Blackstone (Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

it.”
    “Wait, wait, wait!” Markl held up both hands, striding
toward them. “Song?”
    Both men looked at him, confused at his confusion. Fei
figured it out first. “Right, of course. I’d forgotten you don’t really
understand Teherani culture. You know that their people don’t have a written
language?”
    “I do,” Markl confirmed, his hand already reaching for the
leather book in his pouch. “It’s why they have incredible memories, as they
memorize anything they need to know in life.”
    And why Siobhan used Tran as a walking memory bank. He could
remember anything and everything that he wished to. She, on the other hand, had
a mind like an open sieve.
    “They don’t have road signs or anything along those lines
either,” Fei continued the explanation. “What they do instead is have a song
that describes which direction to travel and what landmarks a traveler will see
along the way. The song describes how to get from one destination to another.”
    “Great wind and stars!” Grae suddenly blurted, looking
chagrined. He spun about abruptly on his heel. “Rune!”
    Rune, startled, looked at his master askance. “Yes?”
    “I haven’t taught you the songs!”
    “…Come again?”
    “Everyone uses the songs to travel about in Teherani,” Fei
explained in the flustered Grae’s place. “Even Pathmakers. You have to know
where the paths are, right? The only way to know their location or describe
them to someone else is to know the song for each path.”
    “Fortunately Grae’s got a nice voice,” Tran added this in
with an amused shrug. “So it won’t be a trial to learn the songs from him.
Although I can teach them to you as well. I’ve heard him sing them often
enough.”
    Rune accepted this with a slow nod, but he also looked a
little unsure of himself. “I, ah, I’ve never sung before.”
    The whole guild stopped dead and turned to give him an
incredulous look. Rune shifted uneasily under their eyes. Siobhan couldn’t
imagine not having any experience in singing. Oh sure, some people couldn’t sing,
but that was a simple matter of being tone deaf. But to never have tried?
    Only Wolf didn’t seem that surprised by this. What, did dark
guilds not really sing?
    “Grae,” Siobhan requested mildly, “I think you better teach
him how to sing first.”
    “Right.” Grae motioned his apprentice off to the side. “As
they’re digging for rocks, we’ll work on singing.”
    Rune looked relieved that he wouldn’t have to learn this new
skill in front of an audience and quickly went where Grae directed. Tran
cleared his throat. “Fei, song?” he prompted.
    Fei opened his mouth and in a clear, smooth tenor sang about
a winding mountain pass that wove through ancient oak trees, rivers that were
to be crossed, and swinging bridges that spanned over valleys. Tran listened
intently, eyes closed. Markl was scribbling frantically, trying to keep up and
record every word.
    When Fei finished the song, Tran smiled. “No need to rush,
Markl. I have it memorized. Here, I’ll repeat it for you.”
    Markl stopped abruptly, pencil still touching the paper, and
looked at him incredulously. “After hearing it once ?”
    A smirk on his face, Tran began singing the same song, in a
slightly lower tone as his bass voice couldn’t reach as high as Fei’s. He did
not just repeat the lyrics, however, but even his tonality and enunciation was
a perfect replica of Fei’s. Markl was so astounded by the recitation that he
couldn’t focus enough to write anything.
    When Tran finished, Markl had to swallow—twice—before he
managed in a strained tone, “Just how good is a Teheranian’s memory?”
    “We remember what we wish to. Always.”
    “How much can you remember?”
    Tran thought about that before offering, “Depends? A child
can’t remember more than a song, as their minds are still growing. An adult
like me can remember a long poem or story. Our shamans can remember full tales
and