Page 129 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Lowering their spears, the ghost army charged, impaling the Highland guards. Screams rang out across the snowy fields, as one by one, Highlanders fell to their knees. Their blood stained the fresh snow red.

As chaos ensued, Tharan moved me toward the pen, where Arion ran in anxious circles. Raising a calming hand, he subdued the stallion enough for me to climb on.

“You’re going to have to ride with me,” I said, slumping onto Arion’s neck. “I can’t hold myself up.”

Without hesitation, Tharan heaved himself onto Arion’s back. “You are both welcome in the Woodlands.”

Caiden and Lucius stood by the fence, taking in the carnage before them.

Lucius slid a bit into Arion’s mouth.“We will meet you there.” He handed the reins to Tharan.

They nodded at us and headed for the royal stables.

I prayed to Ammena for their safety.

Tharan clicked his heels, and Arion bolted into a full gallop. As we fled, I watched the Morrigan’s army—my army—slaughter Gideon’s men.A pang of guilt rang through my heart. They were so young. They did not deserve an ending like this. I tried to remind myself they were glamoured to feel no pain. At least Gideon gave them that.

48AELIA

Every step Ariontook sent a blinding pain up my spine, but we could not stop. I braced myself against Tharan’s hard body, seeking any sort of relief.

We rode until we reached the peak of the Ryft. Tharan turned Arion to face the city. Huge plumes of smoke rose like dragons in the morning light.

In the face of defeat, Gideon would be spurred to assert himself. He loathed appearing vulnerable, and this setback wounded his pride. There would be no refuge for me in this world now. Gideon wanted my head and my army.

Tharan looped an arm around my waist, pulling me in closer. “Are you okay? What happened back there? How long have you had the Scepter of the Dead? And why didn’t you tell me?”

I blew out my breath. “It’s a long story.” A soreness resonated in the back of my throat. “I wasn’t sure I could trust you.” I motioned to the burning castle. “You’ve seen my experience with men.”

“I’m taking you to Mineralia.”

I nodded in agreement as Tharan turned Arion toward theStone Kingdom. “You better call the army back into the scepter, or they’ll wander around looking for a battle.”

I held the scepter as high as I could manage. “Return to me.” The scepter glowed green with magic, and the battle ceased in the city below. As soon as the scepter went silent, life returned to my bones.

I almost fell off Arion when we stopped for the night. The streets of Mineralia were quiet. Either word of the attack hadn’t reached them, or they were indifferent to it.

Tharan carried me to a room at the inn.

“Hold on a little longer. I called for a healer,” Tharan said. Urgency filled his voice.

Wrapping me in a fur-lined blanket, he went to stoke the fire.

A stark departure from the inn we had lodged in earlier, ornate gold leaf wallpaper lined the walls, and a crystal chandelier dangled from the ceiling. A room fit for a queen.

Removing the ring, Tharan returned to his god-like splendor. The scar cutting his face a welcome sight.

“Do you need anything?” he asked, taking a seat next to the bed. His red hair pulled back into a low ponytail, eyes searching for a way to ease my pain.

“Just some water,” I said, not wanting to be a burden.

Tharan handed me a glass of ice-cold water. “It has healing powers.”

“Let’s hope.” I raised the glass to my lips.

“After the healer comes, I plan to take a bath, and then, if you’d like, I could help you.”

My cheeks flushed. I wasn’t ready to show Tharan my scars.“You don’t have to.”

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