Page 13 of Minotaurs and other Magic

Nate snorted and shook his head. “That is not how we learn languages on Earth. It’s my repetition and memorizing the words and grammar.”

That sounded terrible. “If you had kept speaking English to me, I would have learned the basics within a moon.”

Nate stared at him. “You can learn an entire language in a moon…a month?”

“Not all the words and intricacies, but enough to manage. After a few moons, I would be fluent. Learning a written language is harder. How many languages do you speak?”

“Two fluently, one enough to get by… I guess I can add Tarikian to the list. So, three fluent languages. You?”

“Two…I am looking forward to learning your tongue.” He smiled, expecting Nate to give him that look as if he wasn’t sure he was understanding the words correctly.

Nate didn’t disappoint. His eyebrows pinched together as he blushed. And he muttered something in English.

“What is it you do in your world, Nate?” the Strega asked while giving Rohan a look that meant he should stop teasing Nate.

“I’m a teacher.”

“What do you teach?” She continued.

Nate sighed. “Reluctant ten-year-olds.”

Rohan laughed. “What ten-year-old isn’t reluctant to sit in school?”

“You still have schools even though you have magic?” Nate frowned, as he didn’t believe it.

“Of course we do,” the Strega said. “Not everything can be learned with magic.”

“And magic has a cost,” Rohan added.

“What was the cost of me learning Tarikian?” The more Nate used the language, the less he stumbled over words or needed to think to find them. Soon, he would sound as if he belonged there.

“I do not know yet,” the Strega said as if it didn’t matter.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that when she knows the price, she will collect the debt.” Whether it would be him or Nate who owed the favor was up to the Strega to decide.

“How can you not know?” Nate turned to face the Strega, tugging on the rope.

She shrugged. “Because the fate lines are not clear.”

Nate turned to him. “I don’t understand. Am I not understanding the words or the context or…” He exhaled, clearly frustrated.

How could he not understand that some favors were unclear until they were needed? “Some things cannot be bought with coin. They rely on people keeping their word. One of us now owes the Strega a favor.”

“But you could not keep your word and disappear?”

“You could… However, breaking your word is a serious matter. Without your word, who are you? Are you an oath breaker, Nate Lee from Wales on Earth?” She put enough magic in those words that Rohan felt it shimmer over his skin.

“No,” Nate said. “But I would rather be told upfront what I am getting myself into.”

“Did you ask that question before you stole the clothing and food?” Rohan gave the rope a little tug.

“It was that or die.”

“So to keep the oath to yourself to live, you took a chance knowing that there would be a debt to pay later, even though you didn’t know the size of the debt,” the Strega said.

“I guess, when you put it like that.” Nate didn’t sound convinced.

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