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Back Flight of the Raven Save as PDF
Contents ( 56)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Morgan L. Busse
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. Contents
  8. The Dominia Empire (Map)
  9. Character List
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. About the Author
  55. Back Ads
  56. Back Cover

Selene.

She clenched her hands at her sides as she thought of her older sister. She’d always held an admiration for Selene that bordered on jealousy. She couldn’t disregard how powerful Selene was and how much Selene could hold her emotions in check—two things Amara sorely lacked, and her mother never missed an opportunity to remind her.

And then Selene left, leaving her to care for Opheliana and bear their sister’s secret heritage, and fulfill the duties of a Ravenwood dreamkiller.

I hate you, Selene.

Her mother came to stand near the fireplace. “I have information. It appears that Lord Damien and your sister will be leaving the Northern Shores. There will be another meeting between the Great Houses in Lux Casta.”

“Lux Casta?”

“Yes, which means Lord Damien will be leaving the protection of his water barriers. You will be parting shortly for Lux Casta to finish your sister’s mission, disguised as a pilgrim making her way to the Temple of Splendor. While you are in Lux Casta, I will travel to Ironmond to meet up with House Friere.”

Amara narrowed her eyes. “If the Great Houses that oppose the empire will be meeting in Lux Casta, why am I only assassinating Lord Maris? Wouldn’t it be better if two of us went and we eliminated all of the heads of the Great Houses at once?”

“Think, Amara.” Her mother’s voice dropped a couple of degrees. “We already spoke of this. The houses will be expecting something. Security will be tight. Yes, I could disguise myself, but there is too great of a risk I would be recognized. It is better to succeed in taking out one house than to try to eliminate all of them and fail. Besides”—she waved her hand—“there is strategic reason to take out House Maris apart from the warning the Dark Lady has given us. Without Lord Damien’s power to raise the water, the wall that divides our lands from the Dominia Empire cannot be repaired and the rivers cannot be raised between our lands. Out of all the Great Houses, it is his power that could slow down or even stop the empire’s advancement.”

Amara crossed her arms. She was spoiling for a fight and couldn’t stop the words from tumbling from her lips. “And why exactly are we helping the Dominia Empire? What has the empire done for us?”

Her mother’s face darkened as she moved slowly and deliberately toward Amara. Anyone else would have backed away from Lady Ragna, but Amara was feeling particularly reckless today, and the hatred inside of her steeled her nerves. She stared boldly at her mother.

“The empire will help us rebuild our house’s name and power. As a lady of Ravenwood and future heir, you should understand the importance of these matters.” She lifted one eyebrow, and her eyes seemed to glint. “I would think you would be intelligent enough to understand. Your sister Selene did.”

Amara drew her lips back and bared her teeth. Warning bells went off in her head, but she said it anyway. “Yes, I can tell Selene understood. She understood it so well that she up and ran off with an enemy of House Ravenwood—”