The Scent of Blood

Ryatt

Granger glances to the window at the passing crowd. Even in the rain, and at this extremely late hour, people are busy hanging lanterns and decorating shop fronts. I stare down into my whiskey, lost in thought. Ella is up at the castle with Hannah. I didn’t need to stay for Ravenna’s history lesson. I knew all of this already. I didn’t have the stomach for it, especially if she went into detail about my mother.

“What exactly is happening tomorrow night?” Granger asks from across the table. Thorne sits by his side, drinking his second pint of dark beer.

“The Cleansing. It’s an old ceremony.”

“Well, that clears it up,” Thorne says sarcastically then lifts a hand to motion to a passing bar maid to bring him another beer.

I narrow my eyes at him, ready to light into him for drinking so much, but then I remember we’ve been on the road for months now, and none of my men have had a break. I sigh heavily and raise my drink to my lips. “It’s a ceremony to bring back the moon. It’s bee