Kira sat in the coach, out of sight of the ship, as various people came by, expressing authentic-sounding condolences and then being told Kira's warning. Asha, Mage-solemn, touched Kira's hand in thanks as Mechanic Dav shook his head ruefully. "Uncle Dav? Can I ask a hard question?"

"You? Of course."

"Do you blame my mother for your limp?"

Dav smiled at her. "If not for your mother, my bones would have been resting on the bottom of the Sea of Bakre for the last twenty years. I've never felt anything but gratitude toward her. The one responsible for this," he tapped his hip, "is the legionary who fired a crossbow at me. And whoever he or she was, they were just doing their job."

"You don't even blame the Imperials?"

"I would if they tried again. Hey, our girls Devi and Ashira are wondering when you'll visit. You're always welcome in Tiaesun."

"I need to get down there again," Kira said. "Sien wants me to visit, too."

A long time passed, the slant of the sunbeams through the windows of the coach shifting down and toward the west, before her mother finally joined Kira in the coach. "Ugh," Mari said, checking to be sure she couldn't be seen from the ship. "That Talese woman kept pressuring us to approve things, and saying none of them were all that important but we should go ahead and say yes. Thank you for your warning, Kira."

"I just did what you asked me to do," Kira said, uncomfortable with the praise. "What did the Imperials say?"

"Camber was expecting that sort of thing. The Imperials see the Urth people not as welcome visitors but as rivals. And Sien badly wants to hurt that Talese woman, but she restrained herself. Everyone was warned, and even the Syndaris appear to be worried so much about being taken that they'll refrain from trying to make their own deals with the Urth people."

Kira realized that her mother was sharing diplomatic details with her just as if she was one of those who had worked with Mari ever since the war. The realization emboldened her to ask a question. "Mother, why didn't you ever tell me where the scar on your arm came from?"

Mari gave her a surprised look that shaded into guilt. "There never seemed to be a good time."

"Was it really bad?"

"No. Your father wrapped a bandage around it to stop the bleeding. When we made it to the Pride the healer stitched it up. Hurt for a while, that's all. Um, I did have trouble using that arm for…part of the battle in Landfall's harbor."

"Were you scared?"

Her mother met her gaze. "A little. We were all exhausted. Physically and emotionally numb. At the time I was mainly worried that we'd lose the tech manuals."

"Have you ever been scared?"

Mari looked away. "Sometimes I've been so scared I couldn't breathe."