New Words

Oddly enough, Dael learned a lot by doing. Flavia took him walking first.

(“Ambulare, to walk.”

“So we’re...ambulare?”

“No. Ambulas. You walk. Ambula. I walk.”

“What’s the word for I?”

“Well...ego, sort of.”

“So...ego ambula?”

“No, just ambula.”

“But if ego means ‘I’ –”

“Ambula all on its own means ‘I walk’.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Shut up and keep walking.”)

Dael tried to remember all the new words, but it wasn’t going well. Flavia tried refusing to talk to him in his own language, but he knew so little it was hopeless.

“You’ll like this word - gladius.”