Page 187 of Bloodguard

Hell, yeah, I did.

Pega, Luther,andGunther made it. The two gladiators gape at me, dumbstruck.

Not Gunther. He always believed in me.

“Bloodguard! Bloodguard!” he chants along with the crowd and leaps off the crate, expecting me to catch him. Which, of course, I do.

My friends jump down beside us, Luther lowering Pega to the ground. She holds out her arms, and Gunther wriggles free to throw himself into them. Luther claps me on the back, and I hug him in retaliation.

“It over!” he bellows. “Blood guard! BLOOD! GUARD!”

“BLOODGUARD!” Gunther joins in, jumping and shouting beside a misty-eyed Pega. “BLOOD! GUARD! BLOOD! GUARD! BLOOD! GUARD!”

Holy fucking shit.

It’s really over.All the mind games, the pain, the injuries, the starving—the not fucking knowing if when that horn blasted, it would be the last time I’d hear it.

Five horns blast in a row now. Five horns to announce the new Bloodguard. I raise my arms and roar. I did it. Ifuckingdid it.

Three swishing sounds in quick succession have me whirling. I move on instinct, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. I knock away one arrow and catch another.

A wave of gasps and screams comes from all sides of the arena. I toss the arrow at my feet and look up to where horror blanches Maeve’s face, her hands lifting to cover her mouth and hold back a scream.

Next to them, Soro stands, bow in hand. “You think you won, gladiator?” he says. “You aredeadwrong.”

Dread fills my chest to the point I can’t breathe.

Soro shot three arrows.

I only defended against two.

Time is a horrible thing, slowing down so I don’t miss a damn detail, like Pega’s bright, bloodstained hair fluttering in the wind, and Luther’s stricken face…and Gunther’s unmoving body.

The arrow I failed to catch punctured straight through his heart.

He was an easy kill. Mostly starved, there was no muscle to shield him—just small, frail bones that never had the opportunity to grow.

He lies quietly, his head against Pega’s lap as he stares up at the sky.

She smooths her hand across Gunther’s brow, showing him the kindness he was forso longdenied.

I collapse on my knees beside him.

He smiles when he sees me, opening his palm to show me the bent nail, his sole weapon against the monsters.

I cover his hand with mine, willing my strength,my lifeinto him.

But I don’t have that kind of magic. I’m only human, after all.

Pega openly sobs. “Soro aimed that arrow at me, Leith.” She points accusingly at herself. “It was meant forme. Gunther stepped in the way.”

“I f-f-f-ight,” Gunther says. It’s then he weeps. “I po-tect.”

They are his last words.

Rage fills me and boils over. “Go,” I tell them.

Luther starts to speak, but I don’t give him the chance. “Go,” I growl.

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