Page 130 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

One by one I lit the pictures on fire.

Lots of mercs liked the comfort of places like this—hidden away where no one could find them. The man with a hefty frame and wide-set eyes sat trembling in the corner.

“Pl… please… miss… don’t hurt me. They said you could break minds, and I didn’t believe them.”

Rage rattled my bones. This fucker stabbed an iron knife into my back and now he wanted mercy?

I leaned down in front of him, so our eyes met.

“You know I was a merc like you once?”

He nodded.

I ran a hand down his wide jaw.

“I know the struggles mercs face. Never truly able to call any place home. I would never hurt one of my own.”

His beady eyes brightened.

I was playing with him now. He didn’t get to threaten me and live. Whatever was happening on the outside, they wouldn’t dare risk killing him by attacking me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make one of my own suffer.”

“Oh, thank you, miss.”

A clever smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

I snapped my fingers and the fire in the stove tipped over, consuming the room.

The merc scrambled to his feet.

“Wha—”

I snapped my fingers and the man froze. In the real world he would easily overpower me, but I was the master of this domain and could control every muscle in his body. Of course, I gave him the ability to turn his head and open his mouth, but that’s as much mercy as he would get from me. Blowing out a breath, I fanned the flames before leaving his mind.

The sound of shrieking pounded in my ears. When I opened my eyes the merc lay in a crumpled pile on the floor. The horrible sound was coming from the other, larger, man.

“Shut up, you blathering idiot,” Baylis said, standing tall, arrow nocked at me.

The pieces of the puzzle slid into place.

My heart sank.

Clotho had been right. Baylis was working with Gideon. This was no scheme of Calliope’s. My sister had engineered this very moment from the day she woke in the Woodlands; even before that. A bitter taste filled my mouth.

“Why, Baylis? Why are you doing this?”

She pulled her bow string tighter.

“You thought he loved you, but he never did. He told me. You were nothing to him. Just a means to get the Midlands. You couldn’t even produce an heir.”

“Baylis… listen to yourself. I’m your sister.” My words stuck in my throat. “We are close. We’ve walked through hell together. Don’t let this monster come between us.”

She pulled the bow string tighter.

“You’re the monster.”

I sighed.

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