Page 149 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“What of Tonin and Tempestia? They must be devastated.”

“They are distraught in so many ways, but the best way to help them is to find their son.” He looked around the room at the faces, both new and known. “Where is Aelia?”

“She is gone too,” Tharan said, stepping forward. “Disappeared a few nights ago with her sister. We thought the queen of the Undersea might have them, but alas, she did not.”

“We think Baylis was working for Gideon the entire time. Our new working theory is she lured Aelia out and… well… I don’t know,” Amolie said.

Tharan ran his thumb over his bottom lip while he paced the room. “When did Caiden disappear?”

“Five days go.”

“Same with Aelia. So Baylis must have been working with someone… likely Gideon, and Erissa must have been after Caiden. But why not come after me?”

. “They don’t need to kidnap you. They know you will come for Aelia,” Sumac said.

Tharan’s heart skipped a beat. There, it was laid out before them, a twisted web made to ensnare him and the woman he loved. There would be no wedding on Ostara for them. The sky would turn dark, and the rivers would run red with the blood of those who thought they could play with their lives. Power coursed through his veins.

“I think I know where they’re taking them… or at least where they will eventually end up,” Roderick said.

“Go on…” Tharan said.

“You’re not going to like it.”

“Try me.”

“The Court of Screams.”

Tharan grimaced. “How do you know?”

Roderick sighed.

“It’s a long story, but we found books from the original sylph families that led to a map pointing to the Court of Screams. The scholar… the one who they found in the river, helped us.”

Tharan nodded slowly, mulling over the information. The Court of Screams was not a place any sylph wanted to trifle with,but if it meant getting Aelia back, he would go to the underworld and back.

“Erissa was severely burned at the battle of Ryft’s Edge. She is powerful, and we know she’s stopped aging.” He tapped his finger on his lips. “Could she have used a glamour to make herself look like the scholar?”

“I knew Ora for years. Her voice was the same. Glamours don’t change voices. Nothing seemed off about her in the library.”

“Did you see her the night she disappeared?”

“Yes, she was in the suite with us at the races,” Roderick said.

“And did she seem different?”

“I can’t really say. I wasn’t paying attention to her. I take the races very seriously.”

Was Erissa behind this? Or had she hired someone to do her dirty work. He wouldn’t put it past her to hire a look alike and then glamour them to do her bidding. If she had Caiden, then she would know the location of at least one of the Wells. His throat went dry at the thought.

“Hmm.” Tharan rubbed his jaw. “Sumac, Hopper, find out if Caiden returned to the Woodlands.”

They both nodded.

“What are you going to do if he did?” Amolie asked. “Are you going to turn him in?”

“He has not been accused of anything yet. We need to find out his side of the story before we do anything rash.”

Amolie let out a sigh.

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