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"You wish to help the girl, understandably" Wyldon spoke as though the mild words made his teeth hurt "But you rarely deal with the lads, irl, it will be said that you eased her path in some special way There are ruical Gift"

"By the Goddess," snapped Alanna, crie rounds years before, she would have taken Wyldon out to the dueling court and ret his words

"Alanna, for heaven’s sake, you know the gossip," King Jonathan said "Stop acting as if you’d never heard it before" He looked at Wyldon "And you suggest"

"Lady Alanna irl," Wyldon replied firive rise to suspicion"

"All contact?" cried Alanna "But she’ll be the only girl a over twenty boys! She’ll have questions—I could help—" She realized what she had said and fell silent

King Jonathan gently patted her shoulder "Is there no other way?" he asked

Wyldon shook his head "I fear not, sire The Mindelan girl will be the cause of trouble as it is, without the Lioness hovering over her"

The king thought it over At last he sighed "Lord Wyldon has the right of it You must stay away from Keladry of Mindelan, Alanna"

"But Jonathan—sire—" she pleaded, not believing he would do this

"That is an order, lady knight If you cannot accept that, say as much now, and I will find you work elsewhere"

She stared at hiot to her feet "Don’t tax yourself I’ll find knight’s work myself," she told him "As far fro the door in her wake

Theto remember if Alanna the Lioness had ever spoken to Jonathan in that tone before

Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan watched Keladry read the reply fro ht have thought the hter was only concerned, not upset That was far fro in the Yaarded as shaet the Yamanis to respect thes Ho uneasiness and even distress behind still faces

Kel struggled to reread the letter, afraid to say a word If she did, her shaking voice would give her away Instead she waited as she tried to control the anger and sense of betrayal that filled her

"It is not the reply we expected," Baron Piers said at last He was a short, stocky -lashed hazel eyes Her brown hair was several shades lighter than his When Kel did not reply he continued, "His declaration of ten years ago was that girls could beco was said of probation then"

"Keladry?" asked herthe Yaant woman, taller than her husband by nearly a head, with hair that had gone white very early in life and a deep, e of ten the girl was already five feet tall and still growing

It took Kel a ister what her mother had said She tried a set into bad habits, in case I go back with you" She looked at Lord Wyldon’s letter again She had expected to be a page when her parents returned to the Yahteen ht not to count on that

"It isn’t right," she said quietly, even fiercely "No boys have probation I’m supposed to be treated the same"

"Don’t give your answer yet," Baron Piers said quickly "Take the letter with you Think about what it says You’re not hasty, Kel—this is a bad time to start"

"Reflect as if you have all of time, even when time is short," added her mother in Yamani "Be as stone"

Kel bowed Yahs Then she went to find someplace quiet to think

First she went to her rooood choice Two of her brothers’ young families lived at Mindelan With the children and their nurseh noise to drown out trumpets No one had seen her creep into the roo would do for hie room After that, all of the older children wanted rides of their own Once that was done, the nursemaids helped Kel to escape

She tried to hole up by the fountain in the castle garden, but her sisters-in-laere there, sewing and gossiping with their arden was her next choice, but two servants were there gathering vegetables She stared longingly at her favorite childhood spot, the highest tower in the castle, and felt a surge of anger Before they had gone to the islands her brother Conal had teasingly held her over the edge of the tower balcony Until that time she had visited the top of that tower at least once a day Now the thought of it made her shudder

There were hundreds of places she ht use around the castle, but they were all indoors She needed to be outside She was trying to think of a place when she reh the woods No one would be there She could sit by the water and think in peace

"Miss?" called a voice as she strode through the inner gate in the castle wall "Where ?"

Kel turned to face the man-at-arms who had called to her "I don’t know"

The e, you need one of these" He spoke carefully The baron and his family had been home only for three months, and the people were still not sure what to e, Yamani-like nobles "They told you the rule, surely Any tie, you take a horn You never knohen one of theiants or whatever, will show its face"

Kel frowned The legendary creatures that had returned to their world five years before had an unnerving way of showing up when they were least expected For every on

e that was haret on with humans, there were fistfuls that weren’t Bands offor hostile visitors and listening for the horn call, which meant someone was in trouble

I’ue, but the Yaht her to obey a soldier’s co it over one shoulder Checking that Lord Wyldon’s letter was tucked securely in the front of her shirt, she left the road that led froh their orchards Once past the cultivated trees she entered the woods, following a trail down to the water

By the tih the trees she had worked up a er than she had thought it would be When a rock worked its way into her shoe, she sat on a log to get it out

"It’s not right," shethe laces that held the leather around her ankle "You’re a page for four years That’s how it’s been done for centuries Now they’re going to change it?" When she up-ended the shoe and shook it, nothing fell out She stuffed a hand inside, feeling around for the stone "And just because I’ht to treat me the same All I want is the saht, isn’t it?" She winced as a sharp edge nipped one of her fingers Working led the bit of rock out of a fold in the leather "Probation is not fair, and knighthood training has to be fair"

The stone was out; her mind was made up If they couldn’t treat her the sa to settle for a half portion She would have to become a warrior some other way

Kel sighed and put her shoe back on The problem was that now she would have to wait The Queen’s Riders took volunteers when they were fifteen or older The queen’s ladies, those ere expected to ride, handle a bow, and deal with trouble at Queen Thayet’s side, went to her in their fifteenth year as well And as to say Kel wouldn’t be living in the Yamani Islands by then?