Page 101 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

The room I occupied with Caiden for weeks seemed hollow when I stepped inside. Our intimate moments were erased along with Caiden’s memories. The long leather box containing the Scepter of the Dead lay on the mahogany desk. I did not have the energy to quarrel with the Morrigan’s ghost, so I put the box into a drawer.

‘You will not get rid of me that easily, my queen,’her ancient voice hissed at me.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have time for you right now, Morrigan.”

‘I know what happened at the revelry. Bind me to you, and my army will be yours.’

“And you’ll suck the life from my bones. No thanks. I’ll pass.”

‘There are ways of getting around that.’

“Oh, another quest? I’m booked solid on quests at the moment. Try again later.”

‘You will need me, Traitorous Queen. Our fates are intertwined.’

“Great. Goodnight.” I rolled over in my bed, feeling the cold emptiness where Caiden once lay. My heart ached at the thought of never seeing him again, never feeling his touch. Burying my face in my pillow, I screamed my lungs ragged.

The door creaked open. Amolie peeked her head in. “Thought youmight want some company.”

“You know me so well, Am.” She crawled into bed, and I laid my head in her lap. “I miss him already.”

“I know; I miss Roderick too,” she said, running her hands through my hair. She always knew how to comfort me. “It’s going to hurt for a while, but you will learn to live with the pain. Some days, you won’t feel it at all.”

I didn’t want to let the pain go. I wanted to tattoo it onto my skin, forcing the world to look upon my sorrow to know my truth: someone loved me once.

37AELIA

I lay in bed,trying not to let my grief consume me, wrestling with the fact I could not save the people I loved. In two days, I lost Caiden and found my sister, only to lose her again.

I allowed myself this day to wallow in sadness. But there was no room for self-pity on the journey ahead.

I visited Baylis. We heeded Lucius’s warning and kept her secured in a secluded part of the palace. Amolie mixed a powerful sedative to keep her peacefully asleep until we could free her soul from the amulet.

Sitting next to her, I rubbed my thumb over the delicate skin of her hand. This was the sister I remembered, the wise, generous, and kind girl who held onto me during nights when our father’s demons overtook him—the one who eased my nerves on my Promised Day. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but there would be time for all of that after we saved her. I squeezed her hand one last time before I left. I wanted her to know I cared and would rescue her every day for a thousand years if that’s what it took.

I lit a candle beside her bed and prayed to Ammena to keep her safe. Sometimes, I wondered why I still prayed to a goddesswho never answered me. I think it was more the act of praying than the answer. I envisioned the words floating into the heavens, reaching the Trinity, wherever they were. Truth be told, I did not know how to stop praying despite having stopped believing a long time ago.

Leaving Baylis’s room, I ascended the long, winding staircase to Tharan’s study. The ancient tree whirled with magic and a renewed sense of hope I had not felt before, as if waking when Tharan became the Alder King. All around me, new growth sprouted from the walls, healing the fire damage.

Dark wood paneling covered the walls of the study, and candles scattered the massive bookshelves, creating a cozy atmosphere. While outside fat snowflakes fell lazily.

With his burgundy hair tied back in a low bun, Tharan hunched over the schematics of Ryft’s Edge, a cigarette between his lips, and two wolves sleeping at his feet.

“Some added protection?” I said, glancing at the dogs.

Tharan gave me his signature smile, eyes sparkling with delight. “They are dire wolf pups. I had always wanted a pair of my own, but my father never wanted to spare any.” He scratched one wolf behind the ear. “Winter and Frost. The white one is Winter, and the one with the blue tint is Frost.”

Winter nudged me for pets. I obliged, sitting cross-legged on the floor, rubbing her belly.

“They’re so sweet. Amolie would love them. You should show them to her. She’s great with animals.” A genuine smile crossed my face for the first time since the revelry.

“You’re going to make them soft if you keep coddling them,” Tharan said, tossing hunks of meat to each wolf.

“No, I’m not.” I laughed as Frost licked my face. “My sister had two shepherds. But they were as black as night. Luna and Melvin.”

Tharan arched his brow. “What kind of name is Melvin for a dog?”

I shrugged. “She was twelve when she got them. I guess Melvin sounded like a good name to her.”

---