The formal cases came out at the fifth hour. Vane heard them in the corridor — the weight of reinforced travel cases being moved by people who knew how to move them — and was already dressed when the knock came.
Selene was in the outer courtyard when he came down. Not directing the loading, just present, standing at the courtyard's edge with the morning light finding her the way morning light found things at altitude, clean and without warmth. The cases were already done. The Sol carriage was already at the gate. She had not come down to supervise anything. She had come down because this was the last morning of the break and she was using it.
She looked at him when he appeared.
"Mia asked about you this morning," she said.
"What did she ask?"
"Whether you were coming back." She looked at the courtyard. "I told her the break had an end date and you would be on the other side of it." She paused. "She said that wasn't what she asked."
He looked at the carriage.
