“You Sea Holders are full of surprises,” said Elgion, linking to switch to a less painful topic. He went to the racks of wax tablets and removed the two he mght. “These must have been done by that fosterling who took over when Petiron died. The other slates are all in the older script notations, which the old Harper used. But these ... a lad who can do this sort of work is needed in the Harper’s craft. You don’t know where the boy is now, do you?”

Alemi was torn between duty to the Hold and love of his sister. But she wasn’t in the Hold anymore, and commonsense told Alemi that she must be dead if, in this length of time, with dragonriders looking for her, she hadn’t been found. Menolly was only a girl, so what good did it do that her songs found favor with the Harper? Alemi was also reluctant to put the lie to his father. So, despite the fact that Elgion was impressed by the songs, since the songmaker was beyond them, Alemi answered truthfully that he didn’t know where “he” was.

Elgion wrapped the waxed slates carefully, and with a noticeable sigh of regret. “I’ll send them on to the Harper Crafthall anyway. Robinton will want to use them.”

“Use them? They’re that good?” Alemi was startled and regretted the lies still more.

“They’re cracking good. Maybe if the lad hears them, he’ll come forward on his own.” Elgion gave Alemi a rueful smile. “Since if s obvious there’s some reason you can’t name him.” He chuckled at the Sea Man’s reaction. “Come now, man, the lad was sent away in some sort of disgrace, wasn’t he? That happens, as any harper worth his salt knows—and understands. Hold honor and all that. I won’t tease you anymore. He’ll surface to the sound of his own music.”

They talked of other things then, until the fishing fleet returned—two men of the same age but different background: one with an inquisitive interest in the world beyond his Sea Hold, and the other quite willing to satisfy it Elgion was, in fact, delighted to find none of Yanus’s moroseness and inflexibility in Alemi, and the Harper began to feel that after all he might be able to follow Master Robinton’s ambitious plan of broadening understanding beyond the limits of this Sea Hold.

Alemi was back the following day after the children had been dismissed, with more questions. He stopped midsentence finally, apologizing profusely for taking so much of Elgion’s time.

“I tell you what, Alemi, I’ll teach you what you’d like to know if you’ll teach me how to sail.”

“Teach you to sail?”