“Give the man a medal,” Aren said to the world at large, “he’s finally caught up.” Jainan tried to roll off the bed as the woman approached him with the helmet, but the new sedative on top of the incapacitator shot was too much. The guardrail jammed into his shoulder. At least they haven’t taken Kiem, he told himself. The last thing he heard was Aren in the distance, clear as a bell, say,

“Now, if you’ll both excuse me. I have to go and drink champagne with the fucking diplomats.”

The noise was like standing underneath a shuttle burner as it ignited. Jainan floated paralyzed in the sea of hammering sound, convinced every scrap of his consciousness was unravelling piece by piece. He tried to scream. He couldn’t tell if he’d succeeded or not, so he tried again. His throat was raw before he stopped. He shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was upright and standing in front of the palace.

The sky overhead was the bright, clear blue of summer. Of course it was summer, he thought uneasily, why would it be anything else? He rubbed his shoulder for warmth; a nervous tic he’d developed over his first Iskat winter.

A flyer was pulling into the driveway. Jainan’s head twitched up for the dozenth time. This time he was rewarded, because when it stopped in front of the palace, the first figure that emerged was Taam’s aide, who held the door and saluted as Taam disembarked.

Jainan pulled a smile onto his face as he went over and found to his relief it was genuine. They had argued before Taam left—Jainan could not seem to stop causing arguments—but Taam gave a characteristic half smile and beckoned him to hurry. When Jainan reached him, Taam slung an arm around him and clapped him on the back, then pushed him away, holding him at arm’s length. “All right, you don’t have to be all over me.”

Jainan pulled his hands back, now not sure what to do with them. In the end he let them hang at his sides. “It’s good to see you.” The minute the words were out of his mouth, they sounded flat.

Taam’s eyes narrowed, half in jest. “Rehearse that, did you?”

Jainan shut his mouth. That didn’t deserve an answer. But Taam was in a good mood, and Jainan wanted to keep him that way for as long as possible.

“Did your trip go well?” The aide was already carrying Taam’s suitcase. Jainan tried to ease Taam’s personal effects bag off his shoulder.

“Don’t grab,” Taam said, freeing it and pushing it at Jainan. “It was fine.

Bloody Theans obstreperous as usual, but we got around them. The drilling starts next month.”

There was a short silence. Jainan settled the bag on his shoulder and turned toward the palace.

“Well?” Taam said from behind him. “That’s it? A month away and you can’t even pretend interest?”