Blackstone (Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

simply. “And
if I returned on my own, I am…afraid…that they would try to make me remain. I
am not willing to stay at home the rest of my life. It’s too placid.”
    After tasting the life of a guildsman and experiencing the
excitement of the world, she could well imagine that staying in a city that had
no outside contact with the world would quickly bore Fei to tears. He was very
much a man that yearned to learn and experience things for himself.
    “I see.”
    “The history that the world has forgotten, we have not. It
is why I wish to go there and ask for experts, as I believe we will need them
soon.” With a teasing glint in his eye, Fei cautioned Markl, “And no, we won’t
leave you there. No matter how much you might beg.”
    Markl, proving he indeed had a sense of dry humor,
responded, “Fine. But the cart will be full of books on the way back.”
    Fei chuckled. “I wish you luck on that, my friend. We do not
easily part with our books.”
    “Oh, I have my ways.” Markl didn’t seem the least bit
concerned about acquiring more knowledge. “But in the immediate sense, what do
we need to know about your culture?”
    “Everyone here has heard me use honorifics many times.
Always use one of them when speaking to one of my kinsmen. To directly call a
name is the height of rudeness.”
    Siobhan made a mental note on that and prayed she wouldn’t
slip up.
    “We do not have chairs, not ones with legs at least, and
mostly sit on cushions on the floor,” Fei continued, eyes staring sightlessly
at the sky as he thought. “When meeting someone the first time, sit on your
knees and face them directly. But if it’s not a formal meeting, feel free to
sit as you like, as long as you do not lie down. As for greetings, we always
bow, but do not shake hands.”
    So, basically, mimic the way that she’d seen Fei act for the
past several years?
    “The only other thing is, do not speak loudly. Talk in
moderate tones when you can. To be loud is to be an imposition to the others
around you. We do not think well of such.”
    In other words, don’t be an imposition to other people at
all. Siobhan had no problem reading the secondary meaning to that instruction,
and she wasn’t the only one who caught on. “Is that all?”
    “I will instruct you further on the finer nuances as we go,
but that is the basics. They do not expect you to know everything of our
culture and will make allowances.”
    Siobhan blessed that fact and was banking on it. Certain guild
members—mostly Rune and Wolf—were famous for stepping on people’s metaphorical
toes without meaning to. But then, Wynngaardians were a blunt and
straightforward people.
    Siobhan looked around at the bridge they traveled on. Unlike
the other three bridges, this connecting bridge didn’t have the same width to
it. Granted, not a lot of traffic came this direction either, so it didn’t need
to be eight wagons abreast. But it also didn’t have the same height as the
others, standing only tall enough to clear the water and no more. It had never
once risked flooding during the daylight hours, so wasn’t a risk factor in
crossing. Siobhan wasn’t sure if it was on the list to be fixed and renovated
or not. It was just as old as the other bridges but nowhere near as rundown either.
The guilds might choose to put this off until the very last, or not do anything
with it at all. It was something she hadn’t thought to ask before.
    At least the weather wasn’t scorching hot. They were in the
middle of spring now, so the sun could bake a woman if she wasn’t careful in
this season, but the wind had enough force to keep the heat and the flies away.
Siobhan was grateful for it.
    They went across the bridge without issue, reached Orin’s
soil, then carefully skirted around Channel Pass to the far eastern side of the
city. They were close enough to send someone in for food, but far enough away
to avoid being entangled with the guards. The estuary was nothing more than