Page 38 of A Curse of Breath and Blood (The Mind Breaker #1)
37 AELIA
I lay in bed, trying not to let my grief consume me, wrestling with the fact I could not save the people I loved. In two days, I lost Caiden and found my sister, only to lose her again.
I allowed myself this day to wallow in sadness. But there was no room for self-pity on the journey ahead.
I visited Baylis. We heeded Lucius’s warning and kept her secured in a secluded part of the palace. Amolie mixed a powerful sedative to keep her peacefully asleep until we could free her soul from the amulet.
Sitting next to her, I rubbed my thumb over the delicate skin of her hand. This was the sister I remembered, the wise, generous, and kind girl who held onto me during nights when our father’s demons overtook him—the one who eased my nerves on my Promised Day. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but there would be time for all of that after we saved her. I squeezed her hand one last time before I left. I wanted her to know I cared and would rescue her every day for a thousand years if that’s what it took.
I lit a candle beside her bed and prayed to Ammena to keep her safe. Sometimes, I wondered why I still prayed to a goddess who never answered me. I think it was more the act of praying than the answer. I envisioned the words floating into the heavens, reaching the Trinity, wherever they were. Truth be told, I did not know how to stop praying despite having stopped believing a long time ago.
Leaving Baylis’s room, I ascended the long, winding staircase to Tharan’s study. The ancient tree whirled with magic and a renewed sense of hope I had not felt before, as if waking when Tharan became the Alder King. All around me, new growth sprouted from the walls, healing the fire damage.
Dark wood paneling covered the walls of the study, and candles scattered the massive bookshelves, creating a cozy atmosphere. While outside fat snowflakes fell lazily.
With his burgundy hair tied back in a low bun, Tharan hunched over the schematics of Ryft’s Edge, a cigarette between his lips, and two wolves sleeping at his feet.
“Some added protection?” I said, glancing at the dogs.
Tharan gave me his signature smile, eyes sparkling with delight. “They are dire wolf pups. I had always wanted a pair of my own, but my father never wanted to spare any.” He scratched one wolf behind the ear. “Winter and Frost. The white one is Winter, and the one with the blue tint is Frost.”
Winter nudged me for pets. I obliged, sitting cross-legged on the floor, rubbing her belly.
“They’re so sweet. Amolie would love them. You should show them to her. She’s great with animals.” A genuine smile crossed my face for the first time since the revelry.
“You’re going to make them soft if you keep coddling them,” Tharan said, tossing hunks of meat to each wolf.
“No, I’m not.” I laughed as Frost licked my face. “My sister had two shepherds. But they were as black as night. Luna and Melvin. ”
Tharan arched his brow. “What kind of name is Melvin for a dog?”
I shrugged. “She was twelve when she got them. I guess Melvin sounded like a good name to her.”
“I have not been a child in nearly a millennium; I guess that makes sense.” He shrugged. “Why don’t you come here and tell me about the Highlands?” He pulled me to my feet.
I stared at the map. “The Highlands are flanked by mountains on the northern edge of the territory and the sea on its eastern shore. They were prosperous even before they allied with the elves. The alliance, however, made them wealthier than any other human kingdom in Moriana.”
Tharan ran his hand over the mountain range on the map. “They mine the other side of the Chayne Mountains.”
I nodded. “Yes, they mine the ore that makes iron and steel. Every blade in Moriana originated in the Highlands. It’s dirty and dangerous, but the payoff is worth every lost life.”
“Charming,” Tharan said, examining his blade. Sylphs used obsidian in place of steel or iron in their weaponry. “And what of the people?”
“The classes of the Highlands are divided, with a few ruling houses pulling rank over the rest of the kingdom. Gideon rules with an iron fist over all of them. Though, you’d never know it from the outside. His brutality is unmatched. Many residents live in squalor on the outskirts of the city. The lowest ranking class, the servants, have their tongues mutilated at birth, so they cannot sell the secrets of the palace.”
Tharan shut his eyes in disgust. “Barbarians.”
“The Highlands are both beautiful and brutal. Some say the beauty of the land makes the men cruel.”
“What do you think?” Tharan set his cigarette into an ashtray.
I picked at my nails nervously. “I think thousands of years of brutality breeds a certain type of man. ”
He nodded decisively. “I agree. Now tell me what your plan is.”
In front of us lay a large schematic of the castle at Ryft’s Edge. A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of it.
I pointed to the Chayne Mountains. “There is one path through the mountains. They call it the Ryft. Half guarded by the Stone Kingdom armies; the other half guarded by the Highland armies. The center of the land trades between the three human kingdoms. Without it, everything must be shipped in via the sea or through the Bog of Eternal Suffering, and no one dares to venture there.”
“How are we going to get in?” he asked.
“We can either cross the mountains on foot, come in through the sea, or…”
Tharan groaned. “The bog?”
“The bog.”
I ran my fingers over the Ryft on the map. “I think we can avoid it. We’ll need to be glamoured to make it through the Ryft, but I think we can make it.”
“I’ll call for the spell weaver.” He rang a bell, and a satyr entered the room. “Send for Elrida.”
“Right away, your majesty.” The satyr bowed and left.
I continued telling Tharan about the Highlands’ customs until we heard a knock at the door.
“Enter,” Tharan said in his royal voice.
Hunching as she walked, her weight supported by a thick hickory cane, the elderly sylph bowed as best she could. “You called for me, your majesty.”
“Take a seat, Elrida.”
The ancient woman slowly lowered herself into a plush chair. “How can I be of service?”
“We’ll need two glamours. Human ones. A married couple. Have the scribe draw up marriage documents as well. You know how humans love their bureaucracy.”
“Of course, my king. I will get to work on weaving something right away.” Elrida hobbled to the door. “Don’t fall in love with each other now.”
Tharan gave her a knowing look. “We’re just friends, Elrida. I appreciate the concern, though.”
Elrida winked at me before slipping back through the carved doors.
“Now, where were we?” Tharan said, scanning the maps and rubbing his palms on his green vest.
“We’ll go in through the sewers.” I pointed to the entrance points around the city. “Best to do it at night when no one is watching. Then, we’ll work our way to this passage under the castle. It’s used by servants to transport goods without being seen by royalty. The royals hate seeing servants, so they keep them hidden as much as possible. We can take one of these doors into the main castle. Erissa’s room is here.” I pointed to Erissa’s chambers on the map.
Tharan nodded. “Easy enough.”
“We’ll also need servants’ clothes to blend in while we’re in the tunnels.”
Tharan bit his lip, lost in thought. “Can you draw something up for the palace tailor?”
“That won’t be a problem. The servants also use hand signals to speak. I know the language, so let me do the talking.”
Tharan signed. “Like this?”
I smiled, blinking rapidly. “Of course, you know sign language.”
“I’m seven hundred years old. You don’t think I’ve been bored enough to learn sign language?”
“I’m thirty, and I will never live to be the age you are now. I don’t know what immortality is like.”
Tharan shrugged. “Well, I know sign language. ”
“Great, then we should be fine. Just some humans scouring the sewers, looking for an amulet with a soul inside. What could go wrong?” A flicker of my old self sprung to life.
“You’ll be with the Alder King. I’ll keep you safe.” The heat from his arm around my shoulder lit a fire underneath my skin. I breathed in deeply, trying to keep my arousal concealed. “The stable master will bring up a cart for Arion to pull. We’ll look like farmers selling our goods.
“Are you excited about this?” I asked, my hands on my hips, the same way my mother would stand after I did something stupid. Tharan had never been a normal citizen before. He had always been a prince and now a king. Being normal might be fun for him.
“Kind of.” He shrugged, giving me a mischievous smirk. “I have spent little time in the mortal lands. When you’re as old as I am, things like this excite you.”
“Don’t set your expectations too high.” I patted Winter before heading out.