Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

Author:Sara Wolf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: high fantasy;enemies;love/hate relationship;courtly intrigue;prince;royalty;forbidden romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-06-10T16:00:00+00:00

9

Monsters

of us All

Verdance Day looms, closer on the fire-calendar with every sunrise. I struggle to swallow my impending panic attack each time I look at it. Ten days. That’s all that stands between me and the end of everything.

The prince’s hunts, thankfully, don’t last ten days. They last exactly three, according to Y’shennria—one for travel to the suspected area, one for the hunt itself, and one day for the ride back. He prefers to kill witches in their animal shapes. But of course he would. They look too human otherwise. Thinking about him doing such a thing sends waves of nausea through me. How did I ever hold a civil conversation with him—with a murderer? But the hunger taunts me; I’m no better. I’m also a murderer, though I’m sure my body count is much lower. How can he care so much for the poor of his nation and yet ruthlessly hunt witches? How many has he killed? I try to put myself in his shoes, perhaps uselessly; if my mother and father’s killers were still out there, would I ever rest? Or would I hunt every bandit I could get my hands on until I found the ones who killed them?

If Nightsinger hadn’t brought me the bandits themselves, would I be consumed with as much revenge as Prince Lucien?

Yes.

Undoubtedly, truly, clearly—yes.

Maeve wakes me the next day to a breakfast of chocolate drink and spiced buns. My morbid thoughts are thankfully dulled by the precise ritual of makeup and dresses. She helps me squeeze into a sensible sage-green dress. I remember the note from Lucien suddenly, and rummage in the pockets of last night’s dress before Maeve takes it away for cleaning.

Tomorrow night, nine half, at the Tiger’s Eye Pub. You can have a portion of my time there, blackmailer.

I find Y’shennria on the balcony of her master bedroom, nursing a cup of tea and a book, her lavender dress robe casual and her voluminous tufts of hair left to shine freely in the afternoon sun. It’s the most informal I’ve seen her. She looks startled as I come in, reaching for a starched jacket.

“Did you barge into my room unannounced for any particular reason?” I show her the note, and she quirks a brow. “In the city? Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” I set my fists on my hips. “There are a dozen dark alleys I could take his heart in.”

“I can’t guarantee your safety outside the noble quarter. Or your escape in one piece. You aren’t strong enough to lift his body in secret all the way back here. You’d take his heart, come back to the manor, put it in the jar, and then what?”

“Lead Fisher to Lucien’s body,” I insist. “And then we put it in the carriage and leave, back to the Bone Road, back to Nightsinger.”

“You think it will be that easy? Any lawguard’s wandering eye blows that plan to smithereens.”

“You’ve taught me how to be seen,” I say slowly. “But I taught myself how to go unseen.

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