Page 67 of Hunt the Dusk
“Great. Look, I hate to ask because you’ve already done so much, but I need another favor.”
“Orina, you can ask me for as many favors as you like. You know that. What do you need?”
“I need you to test my blood.”
He was silent for several moments. “Have you…Do you think you’re infected?”
“No! No, it’s not that. I just…There’s some debate over its potency. I want to check if there’s anything…different about it.”
“You’re wondering if you’re human.”
“Something like that.”
“Ask Holly to send me a sample and I’ll look into it. Personally.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Is there any news on Nyx?”
“Nothing new.”
No news was good news, right? “All right, well…I best get going. And Lorenzo…thank you once again. For everything.”
I ended the call and went in search for Holly. Best to get this blood drawn and sent off today.
If there was something different about me, then I deserved to know, and if the Order had hidden it, then…well, the high-level operative that was coming to see me would have some explaining to do.
The week passed quickly,every day a bust when it came to canvasing, but we refused to lose hope. Holly made more tracker tincture, and we tracked two more missing people to the same spot as Lomax and Diago just outside the gates to Brimswood Park. The cases were obviously connected, and if we were going to solve them, we’d need more manpower, something the Order was unable to provide. The only other avenue of assistance was the Sangualex, so I dropped a call to Atlas, who graciously agreed to see what he could do to assist us.
Yeah, the days were busy, but the evenings stretched out long and empty. Ezekiel had retreated from me. Locked away in his quarters since our return. I was at a loose end without the need to chaperone him and found myself hanging in the kitchens with Ingrid most evenings.
She made the best baked treats, and I got to sample them all. Tonight, she was making a start on cinnamon twists, which she explained began with the perfect dough.
I watched her work with my feet propped on a stool, cup of tea and shortbread biscuits to hand.
“Where are the boys?” Ingrid asked, knuckle deep in dough. “I’m sure they’d be glad to spend time with you.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She looked up with a smile. “Hardly, dear, but I’m sure there are more exciting things to be doing than spending time with me.”
“I happen to like spending time with you.” I sipped my tea. “You feed me.”
She laughed lightly. “Yes, dear, I enjoy your company too. But…”
“But what?”
“Maybe you should be checking on Master Ezekiel?”
“His door knocker told me he wasn’t taking visitors.”
Ingrid frowned. “Hmmmm…well, what about Master Ordell?”
“It’s best we keep a distance, and before you ask, Hemlock is a grumpy asshole. I did knock for him, but there was no answer. No clue where he is.”
“Oh, Master Hemlock is in the library. It’s where he spends most of his time, actually. It’s his favorite room in the castle.”
