"Jesiah."

Strange to hear his name, in the semi-darkness of the fallen city. Years ago, had Jessie pictured such a conversation in the empty halls of Shevat, he and his companion would be conquerors, not aiding refugees in their escape.

"There’s nobody left up this way." Jessie pointed with an elbow, gun still on his shoulder. Have you gotten all the ones from the southern corridor?"

Kahran Ramsus nodded, his usually neat hair falling into his eyes. "My girls are working on it."

"Well, then." Jessie said, and the two of them stared at each other, breath misting in the frozen air between them.

"Jesiah--" Ramsus began, at the same moment Jessie said, "Forget it," and they silenced each other.

"I’m too tired to apologize," Ramsus muttered, and his eyes were rueful. "And we’d freeze to death while I did." He hesitated, struggling with what to say. Jessie, remembering the days when Kahran Ramsus was a stammering cadet and not a man of power and influence, let him puzzle it out. "Where are you headed?" Ramsus asked at last, and Jessie shrugged.

"After we drop off the Shevat refugees in Aquvy? Probably stop by the orphanage, and then..." He waved a hand. "Wherever I’m needed. Wherever Billy Lee wants to go. Probably Aveh, or Nisan. Why?" He quirked a pale eyebrow. "Did you want to come along?"

Ramsus flushed a little with something like his old pride, pale skin blood-touched in his face. "Queen Zephyr has requested my assistance in the reconstruction of Shevat."

Both of Jessie’s eyebrows went up this time. "Has she, Kahr? Well, I think you’d be good at it." He smiled, faintly. "Since she personally asked you."

Ramsus’ eyes darkened. "If you’re insinuating--"

"I ain’t insinuating anything that you haven’t already told me, six times over, just by the way you’re standing there. And if you think it’s gonna ruffle me one bit, then you and I have been apart for too damn long."

Ramsus let out his breath, one gloved hand in his hair. "Sorry, Jesiah. Some of her ministers have expressed... disapproval."

"Those old farts?" Jessie grinned, tapping a battered cigarette out of the package in his hand. "If you ask me, it’s none of their damn business who’s in the queen’s bedroom, or in her counsel. And if she’s asked for you either place--" Jessie patted down his pockets, searching for a lighter, "then I’d trust her judgment."

Ramsus watched his former commander light up, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "Jesiah."

"Hmm?" Jessie tucked lighter and cigarettes back into his coat. "What, Kahr? You’re twitchier than usual."

Ramsus tugged at his worn uniform top, his mouth a tight line. "I am not. I was merely going to suggest... Krelian was using the Zeboim lighthouse as a storage area, for large projects or things that he didn’t want damaged if anything happened to Solaris."

Jessie snorted. "Good planning."

Ramsus continued, as if stopping would keep him from saying something he wanted to say. "I just thought... there might be... something you could use, supplies or such, and--"

"Is this a booby trap or a surprise birthday party? You never could lie, Kahr."

"I’m not lying!" Ramsus shot back, with the air of one tired of having his integrity questioned. "As a favor, Jesiah. To yourself. There are things down there that you should find out about. And things you can use. All right?"

Jessie narrowed his eyes, lowering his cigarette. "All right, Kahr. I’ll give it a look, if you want me to. I think Hyu wanted to go check it out anyway."

"Good. Well, then. I’ll-- I’ll go check the south corridor for stragglers." Ramsus half-turned on a booted heel, snow crunching under his boots.

"Just so you know, Kahr." Jessie said, "I’m doing this because I want to trust you. Not because I do."

Ramsus’ fingers tightened on the shattered doorframe, and he lifted his pale head to look over his shoulder. "Jessie. I never said--" He looked away, to the dark corridor. "I’m sorry. About Racquel. She was always--" He stopped, swallowed. "I’m sorry, Jesiah."

"Well." Jessie stared hard at the packed snow, the rubble. "I’m sorry too, Kahr."

Ramsus inclined his head once, as if to indicate he’d heard, and walked quickly down the tilted corridor. The darkness of fallen Shevat swallowed him abruptly, the snow muffling his footsteps. Jessie B. Black, alone in what was once part of Shevat’s market square, took a long pull off his cigarette, in the silence. It was not unlike being the only man left in the world.