The Blood Pact Chapter 4

Regardless of how drunk anyone ever got in those rooms, there was always certain guidelines of proper behavior that no one ever crossed. There were sometimes fights during these parties, but usually just between men and other men, occasionally between two women, but never between a man and woman. By striking him like that when he hadn't first assaulted me, I'd just crossed over a line which, to my knowledge, had never been crossed before.

Elsewhere in the room, the party raged on unabated, but in that small corner, I stood there, the center of everyone's attention. A pair of women were tending to the fallen man and everyone else stared at me like some kind of pariah. What had I done? I could be flogged for this, maybe even shipped off to a labor camp. As a woman, how long would I hope to last in a place like that? All because of this stupid curse. Suddenly the crowds parted and Master Oringel stepped forward with the Spymaster and the Chamberlain close behind.

"And what have we here?" Master Oringel said in the most nonchalant way. "Just what are you getting up to now, my dear Stephanie?"

"I...It was an accident, I didn't mean to hit him..."

Master Oringel glanced at the fallen man. He was still squirming on the floor, just barely conscious. Maybe I'd killed him. I'd get the noose for sure.

"Hit him?" Sir Ruvano suddenly spoke up. "It's looks to me like the fool was so drunk he fell and struck his nose on the way down. Did anyone see differently?"

A chorus of murmurs rippled through the crowd but no one spoke up.

"Will he live?" The Chamberlain said, though it didn't sound as if he was particularly interested one way or the other.

"Oh yes, I don't even think it's actually broken," one of the women tending to him said. "He's just passed out from all the drink."

"Well, get him out of here and let him sleep it off then," the Chamberlain said.

"Yes," Sir Ruvano added. "Master Oringel assured me this was the best place in the entire castle to play cards and I would very much like to." He pulled a hefty bag of coins from his belt and tossed in the air so that everyone could hear it jingle. "Now who's up for a few hands?"