Anything. I mean anything theyre asked to do, if we can make it clear. Buttheyre not afraid of the Shadow. They hate it, dont get me wrong, but they dont fear it. They dont fear the Ferals, either; they make camp beside the damn border, and they watch. She grimaced. Truth is, they make the streets safer just by living there.
But our people? Theyre fuckin mice. They scatter at the sight of the Norannir.
Big surprise. They were generally smart enough to scatter at the sight of you, and you werent eight feet tall and wielding an ax they probably couldnt lift on a good day.
Morse was willing to concede this, but only barely. I wanted them to be afraid. I was a threat. Avoiding me? Made sense. But avoiding the Norannir makes none.
Clearly, life in Tiamaristhe fief, not the Dragonagreed with Morse; shed never cared much whether people made sense before.
Theyll stay if the Ladys with them, though. They love her more than they fear the Norannir.
We can probably work with that.
Tara, who had been walking in silence toward the Towerwith the odd stop to look at dirt or grassturned to look at Kaylin. She raised a brow to make clear shed heard the words and wanted details. The Norannir are going to be living in the fief. They may make their way out in ones and twosI did, Severn didbut this is where most of them are going to stay. The rest of the People who already live here dont have much choice, and even if they thought they did, they wouldnt say anything.
But they trust you now. In truth, it had taken much, much less time for that trust to build than Kaylin would have guessed. If they trust you enough that theyre willing to risk their lives in the presence of the strangers, we can work with that. We can make the strangers seem less, well, strange.
How? Morse demanded.
I dont know how much time Tara has, butthese language lessons. Sanabalis has a good idea once in a while; hes trying to teach the kids. What if we do it in the other direction?
What?
We teach the human kids the Norannir language. Tara can be there to help. It doesnt have to be much, and it doesnt have to be useful right away. But the kidsll spend time with the Norannir, and anything that doesnt terrify kids
Whos going to volunteer their kids?
Kaylin said, I dont know. But we wont be the ones askingTara will. Besides, not all the kids have living parents. Offer them a meal and theyll come. Morse nodded and they both looked at Tara.
Tara, however, looked ahead to the Tower. Come, she said quietly. You asked me about the sword.
You said you didnt
I dont. I dont, but I canin the words of the fiefguess.
The Tower doors still boasted no door wards, and this, more than anything else, made it instantly feel like home. Or as much a home as a rising pillar of white stone, surrounded by carrot, beet, and potato gardens could ever be. The doors rolled inward as Tara approached them, but many, many of the fancier buildings in the City had doors that did that, as well. Here, she bowed to Maggaron.
You will be safe within, she told him.
What I see
You will be safe. You cannot harm me. And if I do not wish you to leave, you will remain within the Tower for the rest of your natural existence.