Page 45 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

The servants bowed their heads in respect. Some wiped tears from their eyes. In the short time Tharan had been the Alder King, his people had come to love him. A far cry from the iron fist Gideon ruled with.

Hopper and Sumac stood in front of Tharan’s carriage while Baylis waited for me in front of ours. I didn’t want to let go of Tharan’s hand. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

“You must be strong, my love. We will see each other again. And we have these.” He tapped his ear.

I mustered the best smile I could. “This isn’t goodbye.”

“No. We’ll see each other soon.” His hands cupped my face, and he leaned in for one last kiss.

The crowd cheered, and my cheeks reddened. Taking one last look at Tharan, I held a fist to my heart.

“I love you,” he whispered in my ear before escorting me into the black, lacquered carriage.

My heart twisted in my chest. In the heat of passion, I told Tharan I loved him, but now in the clear light of day, my hesitations returned in full.

Baylis took a seat across from me, and I fought the tears welling behind my eyes. A horrible feeling of dread swept over me, chilling me to the bone. I may not be a seer like my sister, but I knew enough to read the signs.

“It will be alright, Aelia. We’ll be back here in no time,” Baylis said, patting my knee.

I blew Tharan one last kiss. He caught it and put it in his pocket before disappearing into his carriage.

Fingers shaking, I lit a cigarette, hoping the smoke would calm my nerves.

“I know, I have to keep telling myself that. But I can’t shake this feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong.”

“Things have been going wrong for fifteen years, Aelia.” She took the cigarette from me and held it to her lips, inhaled, and blew the smoke out the little window of the carriage. “You’d think we’d be used to it by now.”

“Part of me thinks it’s good we haven’t yet. My humanity isn’t fully gone.”

The carriages pulled away, and I sunk into the plush seat, taking another drag off my cigarette. I wanted to turn my whisper stone to check if it worked, but I wasn’t ready to show Baylis yet.

We glided through the burned forest into the lush area unaffected by the battle that threatened to ruin an entire faction of sylph. A smooth ride, the elegant carriage was a far cry from the rattling boxes I’d traveled in as a mercenary. The trees reached into the heavens; their trunks so wide they carved tunnels through them. Snow trickled through the thick canopy as the horses trotted along. With each passing step, the knots in my chest tightened a little bit more.

With the dense snow and cold temperatures, it would take us weeks to get to Ruska, but luckily, there was a portal to the Alder Embassy a few days’ ride away—a precaution in case any adversaries ever got through.

Tharan would not be so lucky. Elohim would never allow a sylph court to portal into their territory. He’d have to go through countless checkpoints, and even then, he would be watched like a hawk. It would take at least a month, if not more, for him to get to Elohim, unless they allowed him to portal once he entered their territory.

I leaned back, cigarette to my lips. “What do you think Mother looks like now?” I inhaled the smoke into my lungs.

“Probably the same. She never aged in the years I knew her. They say all three need to be together for their powers to work—past, present, and future.” She stared out the window. The reflection of light off the snow made her pale complexion sparkle. Her hands twisted a handkerchief nervously.

“All these years, I’ve resented her for seeing my future and knowingly sending me to my doom. Now, I wonder if she could see anything at all,” I said.

Baylis bit her nail, shaving off little bits of herself. “I wonder why I can suddenly see things too. What did I see for Gideon? Is what I’m seeing correct or only the possibility of things to come?”

“Maybe Mother will have the answers. You saw the past before—Or… was that a memory?”

Baylis didn’t answer.

I stared out at the forest. A red cardinal flitted between the branches—a sign of good fortune. Perhaps my fears were unfounded.

11CAIDEN

Caiden’s fingersdrummed on the old oak table deep beneath Vantris. The smell of ancient parchment mixed with the dampness of the basement made him shiver as he thumbed through the ancient texts.

“Find anything?” a deep voice asked.

Caiden looked up to see Roderick standing over the desk. “Not yet,” he replied. “I can barely read this ancient script.”

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