Chapter Five

The weather was still cool and damp, but a fine green fuzz coated the trees. Wishbone spent part of each day working in the kitchen garden for cook. He returned to the house covered with dirt and was allowed a brief soak in the bath before joining Terefar in the parlor for language lessons.

Terefar found a stitched, written pamphlet filled with Krih-aan on one page and Bronlyn tongue on the other, with many hand-written corrections. Wishbone's comprehension grew, and he could follow most things said to him, provided the speaker was slow about it. He could scarcely follow one word in three of the rapid conversations between Sir and a shih-aan guest. Terefar gained proficiency in Bronlyn tongue, hesitating less and making fewer awkward word choices. But while Wishbone could understand why Sir wanted Terefar to speak well with humans, he couldn't imagine how it would benefit Sir for Wishbone to learn Krih-aan.

One evening, Terefar came down to the scullery while Wishbone was washing up from supper.

"Sir wishes to see you upstairs," he said. "Finish your work, then make yourself presentable."

Wishbone paused, elbow-deep in a kettle of hot, scummy water. Some time in the last few months he had forgotten that upstairs existed.

"He wants to see me? Have I done something wrong?"

"Sir does not entrust me with his reasons. But I can't think why you should worry. I will start a kettle in the bath for you."

Washed and wearing fresh clothes,...