Page 12 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“Did you hear that?” My eyes searched for the source of the sound.

“Probably just a deer,” Roderick said.

“I think?—”

A supernatural scream ripped through the silent night.

I sucked in a breath.

Caiden and his men unsheathed their swords. In woods such as these, banshees lurked, enticing travelers toward their demise, exploiting their most profound fears.

“Keep moving. They won’t leave the woods,” Roderick said, scanning the trees for anything suspicious.

Night closed in on us, darkness emboldening the creatures lurking at the edge of the forest.

I gripped my sword.

Eyes settled on us, waiting to strike.

“We need to make a run for it,” Caiden gathered the reins of his horse. “The nearest town is a few miles up the road. When I say so, we run.”

Frigid air burned my lungs as I braced for Arion’s gallop.

“Aelia,” a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

Baylis’s voice. But was it real?

Holding up a shaking hand, I couldn’t be sure this voice wasn’t from the withdrawal.

My heart leapt into my throat.

“Did you hear that?” My voice trembled.Arion danced in circles beneath my seat. The horses’ eyes rolled white with fear.

“Whatever it said. Don’t listen to it.” Caiden’s words were firm as iron, yet the voice endured.

“Help me! Help me! I’m here.”

“Shut it out. It’s not real.” Lucius reached for my hand from his horse.

I built a wall of stone in my mind.

Razor-sharp claws tore at my defenses.

I shut my eyes and shot back at the creature with my power, crushing its mind in a vice of my own making.

It hissed and wailed, letting out a deafening shriek. The horses reared, throwing us to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of me. Gasping for breath, the world spun around me.

Another deafening wail came from the forest.

We cowered in pain.

“Make it stop!” Roderick yelled.

Out of the woods crawled the husk of a woman. Ghostly white with black hair, tattered rags hung limp from her skeletal body.No eyes, just two black holes, stared back at me. Her erratic movements made my skin crawl as my soul tried to escape its mortal coil—banshee.

She crept on all fours like a spider, contorting her frail body in unnatural ways.

With a shaking hand, I reached for my sword. But I was too slow.

---