Kimia thought about something for a while before asking.
The question had been sitting somewhere near the back of her mind since the Diet first returned to it, waiting for an opening.
Vehm was still beside her in the gazebo. The cold had settled into the stone beneath them and the first suggestion of morning remained nowhere visible except perhaps in the fact that the darkness no longer seemed infinite.
Kimia looked at him.
“Do you mind coming wizh me to zhe Val Salian Passage?”
Vehm turned.
“To zhe Diet?”
“Yes.”
He waited.
Kimia disliked the necessity of explaining further but did anyway.
“I need someone besides Tarkhe to help rein me in from becoming too stupid.”
Vehm's expression changed.
Not amusement exactly.
Recognition.
He looked out across the garden.
The Heavenly Veil cast enough pale light to give the statues faces.
“How long?”
“Several days at least. Probably longer.”
Vehm rubbed beneath one eye.
“Travel paid?”
“Obviously.”
“Food?”
“Vehm.”
“Important.”
“Yes.”
“Drink?”
“Probably too much.”
“Excellent.”
Kimia gave him a look.
He smiled faintly.
“Yeah. I’ll go.”
The answer came without the hesitation she expected.
“You're sure?”
“I could use a change of scenery.”
He leaned back against the stone.
“Been zhere a few times. I know zhe Passage a little.”
Kimia looked at him.
“For what?”
Vehm considered.
“Various mistakes.”
“Of course.”
“Some pleasant.”
“I didn't ask.”
“No.”
He looked toward her again.
“And if you're going to spend several days surrounded by every important person in zhe Heart pretending zhey're not frightened of what everyone knows is coming, you probably shouldn't do it alone.”
Kimia let the sentence sit.
“Zhank you.”
Vehm nodded.
Then, after a second: “I'll need clozhes.”
“You have clozhes.”
“I need clozhes acceptable around Ieronim Val Salia.”
Kimia looked him over.
His waistcoat was shoddily buttoned. His hair had begun attempting independence again. One cuff was stained with something that might have been coffee.
“Yeah.”
Vehm sighed.
“Cruel.”
They remained in the gazebo a while longer.
Not speaking.
The cold eventually stopped being clarifying and became merely cold.
Kimia stood first.
Vehm followed, more carefully than before.
They crossed the garden.
The indrel came after them.
Inside the palace the warmth met Kimia all at once.
It smelled faintly of wax, old stone, heat coming through pipes, and whatever cleaning solution the night staff used on the lower floors.
She took three steps.
Then remembered.
The thought struck with enough force that she stopped.
Not physically.
But it entered her body like weight.
Gut first, then chest.
“Oh.”
Vehm almost walked into her.
“What?”
Kimia stared ahead.
The Herald.
Of course.
How had she forgotten?
Not forgotten entirely.
The appointment had existed somewhere in the schedule.
Then all the other things had happened and it had slipped behind them.
Vehm waited.
Kimia rubbed one hand against the front of the kaftan.
“Zhe Ivenmozh Herald is supposed to interview me.”
“When?”
“Today.”
“What time?”
“Early afternoon.”
Vehm looked toward the nearest window as though morning might already be preparing to accuse them.
“For what?”
“A feature.”
“What kind?”
Kimia tried to remember the letter.
“Zhey're doing somezhing about different parts of zhe Heart. What zhey're like. How people live. Regional Houses. History. Voxcameras and all.”
Vehm shrugged.
“Zhat doesn't sound too bad.”
Kimia looked at him.