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Her response is a whisper I cannot hear,open again and then shut The receiving hall in front of us is as crowded as before, full of rubbernecking nobles and soldiers, eager to glih in silence, our faces blank and unreadable Farley and Davidsonour decision It’s time for us to leave Harbor Bay and Norta behind I unbuttonthe jacket fall open so I can breathe more easily, unfettered by stiff fabric

Kilorn is the only person waiting for me, and he is quick to reachwent Our exit, along with our silence, is answer enough

"Darowls as alk, our pace brisk and deter to pack All my clothes are borrowed or easily replaced, even the ones I ca in the way of personal belongings, except the piercings inback in Montfort, tucked away in a box The red stone, the one I couldn’t bear to part with Until now

I wish I had it here To leave it in his rooood-bye And easier than the one I have to make now

I break off fro for their own roorand staircase "I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes," I tell the o with a wave and a nod

Kilorn hesitates on the first step, waiting for an invitation to follow He’ll never get one

"You too," I "

His green eyes narrow, hard as chips of emerald "Don’t let him ruin you"

"He’s already done what he can toelse"

The lie soothes hih for him to turn away, satisfied withleft to be broken

His door guards step aside, letting me turn the knob of his rooeroo the ocean No bed, just a few chairs and a long couch Either he’ll die this afternoon, and he has no use for sleeping arrangements, or a bed hasn’t been prepared yet

He stands at the , one hand on the curtains, as if to pull them shut

"No use," he ain "They don’t block the light"

"I thought that’s what you wanted," I reply "To stay in the light?"

I echo words he said to o, when I was his prisoner, chained to a room like this one, doomed to stare out s and waste