Page 93 of Blood Curse

“Healing and hunger first. Rank gets nothing extra.”

Mara lifted an eyebrow. “You remember that Adrian arranged these shelves?”

“I remember.”

I began moving the oldest bottles within reach and putting the reserve stock at the back. Mara joined me without another word.

Elias appeared at the stair door. Blood marked his cuffs.

“Three travellers need double portions,” he said. “The woman with the cut will heal once she’s fed. One broken wrist, one shoulder that came out on the road, and six people who believe exhaustion is a character strength.”

“Only six?” Bryony asked.

“I’m being kind.”

I handed him two bottles. “Feed the injured here. Send the others to the hall.”

“The woman with the broken wrist asked whether she needs permission to hunt beyond the estate.”

“Now she needs a bed. Tonight we’ll mark the boundary and make sure the villages stay out of it.”

“I’ll tell her.”

Elias took the bottles and left.

Mara filled a wooden crate with glasses. “I’ll take these up. Try not to create a new religion while I’m gone.”

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“That’s usually when they happen.”

She carried the crate upstairs.

Bryony leaned against a stone shelf. “You enjoyed that.”

“Moving bottles?”

“Having an entire room listen when you spoke.”

“They were frightened.”

“You made them less frightened.”

“They came here for a king.”

“They came for you.”

“Those can become the same thing.”

Her expression softened. “You think I’ll lose you to it.”

“I watched courts turn every private part of a man into duty. If I become what they need, I don’t want a throne appearing between us.”

“Then don’t put one there.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“It is tonight.” She came closer. “I liked watching you.”