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She nodded “Family … more”

“A sether is a Cave,” he said, “even if they don’t live in one”

“Yes,” she said, “clan small And more Clan mean all people”

He hadn’t quite heard her say the word the first tinal she used The as heavy, guttural, and there was that tendency that he could only explain as sing the insides of the words He would not have thought it was a word She had not spoken any words other than the ones she learned from him, and he was interested

“Glun?” he said, trying to copy her

It wasn’t quite right, but it was close “Ayla no say Jondalar words right, Jondalar no say Ayla words right Jondalar say fine”

“I didn’t know you knew any words, Ayla I’ve never heard you speak in your language”

“Not know many words Clan not speak words”

Jondalar didn’t understand “What do they speak if not words?”

“They speak … hands,” she said, knowing that was not completely accurate

She noticed she had been estures unintentionally in an effort to express herself When she saw Jondalar’s puzzled look, she took his hands and moved them with the proper motions while she repeated herself

“Clan not speak many words Clan speak … hands”

His forehead of puzzlement slowly sin your language”

Ayla thought for a an “I want to say so e Your way is the only way left to me no can I tell you who my people are? I’m not a woman of the Clan anymore How can I explain that I am dead? I have no people To the Clan, I walk the next world, like the , I think, your brother

“I would like to tell you I rave to help hirief in your heart will be eased I would like to tell you I grieved for hih I did not know him

“I don’t know the people I was born to I must have had a mother, and a family, who looked like me … and you But I only know theht ic and she made me a medicine woman, but she is dead now And so is Creb

“Jondalar, I ache to tell you about Iza, and Creb, and Durc …” She had to stop and take a deep breath “My son is gone from me too, but he lives That ht you I was afraid men of the Others would be like Broud, but you are entle and patient I want to think you will be ht that hy you were brought here I think I wanted to believe that because I was so lonely for company, and you are the first man of the Others I have seen … that I can remember It would not have mattered who you were, then I wanted you for a mate, just to have a mate

“Now, it is not the saer I know that Others are not too far, and there must be other men who could be a mate But I don’t want any other, and I am afraid you will not want to stay here with me once you are well I’m afraid I will lose you, too I wish I could tell you, I arateful you are here, soo on, but feeling in some way that she wasn’t finished

Her thoughts had not been entirely inco her Her movements—not just of her hands, but her features, her eyes, her whole body—were so expressive that he was deeply moved She reh sounds that, strangely, fit together with the graceful movements He perceived only with his emotions, and he could not quite believe that what he felt hat she had communicated—but when she stopped, he knew she had coestures was not, as he had supposed, a siestures he sometimes used for added emphasis to his words Rather, it seemed, the sounds she made were used for emphasis to her motions