Page 88 of Oaths & Vengeance
“So you know,” I said, now halfway to the ring. “I pushed Orran away the second his lips touched mine because all I thought of was you, but I see now how stupid that was to do since I doubt you really care beyond some ridiculous possessiveness. I’m nothing more than an object for you to use at your whim.”
Then, I spun around and moved to face the ring. A tear ran down my cheek as I lifted my shaking hands and began channeling. I hadn’t regenerated my powers enough, but I pulled everything I had anyway. It only needed to stay open long enough for one person to pass, and there were no wards on the portal to my garden. The distance was the only thing that made it more difficult. My knees began to shake next as I kept trying to find scraps of power to complete the connection.
Darrow had moved from the trees, stopping just within my line of sight. “It’s too soon. You’re going to burn yourself out.”
I couldn’t respond to him as I continued chanting. The frustration on his face only made me want to leave that much sooner, so I dug to the bottom of my well and found the last bit of magic I needed. The connection snapped into place.
He stepped closer. “Aella, I…”
“Fuck you, Darrow.”
The blue light appeared, and I stumbled toward it. My legs barely wanted to cooperate because I’d used everything. My well was almost dry. I continued pushing with everything I had as I fell to my knees and crawled the rest of the way. If Darrow reacted, I couldn’t say at that point, but Imade it across those final few feet and entered the portal. It closed right behind me.
Shortly thereafter, I popped into my garden courtyard. I dragged myself toward my vine plants and sobbed. Several blooms leaned down and brushed the tears from my cheeks. The mardizolds released their soothing fragrance, giving me a measure of calm. I lay there for a while, letting my flora comfort me until I regained the strength to return to my room.
Chapter 38
Darrow
Sunlight filtered through a break in my curtains directly on my face. I groaned as I rolled over to avoid it, head pounding. Last night, I’d drank far too much. Most of it was a blur, but I was still fairly lucid when my wife arrived in Siggaya. Fear for her had hit me immediately. The risks were greater now than they had been four months ago when she first visited the city, and we made our deal.
Dark forces were plotting and maneuvering, and every side had spies watching locations like city portal rings. I didn’t find anyone after she’d left last night, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been there at some point, or they may have had very effective concealment spells.
Forcing my eyes open, I stared at my nightstand where I’d set the wrapped gifts Aella had brought with her. She hardly knew me or my sister, so I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d given us.
I found the one with my name labeled with beautifully written script. Unwrapping it, I sat up quickly when I saw what the package contained—a white clarity stone. They were extremely rare and valuable. My father had one that he let me borrow once, but that was under exceptional circumstances. He usually kept it hidden away, using it only for himself. Holding the stone in your hand would allow you to see through any glamour.
Aella must have held onto it from her mother’s collection. Only druids had access to the difficult-to-reach location where they could be found, and precious few of them could perform the enchantment successfully. They were also reluctant to sell or trade them to fae. Yet my wife had come to Siggaya at great personal risk to give me a near-priceless gift, and I’d admonished her and attempted to give it back. She’d had to shove it at me.Then, I upset her so much that she drained herself of her powers to escape. I let out a stream of curses.
A knock sounded at the door.
“What?” I barked.
Faina opened it, sticking her head inside. She must have just risen because her long, brown-black hair was loose and wild around her face. “What are you cursing about?”
I grabbed her gift and tossed the package at her. She caught it easily.
“Oh, brother, you needn’t give me anything other than your charming personality,” she said, stepping further into the room. I was thankful that she wore a black robe covering most of her body. Sometimes, when hungover, she strutted around in nothing more than underwear, giving me nightmares for days. I might have shared a womb with her, but thankfully, I had no memory of that.
“It’s from Aella,” I growled, still holding my gift. “She brought them here last night.”
She grinned and quickly unwrapped hers. When she pulled out an iridescent gold stone, she squealed. “Oh, I’ve always wanted one of these, but they’re out of my price range unless I want to sacrifice buying anything else for two years.”
It was an amplifier that could make a spell twice as powerful. They were similar to blue burst gems, except stronger, and they could be reused with a twenty-four-hour break between. The basic stone could be found on Alavaar and the Isles of Mannoth, where most gnomes, goblins, and gremlins lived in the far south. Druid enchanters were the only ones who could spell them to work, though. Since they were somewhat more plentiful, there were more in circulation, but they were still expensive and uncommon to find. Aella had gifted a woman she hardly knew with something precious because Faina was my sister.
I rubbed my face. “She arrived last night, wishing me a happy birthday and bringing these gifts, and I yelled at her for coming.”
“Well,” Faina said, still gazing at her stone. “It’s far better than what you did for her on her birthday.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, not realizing I’d done anything for Aella on her birthday or which day it was since I hadn’t thought it relevant at this point in our marriage.
My sister gave me a pointed look. “You forced her to open a portal to Therress so you could attack her people.”
I closed my eyes, regret pulling at my chest. “I had no idea.”
“Clearly. Even I hadn’t thought you could be so cruel, but how could I know you didn’t bother to learn your wife’s birthday? I figured that curse of yours must have made you not care, which is why I told Aella as much while we waited for the attack to begin.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So, you’re the one who told her?”
