Chapter 3: Lord Edric's Last Lesson

The first thing Cael learned about Durath's mornings was that they lied.

From inside the quarters, the light through the treated glass looked almost gentle — pale and diffuse, the kind of light that on Serenne would have meant cloud cover, would have meant the sea was the color of pewter and the air smelled of brine and the day could be trusted to stay cool until at least mid-morning. He stood at the window on the third day and watched that light and felt, for one unguarded moment, something like the coastal estate, the long corridor down to the water, Tam showing him how to read the lichen on the seawall —

Then he opened the outer door for thirty seconds to retrieve the water delivery left on the threshold, and the heat came in like a hand pressed flat against his face, and the lie collapsed.