Voss found me at the stable.
I was checking my horse's front left shoe — loose again — when he walked up with that look on his face. The one that meant he had a job for me. The one that meant he'd already decided I would do it.
"There's a farmer on the north road," he said. "Refuses to pay his tax. Says he's had a bad season and can't afford it."
I straightened up. Waited.
"I want you to pay him a visit. Make sure he understands the consequences."
The way he said it was casual. Like he was asking me to deliver a message.
"What kind of consequences?"
Voss smiled. The kind that didn't reach his eyes. "Whatever it takes for him to find the coin."
I looked at him for a long moment. The horse shifted beneath my hand. The leather of the reins was warm from the morning sun.
I thought about the boy on the road. The knife in his hand. The look on his face when he talked about his parents' farm.
I thought about my hands feeling sticky even after I'd wiped them clean.
"No."
Voss's smile flickered. "No?"
"No."
He stared at me. Waiting for me to explain. To justify. To take it back.
I didn't.
I let go of the horse's reins. Walked past him. Out of the stable. Down the road.
I didn't look back.
I could hear him calling after me. Marlow's voice, somewhere behind. Confused. Asking what happened.
I kept walking.
The road stretched ahead. The forest swallowed the sound of their voices.
I didn't stop until I couldn't hear them anymore.