Page 172 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“What are we whispering about?” Roderick and Hopper leaned in.

“Make it more obvious,” Tharan scoffed. They broke from their huddle to find the hooded figure standing next to them. Tharan’s heart leapt in his chest.

The man pulled back his hood revealing a long, elegant face.

“Trinity be, Lucius. What are you doing sneaking up on us like that?” Roderick said.

“You need to leave, now. Blood Riders are coming. I saw them hunting on my way here.”

“Blood Riders? But I thought we killed them at Ryft’s Edge.”

Lucius cracked his neck.

“They made more.”

“How did you get here so quickly, Lucius?” Roderick asked.

“That’s my secret to keep. Now let’s get to the inn and I’ll tell you of what I know.”

41AELIA

My heart twistedinside my chest. Caiden had his memories back and there was nothing either of us could do about it. I lay awake all night thinking of something to say to him, but nothing seemed right. This was not how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to let him go. We were not meant for one another. My stomach threatened to empty itself. I would have to hurt him again. Was this what the Fates meant when they said I’d have to choose? Would I have to erase his memories again? Had I picked the wrong man? Was Tharan not my destiny? Had I been hesitant to reveal my feelings to Tharan because deep down I knew Caiden would come back?

“Aelia?” Caiden whispered, just as dawn’s first light dribbled through the dirty windows of the cabin.

“Yes?” I said, trying to hide the shaking in my voice.

“We shared so much, and yet I only have your memories, not my own. They feel foreign inside of my head.”

“So you havemymemories,myemotions,myfeelings, but not your reactions?”

“Yes.”

I bit my lip. This was much worse. He would know every terrible thing I ever thought of him. Every moment of lust… oflove. There was so much he wouldn’t understand. He’d know my ire, my disappointment, but not the reasons behind them. There was so much I wanted to say… to explain, but words evaded me. Where would I start?

“Oh Trinity. I’m so sorry, Caiden.”

“Yes, oh Trinity is right. It’s like I have only half of the story. What was I like? What did I feel?”

“I don’t know if I can help you with that, Caiden. I can only rewrite memories that are already there, not bring back ones I erased.”

“I don’t know if I want you to, Aelia,” he said in a voice that was barely a whisper. “At this point, I’m more worried about…” his eyes flitted upstairs, “than these memories.”

“You’re right. With these injuries and the iron blocking our magic we’ll never be able to get out of here.”

“If they’re taking us to the Court of Screams… I can only imagine what kinds of horrors await us there.”

I nodded but could not say more. With Erissa controlling the two mercenaries, I couldn’t be sure she wasn’t listening in on us through them. All I could do was shut my eyes and wait for Erissa to decide her next move.

Caiden’s head went limp on his neck as he faded into sleep, his body finally giving into exhaustion.

I lay still, listening for the creatures on the outside of the cabin. Were we already in the Court of Screams? Or somewhere else? I had never ventured this far north. I wouldn’t know what either looked like. Thorns grew in my throat. Caiden and I had been free of each other. We’d both moved on and now we were right back where we started. Both hurt and unable to do anything about it. Would I be able to pull those memories again?

Letting out a breath, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

“Open your eyes, Aelia.” My mother stood before me, surrounded by white light. Her black hair whipped in aninvisible wind. “I don’t have much time, so listen closely. You will have to choose, and you may not even know you’re making the choice.”

“What?” I stammered.

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