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"Argued like an Archivist," says Lord Gargaron "Are you sure you are not the one who should take the examinations, rather than your unseen sister?" Amusement creases his brow, and yet I wonder at the twitch by his left eye: Is he angered by htness? "These intellectual questions are not ht The king recently naeneral of the Eastern Reach Do you know the intricacies of the eastern coaze onto our father

Father’s lips crease with a curl of anger, quickly suppressed "By reputation only, ht there"

"No, indeed not Your talents have for the most part been wasted on the tedious mire of skiriven you little scope in which to shine so as to burnish your shield of rank" He sweeps a hand in the half-circle gesture by which Patrons honor the god of Fortune, since what balances atop fortune’s wheel may as quickly fall beneath "Let me remove myself from this private room, where afor a different sort of chamber"

Too late, we display our palms and bow our heads in deference to his lordly rank The lapse et out of here quickly enough" Father takes Arab our satchels The Junior House Steward stands at attention in the manner of a lowly foot soldier "Polodos, keep your eyes open to aron follows you"

Polodos taps his chest twice Like soldiers on a fast march we hasten to the shaded area where Lord Ottonor’s servants prepare food and wait to run errands Coriander is ready to go

Our chaperone is an elderly Patron woman named Taberta who holds the beads of an ill-wisher Every well-to-do Patron faeny, for such a woman can cast the evil eye onto any person who tries to hares

Father leaves us with Taberta and hastens back to the balcony and Mother

Taberta greets us with a nod Her tongue was cut off on the day the oracles nahtly taps my arm with her ebony baton The click-click-click of her ill-wishing beads accoe yard Drivers doze in the shadows of carriages Our senior groo out of the shade and kicks the driver to wake him up Both men smell of barley beer

Taberta clambers up beside the driver, where everyone can see that this carriage et inside I hear Aain the bead curtains conceal us The carriage rolls, the servants walking on foot outside

Amaya studies me "You do look a little bit like Mother It isn’t entirely iht look at you"

"Goodness, Amiable, you truly do hate to adht be attractive No wonder you and Bettany don’t get along"

"Bettany is Father’s problem, not mine, thank the oracles!"

"Don’t be lare when she narrows her eyes to slits "Bettanyit out The person you ought to feel sorry for is Mother but you never do!"

"Father loves her! That’s always been enough for her!"

Aone all you think about is the Fives When he’s ho for scraps"

"I do not!"

She snorts "You’re the closest thing to a son he has Don’t you understand why Father doesn’t want a lord talking to you? If your handsome palace-born Lord Kalliarkos informed Father that he wanted you, Father could not refuse He would have to hand you over! He worries about ill becoht to do everything you can to help e"

"Because you are the only one who can hope for a respectable life, as you forever keep reet a droopy look that ile hope she has nurtured "I don’t want to live in Father’s house all my life! If I marry well, you can come live with me and sneak out to run the Fives as often as you want"

"I thought you wantedas we live in Father’s house, it would be safer if you did" Her voice rises