Page 112 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

A hand clenched my heart at the sight. I could’ve been one of them.

“Give us your gold, and we’ll be on our way,” the halfling said.

Tharan stepped between us. “Back away. No one needs to get hurt here.”

A human with a knobby nose and a missing ear pointed a finger at Tharan’s chest. “And who are you?”

Tharan’s fingers twitched.

My breath came faster. Tharan couldn’t use his magic here. We had to act human.

Glancing around for onlookers, I launched into the halfling’s mind while Tharan took on the other two.

Do not be afraid. Let me help you.

‘Who or what are you?’

I am a telepath and can help ease your suffering if you wish. You need to heal the parts making you seek dust, but I can remove the craving.

‘And what if I don’t want to? Without it, I have nothing.’

Then, I will ease your pain in another way. I am already in your mind. All I have to do is light a match.

His psyche tensed.

‘But I’m not ready.’

Choose now,my voice thundered inside his head.

The halfling’s pulse quickened.‘Fine, Fine, I’ll do it. I want to live.’

Very well.

Diving deep into his psyche, I found the area where the craving lived, plucking it like rotten fruit. The lust for the drug would regrow if the halfling did not clear the tree entirely, but at least I bought him some time to heal whatever haunted him.

Shaking my head, I tried to rid my mind of the hopelessness seeping in, grinding grit between my teeth. Traces of people’s psyches lingered like they wanted to go with you.

The halfling lay unconscious on the side of the path next to his friends.

“Let me help them too,” I said before I dove into their minds, easing their pain as best as I could. We pulled the sleeping bodies into nearby bushes. They would awake cold and hungover, but at least they wouldn’t be dead.

“What did you do to the men back there?” Tharan asked, taking off his green cloak, and hanging it neatly on the wall of our room.

I bit my lip. “I took away their lust for dust.”

Tharan raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not permanent, but it’ll ease their suffering for a bit.”

Tharan ran a thumb over his lip in contemplation. “That was kind of you.”

Leaning back on the bed, I sighed. “I’m trying to be a better person. And part of that is helping others. I didn’t cure them but set them on the right path.”The burden I carried felt a little lighter.

Tharan took my face in his hands. My skin tingled at his caress. The light of the fire danced across his face.

“I want to kiss you, Aelia. I would’ve killed every one of those men tonight if it meant you were safe.”

Caiden would have, too.

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