The Practical Geography

Hesht swallowed. Astra was an accomplished fencer! He dreamed of being a paladin. Perhaps he could learn from her? Most Hespaniards would have scoffed at the notion, but Hesht saw no reason why this would be impossible. His concern was not looking ridiculous in front of her. He thought that he had gotten to a bad start today when the boar charged, and he froze.

He raised his head, and looked up at her. She now lay in the bed, her head propped by her right arm. Her chin rested on the base of its palm, with the fingers resting by her ear. She looked down with curiousity at Hesht.

Hesht said, shyly, but proudly, "I can read. B- Bakhtar has a lot of books. Some of them are beautiful, made with leather, and gold on the edge of the pages. One of my favourites has a big p- page that folds out. It is a map of the world, with the provinces of our kingdom, and of the foreign tribes, coloured very brightly. It is called, The Practical Geography of the Kingdom of Hespan, and Ad - j- jacent Lands. I have always wanted to see the Adj- j- jacent," he said, dropping a hint of his own.

Astra nodded, and said, "Did the book say anything about Aqualaria?"

"No, but it was m- m- mentioned in a- a- another b- b- book."

"What did it have to say about us?"

Hesht regretted that he brought this up. The description might be offensive to Astra, whom he had no wish to offend.

1. Hesht gives a modified description of what the book said.
2. Hesht is brutally honest.
3. Hesht says, "I d- d- don't b- believe ev- everything I read."

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree