“He gained a sense of order,” Kitai said. “Of peace. He creates a solid Realm in his thoughts and pays a just penalty for the things he has done.” Kitai reached into a pocket and tossed him something underhand.

Tavi caught it. It was a triangle of chitin as long as his smallest finger—the tip of a vordknight’s scythe.

“Things have changed, my Aleran. The vord are here, and they will kill us all. It is madness to labor on their behalf.” She moved forward and put a hand on his arm. “And he has saved your life, chala. For that, I am in his debt.”

“Crows.” Tavi sighed and sagged back down, staring at the deck.

Kitai moved quietly to sit down on the bunk beside him. She put her wrist to his forehead. Her skin felt pleasantly cool.

“You have a fever, chala,” she said quietly. “You’ve been holding the weathercrafting too long.”

Tavi gritted his teeth. “Have to. Won’t be much longer. We should reach Phrygia by morning.”

“You told me that Sextus did this,” she said. “Pushed himself to do what he saw as his duty—even though it cost him his health, even though it put the Realm at risk of losing its First Lord.” She slid her hand down his arm to twine her fingers with his. “You said it was shortsighted of him. You said it was foolish.”

“He did it for weeks on end,” Tavi said.

“But not continually,” she countered. “Only at night, during his meditations.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tavi said. “If the ice melts, there’s no getting it back with spring coming on. I just have to hold it for a few more hours.”

She frowned, clearly unhappy, but did not gainsay him.

“You think I’m wasting Fidelias’s life.”

“No,” Kitai said. “He is there because he wanted to be there. You are wasting his death.”

He frowned at her for a moment, then her meaning sunk in. “Ah,” he said.

“He should be given the choice,” Kitai said. “If nothing else, you owe him that.”

Tavi leaned over and kissed her hair gently. “I think,” he said, “you may be right.”

* * *

Tavi walked carefully over the ice to the execution party. They were gathering up their tools and preparing to return to the ship. As he approached, they saluted.

“Leave us,” Tavi said. The men saluted again and hurried to return to the ship.

There were a number of allowable variants for crucifixion, ranging from the practical to the downright sadistic. Which one was used was mostly determined by how much anguish the authorities felt the offender had earned. Many were designed to contain and circumvent specific furycrafting talents.

For Fidelias, they had used steel wire.