He realized now that saying he wanted to simply as a way to pass the time was insulting and ignorant. And he knew deep down there was more to it than that. Endla was a mystery, and his involuntary reaction to it, even more so. And while he had tacitly accepted that there was “magic” in the world, all that word meant to Jaren was something people didn’t understand yet. But perhaps there was a way to understand it. Everything had an explanation, in the end.

“Curiosity, I suppose,” he said finally. “To be honest, I’ve never been much of a singer.”

She arched a pale brow. “Much?”

He grimaced. “Okay, I’ve never sung anything before.”

“Never?” she asked, the other eyebrow joining the first.

He shook his head. “Not really. The occasional folk tune, I guess. My mother was the musical one in the family, and even that’s a bit of a stretch. She would sing to us at bedtime or while she was working. But we’ve never had an instrument.”

“What do you mean, an instrument?”

Was it possible she’d never seen a musical instrument? That the only instruments Endlans knew about were their voices? “A flute,” he said. “Or a guitar?”

She looked at him like he was speaking another language.

“I suppose you must not have them here. They’re objects that produce music, with the help of a person. A flute is a long tube that you blow through. A guitar is wooden, with strings over a hole...” He trailed off when he saw that she still didn’t understand. “If you bring me some parchment and charcoal the next time you come, I’ll draw them for you,” he said. “But you’ll just have to take my word for it that they make beautiful music.”

“You said you’re not from Brickle...”

“Bricklebury. A nearby village.”

“Right.”

“I’m from a city called Tindervale. It’s far away from here, far from the mountains. Things were very different there. In Bricklebury, everyone knows everyone. And everyone talks about everyone else’s business. Back in Tindervale, I didn’t even know our closest neighbors. There were so many people, it was almost like they all decided that since it would be impossible to know everyone, there was no point in knowing anyone.”

“I can’t imagine that,” Leelo said, her voice quiet. She fiddled with a loose string on his blanket for a moment, like she was embarrassed by her inexperience.

“I couldn’t imagine a place like Bricklebury, before I got there. I went for a walk with a girl, and the entire town was talking about it.”

Leelo blushed, her eyes still downcast. “Imagine if they saw us in this cottage.”

He smiled. “I think their heads would explode. Too much gossip for them to handle.”

“Are you going to marry her?” Leelo asked, still not meeting his eyes.

Jaren laughed, which made her blush harder.