Merrick's POV
Agnes was standing just inside the door with her arms at her sides and her eyes already moving through the inn's interior like someone taking inventory, looking for something specific.
"I want to find my son," she said. Not loudly. Just clearly. "I don't want food."
"I know," I said. "And we will. After…"
"Not after." She looked at me. "Now. My son is more important than…"
"We haven't eaten since this morning," I said.
"I don't care…"
"I care," I said. "I'm hungry, Agnes. I've been in a saddle for eight hours and I am going to eat before we do anything else because I cannot function properly on an empty stomach and functioning properly is going to matter when we find him."
She stared at me.
"So you can stand there," I said, "or you can sit down and eat something and be ready to actually deal with what comes next." I looked at her steadily. "Your choice."
