Chapter 340 - 74: Supply and Demand

Dane spent most of the morning at the lower storehouse with Henrik, watching the crew unload the truck that had finally made it in off Red Keep Road.

The truck was backed up against the dock, doors open. Two men stood in the trailer passing crates down to a third on the ramp, who checked each one against a clipboard before stacking it against the wall. Dane stood at the top of the ramp with his own copy of the manifest, running his eyes down the list as each item came off.

A salt sack had torn along the seam, leaving a thin white trail across the dock. A bundle of firewood had come loose too, the rope worn through, and split logs sat stacked to the side where someone had already sorted the good pieces from the cracked ones.

"The drivers said Vance’s men held them at the crossing for four hours," Henrik said, kicking a loose tie-down strap off the ramp. "They didn’t take anything important. They just made them stand around while three different captains checked the seals on the meat barrels. They were just being annoying."

"They’re making a point," Dane said, motioning for one of the men to shift a crate of iron hinges clear of the ramp. "They can’t block the road anymore, so they’re going to drag their feet until every load is late."

"Means double the work for us."

"Yeah."

Seth was sitting on a fence post near the open bay door. He’d been hanging around all morning, staying out of the way, but close enough that Dane couldn’t ignore him. Ever since Vance had dumped him here, Seth had been stuck in a strange spot: not guard, not guest, just an extra body sitting around the yard.

When Henrik went back out to the main gate to meet the next team, Seth hopped down off the rail and walked over.

"She tried to get me to come over," he said.

Dane didn’t look up from the manifest. "Aurora?"

"Sent one of her guys down to get me about an hour after the confrontation with your wife’s family yesterday," Seth said, leaning back against a support post. "Wanted me to walk up to the house."

"And?"

"I told him no." Seth spat into the dirt near his boot. "She thinks because I am trying to marry her for status and power I’m going to run her errands for her while she sits over there. I’m not doing it."

Dane looked at him for a second. Seth looked rough, his coat was grey with some stains on it, and his eyes were bloodshot from sleeping cold.

"She’s going to keep asking you to do favors for her," Dane said.

"She can ask all she wants," Seth muttered. "I’m not going to her house. I can control my temptations very well."

Dane nodded once and turned back to the manifest. Nobody had asked Seth to say he could control his desires for Aurora. So, he didn’t thank him for saying it, and Seth didn’t look like he expected a thank-you anyway. They weren’t doing each other any favor because they were related, but at least Dane knew where he stood.

By one o’clock, Dane walked back toward the main house to scrub the dust and sweat from his body.

When he pushed open the kitchen door, Sonia and Hannah were sitting at the small table near the stove, a bowl of dried apples between them. Both of them stopped talking the second the latch clicked.

"What?" he asked, hanging his coat on the peg by the door.

"Nothing," Sonia said, wiping her hands on her apron as she stood up. "How’s the barn?"

"Half the firewood’s damp, but the cured pork came through fine," he said, moving over to the sink. "What are you two doing?"

Hannah leaned back in her chair, a grin touching the corner of her mouth. "Talking about Tuesday."

Dane paused with his hands under the cold tap. He went through the guard roster in his head, trying to remember if there was a shift change he’d forgotten. "What’s Tuesday?"

"It’s your birthday, idiot," Hannah said.

He shut the water off and dried his hands on a rough cloth. "We’re not doing anything for that."

"Yes we are," Sonia said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "I’m roasting the venison we saved, and Hannah’s baking."

"Mother, there’s too much going on right now," Dane said, sitting down across from them. "Vance is still sitting at the border, the lower quarter is short on wood, and we’ve got enough to handle without sitting around a table."

"It’s one dinner, Dane," she said, glaring down at him. "You’re eating."

The side door opened, letting in a cool draft as Destiny walked in carrying a basket of clean linens from the washhouse. She looked at him, then at Sonia, taking in the room in two seconds flat.

"He’s complaining," Hannah told her.

Destiny set the basket on the counter and walked over to his chair, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It’s just dinner, Dane."

"I don’t need a party, Destiny."

"It’s not a party," she said quietly, her thumb rubbing a small circle through the heavy fabric of his shirt. "It’s just us. My parents are coming up, too."

Dane looked up at her. Her hair was pulled back, a few loose strands framing her face, and she looked worn out from the long day. But her eyes were steady.

"Your dad’s coming?" he asked.

"He said he would," she said. "If you’re there."

Dane looked back at Sonia, who was watching him with her arms crossed, waiting for him to drop it. He let out a slow breath through his nose.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just dinner."

"Just dinner," Destiny agreed, a small smile finally touching her lips.

He reached up and took her hand, holding it in his lap. Looking past her out the kitchen window toward the main road, he could see right across the street. Behind the tall iron gates, the front lanterns of Aurora’s estate were already lit against the late afternoon dark.