Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
"Yeah?"
"You are far too young for resonance, my son."
"Sessah resonated young though, right? An' I figured maybe if I already knew that I was gonna resonate, it might happen earlier for me, too, and so I thought I'd better start practicing now so I can be ready to hear it when—"
I put my hand up. "You worry over the future that is many turns of the seasons away, my son. If you resonate early, so be it, but you have time yet." I try not to laugh at the thought of my small son—barely more than two hands of age—preparing for resonance. "And you worry too much about hearing things. When resonance happens, you will not be able to ignore it."
Joden scoffs. "You and Mama did."
"You think we were ignoring it? No, my son. It would be like ignoring your arm or your leg. You are always aware it is there, always aware of the situation. Just because we did not act right away, it does not mean we ignored it." I lean in close and drop my voice. "And if I am being honest, it was the most miserable time of my life."
A tiny smile curves Joden's mouth, followed by another gusty sigh. "I just don't want to MISS it, Papa."
I squeeze his shoulder. "You will not. Trust me. And do not listen to the elders. If you are happy when you are loud, then be as loud as you like in the village, my son. Just...not on the hunting trails."
Joden giggles and then flings his arms around my waist. "Thank you, Papa."
My heart overflows, and I hug my son back. I ruffle his mane, soft and silky like Jo-see's. "Of course. You know you can always talk to me if you are troubled. I will speak the truth to you."
"I know." Joden pulls back and then his eyes flash with excitement. "Do you know how many times I went through the maze today, Papa? At least TEN times, but the last two, I went blindfolded because Pacy said I couldn't do it, and I said I could, and he said 'Prove it' so I put on a blindfold and I showed him. And then Warrek said that the maze would probably be up for a while because the ice got all hard and crisp and so we can play in it tomorrow and me and Holvek decided that if we can spin around in circles before we go inside and cover our eyes with a blindfold it'll be just like a brand new maze and—"
I step onto the lift to bring us home and remind myself that this is what I wanted. My chattering, exuberant son, being himself. He talks the entire way back to the hut, and by the time I tuck him in for bed and his mother kisses him goodnight, he's still talking.
He will probably talk all through his sleep, too, and keep us all awake. But...I am glad.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
VEKTAL
Once the kits are asleep and the festivities are completed, I go around the maze with my mate, picking up the remaining not-potatoes, putting out the candles, and collecting them all onto a travois.
"I think it all went really well," Georgie gushes to me as she picks up one of the not-potatoes and studies the caved-in face. "Looks like this one got a boot in the mouth. You're going to be tomorrow morning's porridge, my friend."
I grimace. There are a lot of not-potatoes that were used, and I am envisioning morning after morning of bland, textureless porridge. "Food must not be wasted."
"It won't be. There are a dozen uses for not-potato." She hands me the still-warm candle bowl and grins. "The kits had such a good time. Jorvek took forever to settle down in the blankets and then the moment his head hit the pillow, he was out. He just didn't want the night to end."
I smile at my mate, thinking of the delight on my small son's face. Such an easy way to please the young ones. A few snow trenches, some food with some lights in it, and a festival where everyone gets treats. "No wonder humans have so many hawl-days. You work hard to keep everyone content."
"There are a lot of human traditions," Georgie admits, moving on to the next potato-lantern and picking it up. "Not all of them good, like war. But we can keep the fun stuff and discard the rest, you know?"
"And this is part of the fun?" I gesture at the walls of the maze. "Because I admit, you have told me what it is many times, and I still do not understand the point. Why make a snow channel designed to trap people?"
She chuckles, a skip in her step as she strides toward me. Even after a long day, my mate still has energy. Her eyes sparkle with enthusiasm, her brown curls drifting against her face and framing pink cheeks and an even pinker nose. "The point is that it's a safe adventure for the kids. Inside the maze, you don't know which way is the way out, and it's exciting to get lost while knowing you're still completely safe. I did a mirror maze at a fair once and I forgot how fun it was. It's just a small adventure for the little ones."