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Seignur Veeoni’s Private Workroom
Medical Alcove


The ’doc pinged.

Hazenthull looked up from her screen. Tolly had not returned, but she anticipated no difficulty from the lanky light keeper. She did stand, and placed herself where she would be seen immediately by the ’doc’s occupant.

The hood rose.

Lorith sat up, and paused, surveying the room. Hazenthull said nothing, even when that searching gaze passed over her—and moved on.

Finally, the light keeper looked at her again.

“Jen Sin?” she asked.

“Untouched, and attending his duty. A ship has come in.”

“Has it?” Lorith gazed around her. “Where am I?”

“The medical wing of the researcher’s workspace, that she brought with her.”

“Ah. A resourceful woman, the researcher. Where is my knife?”

“I have it.”

Lorith met her eyes. “Do you? What is its condition?”

“Well kept and well edged. It took no damage from the deck.”

“That is well, then.” She paused; pale brows pulled together. When she spoke again, it was with some degree of restraint.

“Sister-in-edge, I ask you to hold my knife until I ask for it,” she said. “If I should fall, place it into the hands of my Blade Sister Jen Sin.”

Hazenthull inclined her head.

“It is safe with me.” She paused and added, delicately, “I would be honored to hold others of your weapons.”

Lorith smiled. “Now, that is an offer worthy of a sister-in-edge. Sadly, the knife is the only weapon I possess, aside myself, of course.”

“Of course,” Hazenthull said politely. “If a sister-in-edge may ask…”

Large dark eyes met hers. “Ask.”

“He is quick, and an experienced fighter, but you surprised him. Victory was yours. I wonder why you began, if you did not mean to finish.”

“That is a proper question, and deserves a proper answer. In truth, I did not mean to begin. I recall bidding Jen Sin to come away. The next instant, the blade was in my hand, and myself in the act of striking. It was nothing that I had intended, and I…drew back.”

“Which allowed him to disarm you.”

“Yes, but it would not have ended there,” Lorith said slowly. “I—there was—pain—”

“The researcher shot you with a sedative dart.”

“I am grateful for it. No, the pain was in my head, like static, only shaped from needles and fire, and I feared—I feared that I would try again, and this time I would not be able to hesitate.”

“I understand.”

Lorith sighed. “Is the researcher going to destroy the rebirth units?”

“Possibly she will, but not soon. She is determined to study them first.”

“Then if she returns Jen Sin his beads, he is in no danger.”

“That is beyond me,” Hazenthull said. “Though I do know that the kin-group from which Jen Sin derives is known for finding danger. It may not be possible to keep him safe.”

“I want him to be safe from me,” Lorith said. “He stood up as my sister, when he might have taken his ship and himself away from here. He could have—but he stayed, and he improved the duty. Together, we kept the Light from mischief, and he—I could never have made the safe rooms; it would not have occurred to me to make the safe rooms, or any of the changes he made to weaken the Light’s dominion. On two occasions, he managed to turn the will of the Light, though he knew—enough. What I want to say is that I would not have him die by my hand, nor would I have him become…lost.”

“I understand, I think,” Hazenthull said, thinking of a future that did not contain Tolly Jones. She shivered. Lorith nodded.

“I will leave you now,” she said, sliding out of the ’doc and onto her feet. “My thanks, Edge Sister. May your death be glorious.”


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Framed