Page 126 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“No!” Ramus called as I brought the sword down on Remus’s neck, severing his head from his body. Blood pooled at my feet as Remus’s head rolled away.

A guttural scream rattled my lungs.

Gideon ran to Erissa, who lay slumped against a cabinet. “We have to go,” he said, hoisting her to her feet. Through trembling hands, she conjured the last bit of her power. Snapping her fingers, they disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

The flames spread, crawling up the walls of the laboratory like spiders.

“What are we going to do with him?” Caiden asked, examining Ramus, who squirmed on his cross.

“He’s mine,” I said as Tharan helped me over to where Ramus hung. “Do not resist me.” Reaching out my magic, I linked our minds. Inside sat a small boy with a head of curls, warming himself by a fire, surrounded by stars.

“Hello,” he said in a cheerful but guarded voice.

“Hello,” I replied.

Standing, the boy dusted the dirt from his pants. “I know why you’re here.”

I gave him a reassuring smile. “Why don’t you show me where you keep your memories?”

“This way,” he said, the fire gilding his features, making him look innocent.

Smoke formed a door. Taking a key from his pocket, the little boy led me through.

The inside of the room resembled a library, but instead of books, memories lined the shelves. In the center of the room sat a small bed with the sheets down-turned, waiting for him.

“Why don’t you hop in?” I said, helping him into the bed and tucking him in tight.

“Will it hurt?” he asked.

“No.” I brushed the dark hair from his eyes. “Now go to sleep.”

He gave me a little smile, then drifted off to sleep.

Lighting a match, I touched the flame to every memory.

The bookshelves burned, but still, the little boy slumbered. I took the memory of Remus dying and set it on a loop in the little boy’s mind before locking the door behind me.

When I opened my eyes, Ramus sat drooling in front of me.

“Let him rot here,” I said, collapsing into Tharan’s arms.

47AELIA

“We needto get out of here,” Lucius said as fire engulfed the room.

Part of me wanted to grab the notes Erissa had kept on me, and another part wanted them to burn—to let the fire cleanse what Erissa had sullied.

“I need you to carry me,” I said to Tharan. A blinding pain ripped through my back. “I can’t walk.”

Caiden squinted at me as the flames grew, trying to decipher my face.

I wanted to shake him, to tell him everything we shared, but those memories were gone forever. My heart ached at the sight of his confusion.

“We can talk about it later,” I said as Tharan scooped me up in his powerful arms.

“Follow us,” Tharan said as we headed for the door.

Taking one last look around, I tried to find the amulet, but thick smoke blotted my vision.

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