Page 19 of Stalk the Dark
He seemed to consider it. “Could be that Padma spoke to the wrong person about all this. It’s worth ashot. I can show you around Old Town tomorrow if you like.”
Getting a lay of the land was wise. “That sounds good, thanks.”
He tucked into his porridge with the kind of enthusiasm of a person free of obligations and the weight of responsibility, despite the reality of his situation. What would it feel like to be free of duty? To not be accountable?
What was I thinking? Duty was my life. It was my oath.
I focused on my porridge—a delicious honey and cinnamon combination—to stifle my meandering thoughts.
Hemlock pushed back his seat. “Enjoy your sojourn into town, Orina.” He deliberately emphasized each syllable of my name. “Hope your errand goes as planned, brother.” He snagged his jacket off the back of his seat and swept from the room.
Ordell drained his mug, and Haiden offered him a refill.
Silence stretched, companionable between the four of us, just the sizzle of bacon on the griddle and the whistle of the kettle to disturb it. Haiden moved about the room in a practiced dance, adding more food to the table—bacon, sausages, and more toast. At the Order we ate twice a day—breakfast and supper—so both meals were usually heavy, enough to fuel us throughout the day.
I was accustomed to eating large portions and being in the company of others who did the same. Food was something to be enjoyed, after all, but I’d never seen anyone eat as much in one sitting as Ordell.
He attacked the food on his plate with a precision bordering on religious fervor. Everything was in its place—a pile of bacon here, a mountain of sausages there, several wedges of toast, and fried tomatoes to wet it all. He cut into it, moving clockwise around his plate and savoring each bite of the offering.
I couldn’t help but sneak glances at him, at the way he managed not to get any food on his neatly trimmed beard. It was one of my gripes about beards, how unsanitary they could be if not maintained, but Ordell’s was neat and groomed. What would it feel like against my fingers?
I dropped my gaze to my plate and shoved some bacon into my mouth, crispy, just the way I liked it. I was a little too aware of this man. Of the way his shirt stretched to accommodate his wide muscle-rounded shoulders and how the light played off his golden skin, turning the tips of his lashes to fire. This level of awareness was dangerous.
Haiden joined us at the table and placed a pot of tea in the center. “Help yerselves to top-ups. ”
I glanced at the door. “Are the others not joining us?”
“They know the time. If they want to eat, they’ll be here,” Haiden said.
Silence reigned once more, the only sound the scrape of cutlery on plates. Edwin was the first to finish and offered to top up everyone’s mugs. But Ordell declined.
He carried his plate to the sink and washed it up. “I’ll get the carriage ready,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you out front in half an hour. Daylight is wasting.”
It wasn’t a question; it was an instruction but delivered much too nicely to get my back up. I’d come across people like Ordell before. Able to command with ease, to lead without effort. Micah was the same. One of the few people not senior ranked that I didn’t mind taking orders from, and…Ordell was still waiting for me to respond.
“I’ll be there.”
He dropped me a nod and clomped out of the room.
“Never seen a man that big,” Edwin said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had giant genes.”
“There are no such things as giants,” Haiden said.
“Not entirely true,” a female voice piped up from the doorway. “I’m sure faerie has them.” The woman was petite, barely five foot three at a guess with rosy cheeks and chestnut waves spilling down her back.
“Merry, this is Orina Lighthart.” Edwin watched her face carefully, as if looking for some kind of reaction.
She turned her smile in my direction. “Oh, hello. I didn’t know we were getting a new recruit.”
Edwin’s shoulders slumped. “Yes. She came in last night.”
Wait, hadn’t she healed me? I looked across at Haiden, who shook his head in warning.
“Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.
I shook it. “Likewise.”
Haiden handed her a bowl of porridge, and she claimed Ordell’s recently vacated seat. “Ohhh, it’s warm.” She shuffled her bottom, getting comfy. “Will you be taking a tour of Old Town today?” she asked me.
