Or what if…?
Sharp scratches echoed through the door. The hinges rattled again.
I could not pry my eyes off the door as the scratching got louder. “If you were on this mountain, then you must have been at the failed battle with the giants seven years ago.”
“I was—wait, are they picking the lock?”
The door swung open and a raven screamed as it flew inside. It soared past me to attack Daigen.
Daigen cursed in Old Tongue and swatted at the raven, but it would not stop.
I snapped my head to the open door. The cold mountain air flooded in, carrying the scent of tea leaves with it.
Another raven, larger than the first, hung from the door handle. Its beak was clamped on the latch and a stick stuck out of the keyhole near its feet.
My breath caught in my throat and tears lined my eyes.
I knew him.
My throat shook and I could barely believe the name that left my tongue. “Erik?”
The larger raven flew toward me and landed at my feet. His glossy black eyes met mine and he said in almost a sigh, “Se-ra.”
Tears dripped down my lashes and my chest shook. I turned my head just as the smaller raven landed on the table next to me.
I fought back a sob as I said his name, “Endre?”
The smaller raven squawked and spread its wings as if it were about to give a hug.
Memories flooded the front of my mind. Muddy footprints in the foyer. Dozens of freckles on our cheeks after baking in the sun. Flying down a hill on our favorite sled.
My brothers were alive. They werealive.
But that meant…
I crunched my hands into fists and looked down, where Daigen was pulling himself up off the floor with bloody scratches marking his face.
Hetook them away from me.
My white flame ignited. Power surged through my arms like a river bursting through a dam. My empty chest turned into an oven, kindling my rage until it grew hotter and hotter.
And then one word screamed in my mind...
Burn.
My chest flared with light and my hands lit up with heat. My eyes met Daigen’s violet ones and all I wanted was to turn him into char.
Burn.
I released my magic with a scream. The surge of power I had sent toward Daigen bent back and flared through his house.
Fire crackled around me. Heat radiated through the air. My eyes stayed shut as my power thrummed through my body. Years of anger shredded my throat all at once and I could not hold it down.
“You turned my brothers into ravens!” I screamed. My temples ached. My muscles flared. “We thought they were dead! Forseven years,we thought they were dead!”
I could not even sense Daigen through the blinding heat of my power. The bitter truth of my brothers’ reappearance shoved itself to the front of my mind and the fire burned hotter.
The House of Ravenwood was destitute because its only heirs had died, so I had shouldered the impossible burden of the family’s fate. I had schemed to become the Duchess of Lycaster,lied for years, and destroyed myself little by little to survive in the hell they left me in.
