The Six Deaths of the Saint
The Into Shadow collection, Story 3
Alix E. Harrow
Amazon Original Stories
Fiction, Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: The servant girl was dying, sent out to the barn lest her sickly cries upset the rest of the household, when the Saint of War first came to her. Heeding Her call, the girl rises from her deathbed and finds herself whisked away by a Prince, who - heeding prophecy - trains her as his champion. The Saint whispers to her whenever her life is in peril, and by her blade the Prince becomes a King, her own name sung in praise and fear across the land as his loyal Devil upon the battlefield... until she learns the secret behind his power, and her own.
REVIEW: Part of a short story anthology by Amazon, this is a solid read, but the weakest tale by Harrow I've read thus far - which still makes it pretty good.
Never naming the girl or saint (or most of the characters), it places the reader both inside and outside the tale, switching between second and first person points of view in a way that gives the whole thing a nightmare edge. From the start, there's something ominous about the arrival of the Saint of War, a shadow over the blessing, but she is too convinced of the vision's purity, and too convinced of her own devotion to the Prince and his priestly companion, to doubt. Any sacrifice she makes, any life struck down, any blood shed is worthwhile if it serves the Prince, whom she thinks she loves... all but ignoring the faithful bowlegged kitchen boy who has followed her from the start, first as friend and then as squire. It's not until she starts noticing him that she truly begins to question her path - something that doesn't happen even when she discovers the true secret behind her blessing (which might more accurately be deemed a curse - I won't go into details for spoiler reasons). Other Harrow titles managed to have the women mature and grow mostly for their own sakes, not due to love (or lack of love) of a man. The ending is dark, inevitable, and cathartic.
It's not a bad story by any means, and it's short enough not to overwork its premise or overstay its welcome. I'm just used to Harrow delivering just a slight bit more.
You Might Also Enjoy:
King's Dragon (Kate Elliott) - My Review
The Once and Future Witches (Alix E. Harrow) - My Review
She Who Became the Sun (Kelly Parker-Chan) - My Review
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