Page 61 of Bloodguard

“I want control of the games,” I say, my voice stern and unyielding. He drops his hand, and I continue, “I want to return to the days where opponents could actually walk out of the arena alive—”

Soro paces to the chair and then back, fists balled. “No,” he says. “That’s the one thing I have in this bloody place that’s all mine.” He points to himself. “I make the games what they are. Vitor handles the betting side, but the obstacles, the genius behind each challenge—they come fromme.” Soro shakes his head. “Why do you think Vitor hasn’t encouraged you to marry?”

The abrupt question stops me cold.

“Your birthday is fast approaching,” he says. “You’ll be of age at twenty-one. You’ve only to marry a royal, and the crown will pass to you…”

Where is Soro going with this?

“Why do you think there are no other noble houses offering up an eligible spouse for you to marry, Maeve?”

Because of you, I want to say, but I hold the words back.

“Do you thinkIinfluenced them?” He chuckles. “Well, maybe a little. But more so, Vitor held that honor. Why do you think he did that? Because he values you so much that he’s focused on your happiness and truly finding the best husband for his dearest princess?” Soro snorts. “Don’t kid yourself. Vitor only remains regent and retains power if you fail to marry.”

I suck in a breath.Oh, Vitor…

“My father will never be king, Maeve. He knows it. It’s why he doesn’t openly praise you even when you’re right, even when you exhibit the sort of critical thinking and leadership skills expected of a queen. He doesn’t want to empower you because in doing so, he loses the power he steals from you.”

It’s a truth I’ve long seen and suspected, but I never expected to hear it out of Soro’s mouth.

My “uncle” often supports me and exhibits fairness, but I’d be a fool to think him wholly benevolent. Vitor serves Arrow and himself above all things.

Soro levels his gaze. “My father will accept me as your king because through our marriage, he thinks he’ll still be in control.”

It’s true. Vitor doesn’t respect his son, and he treats me like I’m still thirteen. It’s not a leap to assume he intends to rule through us. Forus, so to speak.

If I’m to reclaim my rightful throne, I must stop conflating the uncle who taught me to fight and trained me in military strategy, the elf who carried me on his shoulders and read me stories, with the regent who is blocking me from my destiny.

Vitor loves me, I know, and he loved my grandmother so much that I often wondered at his relationship with the queen. He never left Grandmother’s side after—

“Soro, what really happened the night of the fire?”

“The fuck, Maeve?” His eyes narrow, and his body tenses.

Is he rearing to hit me? I shift my stance, ready to block or counterattack if necessary. My right hand slides to the hilt of my sword again. “You know so much about everything. Tell me what happened.”

I’m not stupid. The two people who have benefited the most in the wake of my grandmother’s demise are Vitor and Soro.

They have motive. They have means.

They convicted and imprisoned my father.

And I…I have no memories of anything that night.

Soro’s caught off guard. Why? He lived in the castle with us when it happened. He flicks a loose yellow gem free from his hair. “You actually don’t remember?”

As the gem skids to a stop at my feet, a lump forms in my throat, threatening to choke me if I don’t swallow down my fear. I asked for this. Why am I so afraid?

“There was a candle on the bedside table. It toppled over, but it’s not known how. Its fire caught on the canopy of the bed you were sleeping in with the queen.”

By some blessing of the stars, I keep my face neutral. I’ve heard this story countless times. It’s the same shit I heard from Vitor and even my own father. Except…I hadn’t slept with Grandmother in years. Why would I do so as a grown woman?

“The smoke rendered you unconscious.”

That much, Idobelieve. I coughed for weeks afterward. No number of elixirs or potions could clear my lungs completely. Because I was unconscious from the smoke, I have no memories of the fire or its immediate aftermath. I’m lucky to have survived, I know.

“Avianna tried to gather you in her arms,” Soro says. “But she’d also inhaled a great deal of smoke and wasn’t moving well or thinking clearly. From what Vitor says, Andres wrenched you from her arms but left her there to burn.”

---