Page 84 of Crownless King

Sauria regarded me with curiosity.

“You don’t want them here, either?”

“No.” I averted my eyes from her penetrating look. “Not really. What are we even going to feed them? I can’t cook the food they’re used to eating in the palace.”

“Fuck that!” Bavius stomped his hoof, making the whole house shake. “If they want to eat in my house, they have to eat what we do. I’m not here to please them.”

“I’d rather not feed them at all.” I said softly. “Can’t they go elsewhere?”

Sauria’s look turned sympathetic. “You know there is nothing else close enough, Sparrow. You can’t possibly turn down the Sky King without risking some very unpleasant consequences.”

I clasped my hands in front of me.

“Fuck it,” Bavius still fumed, but he seemed to have cooled off a little.

I felt sorry for him. He was very much a man of habit. This morning, he woke up with the intention of digging potatoes in his field all day. Now, the plans had changed on him drastically. He wasn’t the one to switch gears quickly or easily.

With time, however, the change had a chance to settle in his mind somewhat. He’d still be brooding and complaining for the rest of the day and beyond. But his behavior was already changing from rebellious to resigned.

“They’ll eat the goddamn stew,” he grumped.

“Do you have enough?” Sauria asked. “How many of them are going to be here? Thirteen?”

Her voice sounded as if coming from a distance. I could hardly focus on what they were saying, stunned by the fact that Voron would be here. In just a few hours, I’d get to see him.

But I couldn’t let him see me.

“You’ll need at least one more table here,” Sauria said. “Do you have one in the barn?”

“Right. I’ll get it.” Bavius stomped out of the house to get the table.

I pivoted to Sauria. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t let them see me. I’m not supposed to be in Nerifir, remember? As far as the rest of the Sky Kingdom is concerned, I’m gone. And I need to keep it that way. If they see me—”

She tilted her head. “Do you think the king is still angry with you? After all this time? Maybe you could use this opportunity and ask for his mercy?”

“His mercy?” I scoffed, not holding back a derisive laugh. “Trust me, he has nothing to be angry with me about.I, on the other hand…” I shook my head, grinding my teeth. This was not the time to discuss any of this. “What’s important right now is that if they see me up close, they’ll know who I am. And I can’t risk it.”

She looked skeptical. “Well, I wouldn’t count on Bavius to pull this off, completely on his own.”

“Sauria.” I gripped her hand. “Can you do this, please?”

“Me?” She chuckled. “You know I don’t cook. At least nothing that regular people would eat. I can barely boil an egg. Unless it’s a curse or a potion, I’m useless.”

“I’ll cook,” I begged. “I’ll make more stew, bake more bread and some pies, and whatever else Bavius wants me to make. But please, I can’t serve it to them. I can’t let them see me or Aithen.”

Her eyes followed my gaze to the baby, who found the spoon he’d tossed to the floor earlier that morning and now was gleefully chewing on it with the only two teeth he had so far.

“I’ll fly him to my hut,” she offered. “Pack his lunch, I’ll feed him there.”

I shook my head, desperate. “I have to hide, too.”

“You don’t have time to walk to my place. You have a bunch of food to cook for a lot of hungry highborn, remember? I can’t be here instead of you, either. No one knows your kitchen better than you do. I’ll break something or dump a bowl of stew on the king’s head, which would get Bavius in trouble.”

The way my hands shook, I’d dump or spill things myself. Fear vibrated through me so strong, my entire body was shaking.

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