Page 62 of Blood of the Fairest

If the rest of my life is to be nothing but endless guilt for those moments, it is what I deserve.

Before dawn, two Isenmerian guards finally take their posts down the hall, noting aloud with little surprise that the guards before them slacked off. They make small chatter that I ignore until one of them eyes me with a wrinkle-nosed expression I see often in Isenmere.

"I cannot believe there are two northerners in the castle right now. What is this place coming to?"

The other guard shoves him quickly. Though he lowers his voice, I still hear.

"Do you have rocks for ears or something? How have you missed the rumors? Everyone's talking about the queen's new Favored—Grendel's Bane himself. You know, that great monster slayer from Nordhjem."

"Fuck. I didn't know. Even so, why's that northerner boy still here, being treated like a royal guest? If you ask me, the queen's been acting odd since the moment she rushed in to stop that whelp being executed along with the rest of his family."

She what?

I'm on my feet at once, approaching the guards who yelp and shrink back.

Dawn has not yet broken. I do not know how much time I have before Verena wakes, but since I plan to be her loyal dog every waking hour, this is the only time to learn more.

"Where is the boy?" I demand.

One of the guards hides behind the other, who stammers, "T-the guest quarters. Down by the kitchens near the lower courtyard!"

I'm unfamiliar with Isenmere Castle, but it doesn't take me long to find the quarters they spoke of. It's in a small wing of the castle, branching off from a large courtyard.

Walking down the hall, I knock softly on each wooden door. At the last one, I hear a sigh within the room.

"I won't let you force me to eat again, Mikkel. Go away."

The sound of Gunar's son's voice fills me with such relief that I rest my forehead against the door, sending a prayer of thanks to the great matron goddess, Eldrunia.

The handle is locked, so I knock again. "Hagen. It's me."

"Beowulf?"

Immediately, the lock turns and the door is thrown wide open.

Fierce blue eyes meet mine before the stripling puffs out his chest, standing taller. His soul-scent is a softer version of his father's bold citrus.

"Is the queen dead, then? I told her you would kill her for what she did to my family."

Verena did nothing to his family. But clearly, though she is not of this world, she managed to save Hagen's life.

Remembering that I repaid her for that kindness with broken fingers is enough to crush my lungs.

Stepping into the simple guest room Hagen is occupying, I close the door behind us and face him.

Gunar often told me his son looks up to me, but it cannot last. It is time he knows what I am, so he will stop idolizing me as a hero of our people.

Looking him in the eye, I square my shoulders. "Your father knew this, but now you must know. I am a cursed man."

"He told me that. I've never told anyone," Hagen adds quickly. "He also said your curse is not a cruel one, and it somehow saved his life many times. But he never explained it to me. What is your curse?"

Gunar was never a tight-lipped one, but I appreciate that he tried.

"It's not for you to know. But because of it…" I begin, looking away.

I notice the puddle ghost with strange hair is here, watching from the reflection of a mirror hung above the wash table. Saying anything to that silent observer will only confuse Hagen, who seemingly cannot see the lost soul.

"I have a keen sense of smell. So keen that I can perceive souls themselves," I go on, meeting Hagen's wide-eyed stare. "Each person I meet has a scent as unchanging as the Drachen Mountains."