Kenny lay on the cot by the stove, staring at the rafters, waiting for a sunrise he doubted he'd see. The blanket Juna threw at him smelled of wolf and woodsmoke, so he kept it pulled tight to his chin.
'Nobody ever gave me a blanket before, I don't know what a man is supposed to say.'
"Does tea taste like anything, my lord?" Tolly asked, offering a cup with both hands.
"It tastes like hot water."
"Then I have been very rude to a great deal of hot water," Kenny said, sipping it anyway.
"If I live, I'm going to learn the name of everyone in this fortress."
"That's two hundred names, my lord," Tolly said, grinning nervously.
"Then I had better live."
Then the first drum answered the voice, deep as a giant's heartbeat, rattling every cup on the stove shelf.
Tolly nearly dropped the pot of tea, "That's hours too early, he said dawn, he said it in front of everyone!"
The cot creaked as he swung his legs down, "Dreth never lies about the fire, he only lies about when."
