‘That is the one. Ye-es. The Sildahni Tribes—Known Facts and Language.’ Balfor looked up at her with his one good eye.
Irenya tugged the tome off the shelf. She groped her way down the ladder, the book clutched to her chest.
Balfor lowered himself into the chair Irenya had pulled out from the table. After several unsavoury attempts to clear his throat, he went on. ‘They keep to themselves, you know, the Sildahni. Their lives are simple, and while they have little interest in politics, they are proud enough to desire a princedom of their own. I think they feel ignored, and a tribe that feels ignored is one to be watched. Are you practising their language?’ He rambled on about the Sildahni. Irenya let his monologue drift in and out of her awareness while she turned the pages, not quite sur
