way her chin quivered slightly, the way she refused to look at anyone, the way her fingers dug into her arms. She had just left her home and bonded with a man she hardly knew. Her coldness was understandable.

  His own fear kept him rooted as well. He wanted to speak to her. So many questions filled his mind as he tried to sort through what he had learned the moment they bonded. But this was not the place to speak, not with others around.

  Cohen walked up to her side and gave her a soft smile. “Welcome to the Northern Shores, my lady. If there is anything I can do to make you feel more at ease, or if you have any questions, please let me know.”

  She gave him a firm nod, but Damien noted the glistening in her eyes as she looked back toward the river, back toward her homeland. As her gaze swept forward, her eyes stopped on him, and they stared at each other for a moment. Once again, he felt her heart, her mind, her power. Impressions imprinted on his soul. He didn’t understand how her dream power worked, but he knew it existed inside of her, just as he knew she had been forced to keep it a secret. Just as she knew of the power that existed inside of him.

  Two souls, now one.

  The moment was broken when Taegis came to stand beside him.

  “Sten, Karl, lead the way,” Taegis said as he stopped beside Damien. “Cohen, you and Lady Selene will follow. Lord Damien and I will bring up the rear. Trader’s Road should be a little beyond these trees. We’ll follow it to Riveram.”

  The two guards headed for the forest opposite the riverbank after Sten grabbed the saddlebag. The river-wall roared behind them as it kept its vigil over the land of House Maris. Damien could feel the wall siphoning his power to feed itself. Same with the ocean barrier that still circled the coast. He could live with both—barely—but erecting another water barrier would take its toll on him. Hopefully these two were enough for the time being.

  The sun sparkled through the colorful forest, and every few minutes a bird sang. Damien watched Lady Selene as she walked alongside Cohen. Her braided dark hair dangled down her back, swishing across her cloak with every step.

  A dreamer.

  He shook his head, still unable to believe it. Had a true member of Ravenwood survived the razing? How else could the gift still exist? If so, why did they hide it all of these years?

  What did this mean for the other Great Houses? Could she really unite them?

  What did this mean for him? For Lady Selene?

  No, not lady anymore. Not to him.

  Wife.

  The word brought on a whole new array of feelings, making his stomach clench and his heart beat faster. When he came into the title of grand lord, he knew a little of how to rule a country, but at least he knew something. But marriage? He swallowed. This was something of which he had no knowledge or experience.

  Not in his wildest dreams did he think he would be coming home from the assembly with a wife at his side. The same woman who two nights ago had been sent to assassinate him. The woman who would one day be the mother of his children. Their children. Both House Maris and House Ravenwood.

  Selene turned her head and spoke to Cohen. He smiled back and answered her.

  Something shifted inside of Damien and his breath quickened. Selene was an enigma. She possessed a hidden strength that he’d witnessed when she chose to spare him at the expense of her own life and at the moment of their bonding. He couldn’t help but admire her for it. And she was beautiful in a dark, secretive sort of way. And cold, but the more he watched her, the more he knew that wasn’t her true self.

  The
se thoughts and feelings weren’t enough on which to build a solid marriage. But maybe Caiaphas was right. Perhaps it was possible that Selene could become more than a marriage partner. They might also become allies in the upcoming conflict. The Light knew he would need allies, especially with the treaty unsigned and the chaos that undoubtedly ensued once he failed to show up for the treaty signing and they found House Vivek dead.

  Damien would have to start all over again in building alliances with the other houses. He would need help. He would need a partner. And his new wife might be the one to help him—and all of the Great Houses.

  And perhaps through the process he might even learn to love her.

  39

  Lady Ragna paced the length of her bedchambers, waiting for the messenger from the Vanguard Garrison at the northern base of the Magyr Mountains. Sunshine streamed through the windows, spilling light across the ornate rugs and stone floor. She couldn’t linger here long. The other houses were convening today to discuss the absence of House Maris and the sudden deaths of Lord Rune and Lady Runa Vivek.

  She had an answer for House Vivek’s deaths, but she wanted more information before she fabricated a tale about Lord Maris. Or perhaps she wouldn’t even need to, depending on what she found out.

  She turned and paced the other direction, one hand against her forehead. She rubbed her temple where the tension was strongest. Did she go wrong somewhere? Had she underestimated Selene’s talent? Did Lord Damien abduct her daughter? But how? Captain Stanton had found Selene’s swords underneath Lord Damien’s bed, but no sign of a struggle, nothing to indicate Selene had been attacked.

  Did they find and grab her while she was dreamwalking?

  Lady Ragna turned the other way. She herself had come close once to being caught. But Selene would have fought. And there would have been evidence of such—a rug shoved across the floor, or perhaps blood. But there was nothing, not one piece of evidence to support that idea. Which then begged the question, did Selene defect?