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“I think we found her, Kah.”
15
Raven
At midday, the doors to Bloodbain’s chambers opened without warning. I flinched, instinctively reaching for the candlestick on the table. When Sable and Krish filed in, I let out a sigh of relief. “Sable!” I said, eager to talk to her again.
“Hi, Raven,” she said, her sad smile not reaching her eyes. I feared the matron still had her brother locked up. I wished I could do something to help her—to help all the prisoners in this horrible place.
Sable set down the tray of food she was carrying and picked up the empty one from this morning. I started to ask about her brother before noticing the tense look on Krish’s face. They clearly weren’t here for a friendly chat or to devise an escape plan with me.
Krish set down a large birchwood box on the edge of the bed.
“Do you all want some of the food or tea?” It sounded lame even as I said it, but I knew how few food rations we received as workers.
“We have to go,” Krish said, hurrying back toward the door.
Sable’s eyes flicked to the tray and then back at me. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something before Krish cut her off.
“Come on, Sable. Hurry up!”
When the doors shut behind them, another wave of sadness washed over me. After months working and sleeping elbow-to-elbow with other people, I wasn’t used to being alone. I thought I’d feel relief, but instead, anxiety clawed inside my gut, making me feel more raw and vulnerable than ever.
For a while, I stared at the box Krish had brought, unsure if I wanted to know what was concealed inside. What would the commander have delivered to his private chambers? Weapons? Clothes? The head of an enemy? A new malarite collar for me?
Curiosity drew me closer to the box. Holding my breath, I opened the lid.
My heartbeat quickened when I saw a note inside with my name on it. I unfolded the note, reading the message:
For dinner tonight.
—Bain
I reached inside and pulled out a shimmering dark emerald dress. I held it up and watched as the flowing rivers of velvet fabric spilled to the floor. It was breathtaking.
And dangerous.
My stomach churned nervously as I laid the gown on the bed and sat down beside it. It was one thing to stop Thrailkull from killing me but another to give me such an extravagant gift. What did this mean?
A part of me wanted to crawl in a hole and never find out the answer to that question. Then I thought back to what Sorasaid to me in the mine.You don’t belong here, Raven. You’re a Zavien. You’re a fighter.
Sora knew me—therealme—and she didn’t seem to think I was someone who cowered in a corner. What would the real Raven do? How would she escape?
There’s a way out. Sable’s words echoed in my head.
Was she right? If so, I needed to come up with a plan to find the tunnel. And quickly. Though the commander’s intentions had seemed honorable last night, I didn’t know how long it would be before the charade grew tiring and his makeshift bed on the floor grew empty and cold. I needed to be far away from Malengard by then.
The map Sora had given me suddenly caught my eye. This was the first opportunity I’d had to really look at it. I held up my palm to study it.
The map looked like a circular labyrinth had been tattooed into my skin with dark indigo ink. There were various shapes and symbols in the design like a star chart, though I saw no clear starting point or ending point in the maze. In the center was a symbol of a bird with outstretched wings. A raven? An eagle? I couldn’t tell.
Something hummed deep inside me like a lute striking a resonating chord. The bird symbol looked—familiar. I narrowed my eyes to study it, waiting for it to trigger a memory.
Nothing happened.
Sora’s words swam in my head.He was severely injured.We have to find him and the stone before it’s too late.
I couldn’t save Hen, but maybe there was a chance I could still save Sora and my brother if I could decode this. Maybe there was even a chance I could find my way home.
