Page 109 of Bloodguard

My first kill. I think I ought to feel worse about it.

Two halves of the shopkeeper land at my feet, but it offers me little satisfaction. He got off a lot easier than he deserved. Breathing deep, I stomp back toward the entrance and snag my cloak, draping it over myself to cover my bloodstained shirt.

When I reach the front door, Toso right behind, I kick it open, blood-slicked sword in one hand and Dahlia’s doll in the other. It’s only by luck that the streets are empty.

“Princess?” a familiar voice asks.

Or not.

I don’t notice Uni right away. His old brown shirt and breeches blend into the siding of the house he stands before. He pulls his baby girl in a wagon and uses his free arm to carry a stack of firewood he must have just purchased, given he’s so far from his neighborhood.

“Princess?” he says again.

I swallow hard. That title hurts me now. Princesses do better by their people.

As queen, my first task will be freeing Papa. The second, ending the combat in the arena. And every task that follows will involve seeing to those who need me and protecting them from the likes of that shifter lying dead on the floor of the shop.

My steps feel heavy as I walk toward him. “Uni, will you help me with something?”

He drops his pile of wood and looks from his child to me. “You saved my little girl. I’ll do anything for you, Princess.”

My eyes sting. Yes, he would.

“I want you to bring everyone who’s in need to this store. Take whatever you want. Food, jewelry, gold—anything—oh, but first close the door to the aviary so no one sees the dead body. Will you do that for me, Uni?”

His eye sweeps down to look at his daughter. His sweet baby is wrapped in the towels I used to bathe her the day she was born. They don’t have much. Today, they’ll have more, as will everyone Uni brings here.

“Are you sure, Princess?”

“Yes,” I tell him. “Just two stipulations. One, you didn’t see me.”

He nods. “What’s the other?”

I take another look at that building that made its fortune in lies. “When the shop is cleared and everyone’s gone, burn it to the ground.”

chapter 40

Maeve

My hands continue to shake as I ride through town.

Dead. Leith’s entire family is dead.

Good stars, how am I going to tell him?

The painful thud in my chest grows more pronounced as I remember that Leith is right now trying to secure a crew to bring his family home.

He risked his life traveling to Tunder. He’s risked his life in the arena countless times. Everything he’s done is for his family.

My stomach clenches. My heartaches.

“Great phoenix.” I breathe in and out, blinking back tears. I bring Knight to a stop in front of a fountain and wipe my face on my cloak. This is an area of town with quaint little shops where one can buy fabric or candles, herbs or books. I dismount, and Toso peeks out from his bag. I tie the reins over a post. “Stay here with Knight, will you?” I ask him.

He nods, his large eyes fraught with sadness.

“Princess!” Ula hurries out before I make it to the front stoop of her shop. She’s a stunning troll, her silver skin sparkling and her carrot-orange hair spilling past her apron. Her bookshop is a safe bet for where to find Father and Neela spending the afternoon. “It’s so good to see you. Thank you for helping Obert.”

Her husband is one of the miners I treated following a cave-in. “How is he?” I ask.

---