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EXCERPT

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There was only one thing Alec Kladivo did not like about his job, and that was The Display.

The whole ordeal served to remind him—and likely everyone else—of their unfortunate situation. Each and every one of them, a prisoner to the Sector, himself included. When Ravagers overtook the world, the Othala Witches had created the Sectors for their protection, but that didn't change that no one could leave.

It didn't change how many people would die to keep the Ravagers out.

Killing the Ravagers never bothered him, but he hated the sound of a Doomed Queen screaming.

The Doomed Queen.

That was how the citizens referred to the women chosen for the Display. He couldn't blame them. But they knew as well as he that this needed to be done. Their entire existence depended on it.

He shook away the unease. Dvorak did what he needed to protect their Sector, the same as Alec had done what was necessary to protect his family and his village. That was how he ended up here in the first place, and that was why he would always honor his duty. At least at this post, he could keep his distance until his services were needed at the end of the ceremony.

Alec scanned the crowd to ensure no citizens rebelled the parade. It rarely happened. The citizens wanted this, wanted to be safe, knew their safety came at a price. Every now and then, however, there was someone, and it was his job to restore the peace.

Everything seemed in order. Some bystanders watched the parade from a safe distance, while others went about their daily business. The girl who had just bought the runestone at the Regent's dispensary was still here, too.

Alec smirked, shaking his head. Clever and headstrong, but did she really think she could hide curves like those under the ratty garb of a beggar? He wasn't fooled. There was something about her that was unlike the other women in the Sector. Almost as if she wanted to go by unseen.

He licked his lips and pressed them together. She'd felt the same connection he had back at the dispensary. He knew it. Sensed it the moment she'd looked up at him, the face of an angel obscured by smears of dirt. And yet she'd walked away without even a second glance back in his direction.

After another quick scan of the crowd, he found his gaze gravitating back to her, the way her hips swayed when she walked. As she walked by a small child crying against his mother's skirt, she mussed at his hair. The boy peered up at her and smiled, but it was as though she didn't even notice she'd done it.

The sudden commotion made Alec's heart jump. What was going on over there? Someone had knocked over one of the vender's carts. Men cussed, women cleared away children, and the vender began to clear the mess.

He should keep an eye on things until it settled down, but the sway of the beggar girl's hips distracted him. In one of her tiny, thin-fingered hands, she now held a small piece of fruit that she hadn't held before.

There was no way a transaction had taken place that quickly. Alec groaned. Of all the people in the square to steal, why did it have to be her?

He shook his head. A lot was going on. He was probably just confused. He kept trying to reason with himself in this way...up until the old woman who owned the cart chased the girl down.

Alec had work to do. As cute as the girl might be, duty always came first.

Right now, his duty pointed him toward an old woman and the sexiest beggar he'd ever seen in all his years working for the Guard. He hated this. If his life had gone differently, he could have met the same fate as that beautiful young woman was about to face. Instead, his strength and bravery had afforded him this lot in life.

The law was absolute, though, and it appeared the beggar girl had stolen a piece of fruit. But that meant death, which made him pause. It wasn't as though he would be the one to carry out her punishment. He only need bring the girl in.

Constantine, Alec's comrade, stepped to Alec's side. "You see that?"

Alec nodded.

"Want me to handle it?" Constantine asked.

Alec clenched his jaw. This was outrageous. His hesitation nearly had him shown up by his best friend and second in command. Alec never skirted the rules. Never looked the other way. Never so much as paused before taking action. He wasn't about to let some peasant get under his skin. Why should he? Because she was pretty? Good looks did not change the facts. She needed to be collected.

Alec held out his hand to stave off his comrade.

"I'll see to it," he said coolly before storming off into the crowd.

He would not feel bad for a thief. Male, female, mother, child—it mattered not. He'd done what he needed not to be a beggar. It wasn't fortune. It was a choice. Anyone could choose the same or accept what life gave them.

He shouldered past those not wise enough to clear from his path. Within a few moments, he could close the distance, capture the girl, and head back toward the Guard with her in tow. If all went well, he would miss the actual Display, as he always tried to do. Afterward, he would be able to return in enough time to finish the ceremony, which would at least keep his comrades out of harm's way. No sense in more people dying than necessary.

With each step closer to pair of women, the pit in his stomach grew. This shouldn't bother him. This was his job. It was her—the thief—that had shaken him.

He pulled his sword from his scabbard and clenched the handle. If beauty that caused confliction to the beholder was enough to convict someone of sorcery, this woman would have a lot more than thievery to worry about.

The old woman and the beggar appeared to be in some kind of standoff. The merchant had the young woman by the wrists. The beggar's posture went rigid. Her face paled.

Guilt. Fear. He could practically smell it from here.

Her pleading expression scraped through his insides, but the approaching parade struck him back into line. Hooves of the Regent's horse clattered against cobblestone. Wheels on the Ravager's cage rattled. Sobs of the Doomed Queen and the clink of her chains edged closer.

Alec hastened his step. Get the girl. Take her to the Guard.

She would be their problem, on their conscience. Not his. He protected the Sector as a whole...not the single life of a criminal.

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