Page 94 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Tharan’s fork clinked on the porcelain plate.

“Myproposedmarriage.”

“Yes, that.”

“That you’re going to find a way for me to get out of.” Tharan pointed his fork at his emissary.

“Short of pulling the information from his mind, what do you expect me to do?” Hopper said with an exasperated huff.

“I expect you to handle the fallout when I don’t marry the woman of his choosing.”

Hopper rolled his eyes.

“Are you rolling your eyes at your king?” Tharan asked.

He set down his utensils, mouth still full of food. “No, I’m rolling my eyes at my friend, who is being foolish. If these were normal times and your father had passed down the crown to you, we would’ve had a festival to find you a wife. But these aren’t normal times. We need the Trinity Wells, and we need allies. Think with your head instead of your heart, Tharan. Did you tell Aelia this? I’m sure that diamond in your ear is a whisper stone.”

Tharan’s mouth flattened into a straight line. His heart ached, and his blood boiled. His friend had a point, but his love for Aelia tugged at him like an invisible bond.

“She said she knew it would happen, and I need to do what’s best for my kingdom.”

“See? Smart woman. What do you think, Sumac?”

Sumac took a long drink from her goblet. “I think that Aelia controls an army of the undead and that, combined with the Hunt, would tackle any army that comes our way. So, no, I don’t think she has nothing to offer.”

“Exactly. Someone has some sense here,” Tharan said.

“I’m not saying throw Arendir’s offer out the window. I just think there’s a lot to consider here,” Sumac added.

“My mother said not to take the deal.”

Hopper and Sumac’s eyes went wide. “Your mother?” they both blurted out at the same time.

“She’s alive?” Hopper gasped.

“Oh yes!” Tharan gave a little chuckle.

“Way to bury the lede!” Sumac laughed.

“Sorry, I was caught up on the marriage contract thing.”

“Fair,” Sumac said. “Where has she been? What has she been doing for all these hundreds of years?”

“Arendir sent her to the Great White North, where she lived with the mages in isolation. I don’t know when he brought her back to the continent.”

Hopper scoffed. “Arendir brought her back as soon as she became useful to him. The day he found out you’d been crowned the Alder King.”

Tharan gasped, slamming his fist on the table. “Trinity, you’re right.” He buried his face in his hands. “I am so foolish.”

Hopper rubbed his friend’s back. “Don’t beat yourself up. It must have been overwhelming to see her.”

“She told me not to trust Arendir.” Tharan’s stomach clenched. The wine made his thoughts cloudy. What if he’d told her something he shouldn’t have? He was so stupid. So foolish. So trusting.

“It is only normal that you would want to trust your mother,” Hopper said, taking a bite of his fish.

“I should know better. I am a king now, not some orphan desperate for love.”

“We are all children at heart.”

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