Page 86 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

They went through nine letters and their corresponding words in fifteen minutes. Apple, ball, cat, dog, egg, fish, goat, hat, ice. Vrog made him say each one, touch each, and then trace each with his finger.

"You can continue on your own. The program knows when you have mastered a skill and can move forward. All you need to do is sit in front of it and follow the instructions. Give it a go."

Vrog leaned back and watched Khiann practice on his own, going from one letter to the next. It was easy, and it got him excited because he finally saw a path out of ignorance.

"Now this." Vrog swiped, and the screen changed to a row of small pictures. "This is how you can track your progress. This arrow moves forward. This one moves back. This house takes you to the beginning. This star shows what you've finished. I will come over tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, then once a week after that to check on you. If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties, please call me anytime. You can find me in the directory."

"Thank you."

Khiann understood what Vrog had shown him, but he did not feel secure with this new knowledge. He would have preferred that Vrog come every day, at least at the beginning.

"I want to show you numbers." Vrog pulled the device toward him. "These are as important as letters, if not more."

One, a single apple. Two, two apples. Three. Vrog said each one, the device repeated it, and the earpieces said them in both languages.

"Twenty-seven," Khiann said after almost a full hour of numbers.

"Excellent." Vrog tapped the screen, and a new number appeared.

"Forty-three," Khiann said.

Vrog regarded him with appreciation in his dark eyes. "I've never seen anyone learn numbers this quickly. How are you doing this?"

Khiann shrugged. "They seem obvious. There are ten shapes that repeat, and the place they sit tells you how much they are worth. That is how counting works. Only the shapes are new, but they are easier to remember than the letters, for some reason."

Vrog was quiet for a moment. "I guess it's an inclination toward numbers and mathematics. Some people are better with numbers than with words, and some are better with words than with numbers."

"You were always better with numbers," Annani said.

"Last thing." Vrog swiped to a new screen with rows of small pictures, each labeled with numbers. "This is the most interesting part, and it doesn't require you to do anything other than watch. You can do it whenever you want and for as long as you want. It's a series of films that walks through the five thousand years of history you missed, one episode at a time, in order. The time periods are the numbers here. They use the human calendar, and the Clan Mother can explain how it works. It's a little confusing because of where they decided year zero is. So, some of this will be marked as the Common Era, and others before the Common Era. You can go forward from where you left off, or you can jump. There's another series like this one about science. Your earpiece will translate what they say as best it can."

"Since the series uses the human calendar, I assume it was made by humans?"

"That's correct. They made it as an educational product for people who prefer to learn at home at their own pace. But because it was made by humans, there are no gods in these films. The humans of today think that gods are myths invented by people. The mythologies of the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans."

Khiann looked at the rows of pictures.

"So, humans believe that the gods were just stories other humans made up?"

Vrog nodded and then stood. "I'll come back at two o'clock tomorrow. Continue with the letters and go over the numbers once just to make sure you remember what you learned today. Watch one episode, not five. It is easy to get carried away and lose sleep."

"I will try to limit myself to one or two."

Khiann had a feeling he would watch many more than that.

He thirsted for knowledge.

31

ANNANI

Khiann frowned at the crutch Gertrude propped against the couch next to him. "How am I supposed to use this stick and keep my balance?"

The nurse took the crutch and demonstrated. "You have two working legs, Khiann. You've been exercising them all week, and you are stronger today than you were last Monday. That's one of the many advantages of being a god or even just an immortal. Our bodies are very good at repairing themselves quickly."

She took a few steps, leaning on the crutch, then returned to the couch and handed it to him.

"You will lean on it with your right hand, put weight on both legs, and when you feel like leaning on it more, resist the urge. Take a moment to breathe and keep going. The walker returns to the clinic." She turned to Ogidu. "Can you please bring it? It doesn't have to be today, but the sooner the better. I don't want it sitting here and tempting Khiann to use it."