Alix E. Harrow

The Saint of War spares the life of a servant girl so she can fulfill her destiny as the kingdom's greatest warrior in this short story of love and loyalty by New York Times bestselling author Alix E. Harrow. Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor. The bards sing her name and her enemies fear it. But the war never ends and the cost keeps rising-how many times will she repeat her own story?

The Six Deaths of the Saint

Romy

I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend.

Stas

You were not old when the Saint came to you that final time, but you were older than you'd ever been before. 

"No one will mourn you, no one will remember you. No one will even know your name—” 

I lean close and whisper, “One person will.”

I know him, and in knowing him I love him, and in loving him I cannot do as he wishes.

“I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend.”

Each time I came to you, I hoped you would hate me.

He said your name, even more softly. “You are not a knife.” 

And you said, wretchedly, “But I am his.”

“I could have killed you,” you said. 

The water tastes familiar in my mouth, sweet and rich as wine. It fills my lungs, and I smile as I drown.

But in the end, there was no saint, just a lonely girl telling secrets to herself in a dark mirror.

“I could have killed you,” you said, and he had answered, obscurely, “You never do.”

And you found you did not mind being a devil, so long as you were his.

He wore an expression you had never seen before, an avid, scorching hunger, which you thought must be love.

You rose. Your joints grated, and your vision spun in sickening lurches, but you rose, because she was a saint and you were nothing, because no one had ever needed you before.

mionne

Perhaps any tool, used hard enough and long enough, begins to fail. The water fills my mouth. I drown again.

But he is my King, and I am his Devil. I have given him my blood, my youth, my love, my good right hand; who am I now to begrudge him my death?

And you understood, finally, that there had never truly been a she or a you but only a terrible, lonely I.

“Do you truly mean to die, just so the King can hang a new map behind his throne?”

Julian

I wonder what the songs will say about the Devil now that she is covered in the blood of her own God.

You saw yourself as an unholy triptych, three into one, one into three: she the girl, you the Devil, and I the Saint. And you understood, finally, that there had never truly been a she or a you but only a terrible, lonely I.

You grew strong over those years, and fast, until your body was no longer something you wore but something you wielded, and Lord, what a weapon it became.

Jasper

Wow, that was such an emotional read! For a novella which is only 30 pages long, this sure packed a punch. I had heard so many people rave about this short story before, and as a fan of Alix E. Harrow's previous work, and in preparation for 

, which I should be receiving in the mail soon, I wanted to give this a read. They were telling the truth, this is very good. A master class example of how to write context, depth and character in just a short snippet. The pacing and the the symmetry of the storyline, the slow unravelling of the truth and the unique perspective on reincarnation was really well done. This somehow also managed to provide social commentary on the evils of greed and wealth hoarding, and how power and validation can make a person do terrible things. By the end I was absolutely heartbroken and wanted more! An absolutely fantastic quick read, definitely recommended!

Genevieve 

“I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend.”

4.5⭐

Wow, that was such an emotional read! For a novella which is only 30 pages long, this sure packed a punch. I had heard so many people rave about this short story before, and as a fan of Alix E. Harrow's previous work, and in preparation for The Everlasting, which I should be receiving in the mail soon, I wanted to give this a read. They were telling the truth, this is very good. A master class example of how to write context, depth and character in just a short snippet. The pacing and the the symmetry of the storyline, the slow unravelling of the truth and the unique perspective on reincarnation was really well done. This somehow also managed to provide social commentary on the evils of greed and wealth hoarding, and how power and validation can make a person do terrible things. By the end I was absolutely heartbroken and wanted more! An absolutely fantastic quick read, definitely recommended!

Tem que ter um tipo especial de talento pra conseguir escrever um livro de 30 páginas com a sustança de um livro de 400. Essa história vai ficar comigo por muito tempo.

Pedro Rodarte

Beautifully written, and emotionally charged! A gorgeous short story.

Aims

3.75 ⭐️

Beautifully written, and emotionally charged! A gorgeous short story.

“He doesn’t move or speak, but he doesn’t need to. I know his desires by the pace of his breath and the tilt of his shoulders, by the shape of his jaw and the heat of his gaze. I know him, and in knowing him I love him, and in loving him I cannot do as he wishes.”

“He doesn’t move or speak, but he doesn’t need to. I know his desires by the pace of his breath and the tilt of his shoulders, by the shape of his jaw and the heat of his gaze. I know him, and in knowing him I love him, and in loving him I cannot do as he wishes.”

too beautiful. too gut-wrenching.

actually crazy to write a novel in 30 pages.. 

abi a

“But it was no dream. When you die, little Devil, a kingdom will fall to its knees and crawl to your bier. In a thousand years and a thousand after that, they will still sing of the Prince and his Devil.”

this is only 30 pages , a very quick read but SO well written. a story about loyalty, sacrifice and love. About how one does learn every time, death after death until there is no more to live for. LOVED this and I'll probably reread this again.

mars

“But it was no dream. When you die, little Devil, a kingdom will fall to its knees and crawl to your bier. In a thousand years and a thousand after that, they will still sing of the Prince and his Devil.”

this is only 30 pages , a very quick read but SO well written. a story about loyalty, sacrifice and love. About how one does learn every time, death after death until there is no more to live for. LOVED this and I'll probably reread this again.

      "I return briefly to Gwynne, long enough to kiss his brow and whisper to him what I should have understood lifetimes ago, what I should have told him every night and every morning. "I am yours.""

        "I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend."

        "I understand that this has all happened before, more than once and more than twice. I understand that I have made my life a work of bloody alchemy, transforming a child into a devil into a saint, a kingdom into an empire, a prince into a god That I have lived and killed and lived again in the name of a man who does not deserve it because I wanted so badly to be beloved."

If u told me 10 minutes earlier before finishing this, that a 35-page book would ruin me like this, I wouldnt believe u. 

but now? WHAT THE HELL I WASNT READY FOR ALL THAT!!

turtle

      "I return briefly to Gwynne, long enough to kiss his brow and whisper to him what I should have understood lifetimes ago, what I should have told him every night and every morning. "I am yours.""

        "I would rather love a coward than mourn a legend."

        "I understand that this has all happened before, more than once and more than twice. I understand that I have made my life a work of bloody alchemy, transforming a child into a devil into a saint, a kingdom into an empire, a prince into a god That I have lived and killed and lived again in the name of a man who does not deserve it because I wanted so badly to be beloved."

If u told me 10 minutes earlier before finishing this, that a 35-page book would ruin me like this, I wouldnt believe u. 

but now? WHAT THE HELL I WASNT READY FOR ALL THAT!!

Oh alix, what have you done to me? 😭

Beautiful, captivating, absolutely breathtaking, a masterpiece.

anonymous

how can a short thirty pages story do this to me? made me feel different kind of emotions like confusion, yearning, sadness, etc. as if i am the main character.

Maya 

arwen

Marz 

What a wonderful short story, beautifully written but so brief. I think in a way it's the perfect length for the story itself.

karo

Krys C.

The way I randomly decided to start this book because I was stuck in horrible traffic with this infernal heat and humid weather... now I'm sitting in a jeepney waiting for the traffic light to turn green while the trajectory of my life has been changed, my brain chemistry has been altered, and I have been remade as a person.

Safeya Wilson

aleksandra

4/5

Only thirty pages, but I still cried. I wish it was longer. I need more, despite the ending. 


  
    "I know him, and in knowing him I love him, and in loving him I cannot do as he wishes."

“Well, she is my Devil now.” And you found you did not mind being a devil, so long as you were his."

this altered me in ways i cant properly describe rn

yaya

🍁

andrea valentina 

Más allá que esta sea una historia romántica hermosa, la manera como está escrito este cuento es bellísimo. Amé cada parte y el desenlace.

allison chen

interesting but confusing? immersive to say the least

"i could've killed you" "you never do". thank you, miss caricanread, for recommending this book. i definitely see myself re-reading the story, again, one day!

The Six Deaths of the Saint

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