Page 94 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Erissa pounced on me, knocking me to my knees. Kicking her as hard as I could, I ran for the exit.

“I’ve got your sister right here,”Erissa called after me, holding up a bloodred amulet.

I opened my eyes.

Everyone stared at me.

Baylis lay asleep.

“She’s trapped,” I said, through heavy breaths. “Erissa is controlling her mind.” I collapsed into a chair. It took all of my power to get out of Baylis’s mind.

An inky stain crept through my veins, inching up my arm. The bargain with Caiden—Baylis’s rescue completed it. Magic sought balance, and though the pain remained bearable for now, delaying the erasure of Caiden’s memories would only exacerbate it. Hastily, I wrapped Caiden’s cloak around myself, praying that no one else saw the telltale mark.

“There is a library in the Alder Palace. If it’s intact, perhaps it might shine a light on the spell. We can have rooms made up for all of you.” Tharan nodded to Sumac, who left to fulfill his wishes.

“I’ll mix up a potion and put Baylis in a deep sleep until we can figure out a plan,” Amolie said.

“We should keep her in a secure room, away from the rest of us,” Lucius said, towering over Baylis. His once-white hair now stained red with blood. “We don’t know if she can be used as a conduit.”

“You mean lock her in a cell?” I growled.

Lucius glowered at me. “We do not know what she is capable of. It’s what is best.”

The thought of keeping Baylis locked up like some kind of lunatic turned my stomach, but Lucius was right. If Erissa could control her mind, there was no telling what she could do.

Tharan stood. “We will honor the dead and burn the bodies on pyres in the sylph tradition. Then we will discuss what to do next about King Gideon.”

35AELIA

Pyres burned for three days.

None brighter than the former Alder King’s.

Dressed in a black satin dress and matching veil, I stood beside Caiden as the Stormlands honored their dead.

Priestesses from Ammena and Illya temples presided over the funeral ceremonies. Normally, humans are buried in the earth to return to the soil what they took from it in life. To honor their sacrifice, the few human kingdoms who had attended the revelry burned their dead along with the sylphs. Hoping Moriana would see the smoke and feel their grief.

Ursula fled to the sea, not bothering to return for the funeral—typical mermaid.

On the third day of the burning, Tharan assembled the heads of the courts to discuss their response to the attacks. Caiden and I sat with Roderick and Lucius.

The pain from the rot claiming my body for not upholding the deal with Caiden was still dull, but I knew the longer I waited, the worse it would get. Amolie cast a glamour to hide the dark mark. I looked for signs of the bargain taking its toll on Caiden but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“We should retaliate now! Hit the Highlands while they think we are licking our wounds.” The Lord of Rabbits slammed his fist on the long wooden table. An elder with long, gray hair and a salt-and-pepper beard, his face showed a fierceness in sharp contrast with his court’s name.

“It is unwise to attack the Highlands. They are allied with the Elven High King, Aerendir. We do not want to start another war.” Tharan took to the part of the Alder King well. He sat in the center of the center of the room, flanked by Sumac and the green sylph, Hopper. The crown of antlers gleamed in the firelight. Butterflies flitted in my stomach at the sight of him.

“War is at your door, young king,” a centaur with a jagged cut across his face chimed in. “There is no going back now. We must show strength.”

Caiden squeezed my hand under the table. I opened a line of communication between our minds.

‘It is never wise to go to war,’ Caiden’s voice filled my mind.‘Millions will die. There will be bloodshed for thousands of years.’

I nodded. War represented the final recourse, yet the sylph hungered for conflict, their essence imbued by the goddess Illya.

Caiden stood, wearing the Court of Storms battle leathers, endowed with boning to conduct his lightning. “As the only court here, who answers to the Sylph Council, I will need to take this to the chairman. The sylph courts need to appear united. If the elven king hears we are divided, he will not hesitate to exploit our weaknesses.”

A grumbling rippled through the crowd. Tharan cleared his throat. “I am the leader of the Wild Courts. My word is the law. I will send my emissary to parlay with the Sylph Council. Untilthey return, no one is to attack the Highlands unless otherwise provoked.”

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