Gunter was dressed in black leather from head to toe. His hair was wild, his hands dirty, and his face menacing. I did not know what to make of him or his sudden reappearance. I hadn’t known Gunter knew to look for me here. Or why he would.
“I’ll scream,” I threatened. “The guards will rush in. You’ll be outnumbered.”
He glanced at Shiksa who had moved to the edge of the bed, her coat bristled and her ears perked. “I am already outnumbered.”
“Why are you here, Gunter Creshnika? How did you find me?”
His gaze moved back to mine. “It is not a secret you are here. The entire realm is talking about the Lost Princess found at last.”
“Not here in Sarasonet,” I growled. “I mean here.” I swung my free arm toward the bed. “In this room?”
“Oh.” He smiled at me. “That is not a secret either.”
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my frantic nerves. “Did my uncle pay you then? How much is the reward for assassinating me? How much am I worth?”
His smile disappeared. “Quite a lot, I’m afraid. The bounty for your head is the highest I have ever seen.”
Dread punched through me. I had not thought to be afraid of assassins yet.
“So, you are here to kill me. Truly?”
“Tess,” he said instead. “If I meant to kill you, you would have been dead long ago. It was obvious enough. My people knew who you were the second they saw you. Arrick’s army wasn’t quite as fast, but they never are.”
I stared at him, my sword wavering. “Wait, are you telling me you knew who I was from Tenovia? You knew I was a princess?”
He clicked his tongue. “Not just any princess, Tessana Allisand. The princess. And I knew before we ever stood face to face. Before I ever laid eyes on you. It was only confirmed when we met.”
“But… but how?”
“Arrick Westnovian of course. He sent a rider asking a simple enough favor of me. We have contacts all over the realm, you see. Word travels quickly when you are a Cavolian. Arrick asked me to check your story, find out if a girl and a novice monk had left a monastery en route for Elysia. So I did exactly that. I found out the truth. Your Brotherhood might not speak, but the villages in the Rolling Hills of Gane do not shut up. But by the time we caught up with you in Tenovia, Arrick already had his truth.”
I took a deep breath and caught the scent of those exotic Cavolian spices that had somehow infiltrated my dream the other night. My gaze sharpened and a new sense of distrust spiraled through me.
“You have still not answered my question. Why are you here? Now? Arrick knows very well where I am.”
He shook his head slowly, as if surprised that I hadn’t put all these pieces together myself. “That is exactly why. While Arrick cannot be here, I must. Someone has to protect the princess.”
“You’re here to protect me?”
He shrugged. “Another favor for Arrick. I like collecting them. It will serve me well one day.”
“Where is he? Why can’t he be here himself?”
Gunter, sensing that whatever threat I posed had passed, walked to the fire and turned his back on me. “I cannot say.”
I found that my sword had dropped to my side without my permission. Apparently, I no longer believed Gunter to be a danger. “Cannot or will not?”
He glanced back at me. “Both.”
I made a sound in the back of my throat. “Who are you protecting me from then? Have there been many assassins lurking outside the palace tonight?”
He reached out to the fire, letting his hands hover in the warmth. “It is not always the assassin from without that we need to worry about.”
“Now that is something I already know. There are plenty within this palace that would love to have my head. How will you protect me from those?”
Gunter spun around, anger radiating off him. I had offended his sense of duty. “In the very short time you have made yourself known you have managed to collect a great number of enemies, Princess. I will do my best to protect you from those that I can see. But you must do your part as well. There are those I cannot see. There are those that can reach you before I can. You are not helpless. Or rather, you cannot be helpless. Understand what you have done in making your identity known and the price you must pay for the kingdom you want to rule.”
I huffed. “I am prepared. Do not doubt me.”
His gaze flickered to my sword. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
A tense silence stretched between us. Not knowing what else to say, I asked, “Will you be out there every night, then?”
He nodded. “As long as you remain in residence. Unless I am called elsewhere.”
I supposed that was as much as I could ask of him. I didn’t know Gunter and I most certainly didn’t trust him, but I could not deny that I felt safer with him keeping watch from the balcony.
“Thank you,” I told him. “For looking out for me.”
“Like I said, it is only a favor for Arrick.” He dipped his head. “I should thank you as well.”
“For what?”
“For returning to Elysia. For bringing the Crown of Nine with you. For being brave enough to face Conandra.”
I couldn’t find words to reply. I didn’t know what to think about Gunter’s gratitude, or if I deserved it. “We shall see where it gets me,” I finally admitted. “I might spend the rest of my life in prison.”
“They will believe you,” he answered quickly. “They already believe you.”
I watched him for a long moment before I asked, “How do you know?”
His smile was full of mischief and charm. “Because so many people want you dead. If you were an imposter nobody would care whether you lived or
