Page 43 of A Curse of Breath and Blood (The Mind Breaker #1)
42 AELIA
The cottage Tharan arranged for us exuded coziness, furnished with well-worn pieces, a crackling fire, and candles flickering in the windows.
Tharan laid the castle map onto the little oak table. Cigarette in hand, his toe tapped the floor nervously.
I examined the servants’ clothes—a simple white linen smock with a thick collar made of solid gold.
“What are you doing?” Tharan asked, an eyebrow raised.
“These are too clean. Servants wear the same frock until it rips from the collar.” Taking soot from the fire, I smudged it on the uniforms. “There, that’s better. They still look new, but at least they look a little more lived in.”
“Smart,” Tharan said, rubbing his chin with his hand.
“Not just a pretty face.” I gave him a girlish smile.
“No, you certainly are not.” Tharan’s eyes raked over my body.
“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but you better get your head out of the gutter until we finish the task ahead.”
“Oh, you do not want to know what I am thinking.”
Heat bloomed in my chest, and pink dappled my cheeks. “You men are all the same. Whether magus or human. You all think about one thing.”
“It’s hard not to when you’re dressed so… seductively.”
I looked down at the thick knitted sweater and skirt, making me look like a box. “Shut up.”
A freezing rain pelted the little cabin with all the might the Trinity had given it. Tharan held me close as we listened to the hail hammer above.
“Do you think this roof will hold?” I asked, pulling Tharan’s heavy arms tighter around me.
“It’ll be fine,” he murmured in his sleep.
“Glad someone can sleep tonight.” In Tharan’s comforting embrace, I found solace and safety. Nothing could touch me here.
Tomorrow would be a different story. Tomorrow, I would face my fears and enter the domain of my mortal enemy.The thought of facing Gideon, of seeing my gilded prison, made my brain scream for dust, but I would not feed it. I was stronger than my demons now.
Releasing a long breath, I reached for the clove cigarettes next to the bed.
Letting the smoke calm my nerves, I imagined a life where Tharan and I lived in this tiny cottage, selling apples for a living. What must it be like to live such a simple life?
‘ Are you going to take me tomorrow? ’ the voice of the Morrigan whispered in my ear.
“Oh, you again? When are you going to leave me alone?” I whispered into the night.
‘ When you prick your finger and take control of my legions. ’
I blew out a smoke ring. “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want my life force sucked out of me. ”
‘ You are immortal. There is unlimited life to suck. ’
“I’m half sylph, and even full sylphs don’t live forever.”
‘ Oh, you are much more, my dear. I know what power lies inside you. It is primordial, as mine is. ’
“I’m not risking it.”
‘ Tomorrow, you will enter the domain of the one they call Erissa. Long ago, I knew her by another name. ’
“She’s ancient. Of course, you knew her by another name.”
‘ Wouldn’t you like to know who she was before she came to the Highlands? An elven mage would never deign to serve a human king unless… ’
“Unless what?”
‘ Unless she was running from something. ’
I arched my brow. “Alright, I’m intrigued. Go on.”
The Morrigan clicked her ghostly tongue at me. ‘ Not until you prick your finger. ’
“I’ll think about it.” I took another puff from the cigarette.
The Morrigan did not respond.
“Goodnight,” I said into the darkness.
The next morning, we explored the city, finding the sewer entrance.
“We’ll go in here. Then we’ll make our way into the castle.”
Tharan nodded. “Can’t wait. If my subjects could see me now, crawling through the mud, invading a human castle.”
“Don’t forget the shit. There’s shit in the sewers too.”
“Lovely. Let’s eat before I lose my appetite.”
We made our way to the market district, where farmers, like the ones we were pretending to be, sold their goods and where my favorite tavern happened to be located. The Drunken Pug, so named for the pugs Gideon’s mother kept, provided drinks and food for commoners and travelers alike. Dark corners and hidden alcoves made the tavern a haven for those seeking discretion.
We took a seat at a secluded booth in the back. The old barmaid, Berta, greeted us. Her hair was more silver than I remembered. The effects of a hard life etched across her harsh face.
“Be right there!” she said in a gritty voice.
“Charming little spot,” Tharan said, eying the cobwebs and layer of grease on the table.
Rubbing my hands on the worn wooden table, I felt safe here. “This is where queens go when they don’t want to be spotted. The best shepherd’s pie in Ryft’s Edge.”
Berta came over, greeting us with a cold smile. “What’ll it be?”
“Two shepherd’s pies and two ciders, please,” I said, slapping two silver coins on the table.
Without so much as a glance at us, Berta collected the coins, nodding as she returned to the bar. “I’ll get the ciders.”
“So, this is the kind of place you haunt?” Tharan asked after Berta left.
“A far cry from the hallowed halls of the Alder Palace, I know.”I surveyed my old haunt, the dingy mirrors, the cobwebbed corners—not much had changed in five years. The smell of stale ale and baking bread overwhelmed my senses. “Taverns like this are where I learned how the world worked. I’d listen for conversations I could use to my advantage.”
“Using your…” He tapped his head.
I shrugged. “You’d be amazed at how much information people give away freely.”
Berta arrived with the ciders. We thanked her and clinked our glasses together.
“To friendship,” Tharan said with a wink.
I pushed my mug into his. “To friendship. ”
The sound of the bell on the door rang, breaking my nostalgic moment. Two large figures entered, taking seats at the bar.
I froze.
Tharan sat up straight. “What is it?”
I tapped my head and opened a line of communication between us.
Remus and Ramus. The Twins. My tormentors. They work for Erissa.
‘ Is there a way out of here without them seeing you? ’
Maybe through the kitchen?
My heart pounded in my chest. Any second, they could turn around and see me.
‘ I’ll distract them. You run out of the kitchen. ’
Tharan chugged his cider, making sure to spill some on himself, and stumbled over to where the twins sat at the bar drinking their ale. I crouched low in the dark.
Tharan swung his arms around the men’s broad shoulders. “Hello, boys. How about a ride on my cock? Or perhaps I could take a ride on yours?”
“What did you say to us?” The twins’ beady eyes turned red.
Tharan seductively brushed his hair out of his face. “I said, do you want to fuck me?”
The scraping of stools on wood rang in my ears as I made my way through a maze of chairs toward the light of the kitchen, trying my best to walk on air.
“Look, we ain’t like that.”Remus’s northern accent made it nearly impossible to decipher his words.
“Aww, but you two would be so much fun to play with.” A mischievous twinkle glimmered in Tharan’s eyes. “You know what they say. Two is better than one.” A sly smile crossed his face just as Remus swung at him.
I ducked into the kitchen, surprising the cook, who almost dropped a soup pot on my head .
“Sorry.” I gave him a genuine smile. “Exit?”
The cook nodded to the door behind him, and I ran for it.
A crowd formed around the tavern as Tharan and the twins brawled.
Berta’s booming voice bellowed over the noise, “Enough! All of you… out! ”
Tharan flew out the front door, landing in a snowbank near a farmer selling hogs.
The twins stumbled out after him, Remus holding his hand to his eye, Ramus limping.
I bit my lip as Tharan got to his feet, slinking away from the scene. Waiting until the twins were out of sight, I dashed through the alley after him.
“Are you alright?” I asked, pulling his arm over my shoulder. I wouldn’t be of much help, but I could try.
Tharan gave me a wink, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“Faker,” I said, pushing his chest.
“Ow, I’m hurt, and this is how you treat me?” He couldn’t hide his smile.
I shook my head. “You’ll be the death of me.”
He shook his head. “It’s the other way ’round. You will be the death of me.”