Page 4 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“Are you ready?” I asked the princess. Breaking one mind exhausted me; breaking two would deplete me. Already, my arms hung heavy at my sides, and my eyes begged for sleep.

The princess nodded, although her body trembled with fear.

“Give me a moment.” I crouched down once more to collect myself. My hair escaped its leather tie, swinging down to curtain off my face, hiding my exhaustion.Do this, and you can charge twice as much, Aelia. Do this, and you can drink yourself stupid later. Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I inhaled the dry air of the overheated throne room. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

The king signaled for a seat for the princess, and two attendants eagerly carried a plush chair over.

Gripping the arms of the chair tightly, her knuckles turned white. The princess steadied herself.

“I promise it won’t hurt. But you must show me everything. I cannot leave a memory to fester.”

She nodded, her shoulders slumping.

I chewed on the sandy taste filling my mouth—an unfortunate side effect of telepathy. “Close your eyes and show me the love you shared with the soldier,” I said, reaching out my mind once again.

A large iron door engraved with the sigils of the Winter Kingdom—two giant white bears fighting, greeted me. Their teeth bared in a sign of strength.

I pushed the doors open, but instead of the Ostara celebration, I entered her bed chambers. The princess stared down at a field of frost tipped wheat. Below, the young soldier laughed with his friends. My pulse quickened. Had he seen her too? Was there more left in his mind I did not take? Hurriedly, I erased the memory, hoping there weren’t any others.

With exhaustion biting at the corners of my vision, I cut precisely and with haste. In my tired state, the princess’s psyche could sense me. Whereas on a full night’s rest I was invisible; tired, I became a thorn in the girl’s mind, hacking away at her precious memories.

I had to get out.

The psyche wanted me gone. Members of the crowd turned their heads to face me.

I erased them as fast as I could.

Another memory. A stolen kiss. A stranger with their hand over my mouth. Jamming my elbow into soft flesh, I took what I could. I hated sloppy work, but I did not have the luxury of time on my side.

Cutting more like a butcher than a surgeon, I wiped the rest of the girl’s memories. Sweet and innocent. Their love faded to nothingness in her mind.

The princess opened her eyes. “Who are you?” she asked, blinking at me.

I pushed down the bile rising in the back of my throat.

“No one.” I slowly backed away. The chill of winter clinging all at once to my back.

“Your payment,” the king said, motioning for an attendant, who presented me with a sack of gold and a ruby the size of a goose egg.

I packed both away in my satchel. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

On my way out of the throne room, I caught a glimpse of the king and his daughter embracing. Jealousy tugged at my heart. No warm embrace waited for me tonight. Only the bite of a stiff drink and a pinch of dust lull Aelia Springborn, Queen of the Highlands, to sleep.

2AELIA

While the barkeeppoured me a drink, I surveyed the dingy pub. Low-lit candles struggled against the darkness, casting the room in shadow. Ripped wallpaper adorned the decrepit walls. The stench of old ale and sweat hung heavy in the air.

Downing the shot of brown liquid, I let the alcohol burn away the stress of the day. Warmth spread through my body.

Patrons huddled near a massive fireplace, trying to stay warm as a winter wind rattled the windows. At the other end of the bar, a group of soldiers cheered, clinking their mugs together. A tall, broad-shouldered young commander with dusty brown hair caught my eye. I flashed him a flirtatious smile. He returned it with a smile.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Traitorous Queen herself…” A voice as cold as frost-covered glass sent a shiver down my spine.

I dug my nails into the grease-laden bar, turning to face a ghost from my past. He hadn’t changed a bit since last I’d seen him—still as tall and thin as always. A shock of white cascaded down the center of his pale head. Why had he come back to haunt me?

I stilled my face into a stoic look, hoping it hid my churning stomach.

“What do you want, Lucius?” I picked at my nails carelessly. His lord could not be far away.

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