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Captain Niall walked along the row, exaot to Di choice"

"I like the shape and smoothness," said Di a knife, but not the worst, either We will go over work a quality pair of gloves--appearance is iether accounts for most of its function and duration"

Dimity nodded, and he returned the stick to her

He turned to Sophronia "Why so sht ask us to hide it"

"Interesting reasoning" With no additional coh She told herself that this was because she was not yet accustomed to the fact that he was a olf Professor Braithwope’s vampiric nature was now routine, but Captain Niall was still wild and mysterious And he smells funny In actual fact, Sophronia wanted to impress him because everyone else seemed so taken with the man

He took Sidheag’s stick, one eyebrow raised "Like large sticks, do you, Lady Kingair?"

Sidheag shrugged like a boy, but Sophronia could tell the tall girl was hiding a smile

"Kno to use it?" Captain Niall sniffed Not in the way that a lady ht sniff when offended by a co the air

Then he tossed the stick at Sidheag, causing Sophronia to flinch Sidheag, however, caught it with one hand, as though expecting just such a violent action

The olf produced a knife froreatcoat pocket--a short-bladed, all-wooden weapon, carved froany

"Oooh," said Dimity, "How pretty!"

"For va to i, grinning, stepped forward out of the line

The girlsher stick as though it were actually a bladed weapon, she slashed out at the olf It was not a wild slash, either, of the kind Sophronia and her brothers played at with fake swords

Sophronia watched with interest, partly fro was exposing more of her character now than she had over the past weeks of intimate acquaintance She’d been trained by so even ood, isn’t she?" Sophronia was favorably impressed Better than my brothers, that’s certain!

Preshea wanted to know, "What high-rank lady gets that kind of training?"

"A lady by title only" Monique crossed her ar himself back He must be He is a olf, after all, and twice as fast as even the , if the legends were to be believed Nevertheless, Sidheag isn’t at all bad She keeps her stick infor a hole in her opponent’s defenses

After a few minutes, Captain Niall called a halt to the iair I sense so"

Sidheag inclined her head and resuatha all turned to stare at her, uess we found ourselves a teacher’s pet," said Monique "Then again, can you be a pet to a olf?"

"Oh, now, Miss Pelouse, I understand that playing favorites with professors isshot back

"Now, ladies, what you really want is to never get into the kind of situation Lady Kingair and I just dee with a rival Your greatest advantage is surprise Make the decision to strike first and with intent, and--if you will excuse the pun--stick to it Miss Pelouse, if you would like to deh, a small smile on her face

Captain Niall approached her

Monique, instead of striking out in the , stepped in toward the olf She commented on the pleasantness of the day and the beauty of the countryside She fluttered her eyelashes in a way Sophronia had coht there would be a tiirl’s eyelash ame, Captain Niall leaned in He flirted back He looked deeply into her eyes

Monique struck him hard in the side of the neck with her stick, behind and below the ear A stick that she had, somehow, sharpened into a point

It speared into the olf’s body half an inch at least

Blood leaked out around the stick

Captain Niall winced and gave a little gasp of pain "Ah Yes Very good, Miss Pelouse"

Sophronia gasped herself, raising a hand to her mouth in horror A small, untraumatized part of her wondered why Monique had not displayed such skill when faced with flywaymen Had she wanted theave littlecries of distress

Captain Niall reached up and pulled the stick out of his neck Blood oozed forth, but not of the color or quantity that Sophronia expected It was darker, alht before her eyes, the wound began to heal and close

The olf handed the bloody stick back to Monique, who took it with a little curtsy

Dirass in a dead faint

Sophronia crouched over her friend and with a gesture signaled Sidheag to help

The tall girl bent down, and under cover of the hum of confusion, Sophronia asked, "What did youlooked at her, assessing "Only that the ru the teachers"

"Like a patron?"

"Very like"

"Who?"

"No one knows"

Sophronia nodded, then turned back to Dih, her friend’s soft brown eyes blinked open Sophronia helped Dimity to sit, and while she did so whispered in one ear, "Monique has an advocate on staff I think that’s how she’s ed to keep the prototype location secret"