Hark tied the last knot, pressing the cloth firmly against the clerk's wound. The boy winced, breath hissing through his teeth, but the bleeding slowed. Morena said nothing more to him, only gave Hark a nod before turning away.
"Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't die, or leave."
Hark nodded in understanding. He stayed by the door, the clerk slumped against the grain sacks, eyes glassy with pain, breathing shallow but alive.
Morena beckoned Corin with a tilt of her chin and stepped into the side room of the granary, closing the door behind them. The wood groaned faintly in its aged hinges, threatening to fall off.
The air was thicker with dust and the scent of damp grain and mildew clinging to the walls. A single lantern swayed faintly from a hook, its flame dim but enough to keep the space lit.
Corin lingered by the threshold for a moment before following, his satchel clutched tight, the leather tube tucked under his arm as though it might be torn away at any instant.
