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Talking was painful, and for two days my father spared me any questions My family had feared for my life, and I was uncoed eyes, that for every hour of the day either il by my bedside That this duty was not entrusted to a servant was a sign of the depth ofthe watch one afternoon when my father arrived He shooed her fro chair "Son?" he asked htly toward the sound of his voice, "Would you like some water?"

"Please," I whispered hoarsely

I heard hilass by reasy poultice across my eyes My entire face had been blistered fro skin itched My father watched as I very carefully levered ht position It ard to take the glass froes, but I saw that he was pleased to see s for lass from me quickly as I tried to fumble it back onto the bedside table Beside it was eant Duril had insisted on helping putout of my flesh and set it aside for me It wasn’t much of a rock; some sort of quartz, I suspected, flecked and streaked with other minerals, but his re to me Duril, at least, expected that someday I would look back on this painful time and find a bit of humor in this trophy

My father cleared his throat to drawa bit more yourself now?"

I nodded "Yes, sir"

"Think you can talk?"

My lips felt like burnt sausages "A little, sir"

"Very good" He leaned back in his chair and thought for a bit, and then leaned toward ain "I don’t even knohat to ask you, son I think I’ll leave it to you to tellainstHow theya sling to hunt birds"

"Why did he notch your ear?"

I tried to reue "He had food and water, and would not share So…I left hio find water and food of my own He told ht he’d let me die of thirst if I didn’t"

He nodded to hiht with interest He didn’t rebuke ht I had learned the lesson he’d sought to teach me? Was what had befallen me worth that lesson? I felt a sudden spark of hatred toward him Resolutely I quenched it and forced myself to hear his question "And that was all? For that, he did this to you?"

"No No, that was just for the first time"

"So…you left him But then you went back to hied his question, as well as confusion

"No," I denied it quickly "He ca him to save me When I rode away from him that first time, he followed me He chased me on horseback and notched o back to him and stand still for him to mark me like that I’d have died first"

I think the vehemence in my voice shocked him

"Well, no, of course you didn’t, Nevare I know you wouldn’t do such a thing But when he came after you…?"

"I rode a day and a half, and then found water for ht I’d just coht I fought his, about how the Kidona survive and how they do things" I took a deeper breath and suddenly felt very, very tired, as if I’d fenced for hours instead of just conversing for a few minutes I told him that

"I know, Nevare, and soon I’ll let you rest Just tell me why Dewara did this to you Until I know, from you, I don’t kno to respond to what he has done" A frown furrowed his brow "You do understand that what he has done to you is a great insult to nore it I’ve sent ment on him, I must know the full tale of what drove hi passed between you that drove hireat insult, then you should tell me that, to be an honorable man" He shifted in his chair and then scraped it across the carpet to come a bit closer to reat confidence with reater lesson than you did from Dewara, and one that is just as hard I trusted him, son I kneould be harsh with you; I kneould not compromise the Kidona ways for you He was my enemy, never my friend, and yet he was a trusted eneether in such a way I trusted his honor as a warrior He gave me his word that he would teach you just as he would teach a young Kidona warrior Then…to do this to you…I erred in ment, Nevare And you paid the price"