Long
Willem sent him away, then.
He let him bathe once more in that curious bath, dried him by hand like a babe, then brushed his hair though it was too short to do anything with. Elias just liked the feeling. He hadn’t had to ask.
Elias took a deep breath, then backed away. Willem smiled with his eyes.
“You should study with Brogan, but when you have finished, come back and study with me.”
Elias shook his head. “I cannot; no school will take me. I cannot, Willem.”
Willem cocked his head to the side again: crow-like, beast-like, brother-like at once.
“Why?”
Elias swallowed. “There are exams . . . papers. . . . I cannot read and I do not think I will ever be able to.” And it was horrible to put that to words at last. That he did not truly believe even Jaan could help him.
Willem just grinned and pulled him back. His lips brushed against Elias’s forehead as he spoke.
“For someone who has traveled so far, you and I both know that you do not need letters to learn. Just listen. Brogan will talk and you will listen. Then, after a time, when you are an older man than you are now, you will walk into places and men with paper and pen will be silent. When you talk and they hear what you know, they will be the ones who will listen.”