She froze, but quickly recovered, even chuckling after a moment and patting Lu on the back. When she pulled away, some of the fear had left her face. She gave Lu a gentle, tentative smile, pinching her cheek like a grandmother. “I’ll give you pastries to take with you in the morning; you need some meat on these skinny bones. In the meantime, sleep. And sweet dreams, child. You deserve them.”
“You, too,” Lu murmured. The woman left on silent, slippered feet, and she and Magnus were alone.
“You like her,” he said, staring out the lone window in the room where he’d stationed himself since they’d been shown in. Like all the windows, it sported blackout shades, but he’d pushed them aside to peer into the night.
“I like anyone who offers me pastries.” She tossed her small pack on the bed, sat
