Page 66 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

“He’s going to put on a show for the Alder King, of that we can be sure.” Amolie’s normally cheerful demeanor darkened. “And likely, Erissa will be with him.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Let’s talk about something more exciting like… the forest boy.”

I straightened in my saddle. “Yes?”

A coy smile tugged at her mouth. “He seems nice.”

“We’re just friends.” My heart skipped a beat at the memory of our night together.

“I didn’t imply you were anything more. I think it’s interesting he would send you such an intimate invitation. You must have charmed him… or you planted something in his mind.”

I scoffed. “Why does everyone believe I can’t be charming? I am charming, for Trinity’s sake.”

Amolie laughed. “You can be prickly.”

I thrust my hands up into the air, startling the horses. “Prickly? I was a queen and an emissary.”

“That was a long time ago, Aelia.”

“For Trinities sake—it wasn’tthatlong ago.”

“Fine, fine, you’re still charming.”

“Thank you.” I held my head high like the queen I was.

Amolie sighed as our horses plodded along. “I miss Roderick.”Sadness filled her voice. “I know he’s doing his duty, but my bed feels so cold without him.”

“You can always sleep with me, Amolie.”

She smiled at me.

I patted Arion’s neck. “Care to tell me how you and Roderick…”

“Became a couple?” She finished my sentence for me.

“Yes. I didn’t think there was anything between you.”

“There wasn’t at first. We were just friends. Lucius would sometimes send him to rendezvous with me. One day he caught me reading a poetry book and he let it slip that he too loved poetry…” She stroked her pony’s silken mane, her cheeks flushing at the memory. “And we bonded over it. He’d leave me little poems in my tack box or have a bouquet of roses sent from the royal florist.”

My eyes widened at the thought of Roderick, hero of the sylph, writing poetry and buying flowers. “Are we talking about the same Roderick who used to wear the ears of his kills around his neck?”

Amolie nodded, her curls bouncing like springs. “The very same one.”

“Huh… I guess peoplecanchange.”

“We are not our labels, Aelia. You should know that by now. Sometimes it is easier to live in the armor we build for ourselves than let the world see who we really are.”

I sucked in a breath, ashamed of my ignorance. “You’re right, Amolie. I’m happy for you.”

“That means the world to me, Aelia.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.

26AELIA

Caiden arrangedfor a sleigh and an entourage to transport us to the Woodland Realm, where a legion had already set up a camp. Lords liked to bring along armies as a demonstration of their strength.

“The sylph are so dramatic,” I said, covering myself with the fox-lined cloak Tharan had given me. We all clambered into the covered sleigh pulled by six dapple gray workhorses with bells braided into their manes.

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