The stranger gazed from me to my lower half to Zephyr, and then back to Jacinta, taking us all in. I wasn't sure what or how much Jacinta had told him, but I could understand his hesitation in speaking to us.
After a few moments, he shook his head, and I realized he was answering my question.
"What's your name?" I asked, thinking it was a simple enough question to start with.
His lips moved, but he didn't say anything. Then, he pointed toward the water.
My brows furrowed. "Your name is Ocean?"
He shook his head.
"Water?"
Nope.
"Indian?" I asked, feeling slightly ridiculous.
His brows furrowed, but he didn't shake his head. Huh. Maybe his name was in an Indian language?
"Sagar?" Zephyr asked suddenly, and the stranger nodded quickly, his expression relaxing.
I shot Zeph a curious look, and he shrugged. "It's a Hindi name. It means a sea or an ocean."
"It's nice to meet you, Sagar," I said, and wondered if maybe there was a reason why he hadn't just told us his name. Maybe he couldn't? "Can you speak?" I asked, trying to be tactful without beating around the bush.
Sagar shook his head. Ah, okay, that made sense.
"Gotcha. Can you write?"
Sagar nodded instantly, and I grinned, then turned to the others. "Do you have some paper and a pen?"
Zephyr dug through his cloak's pockets and pulled out a worn notebook and handed it to me, then pulled out a pen from a different pocket, making me smile. "Thanks,Mary Poppins."
He chuckled as I handed both to Sagar, and then explained the Sanctuary to him the same way he had to me once upon a time. Sagar listened intently, though I could tell he was nervous.
Once Zephyr was done talking, I told him how much I loved the place, and how glad I was that I lived there. Jacinta told him a little about the Ocean area specifically, and I could tell Sagar liked what he heard.
When Jacinta finished speaking, Sagar was quiet for a long moment. Then, he opened the notebook to a blank page and wrote just one question: will I be safe?
The question sent a pang through my chest, and I stepped closer to Sagar, fighting the urge to pull him into a hug. Instead, I spoke. "Yes. You'll be completely safe. Only residents and their mates can get into the Sanctuary, and Zephyr is a very powerful sorcerer. We also have a dragon in the family, and no one protects better than a dragon, right?"
Sagar looked a little wide-eyed as he nodded, but I knew I had him. He was going to be the newest member of the Sanctuary.
Zephyr
Keoni was a natural.
He'd always been good with people, and it'd never been clearer.
It would have taken me much longer to win Sagar over, but Keoni had this air of sincerity about him that made people want to trust him, and his openness invited others to be open with him too. Maybe we should always do this together from now on. I thought he would enjoy it.
It didn't take long for Sagar to decide to come with us, and after a dip in the ocean to fetch some possessions he was keeping there, he followed us back through the portal to the Ocean area.
With a promise from Keoni to show him around later, we left him with Jacinta, who would show him around the area, explain the rules, and take him to his new home.
"I don't know if it's the sun or the salty breeze, but I feel very sleepy all of a sudden," Keoni mumbled as we made our way to the exit after I closed the portal.
"I feel the—" A yawn cut me off, and Keoni chuckled as he shot me a twinkly-eyed look.
