Satou sat in the room's second chair.
"He sent a message to you at the end," Satou said. "In the last minutes. He said it wasn't a failure of intelligence. That Chronus hid it because Chronus was old and experienced at hiding things."
"I know," Loki said. "I received it." He was quiet. "He spent his last minutes making sure I wouldn't blame myself." He looked at his hands. "That's—"
He stopped.
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
They sat in the room for a while. The settlement quiet outside. North, eight miles, the staging position where fifteen people were waiting for the gap in the patrol rotation.
"You should sleep," Satou said again.
"Tomorrow," Loki said.
Satou stood.
"The settlement holds what it holds," Loki said. "Whatever happens tomorrow. It already holds it." He looked up at Satou. "Cassius knew that. He saw it before I did, I think."
"Yes," Satou said. "He did."
He went to find Lyra.
She was awake.
Of course she was.
