40. Annani
ANNANI
Gertrude walked up to Annani's chair. "William is here with the earpieces, Clan Mother. He's upstairs in the waiting room and says he needs to show you how they work."
Annani had a pair and knew how to use them, but William had come to the lab on a Saturday to make sure she got them as soon as they were ready, so the least she could do was hear him out.
"Thank you, Gertrude." She rose, glanced at Khiann's sleeping face, and walked out.
"Clan Mother." William rose when she came in and dipped his head.
"Thank you for working overtime to bring the earpieces for my Khiann.
" She sat in the chair next to the one he had been in.
"Please, sit down and show me how these work.
Are they very different from the ones I have?
" She reached into the pocket of her gown and pulled out a slim white case.
"I almost never use them, but since you were promising an update in the old tongue, I figured I should carry them around so I could test them with Khiann before others rely on them for communication with him and his guards. "
She did not like wearing the devices and only did so when Kian insisted she wear them while visiting Navuh.
They filtered voice compulsion, which meant they filtered a great many other things as well, and she had never enjoyed the computer voices replacing the real ones, even when they had become deceptively realistic.
"The new model is a little different. That's why I wanted to show you how they work. I will have a new pair delivered to you as soon as we ramp up production."
She waved a dismissive hand. "No need. Mine work perfectly well and are barely used. I do not chase the latest innovations."
"As you wish, Clan Mother." He pulled out another slim case, this one black.
William lifted one of the small devices from the case and placed it on the palm of his hand.
"These are more comfortable in the ears.
The material molds even better to the shape of the ear, and after a few seconds, people can't even feel them.
Khiann would be able to sleep comfortably while wearing them, so there is no need to remove them.
From now on, he will understand everyone speaking English around him, or at least to some extent.
The old-tongue vocabulary is far from complete, and my team is still building it.
We will keep pushing updates to the devices as we go, so the translation will get better and better.
Right now, they enable a simple conversation and not much more. "
"I assume that it works in the other direction as well? Khiann is not saying much at the moment, so there is not much to translate, but he is also getting better and better."
"The earpieces can translate the old tongue into English, but that also naturally suffers from the same vocabulary limitations. I hope that by the time Khiann can actually speak, we will have a much richer model. The device identifies the language on its own and translates."
"Is it already working?" she asked.
"Yes. Would you like to try?"
"Yes, I would." She pulled them from their case and put them in her ears. "How will it know to translate from English to the old tongue?"
William smiled. "You will tell it."
"That sounds simple." She activated the earpieces, and the world around her grew quiet. She shifted in the chair and cleared her throat. "Translating earpieces, please translate for me what William says in English into the old tongue."
William chuckled, and she heard it as the machine's imitation of a laugh. Then he started speaking, and all she heard was the translation. "My mate is cooking lamb and inviting her whole family over. It's going to be very noisy and crowded in our house."
It was almost simultaneous, with only a fraction of a second delay between William's lips moving and the words arriving, but it was far from good. It arrived in a plain, clumsy version of the old tongue, stripped of all its grace, yet the meaning came through, and that was all that mattered.
"Passable," she said, and took them out. "Awkward, but passable."
"That's the best we have for now." He handed her the new pair. "Gertrude told me that you don't want Khiann to have to deal with too many new faces. That's why I didn't come down. But if you want me to fit them for him, I will gladly do that."
"Thank you, William. But I can manage. Go home to your lamb dinner with Kaia's noisy family."
He laughed. "Don't tell her this, but I love the noise. Growing up as the only child of an immortal female, I love the hustle and bustle of Kaia's big family, especially her little brothers and sister. They can be a handful, but they are fun."
"I am sure she knows." Annani leaned in and patted William's arm. "Give Kaia and her family my warm regards."
"Thank you. I will."
Khiann was still asleep when Annani returned to the ward, and so were three of the four guards.
They had synchronized their sleeping and waking cycles, which was far from optimal. When Khiann was awake, she wanted to give him all her attention and could not do that for the others.
The fourth, the one at the far end who might be Adaluh, tracked her across the room.
"Hello, Adaluh," she said as she took her chair beside Khiann's bed. "How are you feeling this Saturday afternoon?"
"Silim," he replied.
Annani was stunned. "Good for you, Adaluh. You wished me health. Your memory of speech is returning."
"He-am."
"Excellent."
Annani felt guilty for not walking over and coaxing more words out of Adaluh, but she was eager for Khiann to wake up so she could explain the earpieces to him and put them on. He would love to finally understand what the medical staff were saying to him.
He woke more often now and stayed awake longer, as did the others. She counted it among the small mercies of the day.
When his eyes opened and found hers, the smile illuminating his features was precious.
"Good morning, my love." She rose to her feet, leaned over him, and kissed his forehead. She took his hand. "I have something for you."
She pulled out her own little case, opened it, and let him look at the two small devices inside.
"These will help you understand people who do not speak our tongue. They go into your ears, and I am told this new model is so comfortable you will forget they are there. When someone speaks to you in another language, you will hear it in ours."
"Do you understand?"
"He-am."
"Good. May I put them in for you?"
Khiann held her gaze. "He-am."
His voice was still rough from disuse, but the word came out clearly. He had a handful of them now, and she counted each one a victory.
She fitted the earpieces gently, one and then the other. "To activate them, you only have to touch them." She guided his finger to the spot. He could lift his hand now, bringing it most of the way before she met it with hers.
"Can you understand me?" she said in English, looking straight at him so he could see the shapes her mouth made and know she was speaking a different language.
His eyes widened.
Annani's glow rose, and she did not bother to smother it.
"This is wonderful," she said in English. "The medical staff can talk to you now, and you can meet all the people who want to see you. The rest of the family you have not seen yet."
His brow creased, but she knew it was not because of what she had said but because of how her words had been translated.
"Do not worry." She returned to the old tongue. "They are still learning our words, the same as you are learning to use your voice. You and the little earpieces will grow into it together."
"Nu," he said, and she wondered what he was saying no to.
"Are you upset about the people who want to meet you?"
"Nu."
He lifted his hand and tapped the earpieces.
"Oh, I am sorry. I should have turned them off."
She did not like the synthetic voices replacing the real ones, so why would he?
When turned off, the earpieces stopped blocking sound and let natural sounds through.
She deactivated the devices and looked at him. "Is that what you wanted?"
He looked relieved. "He-am."
She sat down and took his hand. "You can activate and deactivate them whenever you want. You do not need to wait for me."
"He-am."
He sounded better today, more confident, perhaps thanks to the earpieces. Maybe she could broach the subject of Kian's visit again.
"Now that language is no longer a barrier, would you be willing to meet my son Kian? He is eager to see you."
She kept her voice light and her face calm, but she braced herself for a refusal.
He was quiet for a moment, his eyes moving over her face, then his expression turned decisive.
"He-am."
Annani's breath caught. "You will see him?"
"He-am."
The last time she had asked, he had refused, and Alena had taken it as fear of being seen, given how vulnerable his position was. He was still in bed, but now he could say a few words and had devices to translate for him, and he must feel more confident.
He had said yes.
"Then I shall send for him," she said, reaching for her phone before he could tire and the moment was lost.
Khiann's short-term memory was better now, and he was not forgetting as much between one waking and the next, but she did not want to risk him forgetting that he had agreed to see Kian.
Khiann is awake. He has the translating earpieces and wants to see you. Can you come right now? He will not stay awake for long. She sent the text.
Kian's reply came almost immediately. On my way.
Fifteen minutes later, the ward's double doors opened, and Kian strode in. He stopped a few feet inside the door, as if the space around the bed belonged to someone he did not wish to crowd.
"Can I come in, Mother?" he asked.
"Please do." Annani waved him over.
Khiann tapped his earpieces on.
She rose to her feet, and as Kian reached her side, she laid a hand on his arm. "Khiann. This is my son, Kian. He is a little younger than Alena, but much older than Sari and Amanda."
Kian inclined his head. "It's good to finally meet you."