Arc 1: Chapter 19: Baron’s Order, Headsman’s Path
“I have a task for you.”
The Baron turned to me as the doors of the same dining hall where the council had been held the night before closed at my back. He was standing near the same chair he’d occupied the previous night, his green-cloaked attendant at his side. Otherwise, the hall was empty.
I supposed the others wouldn’t be morning people.
I approached the table and nodded to Orson Falconer. “That was fast. What do you have in mind?”
The Baron quirked an elegant eyebrow at my lack of decorum, but didn’t otherwise comment. He sat and studied the breakfast that had been laid out before him. He gestured and I sat as well.
“I trust you rested well?” The lord asked, tucking into his meal.
I studied the breakfast set out in front of my own seat. My eyes fixed on strips of seasoned bacon. Some kind of sauce had been artfully lathered across them. My mouth began to water at the smell, and I tried not to think about the last time I’d had a decent meal. I’d been too anxious to eat during the council the night before. “Well enough, lord.” I hadn’t slept at all, actually, but I was used to going without sleep.
“Good, good.” The Baron ate for a while, patted at his mouth with a cloth, and then laced his fingers over a half empty plate. “A few months ago, the preoster of my domain’s largest village passed in his sleep. He only had one disciple, who is too young for the role.. The Church is sending a new one to replace him.” A cold smile tightened the corners of his lips. “I’m certain they wish to have their tithes secured.”
“When’s this new preoster set to arrive?” I asked.
“Sometime tomorrow morning,” the Baron said. “Tragically, the Church’s representative met an ill fate on the road. The wild chimera in this region can be quite fierce.” His violet eyes flickered to meet mine.
My appetite fled, and I set down the strip of meat I’d been about to finish. I drummed my fingers on the table a moment. “You want me to kill him before he arrives.”