Page 56 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

I pulled on my cloak, and we headed into the night. The Ostara festival had begun, and our parents were out dancing the night away. We made our way down the back stairwell, where Baylis grabbed a picnic basket.

“What’s that for?”I asked, sleep still clung to my eyes.

“You’ll see.”

The moist grass stuck to our feet as we scrambled to evade the guards. Our little hearts pounding in our chests as we hustled to the old lookout. Music from the Ostara festival floated on the crisp spring air.

We took the stairs two at a time until we reached the old lookout. Two blankets waited for us.

“Did you plan this?”I asked, shocked my little sister had so much foresight.

“Happy Ostara, Aelia!”she said, bringing out abottle of sparkling wine she had nicked from the cellar. We shared sips, letting the bubbles go to our heads.

“There’s one more thing.”She pointed upward as fireworks burst overhead, illuminating the sky with bright lights.

“I hope you like it,”she said, sipping the bubbly wine.

“I love it, Baylis.”I pulled her in close for a hug.

We stayed until the fireworks ended and then snuck back into our beds, giggling to ourselves. Drunk on the idea we had gotten away with something.

The sound of our parents’ footsteps echoed down the hall. We shut our eyes, pretending to be asleep.

The door creaked open. Baylis and I did our best to pretend to be asleep.

“They’re so precious,”our mother said.

“They really are beautiful,”our father replied before shutting the door.

Baylis and I let out the laughs we had been holding in. Little did we know by the next Ostara, our lives would be completely different.

Suddenly, I was underwater, trying desperately to swim to the surface, but something dragged me down. My screams were muffled by the water filling my lungs.

I awoke covered in sweat, yearning for dust to calm my nerves. I reached for my cigarettes only to find they had been ruined.

Exhausted, dirty, and needing a bath, I rang the bell in my room. A young-looking elf with rosy cheeks appeared at my door within minutes.

“How can I help you?” he asked in a cheerful tone.

“I’d like to take a bath, and I’ll need a change of clothes.” I motioned to my torn gown.

Clicking his heels together, he tipped his hat at me. “Would you also like a wool cloak? Elves spin the finest wool inMoriana.”

“Yes.” I had no gold on me and, therefore, no way of paying for any of this. “Is it possible to send an invoice to my bank?”

The attendant looked up from drawing me a bath. “Lord Greenblade has covered all your expenses. He also asked me to give you these.” He handed me a leather pouch filled with clove cigarettes. A note lay inside.

I figured you would need these.

– Tharan

A mixture of excitement and guilt swirled in my heart. I should not feel this way. Caiden and I did not belong to one another, and soon, he would not know I existed. I needed to move on with my life and leave the past in the past.

An assortment of dresses lined my bed, each crafted in the elven style, favoring function over fashion. I chose a high-necked olive green one with golden leaves for buttons. In human lands, this dress would cost a month’s wages, and here I had four of them and a black cloak lined with fox fur.

My stomach grumbled with hunger. Caiden wouldn’t be up for hours. Perhaps Tharan would be awake.

Hesitantly, I knocked at his door.

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