“That was a horrible sound!” Kaspian turned in his seat to glare at the car behind us. “Is it a call to war?”
As if the driver could hear Kas, the car dropped back several feet.
“It's the horn from their vehicle.” I grabbed his shoulder and pulled to get him to face forward. “And it's acceptable here. We use it to let other drivers know that something needs their attention. Like when they're stopped at a green light. Or when they're about to hit something.”
“A green light?”
I sighed. “There's a lot you're going to have to learn.”
“Which is why I'm asking.”
“The lights that hang above street intersections are to direct traffic. When it's time for you to go, the light facing you will turn green. When it's time to stop, it turns red.”
“You humans are a baffling people.” He shook his head.
“If we didn't direct traffic, people would crash into each other.”
“Can't they see the vehicles? Why wouldn't they stop?”
“Because we can go very fast in these vehicles and it can take some time to stop. This way, we can drive through intersections without worrying about another car coming from the side. We trust them to obey the lights and stop. It's simple. We take turns.”
“What magic powers the lights?”
“It's called electricity. It's sort of like, uh, lightning. We create lightning—and don't ask me how. I'm not that smart—and then we direct it through cables. Big metal wires. Those cables go to things like traffic lights and people's homes. I'll show you what else we power with electricity in just a few minutes.”
“Why a few minutes?”
“Because we're almost to my place.”
“Ah, so you will give me lodging? That's very kind of you.”
“It's not much. Just a little craftsman with a yard out back. This is South Salem, one of the older neighborhoods. But I love it. It's got history. I like things with history.”
“What is the history of your home?”
“Oh. Uh, I just mean it's been around awhile. Families have lived in it before me.”
“How old is it?”
“It was built in 1910.” I glanced at him and saw his blank look.Damn, if this guy's crazy, he's deep in Lala-land.Then I remembered the fire and how it just stopped burning. If he was in Lala-land, I was right there with him. “The current year is 2025. So, the house is over a hundred years old.”
Kaspian snorted. “I'm older than that.”
I took a turn onto my street, then comprehension hit. “You're older than a century?”
“I'm 256 years old. I've been ruling Aravult for 63 years.”
“Holy fucking shit,” I whispered. “You guys live that long?”
“We live forever. All the races of Serai do. All but the humans.” Kas lifted a brow at my expression. “That does not make us invulnerable. We can be killed. Though not easily. Certainly not by humans.” His stare shifted out of the window to the homes with gardens full of daffodils, Japanese maples, and fluffy cherry blossom trees. “Every home has a garden. How pretty.”
“People don't have gardens in Aravult?”
“Not like this. Those who live in cities have homes built much closer together. There are . . . parks for enjoying nature.”
“We have cities like that too.”
“You do?” He looked at me with lifted brows. “Do you fly in those air machines there?”
