Page 47 of High Stakes

“What can I say? I worked up a monstrous appetite,” he laughed.

Enoch called for Giselle who was only a few tables away, still filling goblets, and asked her to see that more food was brought out for Titus. She assured him she would be right back, and she wasn’t joking. She was back within the minute, placing another steaming plate onto the table and basking in Enoch’s praise.

Across from me, Titus inhaled his second plate of food. I didn’t think he even bothered to chew.

Terah entered the room soundlessly and plopped into the chair to my left with a loud groan. “It’s too early.”

“Rough night?” Titus teased.

“You have no idea.”

I wasn’t sure what Terah did or what her role here was, but I desperately wanted to find out. And we needed to somehow determine where Asa was. Abram was still out there somewhere. He would try to stake Asa, regardless of whether he had turned into the monster we knew in our day or not. He believed he was ordained to do it, and wouldn’t stop to consider whether it was moral or not. Abram thought killing Asa was his life’s purpose.

That notion scared me, because when it was fulfilled, what would he do then? There was something wild and unsettled in Abram, and I didn’t want to see it unrestrained. Our structured training and goals kept him focused. Abram without a cause would be terrifying.

“You seem lost in thought,” Enoch whispered, leaning toward me.

I tried to smile. “Sorry about that.”

“No apology is necessary, Eve. Would you care to take a walk with me? I’d like to show you the rest of the castle.”

He stood and proffered a hand, and Terah’s brows rose at the gesture. Titus gave me a glance that said be careful, one I returned with a quick glance at Terah. He casually patted his side, where he wore his stakes.

I took Enoch’s hand and stood up, allowing him to lead me from the room. We drew every eye in the place. His people whispered behind covered lips, trying to figure out who Titus and I were, and what we meant to Enoch and Terah. Some of the suggestions were innocent enough. Others... not so much. Heat creeped up my neck and spread across my face in a rosy flush.

“Can you hear them?” he asked in wonder as we stepped out of a set of doors held open by two soldiers.

“Yeah.”

I could almost hear him thinking the word confounding.

Surprisingly, my hand tech had remained on and functional for most of breakfast and was still going strong. Maybe being sick had affected it and I was finally turning a corner, resting enough for my body to heal from traveling. Titus had no issues at all, but like Kael had said, women were different. I covered the glowing tech with my sleeve as we walked through the dark hallways.

We walked down a long corridor and through the kitchens. The cooks’ hands stilled at the pots upon our entrance, as did those of the children washing goblets in a small tub. Their eyes widened as we walked past, but unlike their adult counterparts in the dining hall, they kept their opinions to themselves until we were out of the room.

Outside, we descended a staircase that led to a small garden fenced in by woven sticks. A woman carrying a swaddled baby stopped to speak with Enoch.

“Is he well?” Enoch inquired, listening intently to the woman’s reply.

“Much better. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. We…” Tears welled in her eyes as she stared up to the heavens. “I’m sorry. I’m so emotional sometimes.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Enoch comforted, placing a hand on the woman’s upper arm. “You’ve been through so much.”

She nodded, gently bouncing the baby, who blinked up at her with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Looking to me, the child’s mother explained, “In the middle of the night, he began to cry, but it was a shrill sound, not his normal pitch. I tried everything I could think of to calm him, but nothing worked. Enoch must have heard him. He took one look at him and sent for the physician.”

“What did he say was the matter?” Enoch asked.

She laughed, wiping her nose. “Just a bit of gas in the tummy.”

“Well, I’m glad it was nothing significant,” Enoch told her, flashing a warm, friendly smile.

She thanked him again and took the baby inside.

Enoch lingered at the bottom of the steps, looking after the woman. “She came here after her husband took ill. He made her leave when the first boil appeared under his arm.”

“I can’t even imagine…” Emotion clogged my throat. The woman was barely older than me and would have to raise the baby alone. Thank God she had somewhere to go.

Enoch offered his elbow. I wrapped my arm around it and we strolled down a wide walking path that divided perfect rows of rich, dark earth from which tender vegetable shoots rose. Enoch pointed to each row as we strolled past and rattled off the names of the vegetables planted in each row. “Turnips, radishes, onions, carrots, kale, lettuce, cabbage, collards, beets, and broccoli.” Beyond a small gate was another field full of trailing vines with plump, orange pumpkins growing from them. Enoch pushed the gate open and allowed me to step through first before closing it behind us.

---