She looked back at the screen and began to trace the characters again.
Kyr, she practiced.
Solus.
Noctis.
Vargr.
The words felt strange in her mind, but they were starting to stick.
Auriel stirred in her arms, made a small sound, and settled again.
"You are doing well," MS said. " We should also cover the planetary governance structure. The King, the council, the military hierarchy. And the estate management systems you have been reviewing. You will need to understand them if you are going to find the rat."
She nodded, her eyes still on the screen. "One thing at a time."
"One thing at a time."
She kept practicing, tracing the symbols, whispering the sounds. The morning light shifted across the floor, and the house stirred around her, but she stayed in the nursery, learning the language of her new home.
For herself.
For her son.
For the life she was building here.
