“Would you like to hear more?” he asked.

Dagorkun’s frown deepened.

“Yes. I think I would.”

Gaston leaned forward.

“Âme sentinelle,

Murmurons l'aveu

De la nuit si nulle

Et du jour en feu.

Des humains suffrages,

Des communs élans

Là tu te dégages

Et voles selon.”

He had a really good voice, deep and resonant, and somehow French seemed to suit him.

Tony rolled his eyes again.

“What does it mean?” Karat asked.

Gaston made a small, elegant gesture with his hand. “It’s a poem by Arthur Rimbaud. It speaks of the eternity one finds in the moment the setting sun touches the ocean or two lovers make a whispered promise. It’s a quest for unlocking infinity in an instant and carrying it forever in your memory as a defense against the inevitability of torment.”

I stopped eating and looked at him.

“It’s true,” he said.

“Fascinating,” Karat said. She anchored her elbow on the table and rested her chin on the back of her hand. “Tell me more.”

The muscles on Dagorkun’s jaw stood out.

Karat turned toward me to reach for the small jar of jam and winked.

Oh. Oh! She was doing it on purpose.

“What would you like to hear?” Gaston asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Karat smeared a bit of jam on a tiny bagel shaped like House Krahr’s crest. Orro had really outdone himself. “Does the Horde have any fascinating poetry, Under-Khan?”

Dagorkun unlocked his jaws. “Yes.”

“Would you recite some for us?”

“No.”

I drank my coffee to keep from laughing.

“Aww, how disappointing.” Karat fluttered her long eyelashes.

The inn tugged on me. A communication from House Meer. I waved my hand, so nobody would be startled, and Gertrude Hunt delivered a screen showing Bestata to me. The vampire candidate wore a stripped-down version of armor, the kind knights wore during training. I pulled the practice weapons out of storage.

“I wish to speak to Lady Renadra.”

Well, since we are using the official titles instead of first names…

I looked at Karat. “Do you wish to speak to Lady Emindra?”

“Yes.”

I moved the screen to her.

The racks of practice weapons rose through the turf of the lawn. They were the exact size and weight of the standard vampire weapons but made from a different material and their edges were dull. Being hit with one of those still hurt.

“Do you fancy a brief exertion this morning?” Bestata asked.

Karat’s eyes flashed. “Always.”

“I suppose someone will come to escort me to your location?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Excellent. I look forward to a bit of exercise.”

The screen went blank. Karat rose. “I’ll be right back.”

I turned to Gaston. “Would you mind fetching Bestata?”

He gave me a shallow bow. “It’s my pleasure.”

“Thank you.”

Gaston left the table.