Page 29 of A Curse of Breath and Blood (The Mind Breaker #1)

28 AELIA

I didn’t want to believe Caiden.

Baylis had never been foolish. She always led with her head over her heart. There had to be a reason for her to work with Gideon.

Caiden led our party through the pristine woods down to the river, where Gideon and his men were camped.

Night blanketed the forest. Fires and dim lamps lit the basic tents. Smoke billowed from fires where men sat huddled next to one another, trying to escape the cold.

We found a covered spot on a hill overlooking the camp, laying our bodies in the cold snow to evade detection.

“She’s down there,” Lucius said, pointing to the ornate tent Gideon and Erissa occupied.

Amolie handed me a pair of binoculars, and I crouched under a log to get a better look.

Erissa’s bodyguards, Remus and Ramus, stood outside the tent, their muscles taut against their shirts. Their faces red, not from the cold but from the sheer number of bulls’ testicles they consumed. I looked around for Baylis, hoping to see her silhouette through the tent. There were three figures, but nothing identified her.

“I need to go down there,” I said, pushing myself out of the snow.

“No,” Caiden said firmly.

“I’ll wait until everyone is asleep.”

“No,” he whisper-yelled at me.

“You know you can’t stop me, Caiden. You know I will do this, with or without your permission.” Fire roiled in my veins.

A look of resignation crossed Caiden’s chiseled face. “At least let us provide cover. We have a good view from up here. Use your telepathy to talk to me.”

I mulled over his proposition for a moment. “Fine.”

We huddled together for warmth until the camp quieted and the men returned to their tents.

On silent feet, I snuck down the hill to the camp, wedging myself between two supply carts for cover. The smell of mud and livestock brought an acrid taste to my mouth. Gideon’s tent stood directly before me.

I opened a line between Caiden and me. Do you see anything?

‘ The twins are out front of the tent, but if you go to the back of the tent, you should be fine. ’

On tipped toes, I slipped between the tents, holding my breath each time I sprinted. Most of the men were drunk or busying themselves with the prostitutes Gideon’s army traveled with.

In the time since I left the Highlands, his army had grown in both size and brutality. Through the tents, I could see men in a makeshift boxing ring, beating each other bloody while others drunkenly cheered them on.

My stomach turned at the thought of what I might find within the tent.

‘ Aelia, be careful. Guards are patrolling nearby two tents away. ’

I edged along the side of Gideon’s tent, listening for Baylis’s voice, trying to silence the sound of my heart beating wildly in my chest. The sound of the canvas flapping in the wind muted everything else.

“Tell me what you see,” Gideon said, pacing back and forth, the pallet floor squeaking beneath him.

I smothered the fear blooming in my chest, whipping my sweaty palms on my pants.

“I see a blood moon, my king.” The sound of Baylis’s voice brought a tear to my eye. My precious sister. What had Gideon done to her?

“Good, my darling.” Gideon’s voice crept like a rot into my brain. I wanted to scratch it out. “Do you see a victory?”

She could look into the future. They had unlocked our mother’s gift. Bile gurgled in my throat. I did not know this woman—this was a stranger.

‘ Do you see Baylis? ’

Tears rolled down my cheeks. ‘ Yes, she’s here. She’s working with Gideon. ’ This had to be a spell. I needed to get her out. Maybe Amolie could cure her.

There must be a way to get her out of here.

‘ We can’t do it now. It’s too risky. Come back, and we’ll decide at camp. ’

I didn’t want to leave Baylis, but Caiden had a point.

“All will bow to you,” her voice floated on the breeze, far away.

‘ Aelia, you need to get out of there. ’

I could not tear myself away. The world spun around me as I came to accept the lies I believed for so long.

‘ Aelia! Now! ’

I looked up in time to see Ramus clasp a massive hand on my shoulder .

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the l’ttl bird,” he said, a wicked grin cutting his face in two, displaying a host of rotten teeth.

“I’m not your little bird anymore,” I said through gritted teeth. Slamming the blade of my dagger into his wrist, I made a run for it.

He cried out in pain. Blood gushed down his arm. “Remus. She’s here!” he yelled to his brother.

I picked up my pace.

The twins’ heavy steps clambered behind me. Their screams alerted the camp.

I prayed to Ammena that I could make out.

‘ Aelia, they’re coming. Dozens of them. Duck left. ’

I did as he said, running through the rows of farm animals.

Piss and shit coated my boots, but I did not stop. Men appeared at the other end of the row, coiling ropes in their filthy hands.

Determination buzzed in my chest like a thousand angry bees—I would not be tied like a hog.

‘ Aelia, through the pig pen. Then, over the chicken coop. You can make it. ’

The men drew nearer. The delight of the hunt sparkled in their eyes.

“Come here, little kitty,” one said, making kissing sounds at me. “We just want to have some fun.”

I cut left over the waist-high fence surrounding the pig pen. The smell of feces made my eyes water. Deep slop slowed my stride.

I could feel the men behind me. Their heavy bodies struggled to wade through the mud and shit. Pigs squealed in horror as they trounced through their home.

Climbing over the shoddy wooden fence, I leapt toward the chicken coop. As my hands touched the roof, someone grabbed my leg, slamming my face into barbed wire. A sharp pain seared into my skin—stars blurred my vision. I looked back to see Remus’s bulbous nose and rotten smile.

“Thought you could get away, did you? My mistress will be upset if I let you go.”

“Fuck you.” I kicked as hard as I could straight at his face. The sound of shattering bone rang in my ears.

“You bitch.” He stumbled backward, releasing my leg.

I scrambled up the coop’s roof and dropped to the other side, landing in a stack of crates and twisting my ankle. I screamed in pain, but I could not stop. Not now.

‘ Run, Aelia, ’ Caiden’s voice urged me forward. ‘ Get up and run .’

I heaved myself up, stumbling through the deep snow. My ankle throbbed in pain. My hot breath turned to vapor in the cold air. I looked back to see the twins, followed by a dozen men, gaining on me.

My muscles burned. When the agony of my ankle became too much, I got on all fours and crawled to the top of the hill. Gideon’s men were mere feet behind me.

‘ Aelia, if you can make it to me, Amolie thinks she can create a barrier. ’

I summoned the strength to push myself to the top. My limbs shaking with fear and exhaustion. The fallen tree lay so close. I could almost touch it.

A blast of wind knocked me to the ground, banging my head against the rough wood.

I looked up to see Gideon in his long black coat and gold-accented tunic. His leather riding boots crunched in the snow as he slowly approached me. My eyes struggled to focus on him.

He let out a devious laugh, making my blood run cold. “Your sister said you would come, but I didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to pluck her from under my nose. ”

I braced myself against the log. Blood snaked its way down my face. “What do you want with my sister?”

A wry smile crossed his handsome face. “You think I’m holding her against her will?” He crouched in front of me, wiping the blood from my face. “That’s so cute.”

I recoiled at his touch.

“She is everything you could never be, Aelia.” His voice scratched at my brain like nails scraping glass.

“Just let her go,” I said, my vision blurring.

Throwing his head back, he scoffed, his quaffed hair fell over his dark eyes. “She sees my vision. Unlike you, who broke like a twig under pressure.” His eyes raked over my body. “Look at yourself, an addict and a fool. You disgust me. I can’t believe I?—”

I spat in his face before he could finish his sentence.

His eyes flared with hatred.

“Now, now, Aelia, that’s not nice.” He wrapped his gloved hand around my neck. “And haven’t I always been nice to you?” He squeezed tighter.

I gasped for air, panic rising like a wave in my chest. Every memory of my time in Ryft’s Edge flashed through my mind. We had been here before—replayed this scene a thousand times. I was not the weak woman I was before.

I fumbled in the snow for my dagger while I tried to reach into Gideon’s mind, but he built a wall, blocking me.

“Looking for this?” He held up the dagger so its iridescent blade shone in the moonlight. “Perhaps you like a scar to match the one you’re hiding with a glamour.”

I choked on the taste of sand. What other experiments had he been doing on himself to give him this kind of ability?

The sounds of swords clattered behind me as Caiden, Roderick, and Lucius sparred with Gideon’s men.

Gideon jerked his head in an unnatural motion. “Ah, your lover. Always the valiant knight. ”

Delight gleamed in his black eyes. He loved making me squirm. My breaths were shallow now, my vision going in and out. I barely noticed when he scraped the dagger over my cheek.

“Get it over with,” I said, clenching my jaw.

He kissed my cheek before whispering in my ear, “There is no fun in killing you. I want you to worship me like you do that filthy sylph prince.”

A primal fear built in my chest, but I pushed it aside. “You’ll never be him.”

A horn sounded in the distance. The men stopped fighting, and Gideon released my neck as three riders on wolves the size of horses approached.

I hit the snow, gasping for air.

“In the name of the Alder King, we command you to cease,” a deep feminine voice said.

The riders dressed in the same black and gold armor as the ones who delivered the invitation. Rows of teeth woven together in intricate designs hung around their necks while their fists coiled around tungsten spears.

These were no ordinary soldiers of the Woodland Realm. These were three riders of the Wild Hunt. Their mere presence made my breath hitch in my throat.

“I was just having a simple conversation with my wife.” Gideon dropped my dagger into the snow.

“This woman is a guest of Lord Tharan Greenblade, Prince of the Woodlands. She is not to be harmed.” The wolves pawed at the snow. One of them snarled at Gideon. “Touch her again, and we will banish you from this court.” The female soldier’s voice radiated confidence. Gideon did not scare her.

Nostrils flared, Gideon burned with hatred. No one told him what to do. He fiddled nervously with his belt as the wheels turned in his head. He had no power here, and he knew it. “Fine, she’s free to go.” He threw up his hands .

The warrior extended an armored hand to me, pulling me onto the back of the dire wolf.

“We will escort you and your comrades back to your camp. Do not let us catch you fighting again.”

I nodded, clasping my hands around the female’s waist. The others climbed onto the backs of the other wolves.

We rode, swift as shadows, through the forest until we reached our tent.

“If you need medical attention, Lord Tharan has a healer we can send for,” the soldier said as I slid off the back of her wolf.

“It’s okay.” I motioned to Amolie, who stared enamored at the giant wolves.

“Very well. Goodnight.” The trio turned and disappeared into the night.

We all stood silent for a moment, trying to make sense of everything.

“I need a drink,” Roderick said, heading toward Caiden’s tent. “Anyone else?”

A screeching noise brought me to my knees before I could enter the tent.

‘ You may think you are safe with your prince and your protectors, but I will always be able to reach you here. ’ Gideon’s voice bore into my head like a hot knife.

Get out of my head!

I pulled myself into the tent.

The voice silenced.