Page 54 of The King's Man 3

A wave of murmuring gathers as we move inside.

Quin guides me to the first resting place he sees—a bench placed in the sunlight under a window, long enough for me to stretch out on, separated from the magistrates’ desks by a folding screen. After finding a blanket, I curl up there, closing my eyes to the comforting scratches of Quin writing close by. Can’t help anyone tired. Nothing to do but wait.

“Quin?”

He murmurs, “I’ll prepare all the tea I can find for when you wake.”

“How did you know...”that’s what I’d ask?

The scratches on paper pause. “Let yourself rest now.”

Trust me,his voice says.

My limbs slacken; a deep tired breath whooshes out of me, and I fall into a slumber.

Iwake to a ruckus.

I spring to a sitting position and listen as I adjust to the strong rays of burnt orange light coming through the windows. Sundown.

Bastion and his men are filing into the room.

“We’ve traced the water to three farms,” Bastion says. “We managed to warn the farmers their crops and the water are compromised and—with the promise of government compensation—got them to burn their fields.”

Quin makes a sound of approval.

Bastion continues, “The people rely on those crops for most of their food. We had to go through the stores and burn more than a third.”

“Supplies were already tight.”

“It’s worse. Some of the flour in store is full of weevils.”

“Sift it. Remove the bugs and keep quiet.”

“But it’s—”

“Better than starving.”

A sneer, “Will you eat it?”

Simply, “Yes.”

I loosen the hands around the blanket I’ve been crushing.

“How many days do we have?” Quin asks.

Another responds, “They were running low before this. Now—”

“How many days?”

“Three. Maybe four.”

Silence.

Ten days. That’s how long they’ll keep the gates sealed after the last case. Ten days we need to survive.

More footsteps. “You’re back,” Bastion says.

The thump of knees hitting the floor. “Forgive us.”

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