Page 77 of The Warrior Priest
“I can see that, thank you.”
He crossed to the other side of the room and rearranged the straw pallet to be closer to the fireplace. “It’s very basic. My apologies, I’d forgotten how cheap this place was.”
“You’ve stayed here before?”
“When I was younger.”
I wondered if he’d brought women here, then pushed the thought away.
“There are some blankets and cushions in that trunk,” he went on.
“I presumed as much.”
He lifted the trunk’s lid and pulled them out. “They’re clean.” He set about laying the blanket on the pallet. “I’ll ask the innkeeper to bring up something for you to eat so you don’t have to go downstairs.”
“Thank you, Rhys.”
He moved the cushion from one end of the pallet to the other then back again. “I think you should put your head at this end. That way you can see the door.” He shifted the pallet closer to the fireplace. “It won’t get too cold tonight, but you might find it more comfortable here.”
“Rhys.”
He straightened and studied the arrangement, then shifted the pallet back. “On second thoughts, you’ll feel too hot that close to the fire considering you’re sensitive to extreme temperatures.”
“Rhys,” I said, louder. “Thank you. I can manage.”
He sniffed the air. “Does it smell musty? Should I open the window?”
I moved to block his path to the window. “Rhys, be calm.”
“I am calm.”
“You’re wound up tighter than a cat stalking a bird.”
He finally looked at me. “Your acute senses telling you that?”
“No, my acute knowledge of you.” Perhaps it wasn’t a wise thing to admit, but my sharpened senses didn’t include the ability to know when to keep quiet. “Rhys, are you all right? The wounds on your back…”
“I’m fine. They’re nothing. I can’t even feel them.”
“That’s because you’ve applied Mistress Blundle’s numbing salve and have a bandage to protect them from the coarse fabric of the shirt beneath your tunic.” I plucked at his sleeve.
He crossed his arms, breaking the flimsy connection between us. “I feel fine. Thanks for asking.”
“Youletthe high priest do it, didn’t you?”
He looked away, confirming my suspicion.
“Did you two plan it?” I persisted.
“I wasn’t aware of his plan beforehand. Not until he arrived at the temple and informed me he had an idea to secure my role as leader. When his guards led me to the whipping post, I realized what he had in mind.”
“It was too late to stop him by then,” I said. “Heforcedit upon you.”
“It wasn’t too late. There were only two guards. The others were further away. My friends would have taken care of them.”
“The guards were armed with swords and none of you were.”
He merely shrugged, as if that were irrelevant.
