Chapter 36

My children were sitting on the cot that Rex had previously occupied, with Mom. Sasha was still in Hilda’s expert hands and until now had allowed herself to be examined relatively calmly, but Mirko stood up straight and answered:

“I know that Scotland is a country in Europe.”

“And it certainly is. Very good. I like to talk to intelligent people, like you. And do you know what the most beautiful thing about Scotland is?”

Mirko frowned slightly, then shook his head.

“The castles. We have many very beautiful medieval castles. And people with red hair, like mine. In my country there are many redheads, and there are certain times of the year when men wear skirts,” Rhiannon answered, and finished the sentence with a knowing wink. “Tell me, where are you from?”

“USA. Alaska.”

“Alaska, good. And what do you think is the most beautiful thing about Alaska?”

My son looked at me for a moment, and I moved my ears slightly back in a silent gesture of supp