I sat properly to try and keep Mamu pleased. She was talking to the other grown ladies of the Court in a hushed voice and she looked real worried and it made me nervous. Why should she be upset? I tugged on her sleeve for attention.

“Why are you worried, Mamu?” She gave me that look again, only it was different. It was a sorta look I’d never seen before and I could tell she was sad about something and mad about something else at the same time, but I didn’t know why. Wasn’t it good that the khalan was being punished?

Mamu reached out a hand and smoothed a stray blue curl from my face and smiled gently at me. “When I tell you to, sarrihe optistelos —close your eyes.” I nodded my head and agreed like a good girl, but I was still confused. I tried to hear my Mamu’s conversation with the other ladies, but I didn’t get much.

One word that I had never heard before kept being repeated and when they said it, they looked around as if they were nervous someone would punish them for it. Caositia — Revolution.