Fallen Grace (The Death Dealer Book 1) Read Free Page A

and venture into Glenbard. A young girl like you should be looking to buy pretty dresses, not hiding yourself in the forests.”
    She sighed. It had been so long since she was away from home. The last time she really ventured anywhere was just before her father’s death. Her father had been a lord and a well-respected knight in the halls of King Frederick. Some years past, her father died after being thrown from his horse. His neck was broken from the fall and he died instantly.
    As a woman, her mother was deemed unfit to take control of Arganis by Cesernan law, and therefore married her husband’s brother and allowed him to govern. Her mother became like a ghost. She barely left her room. She just sat there and lamented for her dear, dead husband.
    After her father’s death, Grace felt as though her life was a dream. Each day she wandered aimlessly around the castle in Arganis, not speaking or interacting with anyone. Her childhood friends and servants, Cassandra and Donald, were her touch with reality. They feared greatly that she was becoming a ghost like her mother.
    It wasn’t until Grace turned ten that she awoke from her dream, during a ride through the woods with Donald. He often took Grace out for long rides to see to it that she didn’t rot away in the castle amongst the memories of her father. On this particular ride, they came upon a young girl being bullied by some men. Donald scared them off, but Grace sat there, unable to do anything. She hadn’t so much as called for help. She realized then that her grief for her father had lasted too long, and she needed to help others whose grief was still near. Grace decided to be selfish no more.
    “ I shall take up the banner of our guardsmen,” she boasted proudly. She strutted about the castle with a wooden sword. “And I’ll drive the bandits off.”
    “ Our little Grace is quite a feisty one,” servants and guards said. They patted her on the head and sent her to play elsewhere.
    Her uncle Leon, the master at arms in Arganis, worked with Grace the same way he worked with the village boys. Leon believed the women of Arganis needed to defend themselves, so he trained some of the village girls as well. While most of the girls were just interested in learning the basics of defending themselves, Grace was interested in weaponry. When all the other girls left, she stayed behind with the village boys to learn sword techniques.
    Grace continued by herself to learn the finer techniques with a sword. When she felt she was finally ready, Cassandra helped sew an executioner’s hood for her and Grace had a leather jerkin made to fit her small form. It was barely a year ago when she first became what people these days were calling The Death Dealer. She was not fond of the name, but there was little she could do to change that.
    She adopted a completely different persona as The Death Dealer. The Death Dealer didn’t care for names like Grace Hilren did. Rather, The Death Dealer had one goal: to see to the rescue of those who needed it. Life was different under the hood.
    ~*~*~
    Grace looked out onto the rolling hills of Ursana. She looked past the king’s grounds and the town beyond toward the hills. They were a comfort in the hectic world of the court. The chief palace of King Frederick was larger than all of the grounds for the Arganis castle, as well as the town that was placed there. The town that surrounded the palace was a bustling place, even more so with the tournament beginning. The whole experience was overwhelming for Grace. Calvin had insisted that she come with him to the king’s tournament. He felt it would do her some good to get away from her mother and mingle outside her usual circle. Grace disagreed. There was little the nobles could offer her. She sighed and looked away from the window. The room was empty, leaving Grace with an uncomfortable feeling. For a palace housing so many noble houses, everything was far too quiet. She should be able to hear