27
Once again, Lukas was awakened by a soft knock on his bedroom door. Then the door opened and Aaron peered inside. “It’s time,” he said.
Already sitting up now, Lukas was left alone for a few more minutes. He found it a little amusing that Aaron would be the one to wake him; he’d never expected to relive that kind of familiarity with the man as an adult.
After straightening the blankets on the pallet, reassuring himself this would not be the last time he did so, he made his way down the stairs just as Cephas emerged from the back room on the first level. They exchanged nods, then Marya approached with a cup of tea. She held it out for Lukas and he tilted his head, not particularly feeling in the mood for warm comfort—or anything in his stomach.
“Humor me,” she said, smiling through t
