Page 56 of Bloodguard

That punishment is tame compared to what Soro would do.

“It’s not a bribe, merely a gesture of appreciation. I’m the future queen, after all. Should I not know what spectacle will be hosted inmyarena?” I pull a third pouch of gold from beneath my cloak. “Such loyalty will be rewarded further when I rule.”

That’s not entirely true. If they can be bribed now, I should not expect them to be loyal to me in the future.

The two guards share another look.

I hold my ground and keep my chin high. My grandmother taught me to look and act the part of queen. And by the stars, I will.

The man finally snatches the gold and shoves it beneath his tunic. “We don’t know much, only that there’s something foul in there. We’ve never seen it, but I hear it from its cell. Its screams… They ain’t right, Princess. Never heard anything like it before, and by the phoenix I hope I never hafta again.”

That sounds…just awful. How does Soro sleep at night? I sigh. Probably with Aisling. “Thank you,” I say.

The next game will pose a problem. If even the arena guards don’t recognize this creature—and they’ve seen just about every monstrosity this continent has to offer—how am I to prepare Leith to fight it?

“General Soro has many battles planned,” the woman adds, giving the antechamber another cursory glance. “There will be a number of low-level games this week, mainly throwing the criminals in, letting them kill each other.” She pauses and smirks. “But that’s not who you care about, is it?”

I did make a spectacle of myself during Leith’s last match, but I don’t like what this guard is implying or how she thinks it’s acceptable to take such liberties by speaking this way to me.

I lift my chin higher. “I care aboutallof Arrow.” I look down my nose at her. “You should, too. If you are to be of any use to me.”

I level each of them with a cold stare and then stalk away.

Outwardly, I’m perfectly calm. But inside, I’m seething.

I keep my steps measured and my expression even. I’m done hiding. I’m finished with playing at niceties while innocent people like Sullivan die and gladiators like Leith suffer.

While my father rots in prison.

Iknowhe didn’t kill my grandmother, and though we’ve been down this road, now, more than ever, I must uncover the truth.

I stomp to the main hall, teeth gritted, and slam the doors open with my palms. When several heads turn upon my entrance, I pause and collect myself. The need for decorum drilled into me by my grandmother settles my features into a practiced, serene smile.

Servants dip into bows and curtsies. Others act like they neither saw nor heard me enter.

The castle is torn in its alliances. There are those who still treat me as the princess I am and others who stare through me as though I don’t exist.

But as the daughter of the Queen Killer, I’ve come to expect this.

They think me unworthy to rule because of the accusations against my papa. Some even whisper that he acted with the express purpose of stealing Queen Avianna’s throne for his beloved daughter. They are fools. They’re so eager to believe in the kind of treachery that they themselves would commit, they ignore the fact that Grandmother was already raising me to take her place someday. That there was no need to steal a throne soon to be willingly given. I know the politics and policies of this land. I’ve been training to lead Arrow my entire life, and nobody is going to stop me.

Chin high, I stride through the grand main hall with its vaulted ceiling and murals and tapestries lining the walls. The floor is a beautiful, polished onyx, with dark veins and swirling lines in the translucent stone. Giselle and I used to skip across it as children, hopping and racing from line to branching line to see who was faster.

A group of wizards is in the library. Dignitaries from other large city-states like Arrow stop to stare at me, not bothering to bow as I pass them. Some are Canvolish, others from Caelen’s birthplace of Tunder. They’ve known me for years. There was a time when they would’ve stopped and chatted with me. But they see me as powerless now, and therefore useless. No matter. They will come to regret this…change of heart.

Several enter the lounge where breakfast is being served, barely sparing me a second glance. Each of the thirteen halls in this part of the castle will be occupied by now or filling up soon with meetings ranging from festival planning to taxes to foreign treaties.

I wonder what Leith will think when he sees the undertakings of Arrow. Regardless of the efforts of me and my family, I think he believes that all royals laze about every day, eating and drinking and searching out our next form of entertainment.

I glide into hall four, one of the rooms reserved for military planning. I am not surprised to see Uncle Vitor. He smiles. By his side, General Tut stands stiffly at attention.

“Maeve,” Soro says, his voice as slick as an eel. “I was expecting you sooner.”

I am late because I rode into the city this morning with Giselle, Father, and a contingent of Caelen’s guards. Caelen may be a colonel of Arrow’s militia and first son of a high-ranking family, but his loyalty is first to me. And my sister. Their relationship is special…even if it can never be what they deserve.

“My apologies,” I say to Soro, not that I owe him one. I address the others present in this room. “Forgive me, esteemed council members.”

Vitor scoffs. “Shewashere sooner.Beforeshe went about her tasks in the city this morning. After she visited the new development Lord Jakeb has undertaken, dispensing clothes and food to those who just moved in.”

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