“How long do you think it will take him?”
“Eh, don’t know.”
“It would be great to have another caretaker.”
“You think he will help you?” Eshel snorted. “The Invisible Death, the Dark Holder, the Untouched of the Night?”
Eshon raised his head while scratching his cat’s chin. “Well?”
“Yes, I think he will help you,” Eshel replied nonchalantly, rolling her eyes. “He seems passive. And very good with magic. But very wasteful.”
“You could learn from him. You suck at magic.”
It landed him a kick on his side, and Eshon grunted, making the cat jump from his lap and scurry off somewhere. He glared at his sister and got up.
“Alright. Time for bed. Go back to your room.”
“Eh, I don’t want to.”
“I will call for Sister if you insist on bothering me,” Eshon warned, pointing to the door. “Get Keyga inside while you’re at it.”
“What? It takes forever to find him. He may be on the tents, or at the pens, or giving food to the birds—”
“It sounds like you know the way. Go, quick on your feet.”
As much as she would have wanted to ignore her brother’s instructions, Eshel headed out of the tent to search for her younger brother with a groan. Eshon would be busy with feeding all of the cats that roamed the settlement; it was because of the felines that the place remained free of pests. Already, cats were meowing in their direction.
Meanwhile, she had never been good with magic. Her ability to control animals was okay, but she’d been lazy during her youth and had only recently begun to study extensively. Fire was difficult to produce, and water was even harder. She’d be tired with a few spells.
Well, it didn’t matter. Magic wasn’t necessary for maintaining the animals. Besides, she was a good speaker and was the energy of the family. Her younger brother, while talented, acted like he didn’t exist.
He felt pity for the boy, but he didn’t like it that all of her siblings always made her fetch him and so on. Oblivious to her thoughts, Keyga seemed more interested in playing with the beasts instead of talking to her, making her frustrated even more. Still, she was the closest to him out of everyone, excluding Eshon. Her brother, old as he was without finding a wife, had a way of making children laugh.
Though she really wished he would find a wife instead of more cats. Someone from the capital who was rich, preferably. Then she’d have an excuse to travel elsewhere.
In the distance, some birds were circling the sky. She could spot the little things that were thrown at them—insects for them to eat, snatched out of the air.
“Keyga! Keygashen! I told you not to feed wild birds!” she shouted, placing her hands on her hips. From on top of the small tent, a figure stuck his head out under the moonlight.
In a flash, the birds spread apart, soaring into the air until they were gone from the area. He’d sent them off after hearing her.
“Get down here! You’re going to crack a skull!”
The boy wiped his hand on the tent and moved towards her, sliding down the tent and falling into her arms. His body had a slight odor to it, and Eshel held him away, frowning.
“Did you not take a shower?”
“No.”
“Argh!” she groaned, fanning the air. Her brother grinned and tried to cling to her.
“No, no. Shower first.”
“I don’t wanna.”
Holding him by the ear with him squirming under her grip, she dragged her towards the washing tent and let go only when they went inside. Her brother looked furious. Perhaps she’d been too strong.
“Take a shower. Now,” she demanded, crossing her arms. Keyga was rubbing his ear, looking annoyed.
“I want Brother,” he said, turning his head around. “Why are you here? I don’t even sleep with you.”
Eshel held up a fist, and Keyga began to unclothe right away. Sighing, she went out of the tent and squatted on the ground, looking at the stars and wondering if a prince on a white horse would ever come for her. She hadn’t been this annoying, had she? Eshon was seven years older than him, and she was seven years older than Keya, so she wondered if he had felt this way when he’d dealt with her.
Though lately, she felt like he was being harsher with her now than he had been back then. Ever since her fifteenth birthday, she’d become an adult, and it had sucked so far. So many more chores to do, and a brother to take care of on top of everything.
Now, she had another boy to look after, someone who’d been used to tell scary tales during the night, saying that he’d come after her if she did something bad. They’d all been exaggerating, now that she’d met him. He didn’t look scary. Compared to Keyga, he was much more composed, and he was younger.
It would be great for her if she managed to make them friends so that they’d occupy each other’s time. Then she could spend more time studying or daydreaming.
But her brother didn’t like strangers. Being the youngest, everyone had let him do whatever he wanted to do, and now, being excluded from so many family meetings and discussions, he’d become a kind of outsider.
Well, he was eleven, so it didn’t matter much, but she remembered herself being much more talkative when she was his age. So when she looked at him, she felt pity, as well as some disapproval. At least he was very skillful with animals. She’d only been able to tame a few rats at his age.
“I’m done!” Keyga yelled from inside the tent.
“Put your clothes on!” Eshel yelled back.
“I’m not a kid!” he answered. Shortly after, she heard the sound of rusting as he clothed himself. She rolled her eyes.
When he came out, they made their way to Eshon’s tent, who had gone to feed the cats. She jumped on top of his bed and rolled in the sheets, screaming inside of a pillow.
“You’re such a kid,” Keyga told her, flicking a booger he’d fished from his nose. It wasn’t her tent, so it didn’t matter.
“Says the guy who doesn’t wash for the night,” she rebutted. “You wouldn’t know of my feelings. Adult feelings.”
“Shan says that you want to find a mate,” Keyga giggled.
“You’ve been at the birdhouses again? That’s where you got the insects to feed the wild birds! You can’t steal my stuff like that.”
“I’ll catch some more for you.”
“Fine,” she relented. “But know that I don’t want a mate. Animals can only think simply. Don’t believe everything they tell you.”
Keyga giggled again, rolling on the floor. “Eshel wants a mate! Eshel wants a mate!” he chanted with a giant smile. When Eshel got up with her fists ready to punch, he quickly went to his bed with a squeal and pulled the blankets over himself.
Eshel sighed. She was growing too old for this. She could act like her older siblings and let Keyga be, but it was her reactions that seemed to make him laugh. Annoying, but she was the only friend he had. If only he’d play with the other children instead of the animals, but they were vicious in their own way. Then again, her brother was annoying even to her, so she could understand—but she’d still wanted to smack them.
“You shouldn’t tease other people using their secrets like that,” she said, sitting down. “No one will want to play with you.”
“The animals always want to play with me,” he stated, looking content. “And you play with me. And Eshon. Hmm.” The boy squinted his eyes. “Do you have any friends?
“Yes.”
“Did they, um, leave you?”
Eshel jumped on her brother and locked her arms around his neck, tickling him. He laughed and screamed for her to stop.
She’d had a lot of friends. When they’d been here, it had been the greatest days of her life. But one by one after they’d reached adulthood, they’d been sent off to be married. Her family was special in that they never forced arranged marriages, but that didn’t apply to the others. The people that were under them had their own traditions she’d only heard about from her friends.
It wasn’t like all of them had gone. Some of them were still in the settlement, and she met them often. But they were busy taking care of their home. She’d heard rumors that one of them had even had a child recently, and it had shocked her.
She hadn’t realized that she was that old. But none of her older siblings were married, so she’d never put that much thought into it. Just daydreaming. Her stupid bird had taken it the wrong way.
“Why won’t you get married,” she complained when Eshon returned with a flock of cats around his legs.
“Uh, what?”
“You’re so old. You should find a wife soon.”
“Yeah, so old!” Keyga repeated.
“Very funny.”
Keyga dove into the cats, laughing as they rubbed their heads on him. Eshel remained on the bed. While she understood the allure of cats, she didn’t want to get cat fur and dirt all over her after she’d taken a bath.
“Birds are much better,” she muttered.
“Your bird poops everywhere,” Keyga teased, and the cats meowed in response. She hated it when he did that.
“I’m going,” she snorted, getting up. The cats began to rub themselves on her legs, so she tried to get out as fast as possible without stepping on them.
“You two are so dirty!” she yelled, jumping out of the tent. She could hear the laughter behind her as she made her way to her tent.
It was late. She’d have to return to her room now if she didn’t want her sisters to lecture her on the importance of sleep for healthy skin. Along the way, she saw that the lights were on in Shaden’s tent. For a boy of his age to stay up so late, it wasn’t good. She wondered what he was doing so late into the night. Chanting curses? Summoning ancient evils?
She peeked inside. He was reading from an ancient-looking book. She remembered it clearly because she’d been scolded once by her father by touching it, and her father rarely scolded anyone. And the boy was casually turning its pages while lying on the bed.
“Hmm.”
Well, she didn’t care anymore now. He’d be gone in a year—he was simply a visitor.
“He will be your greatest ally,” her father had told them before they’d left for his birthday. They had to look good in front of him. She’d freaked out when her aunt had shouted during dinner, but the boy didn’t seem angry.
He was a strange one.
“But there’s no way he can learn to tame in a year, is there?” she said to no one in particular. It had taken her many years. Even Keyga, with his genius in taming, couldn’t do so until he was six.
Shaden’s position was unnatural in the family. Well, it was his first day. She just wished that he wouldn’t suddenly turn crazy and kill everyone, since that’s what her aunt always told them about—how the previous heir had sliced up her herd of sheep after an argument. Or cattle. Or pigs. It always changed. When she was younger, her aunt’s stories always sounded so exciting, but now, she could tell that they were being exaggerated.
She missed her mother. They’d been more united with her.
Recalling old memories, she returned to her tent.
⤙ ◯ ⤚
Huh. Shaden hadn’t thought that things would be this easy.
After breakfast, he’d tagged along with Eshel and her brothers to look over the various pens that were stationed in the region. Upon his request, Eshon had shown him the way of bonding with an animal (a sheep this time) by transforming the mana into a certain pattern and making it flow through the animal’s head to influence it. The magic affected the emotion and instincts of the animal, letting it know for certain that the one touching was a friend it could trust.
The magic wasn’t about control. It was more the way of friendship and letting the animal trust the user. Perhaps it was a sort of illusional brainwashing, but it did the job. Becoming friends with animals—How cool was that?
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Something inside of him clicked when he felt Eshon’s mana, and putting his hand out, he recreated the feeling. The magic was invisible, but he could sense its yearning for a host.
So he let it bond with a sheep, and it let him ride it around, much to the siblings’ great surprise.
“Hey...how are you riding it?” Eshel questioned, watching him move back and forth on the sheep. “They—they don’t like strangers. Uh, you should be careful?”
“I think I got it,” Shaden told her, getting off. The sheep bleated and rubbed its head on him, and he laughed. Just like the sheep could sense his amiability, he could sense the sheep’s emotions. It was happy, but just a little discontent.
“I think it’s hungry,” he said, patting it.
“We haven’t fed them yet,” Eshon said, raising an eyebrow. “So you...can bond? Just like that?”
“I think so,” Shaden nodded, getting out of the pen. They looked at him with shock, except Keyga, who was still conversing with a group of sheep surrounding him.
“Impossible!” Eshel exclaimed, grabbing her hair. “No, this doesn’t make sense. Brother, test him. Do something.”
“Do what?”
“Test him!”
With a sigh, Eshon put a finger to his lips and whistled. Soon, Shaden saw various cats running gracefully towards them, some with things in their mouths. Most of them simply stared at them from a distance, but one of them—the cat that had been with Eshon—came and positioned itself between the man’s legs, sitting down. Eshon picked it up.
“This is Proody,” he introduced, and the cat blinked. “Try bonding with her. Then I will know for certain.”
Raising a hand, he placed it before the cat and let the magic flow. It felt so natural, so comfortable that he did it without restraint. Immediately, the cat began to purr.
“She’s old, and she doesn’t like moving around, but she likes being with you best,” Shaden observed, feeling a tang in his heart. Proody was a wonderful cat. It meowed weakly when he stroked its head and chin.
Eshon, meanwhile, had a very confused look on his face with his jaw hanging low.
“He bonded with her,” he stated, looking at his sister.
“What! You jest. No one can learn magic that quickly…”
She trailed off, staring at Shaden.
“Huh,” she said. “Then, um, one more test. Follow me.”
She led through the place while her brothers stayed behind to finish their chores. They passed the cows and weird-looking chickens, eventually coming to a series of buildings that looked like cages, decorated with dead trees and branches and other bird-related items. Eshel approached one of the cage rooms and whistled softly, causing a set of wings to flutter. Within a few seconds, her hawk had positioned itself on her arm. Despite the sharp talons it possessed, her skin looked completely unharmed. Shaden noticed the little balls on the end of each talon.
“Try bonding with her,” she told him, lowering the bird to him. The hawk looked at him with wide eyes. One strike of its claws could gouge his eyes out.
Shaden let his magic latch onto the bird, and while nothing apparent changed, he could feel his connection to it. It was grumpy that it had suddenly been woken up but was looking forward to food.
How he knew that, he didn’t know. It was like the animal’s emotions had become his. They were simple and direct, and were easy to understand.
“You bonded with her!” Eshel exclaimed, causing the hawk to flutter its wings. “I can’t believe it. You really did learn—oh, my head hurts.”
She put a hand to her head, and her hawk pecked her cheek. It was worried and was feeling something he couldn’t.
“So—yeah. I think I learned it?” Shaden said, feeling a little proud of himself. Perhaps he was a genius. He’d been worried about learning something new, but he’d managed to do it within a day. How amazing was that?
“Ha. Haha. Hahaha!” Eshel laughed, sending her hawk flying. Shaden undid the magic with the animal as it went to perch.
“Now that I’m done learning, what should I do?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” Eshel said, flinging her arms in the air. “This doesn’t make any sense. Is the book that good?”
“Uh, maybe?”
“We’ll have to ask Father first,” she told him, motioning him to follow. “You’ll, uh, not mind doing other things, yes?”
“Will I have to clean pens and feed animals?”
“No, no! If you want to, but the servants normally do the dirty work. We, who can bond, simply search for abnormalities and deal with wild animals that pose a threat. And politics. And accounting. And trading goods. But I don’t think you’ll be able to do that.”
“Probably not.”
“Well, you’re one special boy, aren’t you? I think that even Father would be surprised.”
The old man was looking over a stack of papers laid out on top of his desk, not bothering to look up when the two of them entered through the door. It was Eshel who spoke up first, walking to the man.
“Father. Shaden has acquired the gift of taming,” she said. Mayarrack took one glance at her and returned to his papers.
“I am busy, my daughter,” he told her, scribbling with his pen. “No one can learn so quickly. Perhaps you need my assistance?”
“I would not lie to you,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “I am not a child. What I say is true. He has bonded with Proody and Shan.”
This time, the man actually stopped to give his daughter his attention. Putting his pen down, he clasped his hands together.
“Is this true?” he asked.
“I've said that it is,” Eshel replied. “What should he do now?”
“Shaden, please come here and show me the gift,” he said, so Shaden walked to the man and held out his palm. He swirled the mana into the familiar pattern and let it sit in his hand. The old man’s eyes narrowed, and he put out a finger to touch the energy.
“Well. Well, well,” he muttered, stroking his beard. “I’ve never seen someone master the technique so quickly before. Even with the Shadow’s help, it would not be so quick. But what is true is true.”
“So...what should I do now?” Shaden asked, lowering his hand.
“There is nothing for you to do. But you can do anything you want,” the man told him. “Perhaps you can go—”
“Thanks, Father, I will take care of him,” Eshel interjected, grabbing Shaden’s arm and pulling him out. “He is my responsibility, no?”
“Don’t be too rough to him!” Mayarrack called as they emerged from the tent.
They regrouped with Eshon and Keyga afterwards and returned to looking after the various animals inside of the pens. Shaden simply watched as the siblings showed him how to examine the animals, bonding with the unnaturally quiet ones and leaving the healthy ones be.
“If you try to bond with every single one of them, you’ll run out of energy very quickly,” Eshel told him. “You do not want to run out of energy. If you faint under the sun, the heat will get to your head.”
After they were done looking after the sheep, they went to rest inside of a tent with jars and cups of water. Being hydrated was very important according to them.
“This is our way of life,” Eshon told him while leaning on a chair. “We breed animals and profit from them. There are other breeders, shepherds, and the like besides us, but no one can control the animals so gently. They’d rather use whips and thorns and sticks. Poor beasts.”
“Yeah. Mean,” Keyga agreed, playing with a bug. Apparently, they could bond with insects too.
“What else is there to do?” Shaden asked, itching to work. If all there was to do here was taking care of animals, it would be pretty boring. He liked animals, but there was too little excitement. Where were the dangerous beasts, the adventure, the giant sandworms and flesh-eating scorpions? Sure, the animals looked different from the ones he was familiar with, but their behavior was essentially the same.
“We’re done for the morning,” Eshel said, chewing on a cracker. “I need to let the birds fly in the afternoon. But it will be done quickly. So, lots of free time. Good, no?”
“You should use the time to study or train, not keep your head in the clouds,” Eshon told her, stretching. “Always, every day, you look into the distance like some lost child.”
“What, you only look at your cats.”
“I read many books. And I can cook better than you.”
“Hah! You should tame something bigger! Always sticking with cats is sure to make your abilities rust.”
Shaden watched their banter with interest until they finally came up with a solution.
“We’ll settle this with horse riding,” Eshel demanded, crossing her arms. “You wouldn’t refuse, Brother?”
“Though I stay indoors, I would still best you in riding,” Eshon stated, yawning. “I accept.”
“I want to join!” Keyga suddenly butted in, letting the bugs scatter everywhere. It made Shaden flinch a little bit to see all of the creepy crawlies the boy had gathered in that short while.
“Can I join too?” Shaden asked, interested. While he’d ridden on carriages and their horses, he’d never actually grasped their reins and galloped before.
“Yes, this will be fun,” Eshel said. “Keyga, mind grabbing the food for us? Enough for three—no, four.”
“Okay!” And the boy sprinted off.
“And Brother. Could you prepare the horses?”
“And you?”
“I must put on my lotions and ointment, or my skin will burn.”
“Hah, a girl at heart, aren’t you? But bring some for me.”
“Of course.”
“What should I do?” Shaden asked. Eshel turned towards him with a thoughtful hand on her chin.
“There isn’t much you know.”
“You can follow me,” Eshon told him, getting up from his chair. “I will show you how to saddle a horse. Have you ever ridden before?”
“No.”
“He can bond. It will be fine,” Eshel said. “I’ve seen him jump on top of a kevali with ease. He has the body of an athlete.”
Eshon nodded. “You are talented and strong. I think you will manage. We will also supervise, so it will be okay.”
So Shaden followed Eshon to the stables where horses neighed and shook their manes after seeing them approach. They were lean, muscular beasts with dark skin and darker hair, neatly groomed and recently washed. Shaden could smell the mix of soap and sweat inside. It was very strong, and he gagged once.
“Strong smells, yes? The horses are good, but they smell too much,” Eshon laughed, leading one horse out after leashing it. Shaden stepped aside to let the animal pass. Eshon took it outside, where he tied the rope to a post. He then returned inside and did the same for three more horses, the last two smaller than the first two.
A man with a short beard approached them, and Eshon explained to him that they were taking the beasts for a ride and would return in the afternoon. With a nod, the man went into the stables.
“That was Neneh, the caretaker,” Eshon said, and shortly after, the man emerged with the saddles in his hands and sheets wrapped around his head and neck. Despite his small stature, he was carrying so much.
“They’ve been freshly fed and watered, but keep the ride to four hours,” he told Eshon as they strapped the horses together. “It’s been a while since you’ve ridden.”
“Yes, it was my sister’s suggestion,” Eshon said, patting a horse’s neck.
“Ah, the young lady.”
“Would you mind showing this boy here how to strap a saddle?” Eshon asked, motioning to Shaden. “He is an important guest, and if he ever goes riding by himself—”
“Yes, yes. Come here, boy,” the man gestured. Shaden neared the man and the horse that hadn’t been strapped yet.
“First, you put the blanket on the horse,” the man explained. “Simple, no?”
Shaden nodded.
“Then you put the saddle on. See this flap? Put it under the horse and fasten it on the other side. Then take the ropes and tie them.”
He did it slowly so that Shaden could follow. Shaden nodded.
“Don’t let the ropes and stirrups get entangled, or it will discomfort the horse,” the man warned, giving the horse a good pat on its neck. “These are beautiful beasts. And they know that they are beautiful. They will buck you off if you displease them. And trample you.”
Shaden raised an eyebrow. Then he took a look at the horses again.
“Haha, ride well!” the man laughed, giving him a slap on the back. Then he walked off to somewhere, as quickly as he had come.
These people were lively. Everyone was so lively. In a land as hot as this, he didn’t know how they all managed to stay so energetic. Even now, he was having a hard time breathing comfortably because of the sun.
“I should go grab my cloak,” Shaden said, feeling the warmth of his skin. He didn’t want to get a sunburn.
“No need. We have those here,” Eshon replied, going into the stables and emerging with a dusty, white cloak. It was oversized for Shaden, but still wearable.
Eventually, Eshel and Keyga arrived, and they each got a small sack of food which they tied around the back of the saddle. Skins of water were also prepared, which Eshel had brought along with the ointment. She offered some of it to Shaden.
“It soothes your skin when it becomes too hot,” she explained.
They finally set out, and Shaden quickly found out that riding a horse was more complicated than he’d thought. If he didn’t synchronize his body with the horse’s gallop, his bottom would smack against the saddle, making both him and the horse feel uncomfortable. It was good that his body was light because the horse would have been irritated otherwise.
“Move your back more!” Eshel instructed, “and stand in the stirrups if you aren’t sure!”
“Just follow what we do!” Eshon stated.
At least the horse moved where he wanted to after he bonded with it. But the problem was when they picked up the pace, because with every step the horse took, his bottom was constantly smashing against the saddle unnaturally, and if it wasn’t for his mana hands stabilizing him, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stay on. To his surprise, Keyga looked perfectly fine riding on his mount; in fact, he looked happy, his body perfectly matching the horse’s strides.
He’d found one thing he wasn’t good at. By the time they were far away enough to get away from the vegetation and reach the barren landscape, his buttocks were sore from all of the smacking that had been done. While he got off from his saddle, the other two prepared for their race. Keyga moved ahead to act as the judge, and Shaden couldn’t help but be impressed.
The race began with a throw of a rock in the air. The moment it landed, the two siblings dashed off to where their youngest brother was positioned, leaving Shaden behind in a cloud of dust.
Shaden could feel that the horse was a little thirsty, so he conjured some water and let the horse drink it. It neighed happily in response.
“You think you’re faster than the other two, don’t you?” Shaden asked, patting it on its neck. The horse snorted in response. It was smaller than the other two, but like everyone here, it had a sort of vigorous spirit that wouldn’t lose to anyone.
The desert was relatively peaceful. There weren’t any monstrous beasts roaming the sands, nor were there giant birds in search of prey. For what he had expected of the families, he was finding things to be a little bit underwhelming.
Well, this was nice in its own way. He could think of it as a kind of vacation.
Wait a second.
“This is the perfect place to test out my abilities!” he said out loud, clapping his hands. While traveling, Lytha had recommended being discreet. He couldn’t possibly cause explosions in the middle of a city. But here, where the land was endless stretches of sand, where no one was around to see him, he could carry out all of the big experiments he’d wanted.
That would ease the boredom a little bit.
A trail of dust in the distance signaled the siblings’ arrival, and within moments, Eshon passed him, Eshel quickly arriving seconds later. She didn’t look happy, while her brother had a giant grin on his face.
“My abilities have not yet dwindled, sister,” he chuckled, getting off from his horse. “And by agreement, you will wash the horses when we get back.”
“Argh, not fair!” Eshel groaned, also getting off. “If it wasn’t for that area of sand—”
“Understanding the landscape is also part of one’s abilities.”
“Urrrggghh!!”
While Eshon teased his sister, Keyga arrived. He didn’t bother getting off and instead stopped beside them.
And his eyes were faced upwards, staring at something.
“What is that?” he asked, and all three of them turned to look up.
There, under the blazing sun, Shaden spotted a set of wings—large, leathery ones connected to a thin body and an even thinner tail. No, three sets of wings. They were circling, as if searching for something.
Shaden felt his heart rate go up.
“I can’t see very well,” Eshon muttered, a hand over his eyes.
“Today was supposed to be a rest day!” Eshel complained, looking at the flying creatures with disdain. “I suppose it was about time, but why now? And three? This is bad. This is so, very bad.”
“Secaunzi!” Eshon yelped. “Wyverns! We need to go back now!”
They quickly mounted their horses and began to make their way towards the settlement, and Shaden wondered why the siblings seemed so unnerved. Eshel had mentioned them like a tourist attraction.
“When it’s one, it’s easy to take care of,” she said, sweat decorating her brow. “They are the strays, the weak ones that are left out. But three means something else. They are here to hunt, and the nearest place for prey is—our home.”
“Are they that bad?” Shaden asked.
“Giant, flying lizards whose bite is too venomous to live through, and tails like flexible spears that can impale flesh like paper—that doesn’t scare you?”
Shaden thought for a bit.
“A little bit?”
Eshel glared at him, then shook her head in disapproval.
“Then you don’t know enough.”