Page 82 of A Bond in Blood

Ulrich held his head high, motioning for me to follow. Still irritatingly silent.

I shuffled my feet, keeping a few paces behind him while we walked through his quiet palace. The booming of music was not shaking the walls like they had each evening.

We climbed the stairs and when we reached the long hallway with the library doors at the end, I stopped.

“Answer my question,” I demanded.

Shadows ran past my feet, climbing the walls around me and Ulrich grinned. “I’m the king. Answers will not be demanded of me.”

“Then I’m not following,” I replied.

“Are we about to have another delicious battle?” Ulrich laughed. “Did the last one not fulfill your needs for violence?”

My mouth opened in shock. “I’m not the violent one!” I protested.

Ulrich’s head threw back with his next laugh. “You tried to kill me for over a month and repeatedly attacked me. Yet you claimnot to be violent.” He turned on his heel heading back down the halls with his shadows running beside him. “You may want to consider some self-reflection,Ursa,” he yelled out behind his shoulder.

I stood at the end of the hall, staring at him in disbelief.

“Come, Brenna,” his voice called down the hall.

I held my firm stance, determined to best him in this new battle. Hands shoved against my back, throwing me forward.

“Come now,” Olen whispered. “Don’t anger his grace.”

I wiggled away from Olen, grumbling while I stomped down the halls. Like the child they were both determined to believe I was.

Ulrich waited at the library doors, holding them open with a fire in his eyes. I passed him, turning to sit on one of the few chairs in the room, but he cleared his throat.

“To the back of the library, please.”

He hissed out the last word with something knowing on his tongue. My stomach dropped. Had he found my letters? The small pile I was collecting at the bottom of my trunk?

My hands trembled while I followed him with Olen close at my heels. We wove through the tall shelves until the table I spent most days at came into view.

Ulrich stepped forward, circling the table and picking up a few of the ink-stained maps.

“Who taught you cartography?” he asked, studying my scribblings.

I was shocked. Sure the king had found my hidden secret, but instead he was admiring the rough pieces I worked on at random.

“My tutors,” I replied quietly.

Ulrich held up the map in his hands. The map I’d been drawing of his city.

“This isn’t half-bad for a pampered princess.”

I bit my tongue, forcing myself not to fight back.

“I have a project for you,” he announced as he approached me.

“What?” I replied, blinking when I found him before me, his chest nearly touching mine.

He smiled down at me. “Do you want to continue following Olen around, claiming my deals? Or would you like to take me up on my offer?”

“I get one hour each day to swim—alone,” I responded foolishly.

Ulrich stepped back and Olen let out a laugh behind me.

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