“Leesa was part of a way of life I loved. The only way of life I knew until now. And I have left that life behind. You are—you embody all the things I have come to admire and respect. Wondrous things and difficult things. Things I cannot put into words. I don’t know that I could ever have loved you before, being who I was then. Being who I am now, I don’t think I can ever stop. I don’t want to embarrass you or frighten you or make you angry. But I don’t want you to doubt that I love you.”

“I have loved Jex Zanlan my whole life,” she said, in a slow, halting voice. “Both because of who he was and—and, I guess, because of what he represented. But I learned there are no boundaries in Jex. I learned that we do not have the same view of right and wrong—of good and evil. And I learned that I could not love a man who did not value the things I prize most. But it is hard to let go of an old love. And it is hard to trust yourself when you think you love again.”

“Those things are both true,” Nolan said gravely.

“Let me come with you to Munetrun,” she said at last. “I’ll stay as long as you like. I’ll teach you goldtongue. We’ll play choisin. We’ll read. We’ll talk. We’ll find out if we have really learned to read each others’ souls.”

“All right,” he said.

“I think I do love you, Nolan,” she said. “But I want to make different mistakes this time. Let’s stay in Munetrun until the city has forgotten about you—until we’ve forgotten about our old lovers—until we’re sure of everything.”

“The world will end before we’re sure of everything,” he said with a slight smile. “But I will agree to stay until you’re sure of me.”

“When can you be ready to leave?” she asked.

“Anytime. Now.”

“I have to tell Sereva where we’re going and arrange for a car to take us in-country. And it’s probably better if we leave at night.”

“I can meet you somewhere. At the East Zero gate, maybe—that’s right on the road to Inrhio.”

Kit thought it over a moment, then nodded decisively. “Good. Wait until full dark before you leave here. I’ll be there about an hour after nightfall.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

She turned toward the door, hesitated, and turned back. He stayed where he was, waiting. She took three quick steps to cross the room and kissed him lightly on the mouth.