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Everyone fell silent save for Vev, who howled, "He hit my boy, he busted his jaw, sir! That scout done it! Just walked up on my lad and hit him!"

"Scout Halloran Would you care to explain yourself?"

Halloran’s face had gone carefully blank Soe in the h I did not understand it in a way I could put words to The scout said carefully, "Sir, he insulted and threatened hter"

The commander scowled "That was all?" he asked, and awaited clarification The silence grew long I squir Even I knew that Finally, I did my duty My father had always told me it was a man’s duty to speak the truth I cleared rabbed her arms, sir, and tried to pull her into the alley Then Raven called her a hinny, after she threw him off, and said he would ride her bloody" I repeated only the words I had understood, not knowing that the adult context of them escaped irl aif I’d called my sisters any such animal name Plainly, the boy had been rude and been punished for it I spoke my piece loud and clear, and then added,to protect her You told irl They nearly tore her blouse"

A silence followed , and Raven roans I looked round at all the eyes focused on me My father’s face confused me Pride warred with eht "I’d say that’s a fair suhter was threatened with I acted accordingly Does any father here blaainst hiave that, either The commander observed coldly, "All this could have been avoided if you’d had the good sense to leave her at hoive Vev perain He leaped up fro a yelp fro He advanced on the scout, hands hanging loose at his side, his knees slightly bent, and all knew that at the slightest provocation, he would fling hirowled at hi her loose to wander, te to a shout, "You ruined o for a soldier! And then what’s left for hiod decreed he’d be a soldier; the sons of soldiers is always soldiers But you, you’ve ruined him, for the sake of that half-breed hinny!" The man’s fists shook at the end of his ars I feared that at any second they would co a ring The scout glanced once, sideways, at the cohter behind hi shelter for myself, but my father was on the opposite side of the circle and not even looking at , I knew, for hi theseat the scout The scout leaned away fro and hit Vev twice in the face in quick succession I thought he would go right down I think the scout did too, but Vev had deliberately faked his aardness and accepted the blows to bring Halloran to hied hily blow, his fist co fast and hard, to strike the scout solidly in the midsection and push up, under his ribs The blow lifted Halloran off his feet and drove the wind out of hiered forward, and Vev hammered in two ave a s her face with her hands as her father’s eyes rolled up Vev laughed aloud

He fell to his own trick The scout was not close to falling; he suddenly caain He fisted Vev in the face, a solid crack Vev gave a high breathless cry Halloran took him doith a sweep of his foot that knocked Vev’s feet fro in the dirt Several ed forward Vev ed in the dust for a moment, then curled up on his side, hands to his face Blood streahed weakly

"Halt!" The commander finally intervened I do not knohy he had waited so long His face had gone dark with blood; this was not so at his post Halloran ht be only a scout, but he was a noble’s soldier son and an officer all the same Surely the commander could not have deliberately permitted a common soldier like Vev to strike him Froone to fetch thereen-coated troops, the commander issued terse orders