A Murder of Mages (48 page)

Satrine finished her stew listening to Rian rant about the boy and Caribet talk about classes. They finished up and she sent the girls to bed. After a few minutes of straightening up, she blew out all the lamps, save one candle, and went into the bedroom.

Loren lay awake, his eyes found her vest as soon as she came in. He moaned softly.

“I got it back,” Satrine said. “So we’ll do all right for a while.” She put the candle on his table and poured him a cup of water. He drank readily, eyes staying on her vest.

“We got our man. I got him, actually, but Mirrell and Kellman are getting the credit.” She sat on the bed and took off her boots. “It was a dice of a fight, though, Loren. Two fights, actually, since Idre Hoffer notched me. That was the real dice. Taking down Plum, it was almost sad. Locked him down, saved a life, like you always used to say.”

Another soft moan from Loren.

“Yeah,” she said. “Looks like I’m getting the job done.”

The moan turned into a wheeze.

She got up and turned to him. “Looks like I have your attention, as long as I have this on?” She held open the vest.

“Ree . . .” he wheezed out.

“What was that?” she asked, moving closer.

“Reen . . . an . . .” He trailed off.

“Green and Red?” she asked. Of course that was what he was thinking. She took off the vest and let it drop on the ground. “No more of that in here.”

His eyes stayed on her. No lolling, no flailing about.

“Ree . . . Satree . . .”

She dropped to her knees.

“. . . Trine,” he finished hoarsely.

She almost fell over, and then scrambled to his side, cupping his face. “Loren? Are you? I’m here. I’m here.”

His eyes went away again. The moment passed.

She kissed his forehead. “All right, my love. That was good.” She stood back up and continued undressing. “I want you to know, Loren, I won’t stop fighting for you. Working for our family.”

She got in the bed next to him. She hadn’t slept properly in days. “Every day, for as long as it takes.”

She turned and wrapped her arm around his warm chest. “I can do it, because I know you’re here, waiting for me.” The tears formed at her eyes, and she didn’t bother trying to stop them. “I’m at your back. Until the saints come for you. And even then, I’m going to give them a blazes of a fight.”

She leaned up and blew out the candle.

“You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m on
it.”

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