Page 226
I looked at the rust on the key and the bright scrape across my thumb. “That lock is appalling.”
Bryony threaded her fingers between mine. “You think that’s bad? Wait until you meet the lock on my Leeds flat.”
43
BRYONY
The future of the Blood Court began with a biscuit tin full of keys.
Lenora set it on the long table in the Night Hall. Metal knocked against metal inside. The tin once held shortbread and still had painted thistles around the lid.
It wasn’t majestic. That was the point.
People gathered without being summoned. Some took chairs. Others stood near the walls or leaned against the pillars. The throne remained covered behind us, and Stellan sat beside me at the table with his healing chest protected under a black shirt.
He hadn’t gone near the dais.
Mara opened the tin. “These are the first copies for the main gate. More will be cut tomorrow.”
A man near the fireplace raised his hand. “Who keeps them?”
“Everyone who lives here,” Mara said. “Residents, paid staff and anyone staying long enough to need one.”
Several people looked towards Stellan.
He left the answer with Mara.
She took one key from the tin and slid it across the table to the man. “You won’t need permission to leave. You won’t need permission to come home either.”
He picked it up. His thumb moved over the fresh-cut teeth.
The room changed by a fraction. Shoulders loosened. A woman near the doors stepped closer to the table. Nobody rushed the tin, but people began looking at it as though it contained something more valuable than iron.
“What about the rooms?” the woman asked. “Are they tied to work?”
Lenora turned one of her pages towards the court. “People who live here contribute to food and household costs if they can. Work for Harrowmere is separate and paid. A person who refuses a shift doesn’t lose a bed.”
“Or blood,” Elias added.
Stellan looked towards the west passage, where the returning vampires had filled rooms that stood empty for decades. “Harrowmere is a protected home for the Blood Court. Shelter won’t be used as payment for loyalty.”
The woman glanced at the key again. “Even if someone disagrees with you?”
“Especially then,” he said. “Agreement bought with the threat of homelessness is another form of obedience.”
She reached into the tin and took a key.
Under the table, Stellan nudged his knee against mine.
Yesterday, he walked far enough to lose sight of Harrowmere. Today, the court got the same promise in smaller pieces.
Lenora spread several pages beside the tin. “Keys are the simple part. Food, power, repairs, vehicles and wages cost money. The household accounts will cover current needs, but we need proper records and contracts.”
“Wages?” Mara asked.
“For work,” Lenora said. “Security included.”
Mara studied her. “I’ve never taken a wage from this court.”
