Theo caught Kellan before he left the clinic.
He stood beside the supply cupboard with the afternoon care schedule folded in one hand. There was no accusation in his face yet. That made Kellan look more guilty than if he had found his brother angry.
“You said before the meal.”
“I’ll be back before it.”
“You said that yesterday too.”
Kellan stopped checking the strap on his shoulder.
Eli waited near the doorway, where the street noise covered the conversation from everyone farther inside. He did not pretend he could not hear it. Theo was not asking for privacy. He was asking for an answer that could survive a clock.
“The envoy’s arrival is one movement,” Kellan said. “I clear the approach, hand the inside route to the receiving volunteers, and come back. If it changes, I send word through the desk.”
