Page 58 of Raven Rebel (Sablewood #1)

Meara

H er mother forced her to go to bed when the moon was high.

Meara could barely stand, but she did not want to quit working.

She was addicted to the progress she had earned with sweat and willpower.

Every hour, she grew in her control, and in the dying hours of the night, she finally shifted back into her raven form successfully.

When she couldn’t repeat the success, she burst into tears.

The next few days were much the same. She wove her shadows and then worked to shift into her raven.

She was successful again, and then again.

Eventually, she honed the magical muscle that triggered her shift until it came at will.

That night, she flopped into her mother’s bed, so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open.

Her sleep was so deep, she did not awaken when her mother rose to tend the shop. Only when Rydan came to fetch her, did her mother knock on the door. Meara lurched up, scrambling for a blade.

“Hush, child. Your friendly prince is here.” her mother said. Scoffing, Meara dragged herself up and pulled on clothes.

Rydan waited downstairs. “How was your day yesterday?” he asked politely.

Meara smirked. “I made good progress.”

“Really?”

“I’ll show you when we reach the training yard,” she promised. They set out, crossing the street and heading for the gates.

Rydan crossed his arms. “I don’t care for the feel of your shadows.

Perhaps you can demonstrate on Eladin for once.

” His demeanor was restrained compared to the days past, and Meara sensed the weight of the upcoming conflict dragging on his soul.

Darkness hollowed under his eyes and his appearance was less tidy.

“Meara!” Eladin exclaimed. His hair was tied back into a bun and tendrils fell over his temple. The shaved side of his head was shadowed, as if he was too busy to maintain it. All of the brothers looked worn.

“She has magic to show us,” Rydan said, and her heart warmed at the pride in his voice. She had yet to demonstrate her ability, but he had confidence in her. “Who wants to be the victim?”

“I don’t need a victim,” she protested, laughing.

“Oh, yes, you do. I volunteer Emeric,” Rydan said.

Emeric scowled and shoved Rydan’s shoulder as he joined them. “I think not.”

She smiled at their brotherly tussling, and in the end Eladin stood in the center of the training ring, clutching his staff to his chest. His smile turned wry. “Alright, Shadow Queen, do your worst. ”

Meara exhaled, reaching for the magic in the air around her.

It came willingly. Darkness billowed around her feet and she allowed it to crawl up her calves.

It was playful. She drew in more and more until it was no longer sheer, but a thick blanket of blackness.

Eladin shivered. She studied him for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt before she unleashed the shadows on him.

Eladin stiffened as the darkness descended on him. He curled under their mass, hunching in on himself. Meara pressed forward, pouring more and more. The prince let out a low moan as he disappeared into the gloom.

Worried, Meara pulled the magic back and allowed it to dissipate.

A sheen of sweat coated her neck, but she felt strong.

Eladin did not fare so well. He curled up on the ground with his arms over his head.

She rushed forward and dropped to her knees.

He moaned again softer and slowly unfurled to blink up at her.

“Brother, you are embarrassing us,” Emeric said, nudging a trembling Eladin with his boot.

“That was horrible,” he croaked. “Like a waking nightmare I could not escape from.”

“Was it painful?” Meara asked.

Shaking his head, Eladin pushed himself up. He stretched out his arms and rolled his shoulders. “Next time it is not my turn! Never again.”

Rydan picked up his forgotten staff from the ground. “So that would disable you from fighting?”

“Absolutely!” Eladin rubbed his arms, chasing away the last of the dread her magic had caused.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Eladin laughed, though it was shaky. “No, don’t be. This is fantastic. If you use that on those bastards trying to kill us, they will piss themselves.”

“You didn’t, right?” Rydan asked, frowning at him and leaning back to check his clothing.

Eladin shoved him. “No, but you would have.”

“That was impressive, but I am not keen on you joining the army ranks. Can you cast it from a distance?” Emeric asked, his expression grave. She could see thoughts turning behind his eyes as he strategized how best to use her.

Sighing, Meara turned to face him. “I am working on it. Among other things.”

“Other things?”

Tensing, Meara called upon the raven, letting the magic rush over her until she stood on the dirt and ruffled her feathers.

The princes stood stiff and silent, staring at her.

She tilted her head to peer at them. When they made no move, she shifted back and ran her fingers through her hair to untangle it.

“Did I forget to tell you that I came here as a raven?”

Emeric’s eyebrows shot up. “I had wondered how you got through the gates.”

“Alright brother, I think we should both experience her shadows so we know what we are dealing with,” Rydan said, clapping his hand along Emeric’s back.

“I’d rather not,” Emeric muttered, but in the end he agreed and she left both princes shaking on the ground.

Over a quick meal, Emeric questioned her on her abilities, and his eyes brightened at her answer. “This will be helpful. But I think it’s best we introduce you to our troops so they are not frightened by your shadows.”

“I will try to keep it away from them,” Meara said.

His shoulders rose and fell. “Battle is unpredictable. I want to be prepared.”

“If you are sure.”

He brought her to the training yard and took her from unit to unit, sternly telling the men what to expect and instructing them to watch out for her.

When the entire army gathered, Emeric addressed them.

“You have all met Lady Meara. We are lucky to have her on our side. But other faeries will have magic that is just as terrifying as hers and even worse. Therefore, as you run your drills, Lady Meara will send her shadows among you. I want you to not only withstand them, but adapt to them. She will direct them at our enemies, but you must be prepared to experience the edges of her magic.”

“Yes, sir!” The forces shouted as one, and the great chorus constricted Meara’s chest.

She couldn’t stop them from marching, but she could protect these men. If she was lucky, she could halt both humans and faeries during the battle, and give the leaders a chance to forge peace.

The soldiers moved into their units and began their exercises.

Meara watched for a moment, but then shifted to her raven form and took off.

She circled, moving higher until she didn’t have to work as hard to stay aloft.

Her thoughts as a raven were calm and simple, but she knew what she needed to do.

The humans fought below her, and she reached for magic while in this body. It felt strange, clumsy, but she managed it. It streamed from her wings like ribbons of smoke. As she continued, it became easier until she let it fall from her talons. The smoke faded away as it left her.

Her frustration felt distant and muffled. She banked left and circled back, opening her wings to glide lower. A gust of wind blew her upwards and she fanned her tail, slowing her light frame until she could dip lower.

Gathering more magic, she concentrated it into a sphere and directed it downwards. This time, it dropped and began to unravel, but much of the darkness landed on a group of humans. The warriors ducked and shouted, but their leaders corrected them and they recovered quickly.

Again and again, she sent shadows down at the training soldiers.

It grew thicker each time, and she gathered it lower and lower until it was no longer dropping but coalescing on the ground to swallow them up.

Her keen raven sight moved between men, deciding who to target next, when a familiar man waved his arms at her.

Cocking her head, she swooped down and landed before him, shifting back gracefully.

“What?” she asked, blinking as her human mind caught up with what she had done.

Brow furrowing, she twisted to look over the crowd.

Some soldiers crouched on the ground coaxing up the men she had hit with her most recent shadows. They were pale and shaking.

“I think you’ve gotten powerful enough you should no longer practice directly on our men,” Rydan said. His smile faded into a frown as he looked over the field. “At least now they know what you are capable of.”

“I need to get stronger,” Meara said. “How long do we have until we march?”

Emeric sheathed his sword with a metallic clunk. “Liosliath forces are on their way. Two days, maybe three.”

“I don’t want you near their forces,” Rydan said, lowering his voice.

Meara propped her hands on her hips. “I have no desire to go near them.”

“I will sort out which units will be where, and she can be placed far from them,” Emeric said, raising his hand to calm his brother.

“Good,” Rydan growled. “If you want to keep practicing, do it somewhere else, please. Preferably over the marshland.”

Meara nodded and shifted into her raven, taking flight and coasting over the city and out toward the wilds. She worked until the light faded and her grasp on her magic was slipping.

Soaring to the keep, she transformed back and rejoined the princes. They eyed her shaking hands.

“Come on, you need a solid meal,” Emeric said roughly. She followed them into the castle, past the great hall she remembered from the betrothal party. They paused at the meeting room to check in with King Eldric, and then went on to a smaller dining space.

“This is where we eat when it’s just our family.”

They settled on cushions around a long low table and servants brought a platter with roast lamb and a kettle of thick soup full of root vegetables. Hungry as she was, it tasted delicious, even if the cooks lacked the mastery of delicate flavors and spices she had grown to enjoy among the faerie.

They spoke of family, friends, and the desire to keep their people safe. Meara tore at a thick barley bread and dunked it into her remaining soup. The servants brought jugs of ale and the princes filled tankards and began to drink. She sipped at hers, finding it bitter compared to the fae wine.

Rydan and Emeric became absorbed in a discussion of borders, and Meara found Eladin watching her. She leaned over. “How are you doing?”

“Fine,” he said, though the tightness in his jaw betrayed him.

“I’m sorry you are separated from Tayen,” she said quietly.

Eladin swallowed, looking away and taking a drink. “I am trying to pretend that is not my situation,” he said, his exhale jagged. “But I do not think he will fight. He knows I cannot avoid the battlefield. He is peaceful in his soul and he will work to restore that peace to his people.”

Heart aching, Meara smiled, reaching over to squeeze his calloused hand. Eladin’s voice grew thick. “I will see him again soon.”

“I’m sure you will.”