“Ah, no more tears,” he said pulling me onto hisp.


    “We will not speak of her if it makes you sad. You lose the food we give you when you are upset.”


    Strong arms held me tightly to his chest as I trembled.


    “I miss her,” I cried into his neck.


    “I worry about her and want desperately to see her. Everyday, I have her on my mind. If I could just


    know she was all right…” I trailed off.


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    It was a pipe dream. There was no more way for me to know Hannah was all right than for my mother


    to know I was all right. The distance may as well be the same. I was not going to get closer to either


    one of them.


    “We have a coupling,” Damien said firmly.


    “It is very soon. I will talk to Nu-reeh and ask her to let you see Hannah.”


    I dried my tears and snorted.


    “Hannah’s who knows where, Damien. She could be anywhere on the whole.”


    Ang’s Library


    “Do you doubt me?” he said lifting my chin so I looked in his eyes. I saw the spark of challenge and had


    tough. Damien was so sure of himself, all the time. It didn’t matter what the situation was.


    “No, Master Damien,” I said using the formal title to irritate him, “you are a powerful man and I do not


    doubt you.”


    Damien grinned back at me and hugged my body close to his. That seemed to settle the argument for


    the time being.


    We sat in the bathhouse that night and I washed Damien as usual. Christof sat on the bench beside


    Damien discussing strategy. There had been a fight with bandits on the road today and Christof thought


    there was a better tactic than what they were using.


    “That’s how the men in the red mountains group,” Damien argued as I finished scrubbing him. “We


    don’t do it that way.”


    Christof continued with his point. It was a valid way to arrange themselves and it might be better. They


    should try it.


    I had to stifle augh. It sounded to me like Christof was just curious. He just wanted to try something


    different.


    “Something amuse you?” he asked pulling me onto his Lap.


    “Just you being you,” I told him soaping his front.


    Christof released me and I continued to wash him. Damien was already clean.


    “You don’t have to do that,” Christof said as I circled the bench to wash his back.


    “I want to, Christof,” I leaned down and whispered in his ear. “You’ve washed my back plenty of times.


    It’s only fair.”