Page 26 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Baylis did as she was told and lay on the bed. I pulled a chair next to her as the healer dabbed the sedative on her lips.

“Not too much,” I said, throat going dry with anticipation. “I need her sedated, not asleep.”

The woman nodded. Her hair glinted in the firelight.

Baylis’s eyes flickered and relaxed.

I took a deep breath, calming my body. I needed a clear head if I was going to be successful. Tharan ran a loving hand over my back before kissing my cheek softly.

“I’ll be right here the whole time.”

At his words, a calm settled over me. Tharan was the partner I’d longed for but never had.

“Thank you.”

He took a seat behind me.

A breath escaped my lips. I reached out with all my might, knocking at the door of Baylis’s mind, noticing it was the same door as the one we had at the River House in the Midlands. Red with silver numbers. I pushed the sentimental feelings bubbling in my chest down.This is a job, Aelia. Stay focused.

The door unlocked, and a cheerful Baylis greeted me, “That was quick.”

“It is easy to enter the mind of someone you love. The psyche recognizes it assafe.” I stepped inside. The foyer of the River House greeted me with a curling staircase and dark wallpaper decorated with lush greenery and exotic birds from far away kingdoms. It was warm and inviting, just as I remembered it, with dark wood and plush leather sofas. The smell of cinnamon and oranges wafted through the air.

“Yule,” I said under my breath.

“It was always our happiest time.”

I took my sister’s hand, and she led me up the stairs to a door I didn’t recognize, carved with intricate flourishes and eagles.

“I think this is where we need to go, but it’s locked, and I have no key,” she said, pointing to the intricate brass knob.

I held my ear to the carved wood, but only silence echoed from beyond. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

“I think you’re right.” Slowly, I reached for the handle. Within the confines of a person’s mind, I could manipulate anything I wanted—even locked doors. I focused my power onthe knob, slowly turning it until I heard aclick. Pushing the door open, we entered a storm of memories.

The wind whipped, and paper flew around us violently—the contents of Baylis’s memories torn apart in perpetual chaos. Thunder rolled, and lightning cracked, but no rain fell.

The raging wind gnarled my hair, obstructing my vision. I took a deep breath. Calming this storm would take all my power and more.

“What’s going on?” Baylis shouted over the wailing wind.

“Someone has set a trap in your mind. I triggered it when I opened the door. They knew I could do it. This trap was set specifically for me, so I wouldn’t be able to piece your mind back together.” The gusts carried my voice far away.

Narrowing my eyes, I focused my power, trying to tame the storm, but it would not yield. Erissa was a powerful wielder, and my powers were no match for hers.

While I tried to contain the storm, Baylis grabbed random papers as they flew past her. Good. At least we could put some of her back together.

Lightning cracked, illuminating the chaotic library. The spell fought against my magic, intensifying its attack and pushing me toward the door. I grit my teeth, grabbing onto the nearest table for support as I focused my power on quieting the raging wind. Power surged through my bones like fire.

A foreboding growl echoed from deep within the library of her mind.

I swallowed the sense of dread rising in my gut.

“Grab what you can, Baylis! We need to get out of here!”

Baylis nodded and feverishly grabbed at the parchments. I did the same, hoping to find something useful.

The growl grew louder.

---