Page 90 of The Princess and Her Grand King

Before the pain, before the deaths. Before life had dealt them all a hard blow.

Just like old times.

***

The arrows made impact. Mistress Sinai had heard the telltale gasp.

Tucking the bow and arrows securely away, Sinai wasalmostgiddy with excitement as she slipped through the dark garden, searching for her fallen prey. Almost.

She could feel the trickle of blood staining her chin.

Ukrae in hell, how did that little human know how to throw an arrow with such precision, in the dead of night, without a bow,and still strike true?

“I vastly underestimated her,” Sinai grumbled as she prowled between rows of plants, scanning the shadows. “Good thing I shot three at once. At least one was bound to hit her.”

Sinai would be the first to admit she was a bit hot-tempered and maybe just a little impulsive, but when it came to committing crimes, she was nothing short of highly careful. Highly, painstakingly meticulous.

At over two thousand years old, this was far from her first offense. Or her tenth, really.

When it came to murder, she always made sure to leave no trace. No link whatsoever back to her.

But as time dragged on and Sinai failed to locate Emeriel's body, her initial thrill began to fade.Where is she?

She wanted to see the human princess sprawled across the ground, vulnerable and defeated.

Sheneededto stand over her and gloat over her victory. To deliver a final blow before leaving her to die shamefully, like the slut she was.Where the hell was she, damn it?

The sound of faint footprints broke the silence.Ah, there you are.

“Yes!” Following the trail through patches of soil and broken leaves, Sinai came up to the point where it turned to crawling marks.

“You really wanted to escape that badly, didn’t you? Too bad. ” She laughed, enjoying the show.

"Why didn't I do this sooner?" she mused aloud. "Now you aren’t so smug, are you? All that bravado, and yet here we are.

Sinai followed the blood trail, walking unhurried. As she turned the final corner, her voice lifted into a sing-song mockery.

"And… there… she… is…"

She faltered mid-note.

Her smug expression vanished.

There was no body.

Just blood smeared across the grass and stone, and an empty stretch of garden.

Sinai growled, her eyes darting around wildly. She must have overlooked something.

But there was nothing.

No collapsed figure. No unconscious form. No lifeless body to claim her victory over.Just silence.

Not this nonsense again! Where the hell is—

“The human princess was shot!” a frantic voice shouted from beyond the garden walls, louder than an alarm bell.

Shit, shit.

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