Sinit?a was holding her bare hands out towards a pair of rocks in the corner of the gathering room when Jorvanultumn and Chiansamorkin entered. Meleng and Captain Gen stood near her, in the process of removing their outdoor clothing. First Mate Ting stood behind them, apparently content with what they were wearing, and not removing anything.


    The rocks were new, as were the two vertical ice sheets, one on each side of the rocks, acting like screens to direct the heat emanating from the rocks.


    The gathering room was the busiest Jorvanultumn could remember seeing it. Davorultumn and Mikranasta had never been ones to have guests over much. Chiansamorkin had visited frequently, but that was pretty much the extent of visitors they ever had. But now, the room was full of people.


    While the humans were gathered near the heating stones, Fevionawishtensen, Mikranasta, and Hilkorultumn stood as far from them as they could get, at the far side of the low-table, which had been raised to the height of a high-table—probably because the actual high-table in the adjoining room was too small to seat everyone. Jorvanultumn was not certain this one would seat everyone. Even the nine people already in the room would be a squeeze. Once Davorultumn—presumably preparing the food—and Hedromornasta joined them, it would be awkward.


    Captain Gen approached him and they clasped left hands. “Thank you for inviting us, Jorvanultumn. I appreciate the opportunity to meet your family.”


    “I will translate for you,” Jorvanultumn said. “When my diare arrives, he can also help, though his Arnorgue may be… What is the word when it has been a long time?”


    Jorvanultumn grimaced. “Right, of course. I forgot.” In fact, it had barely registered that she could speak the language. “I have been meaning to ask. When did you learn to speak Arnorgue?”


    But how had she learned? Who taught her? Davorultumn? He had certainly not said anything about it. Hilkorultumn maybe? But his Arnorgue would be even rustier than Davorultumn’s. Who else in Chithishtheny spoke Arnorgue? Perhaps she learned to read it from books, but they would not help much with pronunciation. She sounded almost like a native, with only a hint of an Isyarian accent. Jorvanultumn doubted he would ever be able to speak it that well.


    A hand touched his arm. “Everything all right?” Meleng asked.


    fomase is preparing it,” Mikranasta said, Chiansamorkin translating again, “I will allow him to tell you about it, but I can assure you, he is a very good cook.”


    Pundritta still plagued his head. The best starting point would probably be to learn the symbols the Pundritta used. Each discipline had one, and they were the only signs that were pretty much guaranteed to point to a member. If a member used the symbol, it would be on their person somewhere, similar to the goat-skull tattoo human Darkers wore.


    Diare. I was outside, but Nascanmat delayed me.”


    siare? He is here?”


    Diare.”


    Diare. It didn’t seem a problem to me to answer his questions.”


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    diare, Davorultumn.”


    Diare and siare,” Jorvanultumn said.


    diare of one of the children. The diare raises their siare and instructs them in their own discipline of magic.”


    siare and I will take the second.”


    Jorvanultumn smiled. While he understood Gen’s perspective, he also admired Sinit?a’s desire to learn. Too few people possessed that—humans and Isyar alike.


    Has been a long time,” Chiansamorkin said with a smirk.


    matir...I do not know a word for it in your language.” Davorultumn looked to Jorvanultumn, who shrugged.


    matire in Arnor.”


    matir, there is a selection of local vegetables. I can tell you about them once we start eating if you want. There is also hpaks, a drink made from the juice of the hpakrik plant that grows in the table.”


    matir, her eyes widened. “This is good!”


    Later, when a few szadan needles for chewing were all that remained of the food and the hpaks was down to the last drops, Chiansamorkin called for everyone’s attention. “Jorvanultumn and Fevionawishtensen have something to announce.”


    hpaks and stood up. “Yes. We...that is, Fevionawishtensen and I have decided to perform the fomaze with Chiansamorkin, who has graciously agreed. We are going to formalise it after dinner and we would appreciate witnesses.”


    fomaze is for two pairs of fomasee, and Chiansamorkin does not have a fomase.”


    elispt! How can you allow him to do this?”


    “Yes,” Hedromornasta said. “You are as well. You’ve done nothing but lust unnaturally after Jorvanultumn for years, even after he bonded to someone else. You’ve spent the last two years winging up to Fevionawishtensen to get her to agree to this unholy union.”


    fomase’s home. Chiansamorkin, how dare you speak that way to my siare. As you said, he is still a child, as grown up as he may believe he is. I will discipline him myself.”


    Diare.” He looked at Jorvanultumn, Fevionawishtensen, and Chiansamorkin in turn, saying to each, “Forgive my rudeness. It won’t happen again.”


    fomaze with Chiansamorkin.”


    Fomase and fomaze,” Gen said.