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“Fanosti,” the trader says,”No. You look no Fanosti.”

Tobi touches his dark curls. “Because my mother was Archilian,” Tobi says, swallowing.

“Ah, the actress.” Lymok nudges Tobi playfully.

“You no in fuck bed with Irgo?” another of the trader drawls. “You kush no good?”

Tobi shakes his head. He knows he is being insulted but the crude talk in the man’s strange accent and clumsy Artemian is quite amusing. “No. He fucked me all night. We do not share a common tongue so what else could we do?”

“You learn Ambolk for Irgo,” says one of the traders.

Tobi nods. “I would like to. If I can.”

Before another says, “Why Ereyek need kush speak?” At this all the traders laugh.

“He learn fuck words,” says the one with the best Artemian. “Beg Ereyek for dek.” He looks at Tobi. “Fuck word you learn, kushir. Dek.”

The traders, including Lymok, all laugh.

Tobi lifts his chin. “I know what dek means,”

“Kush?” says the leering trader. “And esich. Dekush.” He almost spits the last word at Tobi across the table.

The traders are all laughing again.

“I know all of those,” says Tobi. “I was hoping for something more useful for conversation.”

“Ereyek.” says one of the traders, which is met with more laughter

Tobi frowns. “What’s Ereyek?” He wonders if he can guess. One of the traders referred to Harok as Tobi’s Ereyek.

“Word kushessa need,” laughs the trader.

At this, Lymok stands. He puts a hand on Tobi’s forearm.

“Don’t call him that, you hess,” Lymok snaps, “Come on kushir,” he says, giving Tobi’s arm a gentle tug. “Come with me. Let's get away from this uncouth scum.”

The traders all make disappointed noises as Tobi stands up. Lymok leads him through a doorway into a second chamber. This room contains a long low bed and chair set beside a fireplace. Tobi glances at the bed then to his guards, following them through the doorway.

Lymok gestures to the chair. “Don’t worry, kushir, I’m not going to force myself on you. I don’t want to die at the hands of your chastity guard.”

Tobi sits down on the chair as his guards take up a new position, two on each side of the doorway. The small chamber is quite crowded.

Lymok sits down on the bed. “I am sorry about them. I thought it would be pleasant for you to hear your own language spoken. I did not expect them to be so crude. They are simply excited to meet a kushir.”

“I didn’t mind them,” Tobi says. “I come from a travelling circus in Azuria. I have not been sheltered from crude talk.”

“I suppose not,” Lymok says with a light smile.

“And it was pleasant to hear people speaking Artemian. I hadn’t realised how exhausting it was not understanding what was being said. But tell me,” Tobi says, leaning forward. “What does Ereyek mean?”

Lymok glances briefly at Tobi’s guards before he says, “Uh, the one who uses the cock, I suppose. With two men, one is Ereyek.”

“Oh,” Tobi’s eyes stretch wide. “Oh, I see. In Artemian, I do not think we have a word for that.”

“I suppose not, as it is against the will of Zai.”

“Indeed,” says Tobi.