And She Learned to Sing

Kneeling on the frozen stone and dirt, Dakshana learned to write her name in a dozen different languages. She learned to read and speak tongues she thought she’d only heard in dreams. In a frozen pool of water she discovered her own face, the color of her eyes and hair and learned that, in same places, she would be called beautiful. In other places, with her bright yellow eyes and curly black hair, she would be called a witch. She learned to use the runes Chadstone had taught her, to summon a wind or rain. And she learned to sing.