Page 109 of Blood Curse

Several people stopped pretending to inspect the floor. Nobody argued.

One of the newer vampires stepped away from the broken table. His face had gone grey.

“Are we free to leave Harrowmere?”

19

BRYONY

“Yes.”

The word came out quickly enough to surprise the Crown.

Its weight pressed against the back of my teeth, but it couldn’t take back something I’d already said.

The vampire by the broken table watched me. So did everyone else.

“Yes,” I repeated. “You’re free to leave. All of you. The summons brought you here. It doesn’t give us the right to keep you.”

The silence in the Night Hall changed. It was still frightened, but now it had somewhere to go.

Stellan looked at me. Blood hunger still sharpened his face, and the hand he’d held over Mara’s throat was marked by his own fangs. He didn’t ask whether I was sure.

“I’ll open the gates,” he said.

“Now?” the grey-faced vampire asked.

“Now.”

Stellan turned for the doors.

The Crown went cold against my head.

It wanted me to stop him. I felt the shape of the order waiting behind my tongue: close the gates, bar the road, make them kneel and swear they would stay.

I bit the inside of my cheek and tasted blood.

“If you leave, you can take food for the journey,” I said. “If you’re hurt, Elias will treat you first. You don’t owe us anything for the blood, the rooms or the help you’ve already had.”

Elias glanced up from Mara’s wrist. “I would appreciate a little warning if all sixty of you plan to need treatment at once.”

“Can we have ten minutes?” someone asked.

“Eight,” he said. “I’m tired.”

A few people laughed. It sounded rough, but real.

Mara pulled her wrist from his hand. “Move. If the gates are opening, we should be there.”

“You should sit down.”

“I sat down while Stellan tried to eat me. I’ve had enough.”

“I didn’t try,” Stellan said from the doorway.

Mara gave him a flat look. “Your fangs were involved. We can argue over the verb later.”

We left the wrecked tables behind and crossed the lower court.