We were quiet again for a time after that. When Lu Sin's coughing called me, he said his goodbyes, promising more medicine on his next visit. I brewed the tea Justine had sent and went in to sooth my friend's cough. When she at last had breath to speak, she seemed concerned. “Dovan was here.”
I nodded and tucked the blankets around her. “He was. He brought the tea.”
“His visit troubled you.”
I sighed and sat beside her. “He has a way of asking difficult questions.”
She nodded. “He is a very interesting man.”
“You should rest.”
“I am not tired. Would you read to me?”
I conceded and retrieved a volume of poetry I had read from when last she had asked. I settled into the soft pillows of the chair beside her bed and opened the book. Lu Sin sipped her tea and closed her eyes, drifting on
