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My father’s voice had hardened, and I well knehat lecture would follow He believed that a ardless of the class or circumstances he was born into He himself was an example of this He had been born the second son of a noble family, and thus society expected only that he beco and his country And so he had, but with service so exe had chosen to elevate to the status of lord He was not asking any man any more than what he had demanded of hiain, to my brother, but instead it wasto arden retreat "Elisi! Yaril! Come in, my dears! The mosquitoes will make you all over with blotches if you stay out , Mother!" my sisters called, their obedience and reluctance both plain in their responses I did not bla for the retreat Strings of paper lanterns provided a pleasant gloithout drowning out the stars above theazebo, the latticed walls laced with vines The walks around it had been landscaped with all sorts of fragrant night-bloo project to find a way to keep the pond filled, and one of the gardener’s boys had to guard it nightly to keep the little wild cats of the region fro the expensive ornareat pleasure in sitting by the pond, weaving dreams of the homes and families they would so conversations with the the what had beco place and followed the gravel path around to the main door of our ave no ue at that tieant Duril about whether he thought the quality of foot soldiers had declined since the days when he and ht have expected, he told me that the quality of the soldier directly reflected the quality of the officer who commanded him, and that the best way for ht was to be an upright h I had heard such advice before, I took it to heart

CHAPTER 3

Dewara

The seasons turned and I grew In the long summer of my twelfth year, it had taken all of Sirlofty’s patience and every bit of spring thatround By the time I was fifteen, I could place racefully onto hie we both enjoyed

There had been other changes as well My scrawny, petulant tutor had been replaced twice over as my father’s requirements for my education had stiffened I had two instructors now for er dared to be tardy for them One was a wizened old ht ic, and to write and speak Varnian, the fore of our ancient motherland, all with the liberal use of a very flexible cane that never seemed to leave his hand I believe that Master Rorton’s diet consisted arlic and peppers, and he nearly droveevery stroke of my pen as I hunched atfellow froht me both the theory and practice ofand ht me to measure powder as accurately by eye as most men could with a balance, and how to pour my own ball shot as well as maintain and repair my weapons That was only lead ball, of course The more expensive iron shot that had helped us defeat the Plainspeople had to be turned out by a co it up on targets Fro, staves, fencing, and, very privately after ht with knives I relishedafternoons with Master Rorton of the foul breath

I had one other teacher in the spring ofand yet he was thehis small tent in the shelter of a hollow near the river and never once approaching the manor house My mother would have been both terrified and offended if she had known of his presence scarcely two e and my father’s ancient enemy