Page 18 of Ravenrose

Fel and Riven are locked in an emergency war council meeting, one I’m not allowed to attend. It’s not fair how decisions are being made about our beloved home, and I’m not even permitted an opinion.

Or how Riven will oversee the evacuation of both the castle and village; I’m not even allowed to help.

Useless. My body vibrates with untethered energy. I’m unsettled, looking out the window at the impossibly large army headed our way, in the gown Alita forced over my head this morning—doing nothing.

Below us, both fae and humans alike scurry about the small village, rushing to enter one of the castle’s evacuation tunnels before they’re magically sealed. There are three: one within the village itself, another in the soldiers’ keep hidden behind a false wall in the armoury, and a third at the very top of the west tower.

Once the evacuation is complete, Riven will magically seal the entrances, and not even the King of Sitara himself could open them back up. The walls of Rosecliff should hold, like they have for centuries, but for some reason, Fel has issued the order to evacuate.

My eyes catch upon a small family, carrying what little they can, along with their two small children, hurrying along the path.

I can help.

I want to help.

But instead, I’m up here. Dressed like a porcelain doll in a fine silk gown, my hair curled and braided, a delicate gold crown of thorns and roses atop my head, expected to wait patiently until I can be escorted to safety with the rest of the Rose Court ladies.

Alita rubs her temples. “Rowena, I do not have time for this today. You will do as you are told, and that is the end of it.” She waves her hand at the maid anxiously waiting by the door. “Liana will escort you to the tunnels.”

Since news of the army has spread, the castle is a mess of tension and worry. Even Alita looks paler than usual, the familiar sharpness of her tone cutting less.

That Alita has not seized the opportunity to lecture and punish such blatant disrespect is further evidence that the situation we find ourselves in is quite grave indeed.

Reluctantly, I drag myself from the window, joining Liana at the door before allowing her to lead me from my room, all while my mind runs away from me.

Why here?

I’m well aware Sitara is on the brink of war, but it never once crossed my mind that the war would start here—at Rosecliff. The castle is of little value; it’s beautiful, sure, but aside from its sprawling rose gardens, it has nothing to offer.

Liana leads us through the east wing corridors, the halls bustling with nobles and their servants as they make to flee. But just as we’re about to cross into the castle’s west wing, Riven comes into my sights.

He’s down the hall, dressed in the shining gold armour of Sitara, conversing seriously with two of the lords’ sons.

They were probably permitted to attend the war council meeting, I think bitterly to myself. Shrugging out of Liana’s grip, I race down the hall, nearly colliding with my brother in my haste.

Ignoring Liana’s panicked hissing at my back, as soon as I reach my brother, words spill out of me in a near-incoherent rush.

“Slow down, Rowan. For the gods’ sake,” Riven curses, drawing me away from his friends and giving them a quick nod of dismissal.

I suck in a breath, attempting to calm down, but I cannot slow my rapid rate of speech. “What are they saying? Is it Miselys coming for all of Sitara? Is it wild fae from Daekhar? More Kovari soldiers?”

And then, quieter—almost a whisper—I ask the question I most want the answer to. The rumor that’s swirled through the castle hall for the last several hours. “Is it true they have a Raven?”

As the words leave my mouth, Riven’s eyes go wide, quickly glancing around us before practically shoving me out onto the nearest terrace.

My brother’s eyes scan the balcony, ensuring we’re alone, before he whirls on me. “How do you know about that?”

I roll my eyes, my hands finding my hips. “Of course I know. Honestly, give me a little credit, would ya?” I give him a look. “What I need to know is whether or not it’s true.”

My eyes search his, looking for the answer in them.

Since they are so determined to shut me out of everything, I’ve made it my life’s mission to know just about everything I shouldn’t. It’s one of the few skills I excel at, too—to the dismay of everyone around me.

The servants’ passages are good for more than just sneaking down to the training grounds or the dungeons.

As word of the army broke, I overheard whispers spreading through the castle like wildfire—a rumor that a Raven marches among the army closing in on Rosecliff. Ever since the dark army appeared beyond our borders last night, it’s all the guards have spoken of. Quietly, of course. In hushed voices and behind closed doors, as though keeping the words secret might somehow make them less real.

I can hardly blame them. The thought of a demon lurking just beyond the castle walls is enough to frighten even the bravest soldier. That same dread coils deep within my stomach as I search Riven’s face, finding the truth written plainly in his eyes.