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Back Dreams Lie Beneath Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Map
  4. Part 1
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. Part 2
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. Part 3
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. Acknowledgments
  52. About the Author
  53. Books by Rebecca Ross
  54. Back Ad
  55. About the Publisher

She paused, and I was suddenly hanging on to her every word. I felt them resound in my soul, in the dreamless depths of my being. “It is time for us to return to the mountain. It is time for us to end the curse.”

Part 3

Mountain of Dreams

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32

I stood in the foothills of the Seren Mountains, on the edge of Bardyllis province, savoring the cold bite of the wind as the sun set. It had taken our party a full week to travel from the city to the border, but now we were here, full of anxious thoughts and a heavy sense of foreboding.

We would approach the mountain doors the next day. Part of me hoped the doors would refuse us entrance, but Imonie had once told me that they would open if all the wraiths approached together.

I studied the fortress in the clouds, carved into the summit.

I had been traveling with the Vespers’ party, everyone believing me to be Anna Neven. Save for Phelan and my parents and Imonie, all four of whom I hadn’t properly spoken to since the countess’s bloody dinner. I had an act to perform, and I ignored my family. But at night, when I was alone and embraced by darkness, my anger burned so bright it felt like a fever was ravaging me. Lie after lie, my parents and Imonie had fed me, allowing me to grow up beneath deceit.

I didn’t want to even look at them.

But I knew I needed to eventually speak with Imonie and my father, whose twin brother I had mistaken as him. I needed more information about this mysterious uncle who had almost strangled me on the new moon, and I deigned to ask the countess more about Emrys during our journey.

“He’s Ambrose’s identical twin, and the mastermind behind the assassination,” Lady Raven had said to me. “He slayed my brother and the mountain made him pay for it, holding him captive while the remainder of us left. If he wasn’t so coldhearted, or better yet, if he hadn’t tried to kill my own son, I would feel pity for him.”

“Who made him the armor?” I had asked next. To say I was nervous to meet Emrys once we ascended was an understatement. He had only released his hold on my neck when I had called him “Papa,” and I surmised it was because he realized I was his niece. Which meant he knew who I was, and I couldn’t afford to be exposed as Clementine Madigan yet.

“Why, Aaron Wolfe made the armor,” the countess had replied, as if I were daft to not realize it.

We had been traveling in a coach together. Phelan and Lennox were in another, as Phelan was still avoiding me as much as I was avoiding my own family.

“How old were you when the curse happened, Lady Raven?”