Sama'el smiled. Her praise was heartening even if she claimed no great knowledge of the future. His goals could be realized, but even if they weren't, even if he died on circuit or of some disease, he died free and the shades of his parents wouldn't be unduly dishonored by their last living son to die a slave. And yet, despite his surety, despite his non-attachment to the outcome, he found that he still appreciated someone believing in him, even someone he had never met before now. It would seem that this place did live up to its name, to be a sanctuary, not only for stray Drykas such as himself, but horses and two-legged people as well from what he heard. He grew pensive when asked for a suggestion to name her lovely beasts to be. Every idea that popped into his head seemed less ideal than the last until finally he shook his head ruefully. "I'm not very creative," he demurred, "but I'm sure it will come to you. Perhaps like some parents don't name their children until they are born, or even until they are old enough to speak and walk themselves." There were some places where infant mortality was so high that it didn't pay to invest emotionally in children whose survival was chancy at best. "I have a good feeling about it," he echoed, confidence for confidence. Perhaps someday he would see the fruits of her labor and the vision would engender a name, but for now they were ephemeral dreams locked in the blood and seed of her horses and those she had yet to purchase. "Do you go to the Sea often?" he asked, glancing toward Suva's watery grave. |