He straightened and came to sit at the foot of the bed. As he did so, she brought her knees up closer to her chest while at the same time holding the sheet tighter about her. Nabilak’s eyes did not meet hers, but instead stared blankly at the shape of her shins beneath the sheet.
“I have never liked it here,” he commented. “It is a lonely place.” His hand rested on her knee for a moment. “Until you arrived, that is.”
He shook his head as if to ward off a thought, took a deep breath, and then stood up. “Anyway, I have been offered an opportunity to leave this dreary existence. The King has given me command of one of the new Barorian units. I will finally do something to be proud of again.”
“Why are you telling me this?” she asked. He had shared little of his affairs with her before.
“I
