Chapter 178

THE FIRST FEW DAYS ABOARD seemed to both drag and fly by. Waking each morning brought an instant of ridiculous hope with Ignatius watching me from the table and looking, to my sleep blurred eyes, just like Alek. It didn't help that my dreams were a mess of memories of Al and Yakov. After the brutally clear truth registered again in my mind I ate breakfast with Ignatius, and occasionally Kassie. I spent the days with Loushka, often joined by Kassie and Kerak. We watched the allies and soldiers practice. Occasionally the Lieutenants or Leseach would join us and dissect the performance of whoever sparred on the large main deck. With so many things to distract me, I managed to keep the really bad moments to a minimum; just the mornings and evenings in the cabin, when Ignatius would kindly leave me alone for a quarter hour.

I sat with my back to the base of the bed, watching the morning sun create patterns on the floor. Ignatius had gone to collect breakfast. It gave me fifteen minutes at