‘Oh.’
They looked at the fire for a while, Talis stroking Valkirra’s hand. He cleared his throat, which was always choking with tears these days. ‘Is this about Charm?’ he asked.
Valkirra grunted. ‘Everything’s about Charm.’
‘It was just an accident. Accidents happen.’
‘They’re not supposed to happen to the Chief’s children, are they? Of all the Assessable, the children of the most High-Assessed Chief and her High-Assessed mate are meant to thrive. They would be the most human babies this Settlement could have. But Charm didn’t even make it to puberty.’
‘Any child, human or not, can fall downstairs and break his neck. Dozens of folk have fallen on those stairs. They are steep and dangerous. Everyone knows that.’
Valkirra groaned. ‘You know what they’re saying in the Temple, don’t you
