"Why can we sense the sword swings of others?" Kelton asked. Rolic was relaxing by the fire, enjoying a pipe. At least that's what he called it. It caused a coughing fit in Kelton when he tried it. Kelton didn't understand why someone would suck in smoke. Usually, one struggled to dodge smoke from a fire. It was a silly thing to spend time developing a device to seek what is normally avoided.

"The Knowing," Rolic replied, lifting the pipe from his lips. "I do not fully understand it, though it is a gift from the Goddess. We can sense intent and thus know the location of others. Have you noticed it is weaker when they are sleeping?" Kelton nodded, though it was the first time he considered it. He was usually sleeping when others were and never thought to measure it.

"When that intent is thrust upon us physically our sense becomes stronger. The more they intend to do us harm, the stronger it becomes. So much so, we can feel their intent before they act upon it." Rolic's words made sense. The ability never woke up in Kelton until he was threatened.

"So an unintentional strike, that would not be sensed?"

"No more than an arrow in flight." Rolic pointed the mouth end of his pipe at Kelton. "Tell me, do you know anyone who unintentionally swings a sword at others?"

"Nay," Kelton said, then shook his head. "Mayhap in practice."

"It is the intent we sense. Dueling with a friend would be like dueling with an unseen." Rolic took another draw of his pipe and let the smoke spill from his mouth. "You have had some training from this Gossamer you spoke of. The way you describe him, harming you would not be his intent."

"Aye, and harm is not my intent toward him. I sparred with him many times and never felt it." Kelton chuckled. "And have the bruises to prove it."

"Ah yes, pain - nature's favorite teacher." Rolic shared an honest smile. A friend's smile. Kelton felt less subordinate for the first time since meeting him.

"I wish to learn all of this," Kelton said, pointing to the many things cast about the cave. He lifted a book and opened the cover. The symbols were meaningless, and it bothered him. It wasn't fair to be limited to little thoughts now that he knew larger ones existed.

"Then you must travel," Rolic said sitting forward. "This land limits even the highborn, though they may think otherwise. The world is much larger than Aragonia."

"You can not teach me?"

"You would find me a terrible teacher," Rolic said. "Imparting knowledge is not among my talents. That, and you won't be here long enough."

"You wish me to leave."

"In a day or so, yes." Rolic waved away Kelton's thoughts of rejection. "It is not your company that I wish to chase away. In truth, I find you intriguing and would enjoy having you for a few seasons or more. It is your hunters I desire not to see."

"Why do you live here if this land is such a loathsome place?" Kelton stood and walked around the minor miracles of ingenuity that lay about. "You have such things, and yet you live in a cave and fear I will expose you. It looks as if you've been here as many winters as I have lived."

"Sit," Rolic said, pointing at the seat Kelton had left. "I didn't want to offend, only to speak the truth." He smiled his friendly smile. "You infer much, not the least of which is that I am hiding." He waited until Kelton sat before he continued. "There is an understanding I don't wish to unbalance. Kushiel's Answer will tilt it, leaving me exposed when I only wish to live my waning years in peace."

"I am not Kushiel's Answer," Kelton argued.

"It matters not that you claim it. Only what others believe. The Brethren will destroy you to end that belief. To them, hope is a vicious enemy."

"So I ask again, why do you choose to live here? You look to have options I do not." Kelton was trying to remove the anger from his voice. He failed.

"We have time to teach you numbers," Rolic said, changing the subject. Kelton was about to press his question when the idea of learning something new overshadowed his ire.

"I know my numbers," Kelton said with a calm and inquisitive voice.

"Not in your head, on parchment." Rolic tapped a book next to him. "It should be an easy task for someone as intelligent as you." The compliment was not wasted on Kelton. He had been called many things in the past, but he didn't remember smart being one of them.

"I've seen the marks made by merchants," Kelton said, leaning forward with interest. "They carve hashes in a plank, each group being five. Is that what you're speaking of?"

"Nay, though that does work for smaller sums." Rolic rose and fished a large book from under many others. He opened it for Kelton, pointing to rows of cryptic symbols. "This is a log of record for a seafaring vessel. It's kept by the captain to increase the confidence of those that use his services." Kelton noted a line down the right side of the page. Left of the line contained many different types of symbols. Right of the line held a more ordered set of glyphs running down the page. There were fewer types of symbols on the right side.

"On this side, cargo is described." Rolic pointed to the left, then moved his finger to the right. "This side contains the quantity. These are the numbers I speak of." Kelton's mind smiled though only fascination made it to his face. "This number here is 753. You can see that hashes would be difficult to use." Kelton had yet to discern the importance of a tally of cargo. It was the fact that it could be done efficiently that thrilled him.

What followed was one of the most exciting conversation Kelton had ever experienced. The loss of the trust game, the mead, and the brutal sword lesson were worth the new revelations.

"Why would one need a symbol for nothing?" Kelton asked as Rolic identified the symbol for zero.

"How else would you identify that you had nothing?"

"Why would you need to point out you had nothing? Is it not better to not mark it at all?" Kelton was surprised at Rolic's laughter. He no longer felt insulted by it, just annoyed that it stalled an answer to his valid question.

"Zero is an important concept in trade. Think of barters were one must make up the difference in coin. If the math works out that there is no difference, zero coins are exchanged. This is noted so that both parties are assured that nothing is awry." Kelton's face scrunched up in disbelief. It made no sense to mark nothing. "Think on a trade that happens across the sea. The merchant gives the captain goods and coin to make the best trade he can." Kelton nodded. "If the trade is even, using your logic, no coin is marked. Back at sea, the captain decides to write down that coin was included and keeps it for himself."

"Could he not just create a new parchment anyway?" Kelton asked.

"Much more difficult," Rolic said, pleased with Kelton's deduction. "Each merchant has a mark, the better known the merchant, the better known the mark." He pointed at the bottom of the page where a unique design was placed. "It is easy to add a new entry, but more difficult to change one. If zero is marked and a line placed before it, all know that no coin was exchanged."

"We need zero for trust?"

"Among other things," Rolic said with a nod. He was enjoying Kelton's reaction to the new concepts. "It's also necessary to hold a place in the sequence for large numbers. It marks that a digit is ten times larger than the place where the zero is." It didn't take long for the new idea to sink into Kelton's mind. He only lacked context, never having dealt with large quantities of anything. By the time the sun dropped, Kelton had memorized the digits and was skilled at writing large numbers. Addition and subtraction were also learned, though Kelton failed to comprehend Rolic's method. It was easier to do it in his head. Years of calculating coins in the dark, as well as halving the sum, paid off.

"You are not a terrible teacher," Kelton pointed out.

"Mayhap, it is the student that makes it easy," Rolic returned.

"If I press you again on your choice to live in this cave, will you teach me something else?" Kelton added a smile to the request. Rolic laughed and laid his hand on Kelton's shoulder. It was a welcome friendly gesture.

"You were correct when you said I have options. Just know that in my mind, this is the best of them. It is the only explanation I can offer you. Will you accept it?"

"Aye, for now," Kelton said. He was resigned to the lack of balance between the two of them. Someday, if by some miracle he survived the Brethren, he would return and demand an accounting. Remembering their brief sword fight, Kelton decided that demand was too strong a word.