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clamoring for cooler hours. Other than the linder house at her back, Miri could see no other stone. Everything was alive and moving. The air teemed with birds, insects, and shadows of things flying. The grasses shook with the wind and with not-wind. The reeds whispered and clicked together, hiding creatures that scurried and jumped. The surface of the water trailed with the paths of skating bugs and arched with the movement of fish and larger animals. Everywhere was the sense of life just out of sight.
    The girls sat outside after dinner near the water’s edge. They were stuffing tiny seedpods into the ends of short, thick reeds and blowing, challenging one another to see who could shoot a seed the farthest over the water.
    â€œNow would be a good time to start with your studies,” Miri said.
    â€œWhat studies?” asked Sus, cramming in more seeds. In the dimming light, her hair looked nearly black, the crinkly locks standing up around her head like the branches of a bramble bush.
    â€œI think we should start with reading,” said Miri, “and once you’re comfortable, we can move on to other subjects, like History. You’re going to love History!”
    Astrid laughed. “When would we have time for studying?”
    â€œWell, now?” said Miri, not meaning for it to be a question.
    â€œWe’re just about to go check the traps and set them again for tomorrow’s breakfast.”
    â€œYou must have a way to purchase food or pay others to hunt it for you,” said Miri.
    â€œPay with what exactly?” Astrid asked, eyes narrowed.
    â€œWith your allowance …” Miri did not need to look around again to realize that the king’s money, supposedly sent each month from Asland, never made it to this little linder house.
    â€œ
Allowance
,” Sus said slowly, her mouth trying out the unfamiliar word.
    â€œIf you just sit and read, then you won’t eat,” said Astrid.
    â€œUnless you’re Fat Hofer,” said Sus.
    Felissa nodded wisely. “Fat Hofer can do nothing and stay fat. I think he has magic.”
    â€œMagic isn’t real,” said Sus. “I think he eats flies.”
    Felissa dropped her reed. “He does not! I’ve never seen him eat a single fly.”
    â€œThen maybe he
absorbs
them,” Sus said. She paused to blow. Her seeds flew, landing with light ripples on the dark water. “Flies land on his skin to suck his blood, but instead his skin sucks
them
in. They say he knows everything. I think he knows how to get fat on flies.”
    Felissa looked at Astrid and laughed.
    â€œI want to absorb flies,” Sus said in her serious manner.
    â€œNever mind about Fat Hofer,” Miri said. “Look, I have to teach you. The king said so.”
    â€œ
Pbbt
,” said Astrid, blowing air through her lips. “Never met the king.”
    â€œI didn’t want to attend a princess academy at first either,” Miri said.
    â€œA princess what?” Felissa asked.
    â€œAcademy. Like a school. Whenever a crown prince reaches the age of betrothal, the priests of the creator god divine which province or territory of Danland ishome to his future bride. A graduate of a previous princess academy is chosen as tutor and sent to form a school there. It used to be just a formality and the highest ranking noble girls of the province attended for just a few days before the prince threw a ball and chose his bride. But in my case, none of us were noble. Or educated. Or considered fit bridal material for a royal highness. So we attended a real academy for over a year, and what I learned there changed everything for me and my village.”
    Astrid blinked slowly like a lizard sunning. “And what use would a princess academy have for us? We’re not going to marry the crown prince.”
    Miri blanched. “Um … right. Of course not. The king, your cousin, just wants you to have the benefit of an education.