Page 49 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

I searched the room for Amolie and Roderick but couldn’t see anything through the haze of darkness and panicking bodies.

“We need to go. Out the back.” Tharan pulled me toward the throne.

“But my friends—” I tugged at his arm.

“You are no use to them dead, Aelia. This place is about to be a blood bath.”

The hooded figure swirled their arm around their head, creating a vortex of wind around themself and the basilisk.

The wraiths closed in, but they were no match for the hooded figure, whose wind shredded them as though they were made of nothing.

Through the doors, an army of goblins marched. Pale-skinned,with eyes as red as blood and pointed floppy ears. Their leader let out a guttural cry, before sticking his sword through the gut of the nearest man.

Nysemia released her wall of insects, sending them flooding into the crowd, devouring everything in their path.

Tharan and I dodged bodies being consumed by ravenous insects. The protection spell woven into my dress repelled their advances.

Darkness hindered our escape.

My thoughts went to Gideon. He hadn’t tried to get back into my head.

Through the haze of the crowd, I watched as he took on the basilisk.

The creature snapped at him with giant fangs.

A master of swordplay, he sidestepped each attack with a flourish, slicing the snake’s hard skin.

The creature reared up before striking, nipping his leg.

I smiled to myself.Good.

Gideon narrowed his eyes at the creature. No one made him look foolish and lived.

Pulling his sword back, he charged the creature, thrusting the blade through its open jaw. The basilisk screeched in pain, its body flailing, trying to hold on to any ounce of life.

Gideon jumped onto the back of the snake.

Holding on for dear life, he crawled to the head of the beast.

Pulling a long dagger from his bandolier, he drove it into the creature’s skull.

The snake collapsed onto the marble floor.

Gideon dismounted, straightening his vest, proud of the work he’d done.

Meanwhile, Roderick sparred with the hooded stranger.

I bit my lip, unsure where I could help. Where was Amolie?

The sound of swords clashing muffled the screams of thedying. Tharan fought off attacks on all sides: giant insects, goblins, even the sylph were attacking one another.

My heartbeat drummed in my ears.

A goblin reached for me with clawed fingers, but I buried my dagger in his skull before his callous hands could reach my flesh.

“Through this door,” Tharan said, leading us into a deserted hallway.

Blood trailed through the hallway, smeared by the train of a dress. Had Nysemia come through here?

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