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I have no idea what he’s thinking, but he looks as scared as he should be

I breathe a sigh of relief when he finally asks the right question

"So where do we start?"

I lower the windslicer "Take a seat"

He drops to the dusty ground, scooting to the far edge of the floor, against one of the walls Keeping a safe distance fro the windslicer between us "Rule nu sessions: Never speak to the wind in anything other than a whisper--is that clear?"

"What does that even ree Until the Stor other than whisper to the wind We don’t need the breezes telling theree

"Yeah, fine Whatever"

I roll ht hand, palers like ripping an invisible sphere "Memorize that position It’s the easiest way to feel for the nearby drafts"

He copies ?"

"You telllike an idiot for sitting in a burned-down house at five-freaking-a out my hand like it’s sorit ain "Thenattention Close your eyes"

He heaves a heavy sigh but does as I ask

"You should be able to detect any movement in the ithin at least a twenty- from Focus on the way the air hits your skin You’ll feel so like an itch wherever the wind stirs"

He opens his ain But then his hand twitches and his jaw falls slack "My thuing atHis senses are strong Really strong That draft barely tickles the base of my thumbnail, and it’s at least thirty miles away

Maybe this task won’t be as i over there," I explain "That’s what your thuers hard "That’s really freaky I don’t like it"

"Well, get used to it It’s part of who you are And it’s an as we can do Maybe you should try being grateful for your gifts"

"Groundlings?"

"Huht now I’ to teach you how to call the wind--another one of those ‘freaky’ things Windwalkers do, so brace yourself We’ll start with the most basic call It’s one you heard me use yesterday, and it will be the one you use most often Repeat after me ‘Come to me swiftly’ "

He shakes his head like he doesn’t understand, and I know he’s struggling with the language shift I switched to the Easterly tongue I repeat the phrase, waiting for his mind to translate

"Co with the swirling intonations of the words

I grab the windslicer and point it at his throat "I told you to whisper--it’s a good thing the wind needs a coiven away our exact location"

"Hey--you didn’t whisper!"

"I was testing you to see hoell you were paying attention earlier You failed"

"Because you set me up for it" His hands clench into fists and he looks like he wants to puaze settles on the windslicer I have hiain Focus on the draft you’re feeling--and whisper this tiround between us "Come to me swiftly"

"Come to me swiftly"

It’s actually quite impressive the amount of disdain he slipped into his whisper

I smile at his pettiness "Carry no trace"

"Carry no trace"

"Lift me softly"

"Lift me softly"

"Then flow and race"

"Then flow and race"

The Easterly rushes through the half roo at my hairline before it whisks away

Vane’s eyes widen "Cool"

"Memorize those four phrases They will save your life a thousand ti at the giant grasshopper that juusting insect and toss it at his head "Pay attention, Vane What did I just tell you?"

He shrieks, waving the now flying creature away froet psycho with the bugs"

The grasshopper lands on his shoulder and he flails to shoo it away, fixingso bright red It distracts me from what he said, but only for a second

"Wait, did you say ‘spell’?"

"Spell Command Whatever you want to call this crap"

My nore for a second that you just referred to the single h you can bet we’ll get back to that Do you think I’ the word

"You control the wind What else am I supposed to think?"