“I’m not a child!” Faldar protested, though no one paid him any mind. I turned back to Henry, translating for him as best I could so he could keep up with the conversation. He laughed along with the rest of us, and when his sister came to find him, he was still smiling.
“Henry? They’ve got language lessons soon.”
Turning to look in his sister’s direction, he nodded. “Sounds good.” Turning back to me, he gave me a sunny smile that took my breath away. “Thank you for today. Can we go back tomorrow?”
“Whenever you wish,” I replied gruffly.
It bothered me a little to watch him go, but I was comforted by the knowledge that I would see him again soon. After he disappeared around the line of tents, Tyos sat beside me, his expression curious as he followed my gaze to where Henry had disappeared. “He asked to see you again? That is good, yes?”
I grunted in response. I didn’t wish to get my hopes up, even if a small part of me hoped Henry’s request meant something. It almost seemed too good to be true.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HENRY
Language lessons were becoming more important to me now that I had someone I wanted to talk to. I’d done the practice diligently to show I respected the people who’d rescued us, but I hadn’t thought I’d use it all that much. I expected us to move to Al Nuzem’s capital city or a small town, so my focus had been on learning Erabi, Al Nuzem’s major language. Now that I was spending time with Garrun, I wanted to be able to speak with him better. I did my best to practice with Alice when it was just us two, and with Finn when we were working one-on-one. I even got to practice with a few barbarians who volunteered to assist with language lessons, including Finn’s barbarian husband, Rath.
“I… enjoy not the berries from breakfast.”
Rath chuckled, his words smooth and easy for me to understand as he corrected me. “You do not enjoy the berries from breakfast. Neither do I. They are sour.”
Nodding in agreement, I added, “They are messy. My hands get…” I hesitated, unsure of the word I wanted. I had to say it in the common tongue to get my point across. “Sticky?”
He repeated the word in the barbarian language, patting my shoulder when I slumped in defeat. It didn’t feel like I was getting better. It felt sometimes like I learned something, then was handed six new things to learn and I forgot what I already knew. Learning two languages at the same time was exhausting.
“You are getting better,” Rath reassured me. “Finn says you are the best at speaking.”
I snorted, giving him a wry smile, my words awkward in his language. “You lie. I am not good.”
“You are trying,” he said, his words warm. “Practice more. You will see you are better than you think.”
I planned on practicing more when I spoke with Garrun again. He’d taken me to our spot in the forest every day for the past few days. I was worried sometimes that I was keeping him awake since he told me he did the night guard, but he usually fell asleep while I was out there so I figured a nap counted, and he hadn’t complained yet. Still, I wanted my language skills to be good enough to ask him properly if I was monopolizing his time. He was nice to me, and I didn’t want to take advantage of that kindness.
“Alright, everyone. Lessons are done for today. Go practice your skills with your neighbors, and we’ll meet again tomorrow,” Finn said brightly.
I didn’t bother moving until Alice came to fetch me. I wouldn’t be able to find my way out on my own anyway. I cocked my head, listening for her, and heard her familiar voice not far away, in conversation with someone I was unfamiliar with. My lips twitched when I heard the cadence of her voice, the warmth and softness almost unfamiliar to me. It wasn’t something she did often when we lived at home. She was flirting with him.
Not wanting to disturb her, I pushed to my feet, intent on following the sounds of the voices outside the tent to at least go sit by the fire. It felt awkward eavesdropping on her. Before I could do more than stumble over a pillow, Alice’s attention turned to me, her tone changing to its familiar light teasing as she asked, “Planning on leaving me for more forest time?”
Smiling over my shoulder, I shook my head. “No, just wanting to give you privacy.”
She huffed and came closer to take my hand and put it on her arm. I was getting better at hearing the shifting of sand to figure out that people were walking close to me, but it was nearly impossible for me to know what direction they were going unless they were speaking. A frustration I kept to myself so Alice wouldn’t feel obligated to leave to make me more comfortable. I’d learn to live with it eventually.
Tugging me toward the direction she’d come, she introduced me to the man she was flirting with. “Vaddarr, this is my brother, Henry. Henry, this is Vaddarr. He’s been helping me with my language practice.”
Dipping my chin in what I hoped was his direction, I greeted him politely. “Nice to meet you.”
He responded in the common tongue, his words as stilted as mine felt while practicing his language. “Nice meeting you, Henry. Alice tells me much of you.”
“All good things, I hope,” I replied with a smile. “What clan are you from, Vaddarr?”
“Clan Velgraz,” he replied quietly, and I heard the familiar tinge of confusion in his tone. Alice must not have mentioned my sight to him. Pressing my lips together, I forced a small smile.
“I’ve heard of your clan. Garrun is in that clan as well.”
“You know of Garrun?” he asked, surprised. Then, before I could answer him, he cut me off by asking, “You arethatHenry?” in the barbarian language.
Alice’s voice was confused and a little defensive as she asked, “What do you mean by that?”
