Malphas fell into step beside me, close enough that I could feel the cold radiating from him. "I'm an expert on many things, My Lady. Differences. Similarities. The exact temperature at which a human heart stops beating."
"That's morbid."
"That's accurate."
"I'm not sure those are mutually exclusive."
He glanced at me, and for a moment, just a moment, the mask slipped. Underneath the cold, underneath the dark, underneath the centuries of watching and waiting, there was something else. Something almost human. Something almost warm.
"You're remarkable," he said quietly. "Do you know that?"
"I'm aware."
"Not everyone would keep walking. Not everyone would keep fighting. Most people, when faced with the collapse of everything they've built, would curl up and wait for the end."
"Most people haven't had my training."
