trooped, our steps loud enough that Rosto shouted for quiet from inside his rooms. Achoo barked at him in reply. I checked my paper for the right command.
"Diamlah!" I said. That was "quiet."
"Deeahmlah," Phelan corrected me.
I glared at him and said it as he'd told me to. Then I added, "Do I need to say 'good girl' in Kyprish?"
"If you do, someone will think you're gargling bones," Kora murmured. When we looked at her, she gave us her sweetest smile. "I speak Kyprish."
"Whatever for?" Phelan asked.
"I just like it," Kora said, and shrugged.
Mages are strange.
We walked around the house to the kitchen garden. "I told you I was bad at it," Phelan told Kora. "Too bad for a mot with such nice taste that mine is the dialect Achoo knows."
"Dukduk," I told Achoo, and she sat. I tried to remember if anyone had ever done what I told them to do right off. I couldn't think of who it had been if they had.
"Fix the leash to her collar," Phelan told me. He, Kora, and Pounce sat on my landlady's bench as I did so. Once I'd secured leash to collar around Achoo's throat, Phelan told me, "When the two of you are on duty, most of the time you will need her to walk on the side that doesn't wield the baton. Wrap the rest of the leash around that hand until you have just enough for her to be comfortable walking right behind your elbow on that side – your left, is it?"
I did as Phelan said and ended with a considerable length of leash about my hand.
"As you walk forward, give Achoo the command tumit ," Phelan told me. "That's 'heel.' She's to walk just behind you, off your leg. She would walk there with a leash or without it if you give that command, but you're both new to this, so you should keep her on the leash to start."
"Tumit," I said, and walked toward the entry to the garden. Achoo stayed with me as we went out onto the street and returned. We stopped in front of Phelan, Pounce, and Kora. "Dukduk," I said, feeling like a fool who uttered nonsense. But Achoo sat, nonsense words or no.
We tried "greet" and "friend" on Kora, then "stay" and "wait." Next came "smell," using one of my soiled shirts. I took it out of the yard and hid it in the front hall of the lodging house. Achoo looked at me anxiously when I returned. Seemingly she did not like me leaving her.
Kora passed me another of my soiled shirts. I held it under Achoo's nose and spoke the order to smell it: "Bau." She gave it a thorough going-over as I gathered her leash in my hand. Then she sneezed. That was how she'd gotten her name – she sneezed when she had a scent. "Achoo, mencari," I told her. "Seek."
"Put that shirt in your belt," Phelan ordered. "If she loses the scent on the trail, you'll need to use it to give her the scent again." I did as he'd bid me.
Achoo raised her nose in the air, her nostrils flaring. She looked back and forth, testing each breeze. She came to me and sniffed me from toe to waist.
"Tell her no," Phelan said. "You want her to find that scent, but not on you."
"Tak," I told Achoo, fumbling with the page of written commands. "Menean , Achoo."
She turned, then trotted toward the gate to the street, yanking me after her.
"You want 'slow' – pelan," called Phelan, laughter in his voice.
I tugged on the leash. "Pelan , Achoo, all right? Pelan!"
She stopped on the doorstep of our lodging house. From the look in her eye, she plainly wondered why I couldn't keep up when I only had two legs to manage, not four. In we went. She found my shirt almost instantly. Dragging it from its hiding place, she gave it a terrier's shake, one eye on me as if to see what I would do if she kept shaking it.
I can't spare any shirts for Achoo toys. I had to make her let go, but I couldn't take it from her. She was trained not to give it up without the right command. I squinted at the paper and cursed the dark hallway. Achoo shook my shirt again and pawed at it.
"Stop that!" I ordered. "Pox, he doesn't have 'stop' on here. Give! Achoo, memberi!" I held
"Diamlah!" I said. That was "quiet."
"Deeahmlah," Phelan corrected me.
I glared at him and said it as he'd told me to. Then I added, "Do I need to say 'good girl' in Kyprish?"
"If you do, someone will think you're gargling bones," Kora murmured. When we looked at her, she gave us her sweetest smile. "I speak Kyprish."
"Whatever for?" Phelan asked.
"I just like it," Kora said, and shrugged.
Mages are strange.
We walked around the house to the kitchen garden. "I told you I was bad at it," Phelan told Kora. "Too bad for a mot with such nice taste that mine is the dialect Achoo knows."
"Dukduk," I told Achoo, and she sat. I tried to remember if anyone had ever done what I told them to do right off. I couldn't think of who it had been if they had.
"Fix the leash to her collar," Phelan told me. He, Kora, and Pounce sat on my landlady's bench as I did so. Once I'd secured leash to collar around Achoo's throat, Phelan told me, "When the two of you are on duty, most of the time you will need her to walk on the side that doesn't wield the baton. Wrap the rest of the leash around that hand until you have just enough for her to be comfortable walking right behind your elbow on that side – your left, is it?"
I did as Phelan said and ended with a considerable length of leash about my hand.
"As you walk forward, give Achoo the command tumit ," Phelan told me. "That's 'heel.' She's to walk just behind you, off your leg. She would walk there with a leash or without it if you give that command, but you're both new to this, so you should keep her on the leash to start."
"Tumit," I said, and walked toward the entry to the garden. Achoo stayed with me as we went out onto the street and returned. We stopped in front of Phelan, Pounce, and Kora. "Dukduk," I said, feeling like a fool who uttered nonsense. But Achoo sat, nonsense words or no.
We tried "greet" and "friend" on Kora, then "stay" and "wait." Next came "smell," using one of my soiled shirts. I took it out of the yard and hid it in the front hall of the lodging house. Achoo looked at me anxiously when I returned. Seemingly she did not like me leaving her.
Kora passed me another of my soiled shirts. I held it under Achoo's nose and spoke the order to smell it: "Bau." She gave it a thorough going-over as I gathered her leash in my hand. Then she sneezed. That was how she'd gotten her name – she sneezed when she had a scent. "Achoo, mencari," I told her. "Seek."
"Put that shirt in your belt," Phelan ordered. "If she loses the scent on the trail, you'll need to use it to give her the scent again." I did as he'd bid me.
Achoo raised her nose in the air, her nostrils flaring. She looked back and forth, testing each breeze. She came to me and sniffed me from toe to waist.
"Tell her no," Phelan said. "You want her to find that scent, but not on you."
"Tak," I told Achoo, fumbling with the page of written commands. "Menean , Achoo."
She turned, then trotted toward the gate to the street, yanking me after her.
"You want 'slow' – pelan," called Phelan, laughter in his voice.
I tugged on the leash. "Pelan , Achoo, all right? Pelan!"
She stopped on the doorstep of our lodging house. From the look in her eye, she plainly wondered why I couldn't keep up when I only had two legs to manage, not four. In we went. She found my shirt almost instantly. Dragging it from its hiding place, she gave it a terrier's shake, one eye on me as if to see what I would do if she kept shaking it.
I can't spare any shirts for Achoo toys. I had to make her let go, but I couldn't take it from her. She was trained not to give it up without the right command. I squinted at the paper and cursed the dark hallway. Achoo shook my shirt again and pawed at it.
"Stop that!" I ordered. "Pox, he doesn't have 'stop' on here. Give! Achoo, memberi!" I held
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