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I foldedin a chair meant for a five-year-old Get me a real chair"

Master Graves arched his head so that he could better look down onentleman and a scholar, and I will have your respect You will sit in the chair I have available"

Since he was clearly still around to keepaway, I called for Mott to come in When he ducked his head in the room, I said, "Master Graves thinks he’s not one of Conner’s servants But you are I need a chair"

"You have one," he said, nodding to the one beside Roden

"It’s too small I can’t learn that way"

"Too bad Sit down"

"Okay, but when Roden and I don’t learn our letters, you can explain to Conner why"

Mott sighed and left the rooer chair in each hand Master Graves was incensed and said, as punishment for my disruption, I would have to write my letters an extra ten times that day

"Ten tie that you should punishI come out more educated than Roden, who has tried to obey you"

Graves’s knuckles were nearly as white as the chalk when he began instructing us on the sounds of the letters Roden actually seemed interested and tried hard to keep up with Graves I fell asleep around the letter M

Graves was gone when Mott shook ible," Mott said "Honestly, Sage, are you trying to fail?"

"I already told you I could read a little This ht it was great" Roden sounded happier than I’d ever heard him "I never expected to be able to read, and Master Graves said he’ll have me in a children’s reader by tomorrow"

"Great Let me knohat the children’s reader has to say about i, servants had brought us a ss and , it was no surprise that both Roden and I were already hungry again

"You’ll eat after your next lessons," Mott said

"What lessons?" I asked

"History of Carthya Then a lunch Then you’ll do sword fighting, horseback riding, dinner and etiquette with the ht you will study in preparation for your lessons tomorrow"

Roden slapped entlemen of us yet!"

I nodded but stayed silent The thought of what Conner wasus into deserved no celebration

All three of us shared the afternoon history lessons, which was a waste of Tobias’s time because he already knew the answer to every question He spoke so quickly, there was no point in Roden and I even atte to speak, even if we had known the answers

Our history tutor was Mistress Havala, who Tobias said had taught hie of e, which was curious because she seeh person She had a round face with curly black hair that bounced a lot, and reat effort to avoid any discussion of the real reasons why Conner had brought us here, even though it was clear she knew There was a nervousness about her, yet her easy sentle nature were a welcome respite from the serious demeanor everyone else on this estate seemed to have I wondered ould happen to her at the end of these teeks

When she stepped out to ask for a drink of water, I told Tobias and Roden of ed it off "She’ll be fine She toldus"

"Threatened her, more likely," I muttered