Drake hefted the weapon, rested the stock against his shoulder, and lightly rested his finger to the trigger. He focused on Suck’s chest. “You have until the count of three. One—”
“State your offer again.”
“Tell me who hired you. I will not tell anyone you told me, nor will I reveal who hired you to anyone else. Finally, I will hire you to kill one of several enemies and pay you well.”
“Then... I accept your offer, Lord Gloomwood.”
Drake lowered his crossbow. “I knew you were a reasonable man.”
“Perhaps too reasonable. Even now I feel as though I have made my first mistake. Still, you are correct on one point. I am not ready to die. So. My client?”
Drake waited.
“I was sent to kill you by Lord Proudglade himself.”
Drake had expected as much. Having it confirmed was wonderful—in that he knew now, not that a guy with the power of motherfucking Zeus wanted him dead—but still, he had successfully gotten the name of Suck’s client out of the assassin. Now, for the rest.
“Very well, Suck. As I said, I wish to hire you to kill another target, but first, I need to know just how far you’re willing to go.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, lord.”
“This won’t be an easy task, even for you. There will likely be collateral damage. To be clear, others dying is acceptable to me so long as the person I name dies as well.”
“Then name your target, lord. If I can reach them and defeat them, they will die.”
Suck didn’t simply say he’d kill Drake’s target. He couldn’t say that because he didn’t believe it with absolute certainty.
“First question. Are you willing to kill unarmed peasants?”
“A fine jest, lord. But in the spirit of indulging your strange humor, yes.”
“And women?”
“They must die just as often as men.”
“And what about children, Suck? To be clear, I don’t think you’ll have to kill a child on this job, but it is possible. If it’s the only way you can reach your target, can you kill a kid?”
“Of course, lord. I have done so before.”
Anna was truly lucky he’d needed her alive. “Final question, and then we’re in business. How many targets, specifically targets who you have been hired to eliminate, have you killed?”
“Seventeen, lord, but please don’t let that let that lessen your opinion of my skills. Many others died on the way to those. In truth, at this point, I no longer keep count.”
Drake had enough information to make his decision. “You’ve answered all the questions I had for you. Now, before I pay you for your trouble, I have one last thing to tell you.”
“What is that, lord?”
“I can lie.”
There was a moment where utter silence filled the tent. Then, Suck spoke.
“What does that mean, lord?”
“It means I’m going to kill you now.”
The assassin tensed in the chair. “You cannot mean—”
As the man spoke Drake raised his crossbow, squeezed one eye shut to aim, and pressed the trigger. As Magnum thumped against his shoulder, the sound of the weapon unleashing a bolt echoed loud enough that he knew they would hear it outside. The bolt slammed dead center into Suck’s chest, split his ribs, and cracked into the chair back, pinning him to it.
It turned out it was pretty straightforward to aim this crossbow after all.
As this ruthless assassin who had murdered so many men, women, and children he’d lost count thrashed on the chair, choking on his own blood, Drake walked forward and fired again. The second bolt went through Suck’s neck and almost out the other side. Only a trace of fletching remained, just visible inside the thrashing skin beneath his chin.
The assassin lost consciousness so quickly he couldn’t even tip over his chair. He died soon after. The rancid smell made that clear. The sound of multiple booted footsteps arose behind him, and then Valentia, Nicole, Samuel, and even Emily and Lydia all rushed into his tent. He hoped they’d managed to eat something before hiding outside his tent.
Drake lowered Magnum. That had been a successful test of his new weapon. He turned to face their assorted faces and their assorted emotions as they took in the scene. Him, armed, standing over the bound and blindfolded man he’d just straight up murdered.
Nicole looked visibly delighted by the carnage, while Lydia’s calm gaze took everything in without visible judgment. Samuel frowned in obvious disappointment. Emily grinned wide and pumped her fist, and Valentia...
She simply nodded in what he assumed was approval.
“That man was our prisoner,” Samuel said calmly.
“No.” Drake popped open his hip pouch and pulled out a blood flask. “He was an assassin sent to kill every one of us, including Anna, and he’s killed dozens more before us, including children.” He uncapped the flask and placed it below the back of Suck’s neck, which was now bleeding freely. “I have it from his own lips.” Blood trickled eagerly into the flask. “Had we released him, he’d simply have murdered more people and come back at us.”
Samuel crossed his arms. If he had any concerns about Drake collecting the blood of a bound man he’d just murdered, it didn’t show on his face. “The noble court could hold him.”
“And how long until a rich manor lord paid the proper tithe to get him out again? You think we’re the first people to capture him? He’s in a guild of assassins, and he could kill people through silverweave. Had we turned him over, he’d have been out in days.”
The flask filled quickly. Suck bled profusely. Drake capped the flask and stood.
So there it was. He now had a flask full of blood that could turn him into a literal blood sucker. He didn’t want to use it if he didn’t have to use it. But if he had to use it... he was ready. He wasn’t sure if everyone would approve of his decision, but this hadn’t been their call.
“You may be right,” Samuel said. “But now, we will never know who hired him.”
“He never planned to tell us that. He made that clear. Or did any of you hear a different interrogation than I did? If I misinterpreted his intentions, tell me know.”
No one contradicted him. No one could. They had heard everything he did... up until the point he’d sent them out of the tent. Drake tucked the filled blood flask into his hip pouch.
“We’re done with this interrogation,” he informed his people. “Nicole, fetch Korrag. He can have what’s left of the assassin. I don’t feel like burying this child-killing asshole, so tell Korrag he can do whatever he likes with the body.”
Nicole saluted and hurried out, still wearing a grin. She actually looked proud of him.
As for Samuel, he still looked displeased, but Drake could understand his reasoning. In Samuel’s eyes, Drake had acted rashly and, moreover, in a way that contradicted his recent vow not to be an evil manor lord. Were he Samuel, he too would be concerned.
Yet despite the fact that Lydia did not look bothered by what he’d done, she was still the one he needed to talk to about it. She, he thought, would understand. Moreover, there was a question only she could answer which he needed to ask. He set Magnum back on the table.
“All of you may return to your duties. Lydia, walk with me.”
As he moved to exit the tent, she fell into step beside him. “To where, lord?”
“The carriage. You and I need to have a chat about our next move.”
“Samuel should—”
“In this case, Samuel doesn’t need to be there.” Drake glanced at her as they walked. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“I do, lord.”
“Then we’ll speak more in the carriage.”
They stepped outside into a cold night. In the distance, Drake spotted some zarovians stacking freshly cut logs. So that was how they honored their dead. They were going to build a pyre and send Thak off to Valhalla. That seemed like a zarovian-esque thing to do.
He opened the carriage for Lydia before she could open it for him—she was the one who’d almost died from blood loss recently—and glanced at her. She stepped inside, and while she was obviously trying to hide it, she was still visibly tired. He’d make sure she ate something after they spoke.
Drake glanced back at the tent and saw Samuel watching him. The man looked away the moment his gaze met Drake’s, and then Drake closed the door and sat down. Drake had no doubt the old man was still upset with him, but he’d worry about that later.
Lydia now sat on the couch across from him. Speaking face to face would be best. Once certain they would not be disturbed or overheard, he leaned forward.
“It was Lord Proudglade.”
Her eyes widened only briefly before she accepted how he’d learned that. “You lied.”
“I did, but only to him.”
He explained how he’d fooled the ruthless assassin into revealing his employer. He also revealed how the assassin had answered his questions. When he finished, Lydia nodded.
“You were right to execute him.”
“And the blood? Was I right to steal his blood?”
“Given your rarity, it would be foolish to abandon such a weapon.”
“Great. Good.” Drake grimaced. “So why do I still feel like I’ve crossed a line?”
“A line, lord?”
“It’s an expression from my world. It means when you’ve done so many bad things you can’t ever be a good guy again.”
“Good and evil are often a matter of perspective. All you have done, you have done to protect yourself, our manor, or our people... though I know it may not feel that way.”
Drake nodded. “Like you said, I was right to execute him. I know that, and I want to feel that, but I’m not sure how I feel yet. Killing people who were trying to kill me is getting easier, but killing someone in cold blood, even a man like that...”
“I or any other maid would have done it for you.”
“I know you would have. But it would have been selfish to ask, and this was my first execution. I needed to do it myself. I needed to know I could kill an enemy even if I had the option to spare his life and walk away, especially if he’d be a threat to us in the future.”
“You still had doubts? You have killed before.”
“Technically, but Lord Crow was self-defense, not a cold-blooded murder. And while I ate people as a dire rat, there was a level of disassociation I used as a crutch. It wasn’t fully me who killed those mercenaries, those assassins, or so I could tell myself. It was the rat. Until tonight, I wasn’t sure I could personally execute someone.”
“And now that you have executed your first prisoner, how do you feel?”
There was no judgment in Lydia’s question. There was concern, but the concern felt directed at him rather than what he could do for the manor. He appreciated that she was looking out for him.
“I have no fucking idea,” Drake admitted. “I just didn’t see any other options. That man was too dangerous. A hero might be willing to show mercy to a defeated foe, but Val made it clear I can’t do that. There was no way I could let that asshole come at us twice.”
“And what of your blood pact? Did you consider forcibly adding him to it?”
Drake wasn’t surprised Lydia had asked him about that possibility, nor was he angry she’d brought it up. If he hadn’t thought about his ability to bind people with blood magic, he wouldn’t be doing his duty as a manor lord. He also felt comfortable with his reasoning.
“It wasn’t an option this time,” Drake said. “And not just because I’m still not comfortable with slavery or torturing some dude until he’s willing to say anything. We don’t have that kind of time, and that guy was literally a child killer. I’d never let someone that shitty into Gloomwood Manor even if I was willing to enslave him. Dude had to die, and if we need a blood sucker for some reason, I can do it.”
“I don’t disagree,” Lydia assured him. "With any of that."
“And it’s fine that you asked. I’m glad you asked. I want you to ask questions like that.”
“Then I shall continue to do so.” She hesitated. “And though you know this, I have killed bound and defenseless prisoners before. It was never easy, and it is not supposed to be easy, no matter their crime.” She held his gaze. “Not unless you’re like him.”
She still carried the weight from her time enslaved by blood magic to Lord Dickcheese. She likely always would. Perhaps, now, Drake would share a bit of that weight.
He had also spent enough time navel gazing. It was time to get back to business. “So, setting aside whether I’m actually an evil manor lord, now, what can we do with this? Now that I know Lord Proudglade hired this guy?”
“Very little. Unfortunately, you cannot reveal what you have learned without revealing how you learned it. In doing so, you would throw away your strongest tool to manipulate our enemies. Moreover, even if you did reveal this, Lord Proudglade could simply tithe.”
“So sending an assassin to kill another manor lord on the way to a cabal isn’t an unforgivable crime, just generally frowned upon?”
“An unfortunate truth. Attacking a manor is off limits, but lords on the road are not.”
“So, all we’ve gained is that you and I know for certain it really is Lord Proudglade who wants to murder me. We can adjust our defenses and negotiate with this extra information during the cabal. My next question is going to be more difficult for you.”
“There are few questions I won’t answer.”
“I need you to tell me if we can trust Samuel with the fact that I can lie.”
“With...” She breathed out.
“To be clear, Samuel seems like a genuinely cool guy. I can tell everyone at the manor absolutely adores him, and so far, he seems all right to me as well. Savvy. Logical. But I’ve only known him a day. You’ve known him as long as you’ve served here. How would he react?”
“I...” Lydia looked down at the seat. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“This is a difficult question.”
“So you understand why I needed to talk with you alone.”
“I do. Of course I do.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. In fact, I don’t want you to. Think about my question as we travel and come tell me when you figure it out.”
She looked up. “Until he knows what you can do, Samuel will have doubts about you.”
“He still works for me. If you’re willing, you can tell him you believe I made the right decision. That may appease him. Ultimately, however, you’re still my rock.”
“What is that?”
“The person I talk to when I have no idea what to do. You listen when I have doubts, you give great advice, and you always make sure I keep moving forward. There is no one in this entire camp I trust more than you. You’ve rewarded my trust time and again.”
She pushed her hands together and blushed brightly. “Oh, lord.”
“That isn’t a lie.”
“I know it isn’t. And...” She breathed. “I will tell you when I have an answer.”
“Sounds good. Now, anything you think we should tell the others?”
“You saw Nicole and Val. They were thrilled with your decision. Sachi and Emily approved as well. We’ve already discussed Samuel, and you know my thoughts. So no, lord. That man murdered one of your blood thralls and intended to murder you. He needed to die. No one will question that.”
“Great. The less I have to think about that asshole, the better. Now, you’re going to eat something.”
“Of course, lord.”
“I mean it.” Drake hadn’t forgotten how quickly she’d gotten to his tent after he shot Suck. “I am personally escorting you and Emily to the chow line. You need food and fluids and all that, and I also want to have Raylan look at you both. I’m not losing any more people.”
Lydia eyed him. “Are those words you truly believe?”
Drake snorted. “Let’s call it aspirational and leave it there for now.”
Next Week: Drake enjoys breakfast, commissions some doll clothing, and plays a trick.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Chat on My Discord
Read Ahead on My Patreon
Drake hefted the weapon, rested the stock against his shoulder, and lightly rested his finger to the trigger. He focused on Suck’s chest. “You have until the count of three. One—”
“State your offer again.”
“Tell me who hired you. I will not tell anyone you told me, nor will I reveal who hired you to anyone else. Finally, I will hire you to kill one of several enemies and pay you well.”
“Then... I accept your offer, Lord Gloomwood.”
Drake lowered his crossbow. “I knew you were a reasonable man.”
“Perhaps too reasonable. Even now I feel as though I have made my first mistake. Still, you are correct on one point. I am not ready to die. So. My client?”
Drake waited.
“I was sent to kill you by Lord Proudglade himself.”
Drake had expected as much. Having it confirmed was wonderful—in that he knew now, not that a guy with the power of motherfucking Zeus wanted him dead—but still, he had successfully gotten the name of Suck’s client out of the assassin. Now, for the rest.
“Very well, Suck. As I said, I wish to hire you to kill another target, but first, I need to know just how far you’re willing to go.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, lord.”
“This won’t be an easy task, even for you. There will likely be collateral damage. To be clear, others dying is acceptable to me so long as the person I name dies as well.”
“Then name your target, lord. If I can reach them and defeat them, they will die.”
Suck didn’t simply say he’d kill Drake’s target. He couldn’t say that because he didn’t believe it with absolute certainty.
“First question. Are you willing to kill unarmed peasants?”
“A fine jest, lord. But in the spirit of indulging your strange humor, yes.”
“And women?”
“They must die just as often as men.”
“And what about children, Suck? To be clear, I don’t think you’ll have to kill a child on this job, but it is possible. If it’s the only way you can reach your target, can you kill a kid?”
“Of course, lord. I have done so before.”
Anna was truly lucky he’d needed her alive. “Final question, and then we’re in business. How many targets, specifically targets who you have been hired to eliminate, have you killed?”
“Seventeen, lord, but please don’t let that let that lessen your opinion of my skills. Many others died on the way to those. In truth, at this point, I no longer keep count.”
Drake had enough information to make his decision. “You’ve answered all the questions I had for you. Now, before I pay you for your trouble, I have one last thing to tell you.”
“What is that, lord?”
“I can lie.”
There was a moment where utter silence filled the tent. Then, Suck spoke.
“What does that mean, lord?”
“It means I’m going to kill you now.”
The assassin tensed in the chair. “You cannot mean—”
As the man spoke Drake raised his crossbow, squeezed one eye shut to aim, and pressed the trigger. As Magnum thumped against his shoulder, the sound of the weapon unleashing a bolt echoed loud enough that he knew they would hear it outside. The bolt slammed dead center into Suck’s chest, split his ribs, and cracked into the chair back, pinning him to it.
It turned out it was pretty straightforward to aim this crossbow after all.
As this ruthless assassin who had murdered so many men, women, and children he’d lost count thrashed on the chair, choking on his own blood, Drake walked forward and fired again. The second bolt went through Suck’s neck and almost out the other side. Only a trace of fletching remained, just visible inside the thrashing skin beneath his chin.
The assassin lost consciousness so quickly he couldn’t even tip over his chair. He died soon after. The rancid smell made that clear. The sound of multiple booted footsteps arose behind him, and then Valentia, Nicole, Samuel, and even Emily and Lydia all rushed into his tent. He hoped they’d managed to eat something before hiding outside his tent.
Drake lowered Magnum. That had been a successful test of his new weapon. He turned to face their assorted faces and their assorted emotions as they took in the scene. Him, armed, standing over the bound and blindfolded man he’d just straight up murdered.
Nicole looked visibly delighted by the carnage, while Lydia’s calm gaze took everything in without visible judgment. Samuel frowned in obvious disappointment. Emily grinned wide and pumped her fist, and Valentia...
She simply nodded in what he assumed was approval.
“That man was our prisoner,” Samuel said calmly.
“No.” Drake popped open his hip pouch and pulled out a blood flask. “He was an assassin sent to kill every one of us, including Anna, and he’s killed dozens more before us, including children.” He uncapped the flask and placed it below the back of Suck’s neck, which was now bleeding freely. “I have it from his own lips.” Blood trickled eagerly into the flask. “Had we released him, he’d simply have murdered more people and come back at us.”
Samuel crossed his arms. If he had any concerns about Drake collecting the blood of a bound man he’d just murdered, it didn’t show on his face. “The noble court could hold him.”
“And how long until a rich manor lord paid the proper tithe to get him out again? You think we’re the first people to capture him? He’s in a guild of assassins, and he could kill people through silverweave. Had we turned him over, he’d have been out in days.”
The flask filled quickly. Suck bled profusely. Drake capped the flask and stood.
So there it was. He now had a flask full of blood that could turn him into a literal blood sucker. He didn’t want to use it if he didn’t have to use it. But if he had to use it... he was ready. He wasn’t sure if everyone would approve of his decision, but this hadn’t been their call.
“You may be right,” Samuel said. “But now, we will never know who hired him.”
“He never planned to tell us that. He made that clear. Or did any of you hear a different interrogation than I did? If I misinterpreted his intentions, tell me know.”
No one contradicted him. No one could. They had heard everything he did... up until the point he’d sent them out of the tent. Drake tucked the filled blood flask into his hip pouch.
“We’re done with this interrogation,” he informed his people. “Nicole, fetch Korrag. He can have what’s left of the assassin. I don’t feel like burying this child-killing asshole, so tell Korrag he can do whatever he likes with the body.”
Nicole saluted and hurried out, still wearing a grin. She actually looked proud of him.
As for Samuel, he still looked displeased, but Drake could understand his reasoning. In Samuel’s eyes, Drake had acted rashly and, moreover, in a way that contradicted his recent vow not to be an evil manor lord. Were he Samuel, he too would be concerned.
Yet despite the fact that Lydia did not look bothered by what he’d done, she was still the one he needed to talk to about it. She, he thought, would understand. Moreover, there was a question only she could answer which he needed to ask. He set Magnum back on the table.
“All of you may return to your duties. Lydia, walk with me.”
As he moved to exit the tent, she fell into step beside him. “To where, lord?”
“The carriage. You and I need to have a chat about our next move.”
“Samuel should—”
“In this case, Samuel doesn’t need to be there.” Drake glanced at her as they walked. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“I do, lord.”
“Then we’ll speak more in the carriage.”
They stepped outside into a cold night. In the distance, Drake spotted some zarovians stacking freshly cut logs. So that was how they honored their dead. They were going to build a pyre and send Thak off to Valhalla. That seemed like a zarovian-esque thing to do.
He opened the carriage for Lydia before she could open it for him—she was the one who’d almost died from blood loss recently—and glanced at her. She stepped inside, and while she was obviously trying to hide it, she was still visibly tired. He’d make sure she ate something after they spoke.
Drake glanced back at the tent and saw Samuel watching him. The man looked away the moment his gaze met Drake’s, and then Drake closed the door and sat down. Drake had no doubt the old man was still upset with him, but he’d worry about that later.
Lydia now sat on the couch across from him. Speaking face to face would be best. Once certain they would not be disturbed or overheard, he leaned forward.
“It was Lord Proudglade.”
Her eyes widened only briefly before she accepted how he’d learned that. “You lied.”
“I did, but only to him.”
He explained how he’d fooled the ruthless assassin into revealing his employer. He also revealed how the assassin had answered his questions. When he finished, Lydia nodded.
“You were right to execute him.”
“And the blood? Was I right to steal his blood?”
“Given your rarity, it would be foolish to abandon such a weapon.”
“Great. Good.” Drake grimaced. “So why do I still feel like I’ve crossed a line?”
“A line, lord?”
“It’s an expression from my world. It means when you’ve done so many bad things you can’t ever be a good guy again.”
“Good and evil are often a matter of perspective. All you have done, you have done to protect yourself, our manor, or our people... though I know it may not feel that way.”
Drake nodded. “Like you said, I was right to execute him. I know that, and I want to feel that, but I’m not sure how I feel yet. Killing people who were trying to kill me is getting easier, but killing someone in cold blood, even a man like that...”
“I or any other maid would have done it for you.”
“I know you would have. But it would have been selfish to ask, and this was my first execution. I needed to do it myself. I needed to know I could kill an enemy even if I had the option to spare his life and walk away, especially if he’d be a threat to us in the future.”
“You still had doubts? You have killed before.”
“Technically, but Lord Crow was self-defense, not a cold-blooded murder. And while I ate people as a dire rat, there was a level of disassociation I used as a crutch. It wasn’t fully me who killed those mercenaries, those assassins, or so I could tell myself. It was the rat. Until tonight, I wasn’t sure I could personally execute someone.”
“And now that you have executed your first prisoner, how do you feel?”
There was no judgment in Lydia’s question. There was concern, but the concern felt directed at him rather than what he could do for the manor. He appreciated that she was looking out for him.
“I have no fucking idea,” Drake admitted. “I just didn’t see any other options. That man was too dangerous. A hero might be willing to show mercy to a defeated foe, but Val made it clear I can’t do that. There was no way I could let that asshole come at us twice.”
“And what of your blood pact? Did you consider forcibly adding him to it?”
Drake wasn’t surprised Lydia had asked him about that possibility, nor was he angry she’d brought it up. If he hadn’t thought about his ability to bind people with blood magic, he wouldn’t be doing his duty as a manor lord. He also felt comfortable with his reasoning.
“It wasn’t an option this time,” Drake said. “And not just because I’m still not comfortable with slavery or torturing some dude until he’s willing to say anything. We don’t have that kind of time, and that guy was literally a child killer. I’d never let someone that shitty into Gloomwood Manor even if I was willing to enslave him. Dude had to die, and if we need a blood sucker for some reason, I can do it.”
“I don’t disagree,” Lydia assured him. "With any of that."
“And it’s fine that you asked. I’m glad you asked. I want you to ask questions like that.”
“Then I shall continue to do so.” She hesitated. “And though you know this, I have killed bound and defenseless prisoners before. It was never easy, and it is not supposed to be easy, no matter their crime.” She held his gaze. “Not unless you’re like him.”
She still carried the weight from her time enslaved by blood magic to Lord Dickcheese. She likely always would. Perhaps, now, Drake would share a bit of that weight.
He had also spent enough time navel gazing. It was time to get back to business. “So, setting aside whether I’m actually an evil manor lord, now, what can we do with this? Now that I know Lord Proudglade hired this guy?”
“Very little. Unfortunately, you cannot reveal what you have learned without revealing how you learned it. In doing so, you would throw away your strongest tool to manipulate our enemies. Moreover, even if you did reveal this, Lord Proudglade could simply tithe.”
“So sending an assassin to kill another manor lord on the way to a cabal isn’t an unforgivable crime, just generally frowned upon?”
“An unfortunate truth. Attacking a manor is off limits, but lords on the road are not.”
“So, all we’ve gained is that you and I know for certain it really is Lord Proudglade who wants to murder me. We can adjust our defenses and negotiate with this extra information during the cabal. My next question is going to be more difficult for you.”
“There are few questions I won’t answer.”
“I need you to tell me if we can trust Samuel with the fact that I can lie.”
“With...” She breathed out.
“To be clear, Samuel seems like a genuinely cool guy. I can tell everyone at the manor absolutely adores him, and so far, he seems all right to me as well. Savvy. Logical. But I’ve only known him a day. You’ve known him as long as you’ve served here. How would he react?”
“I...” Lydia looked down at the seat. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“This is a difficult question.”
“So you understand why I needed to talk with you alone.”
“I do. Of course I do.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. In fact, I don’t want you to. Think about my question as we travel and come tell me when you figure it out.”
She looked up. “Until he knows what you can do, Samuel will have doubts about you.”
“He still works for me. If you’re willing, you can tell him you believe I made the right decision. That may appease him. Ultimately, however, you’re still my rock.”
“What is that?”
“The person I talk to when I have no idea what to do. You listen when I have doubts, you give great advice, and you always make sure I keep moving forward. There is no one in this entire camp I trust more than you. You’ve rewarded my trust time and again.”
She pushed her hands together and blushed brightly. “Oh, lord.”
“That isn’t a lie.”
“I know it isn’t. And...” She breathed. “I will tell you when I have an answer.”
“Sounds good. Now, anything you think we should tell the others?”
“You saw Nicole and Val. They were thrilled with your decision. Sachi and Emily approved as well. We’ve already discussed Samuel, and you know my thoughts. So no, lord. That man murdered one of your blood thralls and intended to murder you. He needed to die. No one will question that.”
“Great. The less I have to think about that asshole, the better. Now, you’re going to eat something.”
“Of course, lord.”
“I mean it.” Drake hadn’t forgotten how quickly she’d gotten to his tent after he shot Suck. “I am personally escorting you and Emily to the chow line. You need food and fluids and all that, and I also want to have Raylan look at you both. I’m not losing any more people.”
Lydia eyed him. “Are those words you truly believe?”
Drake snorted. “Let’s call it aspirational and leave it there for now.”
Next Week: Drake enjoys breakfast, commissions some doll clothing, and plays a trick.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Chat on My Discord
Read Ahead on My Patreon
