Page 150 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“Until he is charged, I will not consider turning him over, and the Council Courts are not likely to come looking for him in a Wild Court,” Tharan assured.

“That’s true,” Roderick said. “There’s another possibility.”

“And that is?”

“He went to find the Well on his own.”

“Well then, I guess the Court of Screams is our best bet. If he is not in the Woodlands, we shall have to make the journey,” Tharan said.

Sumac interrupted, “You can’t possibly be thinking about going there. It is suicide. They are a court as much as I am a butterfly. They worship pain. They think it brings them closer to the goddess. No one has entered that court for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Even the elves wouldn’t touch it! I cannot allow you to risk your life. That is exactly what they want. They want you to come. They want you to fall on your sword for Aelia.” She knelt before Tharan, tears in her eyes. “You have been my best friend since we were children. Please do not be this foolish. Let me or Hopper go. Let us take this arrow for you.”

Tharan swallowed the dread bubbling in his stomach. “We will not sneak in.”

Everyone gave him a puzzled look.

Looping his hands behind his back, Tharan paced the floor. “Just because they are uncivilized doesn’t mean we have to be. Hopper?”

“Yes?”

“Ask them for a formal visit. Say we want to strengthen our alliances or something like that.”

Hopper’s mouth fell open.

“There is a possibility they could say no. We’ve been making a name for ourselves around the continent.”

Tharan mulled over his friend’s suggestion.

“Send a raven. If they say no, we’ll think of something else.”

“Yes, sir.” Hopper turned to leave but stopped himself. “There’s one more thing.”

Tharan arched a brow.

“Get rid of the whisper stone. If they know you have it, they will use it against you.”

Tharan nodded and pulled the stone from his ear. “Here, you keep it.”

Hopper took the earring from Tharan before disappearing into the dark hallway.

Tharan turned to the rest of the group.

“I guess you should all prepare for a journey to the Court of Screams.”

35AELIA

My head throbbed,and my mouth tasted like dirt. A pair of cold-pressed iron manacles weighed heavy on my wrists, blocking my magic. I sucked in a breath and tried to push the searing pain of the stab wound out of my mind. My skin crawled. Getting out of these chains was my only hope of escape.

Shame and anger fought like rabid dogs in my chest. I should not have trusted my sister, and it weighed heavy on me. My sister was a traitor. My sister hated me. My family was destroyed.

A bare room met my foggy gaze. Wallpaper hung in tatters from the walls. The smell of burning wood wafted through the air. I tried to orient myself, but I was utterly lost with no window to see the sky. A chill sank into my bones.

Using the wall as a brace, I pushed myself to my feet. My knees cracked and stars blurred my vision, but I managed to stumble to the door. I pressed my ear to it, hoping to hear voices on the other side. Had Baylis been planning this the whole time? Bile burned in my gut, working its way up my throat and out of my mouth. How could I have been so foolish? I’d given her all the information she needed to destroy me and empower Gideon.

My brain burned for the calming smoke of a cigarette—or better, a pinch of dust, but I wasn’t that person anymore. I was stronger than that.

Voices echoed from the room beyond—a man’s, deep and brooding, alongside Baylis’s.

“Did you use the amulet to call Erissa?” Baylis asked.

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