But what? And why?

“And why do I care?” She seethed as she entered the training cavern. She finished lighting the room, then placed the torch in one of the brackets. Her sword sat on the table, next to an array of weapons. Noticeably empty on the table was the place where Selene’s twin blades used to lie.

Amara harrumphed as she grabbed her own sword and went for the dummy. Whatever the reason, Selene was now gone, allowing her to gain Mother’s favor.

I will become the heir to Ravenwood.

Whack.

I will learn to control my dreamwalking and become stronger.

Whack.

And I will take Selene’s place in Mother’s eyes.

Amara attacked the dummy with her single blade, dancing in and out, swinging her blade and slicing into the dummy until an hour later only straw, shreds of cloth, and the wooden skeleton was left.

She wiped her brow and let her sword hang down at her side. She would have to drag another dummy down here, but it was worth the effort. Already she felt much better. She walked over to the table and placed her sword down. She had enough time to quickly bathe in one of the hot springs and visit her little sister, Opheliana, before resting until later this evening and dreamwalking again.

That was another benefit to Selene’s absence: she had Opheliana all to herself.

Amara stepped into the nursery. She breathed in the scent of lilac and smiled, remembering her own childhood. Opheliana must have recently finished bathing.

“Opheliana,” Amara said quietly as she stepped into the room. She shut the door behind her and walked across the crimson rug that lay across the stone floor. A cozy fire burned in the fireplace, and a handful of wooden toys sat on the round table in the corner.

A voice hummed from the other room, out of tune, but comforting just the same. Amara peeked into the bedroom. Maura, the nursemaid, stood by the wardrobe to the right, her back to Amara, as she folded clothes and placed them inside. The two beds on either side were made, thick furs placed on top to ward off the coming winter chill.

The metal bath was still in the room, though no steamy wisps emerged from the opaque surface. The smell of lilac hung heavier in here.

Movement to her left caught her eye. Amara turned and spotted Opheliana standing on a stool next to the narrow window, her face pressed against the glass as she stared out across the rocky mountain expanse.

Another smile spread across Amara’s face, and the tension and frustration from last night ebbed away. “Opheli—”

She snapped her lips shut, and her eyes went wide. Opheliana stood on her tiptoes, her blue dress rising above her bare feet, exposing her ankles. Her sister must not have heard her because her back remained to Amara, allowing her full view of the mark just below the hem of her dress.

It can’t be.