Winds of the Forest by Dele Daniel

Author:Dele Daniel [Daniel, Dele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stewart & Potter
Published: 2017-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

The next day, and the day after that passed in a blur. I showed up for my classes at Promenade, I tried to chat with Mad and Alyssa when they approached me, and I made sure to leave the capital well before five o’clock each evening. But all the while, my mind stayed thoroughly preoccupied with everything Jason had told and shown me about the history of my people.

It was unsettling, sitting in the capital day after day, being taught the alternate ‘facts’ the royals had concocted in their favor, completely leaving the rich history of the Arnazuri behind. While it filled me with bitterness, at the same time, it also filled me with pride to finally know the truth.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Although I gradually began to feel more accustomed to life at Promenade, it was really the time I spent in secret with Jason that kept me going. He and I had worked out a schedule with one another, meeting up on Friday afternoons after classes to go back to the hidden temple, where he continued to teach me more about my people. We were careful to keep our meetings discreet, and had therefore decided that while under the roof of Promenade, it was best that he ignored me just like all the other boys, to keep up appearances.

“You mean—he saved your life, but he doesn’t even see fit to talk to you anymore?” Alyssa had asked me one day.

I’d shrugged my shoulders and kept my face as neutral as possible. “Old habits die hard. He still is and always will be a royal at heart. Defying his brother once isn’t going to change that.”

After a while, Jason and I had fallen into a steady routine and our system proved to work unscathed. No one suspected anything.

As if he were my own personal professor, Jason taught me how to decode cultural symbols and works of art from ancient members of the Arnazuri tribe. And using the books he had acquired some time ago from the royal library to teach himself the Arnazuri language, he had embarked on the arduous task of teaching it to me.

I’d always had great respect for language, but had never realized just how complicated it could be until I found myself painstakingly trying to learn the lost and native language of my people. Simply trying to learn and memorize the alphabet was a hassle in itself, and it gave me a headache just thinking about reaching the point of learning to actually read and pronounce words.

“I need a break,” I said one Friday afternoon. Frustrated, I sat down on the floor, buried my head in my hands, and closed my eyes. “We’ve done enough. Can we just stop for today?”

Standing before me, Jason grew so quiet that I thought he hadn’t heard me. I looked up, only to find him staring down at me, his expression mirroring my own impatience. “No,” he said, his voice low, “we cannot just stop for today.

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