Page 187 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Caiden and I nodded curtly and went to wait for the hunter.

The scent of honey and lavender carried on the cool spring air. All around us flowers were beginning to bloom. Birds sang their springtime songs and the anticipation that comes with new beginnings hung in the air. In just a few weeks Ostara would be upon us. I looked at Caiden who was testing his lightning—little sparks flew from his fingertips.

Long ago we’d danced the night away at the Ostara balls. On our last night together he’d worn a white tailcoat embroidered with golden flowers. The same flowers were embroidered on my dress. I was supposed to spend the night dancing with many suitors, but once Caiden and I locked hands, I knew I never wanted to dance with anyone else ever again. My heart was so full I thought it would burst, but our happiness would not last. I should have treasured those moments more. If only I’d known what I’d had then. If only I’d known how dark my life would become.

I popped into a shop to grab some cigarettes. Through all this stress, I hadn’t thought about using dust once. That must be growth. The shopkeeper handed me the pack wrapped in parchment, and I slid a gold coin across the stand. Before I left, I made sure to light one on the nearest candle. Taking the smoke deep into my lungs, I let it calm my senses.

Tug, tug-tugthe knot in my chest reminded me it wanted to return home. I waited for the sensation to stop before leaving the store.

When I returned, the hunter, a short sylph woman with tan skin and dark hair, was waiting to take us into the forest. She wore a long leather jacket over a beige tunic and trousers, with knee-high boots. Her face looked like that of a teen, but knowing the sylph she was probably much older.

“Alright,” she said in a heavy northern accent. “We’re goin’ inta the Court of Screams. You must keep yer wits about ya. Do you hear me?”

We all nodded.

“The forest has a mind of its own. It’ll play tricks on ya. Follow me and dunnot stray from the path.” She chewed on a piece of willow bark as she spoke. “Now, I’m takin’ ya to the ruins, am I?”

“Yes,” Caiden said.

“Very good. I dunno what ya think yer gonna find there, but I’ll get ya there.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Don’t thank me yet. We still have ta make it out alive.”

Fear coiled in my stomach, but I had made it this far—past the siren and the sea serpent, escaped Erissa, and the clutches of the Blood Riders. If Ammena existed, she must have been looking out for me. “Let’s go.”

The hunter nodded. “See where the tree line becomes black and dead?”

We all turned to the forest. A murder of crows took flight from the ominous trees.

“That’s where we’re going.”

I didn’t dare look back as we crossed the barren field toward the trees. I couldn’t focus on what was behind me, only on what lay ahead of me. The sky seemed to grey as we drew nearer, as if the light was being sucked from the sky.

The hunter didn’t hesitate before entering the forest. Just went right in as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“We have ta be quiet as spirits now,” she whispered, holding her pointer finger up to her mouth.

The Shadow Hunters, who were with us, rolled their eyes. Silence was their domain.

The forest still wore its winter bareness. The black-bark trees grew together in a mess of mangled limbs and vines. The stench of sulfur hung in the air.

“Sulfur wells,” the hunter said. “That’s what makes the smell.”

“Wonderful,” I said under my breath.

We walked for hours through the dead wood. Not one creature stirred, and no birds called to one another. I focused on my feet as we walked. Even the soil was black here. Had the Trinity cursed this place for a reason?

A light rain fell, coating us in a fine mist.

My thoughts drifted to what lay before us. Erissa had my scepter but couldn’t use it and neither could I. If I could get my hands on it, we would be in control. We could destroy anyone who stood in our way. My blood boiled as I thought about it more. Perhaps she knew all along it would not bind to her blood. If Erissa created it, she had to know the limitations.

At midday we stopped by a stream to eat our rations and drink from the cool water.

“Keep a lookout,” the hunter said. “You neva know what lurks here.”

Caiden and I quickly downed the cheese and hard salami that had been packed for us before switching with the Shadow Hunters so they could eat.

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