Everything's dangerous. And she's not wrong that it's one of the more dangerous things to do but - maybe not if it's impossible to sneak up on her. (...So maybe the trick for hiding thoughts is simple and the kind of thing you can just tell is true once you've run into it, so that actually lots of people will be able to sneak up on her soon. Maybe that's why she still thinks it's dangerous. That or it's just that she needs to sleep sometimes.)

Not knowing what to do with a country is - really constrained ambition. Teru doesn't know anyone like that. Are serfs like that? Maybe? Ruling a country would mean being able to demand a house be built exactly to her specifications. It would mean being able to order five people to take babysitting shifts. Teru would want it because... if there's not enough food for everyone, the Star-of-Stars isn't one of the ones who starves. The Star-of-Stars never has to worry about kissing up to people, and conversely, everyone respects him. No one is going to order the Star-of-Stars killed - or, well, they might, that's how assassination works, but he's not definitely hostage to his brother's good behavior every time there's a war. And she could change all the laws she doesn't like and offer her family nice things. But for any goal she could possibly have, more power would make it easier to achieve.

Should she be entertaining this train of thought? Absolutely not. But she's running low on willpower, and anyway, if her safety is based on Beka not realizing obvious things then she isn't safe and she might as well find out now.

I dunno, I'd rather just raise my baby and not worry about all that.

Sure. Okay. Well, at least Teru's best pitch for it didn't change anything. That's good. And given that, it's definitely time for a change of subject. Maybe the tattoos? Or... Could I learn to do magic or is it something you're born with?

I don't actually know. Maybe songs would work for you.

That sounds worth trying. She wants to look like the baby! If it's temporary. And she wants to heal people, too. How do we test it?

I can teach you a song, once I'm settled in. Are you a good singer?

She's just okay. Better than Valan, worse than their aunt and older cousin. If it takes being a good singer she's willing to put in the time and effort to become one but it would take time and effort.

It might not work if you're not very good. She starts singing. She's very good.

She is not that good. Maybe Beka could show her how singing like that works the same way she showed Beka how riding works? Teru has no idea if it's the sort of skill where practice would still be important if she understood the theory.

Beka can try that! Here is a bunch of vague procedural knowhow about how to sing.

That... seems... helpful? Sort of? She can't do that yet but now she has some idea what exactly it is she's not doing yet. She'll have to actually train, then.

Thank you. I will probably need to arrange real lessons at some point; do you teach?

I never tried. Orcs don't like to sing.

I'm sure I can find someone who's taught this before. Humans do like singing and I'm sure we'll like it even more when we can do magic with it.

She wonders if there's a song for keeping thoughts private or what.

I don't think so but I don't know them all. You could write one.

She'd like that. But first she has to learn to sing at all.

But if it's not a song and it is self-teachable, what is the trick... Beka seems unlikely to lie about it - she told them about the mind-reading, after all, and she's probably sincere about not aiming for conquest - but she might just refuse to confirm or deny - no, she can't do that, because this is how she can communicate with people.

You'll tell me if I figure it out, right?

I guess I'll tell you if I can't hear you?

Thanks.

She buys that. She mulls the problem over. They're using a sound metaphor - hearing thoughts - so maybe what she needs to do is imagine her mind being surrounded with soft stuff that doesn't conduct sound very well? Or - she thinks about what else might work, but while she thinks about that she's already testing her first guess.

You got kind of quiet.

Only kind of?

Hmm. She could... locate all her thoughts on an island too far out to sea for anyone to hear her from shore?

I think it probably takes practice but you're basically on the right track.

Then she'll keep practicing.

They pass soldiers not heading south because they're protecting another border, and more fields, and farmers who aren't slaves, and another town that's nearly surrounded by blooming rock cress. As they pass the town, Teru speeds up to avoid having the people in mental earshot for too long, stops trying to hide her thoughts, and contemplates the strategic reasons for the flowers. The plants are edible and too low for a human to hide in. That seems at least adjacent to the kind of thing Beka might be interested in and she's trying to be a nice distraction while there are so many other people nearby.

Are the flowers PRETTY?

Signs point to yes.

She picks some and pokes them into her braid.

Beka is pretty. A home with some flowers seemed like a kind of pathetic ambition before but suddenly it seems - not any less small, but the same kind of small as a starving person who just wants food. She seems like she should have flowers, and fancier flowers than this, and flowers that match her color scheme better...