he told her as he opened the door.She smiled at him. “For another few hours.”He lost his smile, shaking his head. “It is bad for someone to joke so easily about their own mortality, take it from an old man about to meet his.”“Take your own advice, Master Heron. But first, would you mind if we make use of your shop for a time?”Heron nodded slowly, giving no indication as to what part of her words he was agreeing to. Finally, he stepped back and waved casually. “Enter as you wish.”She stepped into the familiar shop and gestured to the large table set up in the far side of the cavernous interior. “We’ll need your planning table, likely for no more than a few candlemarks.”“You are defending my home of the last twelve years, child,” he said with a sad smile. “I can spare you my table and my roof. Do not worry about the time. What little I have left is as well spent like this as in any other way I can imagine.”“That,” she returned, “is the first blatant lie you’ve ever told to me, Master.
