‘Do I, though?’
‘What?’
‘You and Father both say you want me to be Raven. You’ve let me live in the Safe Zone, you’ve helped me set up the Channel Islands, but do you really want me to change things?’
My mother stares at me.
‘Humans are your food, after all. Is change something you really want? Or do you just want it because of me, and how I am?’
‘What? Emelia, I…’
‘You were at the Rising, weren’t you? Both of you.’
She nods.
‘That was almost a century ago. The few humans who do remember it, fear it. And everyone else knows nothing different. So why are you all right with me changing that? Is it because you don’t think I can do it?’ Tears burn my throat as the realisation crashes over me. I’m such a fool.
My mother crouches next to my chair, her face close to mine. Up close, her beauty is breathtaking, sculpted perfection. And most definitely not human. ‘I confess, it’s not easy,’ she says, her voice gentle. ‘Your father and I … we’ve both lived a long time. Yes, we’ve seen change, yet much in our lives stayed the same. Until you came along.’
I can’t speak.
‘You changed me. And you changed your father. I don’t even know how, exactly, yet; all I know is that when I saw you, I knew you had to live. I cannot explain it any other way. Perhaps it was for this,’ she says, stroking my hair. ‘Our world isn’t perfect; I’m not blind to it. The Rising was … it was more than it was ever meant to be. I have known humans, and loved them, over my long life. And if you, my most precious daughter, can work out how to make things better for them, then I’ll support you in that.’
‘For twenty years?’ My mouth twists.
My mother laughs, a soft sound. ‘Maybe ten.’
‘Mother!’
‘You will need me, Emelia, in your first years as the Raven. Human or not, you cannot wield power like that alone, not straightaway. It has always been thus.’ She tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear, her touch gentle. ‘But this isn’t the only thing troubling you. I know something else is going on.’
I fight back tears, so close to telling her about Michael, about Laurel and my aching sense of guilt and loss. But telling her about Michael will lead to more questions, and I don’t want to talk about him, not until I work out my tangled feelings. ‘I’m worried about the Challenge. About Father. We need our plan to work. I can’t change anything if I don’t have the support of the families.’
‘Is that all?’ A faint smile, though worry still lurks in her dark eyes. She hands me a folded piece of paper, creamy parchment with a rough edge. ‘You’ll be pleased to know I heard from Jennie, then.’
I look at the letter. The gold wax seal, already broken, is embossed with the entwined letters J and C, topped with a tiny raven. ‘She’s happy to do it?’
My mother nods. ‘She is.’
This is the other thing I’ve been working on, with my parents. A challenge to Mistral’s Challenge, because screw them.
I’m aware that my position, despite being the undisputed only child of Raven, is precarious because ofwhatI am. It’s increasingly clear that, despite it being an unbroken Raven tradition to anoint every heir at eighteen, I’m seen as a novelty. My reign is to be measured in decades, rather than centuries, my comparative weakness meaning I need to be guarded almost constantly. There’s a real danger I could become isolated, a puppet ruler in the shadows, while others jostle for power around me. Indeed, if my mother wasn’t still around, I’m sure that’s exactly what would be happening. This Challenge, before I’m even crowned, is proof that I’m not considered worthy. After what happened to their father, I suppose I can understand why Mistral feel that way. But four other families agree with them. And that’s what I’m going to try and change.
I asked my mother to contact Jennie de Corbeau because she’s her favourite cousin. She’s also incredibly well connected and, crucially, on our side. We don’t have a lot of time; while Raven territory spans half the planet, we need to move quickly, before my anointing at the next Gathering in a few weeks’ time. The De Corbeaux hold lands across the eastern half of France, from the south up into Belgium, while Mistral’s realms lie to the west so, apart from being easy to get to, it also sends a strategic message for us to meet there. Jennie and her family live in the Palace of Versailles, and the fact it was once home to humans isn’t lost on me either. Symbols hold power in my parents’ world, so everything I choose to do needs to be symbolic of what I want to achieve.
We’ve asked Jennie to gather the other families for a ball in my honour. I know they’ll come, even if they’re siding with Mistral. They won’t miss the chance to see me in the flesh, to gauge my weakness for themselves. And then it will be up to me to convince them I’m capable of doing the job.
The only snag is that my mother is also insisting we tour the UK, including a stop at the Channel Islands project, before heading to France. ‘Can we not go straight there? I’ve been thinking about it, and?—’
My mother shakes her head. ‘You need to be seen as the heirbeforewe get to Jennie’s home. You’ve barely been in public.’
‘Whose fault is that?’ I mutter.
My mother’s lips press together. ‘We all agree that choices were made in the past that no longer work for us. But I will not drop you into a political snake pit unprepared. We need to move strategically. Plus, it gives Darkwing and Karanlik time to get here, if they accept Jennie’s invitation.’
My frustration boils over. ‘I want to get this done!’
‘Do you think I do not?’ My mother’s onyx gaze flares for a moment. ‘I have not held this throne for two centuries by rushing into things unprepared! I won’t let you do that, either. We leave tomorrow night. I hope that’s soon enough for you.’
