Heirot

Laurius drank his coffee. “In order for results to be definitive, we should repeat the tests from yesterday to confirm the results,” he said. “So, it might be an early night for Tenara again… You could take up more lessons with Felicity, should that be the case.”

Havi's posture straightened. The shift was subtle but immediate, and the transformation in his bearing was not with the polite rigidity of a nobleman's guest but with the lithe alertness of a trained warrior. Despite the unsettling coldness in his eyes, his voice was even. "She has not yet fully recovered. What reason could there be push her again this soon?"

Artisuren's eyes narrowed on the other Ivis. He knew why Laurius was in a rush, and Thvoros's protectiveness might stand in the way of his master's goals.

“If we repeat our test today, then you can try tomorrow with the horn sliver and have verifiable proof that it helps conjure you. We can give her a break this afternoon, but it means delaying knowing whether injuring yourself did any good for several days.” Laurius said, glancing up at Havi’s injured horn. “It’s up to you.”

The suspicion in Havi's glare faded some when Laurius entertained the option of waiting. He huffed out an impatient breath. "Why not use the horn today?"

Laurius frowned. “I’ve already sent it off to the groundskeeper for cleaning. I can ask him to rush, but I can’t guarantee it will be ready in time. Between the two of us, I think it’s best if Tenara doesn’t see the ruin of it—the blood and tissue. I’m sure she feels responsible for the decision to remove it, as she’s the one having trouble conjuring you…”

Havi went still at that suggestion. Was he right? Did Tenara think it was her fault he'd cut his horn? No, that didn't make any sense... Sure, she had been upset that he was hurt. But it made no sense to blame herself for his actions and see it as her fault, when he was the one receiving a body from her in the first place?

But then he remembered the sorrow he'd seen in her eyes that morning. That was just because he'd acted without telling her, and because she was worried about becoming his Yurivis... Wasn't it? Now that it was cut, the chip was just a piece of bone. He barely remembered what they'd talked about when she first came into his room. What had her words been then? He shook his head as if to jog his memory, and quickly regretted it. Maybe he should trust what another human thought. His instincts with Tenara seemed all off lately.

"Okay... but if she asks to stop, do not pressure her," he said, pressing his forehead as he stood up. "I'm going to the library.

Laurius nodded. “Of course. If she says she needs a break, we’ll end the study for the day,” he said. “Enjoy your lessons, Havitharon. Felicity is a good tutor of many subjects, I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”

There was a humorous edge to Laurius’s voice, as if there was a secret joke somewhere woven into the words.

When Havi walked into the library, he was already beginning to wonder if he'd be able to learn anything at all. Walking made the injured horn throb worse. The pain was tolerable, but distracting. He paused when he looked up to find Felicity waiting for him at a table. He found it difficult to read the woman's expression. Standing next to her was Tabetha, who waved at him happily as he approached. On the library table between the two women was a tall stack of dog-eared books.

Tabetha leapt forward to take his hand excitedly in both of hers. "You came to the right person, Havitharon! I can't wait to have someone to talk to about these! Start with this one, okay?" She slapped her hands fervently on a blue-covered book she'd placed on top.

Havi nodded to her seriously, placing his other hand on hers in reciprocation. "Thank you for helping so quickly. This is extremely important to me."

Tabetha squealed a little, taking her hands back with a happy wiggle. "Alright. I'm behind on prepping ingredients. Have fun!" She chirped happily and left the room.

Felicity pulled the blue book into her hands, admiring the cover. “This is certainly an interesting choice for your reading assignment,” she said, smiling before reading the cover allowed. “Claiming the Dragon Queen…” Her fingers ran across the cover. “Before we start reading though, I think we should get a baseline of what you know—reciting the alphabet, phonics, etc. Are we starting from the basics or do you have some foundation already?” She patted the chair next to her at the desk. “Have a seat.”

Havi sat beside her, pushing aside his typical reflex to avoid unfamiliar females. He looked down at the alphabet chart she had set on the table in front of her, and pointed, one by one, naming the letters he understood. He correctly identified the basic characters, but didn't recognize some of their alternate shapes and capitalizations. He also paused over most of the punctuation marks, identifying them by what he thought they did, rather than their names. "This one is always at the end," he finally concluded, pointing to the period.

When she quizzed him on phonics, his real struggles became clear. He seemed to have learned the letters, but was abysmal at sounding them out. Without context to try to tie the meaning of the word to its appearance, most of his answers were educated guesses based on the narrow list of words he'd memorized while reading with Tenara. "Love," he answered immediately when she finally held up a card he knew. But then he grew frustrated when she contended that 'cove' was not pronounced 'cuv'.

"Why use letters at all?" he said after a gruelling hour, pressing at the place where his horn throbbed straight down to his skull.

Felicity appraised him and smiled sympathetically. “We could stop for today, if you have a headache. I know it’s confusing and a lot of information. Would you like me to read to you for the rest of our lesson? I also know a handy temple massage for headaches, if you’re interested.”

Havi frowned down at the book they hadn't even been able to start. "How long would it take to read all of these to me?" he asked her. He didn't love the idea of giving up on his skills, but what if having someone teach him would allow him to learn it even faster?

Felicity looked around at all the books. “If you came in the morning and maybe some at night, we could maybe read a book every two days?” she said. “Maybe faster depending on their length and how many interruptions.” She thought for a moment and leaned over towards him. “Havitharon, do you want to learn to read or just know what’s in these books?”

Havi met her eyes, pleased that she was asking the same questions he was thinking. She was a skilled teacher, and had taught many subjects. "To be honest, saying I want to read is just a means to an end. Have you ever taught a male the art of love?" he asked her seriously.

Felecity smiled. "Oh, well... Two. I have taught two men," she said, reaching up to adjust her hair a little. "It isn't, exactly, what I thought I was being brought here to teach but..." She looked Havitharon over, until her gaze stretched up and lingered on his horns. Her cheeks warmed. "How about we read this book?" She pulled the one Tabetha suggested into her lap and opened the cover. "Then, we'll see how the mood strikes with learning such a thing?"