Page 95 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Tharan nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.

The three finished their dinner in silence before parting ways.

After dinner, Tharan returned to his place on his balcony overlooking the city. Lighting a cigarette, he wished Aelia was here with him. Although had he brought her, the whole court would’ve known of their relationship—a bitter taste filled his mouth. He had told his mother about Aelia, and she had likely told Arendir. And Arendir could use that against him. His stupid heart had gotten him in trouble. Again. At least the Fates were right about that.

Tharan’s fingers itched to turn the whisper stone, hear her voice at the other end and tell her everything would be alright, but he thought it best to keep his distance for now. She needed time to clear her head, and he would give that to her as much as it pained him to.

Flicking the cigarette off his balcony, he turned to find a cloaked figure standing in his room.

Pulling back the hood, his mother’s auburn hair sparkled in the moonlight.

“I will help you find the Well of Eris.”

Tharan could only blink in response. What kind of trickery was this?

“What?”

She stepped closer. Moonlight danced on her ethereal face.

“The king plans to present you with a lineup of possible brides tomorrow. And if you do not choose one, he will not be pleased.”

Tharan bit his lip. She was either telling the truth or this was some kind of game to trap him.

“You could be lying to me now for all I know.”

Her eyes fell to the floor.

“You have no reason to trust me. I’m fully aware of that, but I want to help you. I failed at being your mother for so long. Please let me help you with this.”

Tharan didn’t dare to hope she was being sincere.

“Tell me what you know.”

“The mages are tasked with guarding something. They would never tell me what it is, but it would make sense that they’re guarding a Trinity Well.”

“But Erissa was a mage. Wouldn’t she know where to find at least one Well?”

His mother shook her head.

“She is older than me. I do not know which order she belonged to. Her order may have been tasked with something else. They each follow a different set of instructions. The mages of the Great White Northarehiding something. Perhaps it is nothing. You must go there, but you’ll need a pass from Arendir to enter. The mages are skeptical of outsiders, to say the least.They will not let you into their compound without the king’s seal of approval.”

Tharan stared at his mother, trying to decipher whether she was lying or not. He wanted to believe her, but Hopper’s words resounded in his head. “I want to trust you… but I don’t know if I can. Answer me this: How does the king have so many children when elven blood is so thin their numbers are dying off.”

She hesitated.

“Tell me, Mother… what is going on here? You want me to travel to the Great White North… tell me how the king has so many children.” He tried his best to keep his temper at bay.

She sank onto the bed. Her eyes were full of tears.

“They are mine.”

Bile lapped at the back of Tharan’s throat, and he found himself leaning over the railing, hurling into the night. How could she even entertain something like this, let alone go through with it multiple times?

“What?”

She kept her eyes glued to the floor.

“For the past hundred years, he has taken me to his bed in order to create a line ofpurebloods.”

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