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When Trist slammed the door of his room behind him, the flush of victory left Spink’s face He looked down at the table and his ruined book in dismay He put his intact books away and then ca to scrub at the ink stain on it I realized that I was the only one still sitting there I shut athered my papers to be out of his way I closed Gord’s books and set the to say to him Then he spoke, a very soft question

"Do you think Gord went to report us?"

His voice was full of dread and pain I had been so busy with one I considered what h Spink’s mind: that alone of all his fellows, Gord had betrayed hi the honor code that ere all sworn to And if Gord had done so, Spink ht very well be sent home from the Academy, for he had, indisputably, struck first And then the cowardly thought followed: if we all stuck up for Spink and Trist and said there had been no fight, Gord would appear to be the liar Only he would have to leave

And there we all were, stretched tight between loyalty to our patrol and the honor of the Academy Which side would I stay with? Spink? Gord? I suddenly saw that all of us could be expelled over this I felt weak and sick There was no possible way to be completely honorable, to keep my oath to the Academy and to keep faith with my friends I dropped back into my seat at the table "I don’t know," I said And added, "But if he had, surely they would have come up here by now So perhaps not"

"Then where did he go? And why?"

"I don’t know I don’t even have any ideas" Worry crept through one? The rule for first-years was clear: evenings should be spent in study and housekeeping tasks followed by an early bed Although ere not confined to our barracks, there was little to te about the grounds that we traversed several times each day on our way to classes offered little attraction The physical rigors of the day sapped our interest in visiting the gyuest lecturers or poets or , but attendance at those events was arded by any of us as recreational Nothing like that was scheduled tonight Surely Gord would not have atteates of the Acaderounds in the evening drizzle It was a sad ie, and yet I felt little sy’s disaster was his fault If, fro, it would never have come to blows between Trist and Spink For that matter, I seethed to myself, if he could siirth that et for hts as I prepared for ’s rest My bookas not complete, and I felt out of sorts about that I’d probably be punished with extra assignments tomorrow, to be co a fine holiday away fro plenty of idleness Now even that was taken frohed as I entered our bunkroom Natred and Kort were already in their bunks, asleep or pretending to be so Spink was at the washstand, holding a cold cloth against his bruised face The night quiet was uncharacteristic of our rooe

As I shelved ht it one-handed before it hit the floor, and stood there, hefting its roughness and thinking So unfair to Gord as I fury with Spink or even Trist Gord, I thought to et for blame I looked down at the rock inof all the stones I had left at home in et for Sergeant Duril? What had he really been trying to teachin soeant had intended only as a si the stone inunceremoniously open We all jumped at the intrusion Nate opened his eyes and Kort leaned up on one elbow Spink was caught half bent, his fingers dripping a double handful of water halfway to his face I turned, expecting Gord It took a moment forCaulder standing in our doorway Rain had beaded on his hat and dripped onto our clean floor fro sneer on his face as he said po Cadets Kester and Burvelle to the infirht away"