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Gord stu raindrops fro to answer you" I felt stupid for only now realizing what should have been obvious toto his story, Gord kept the battle on his territory Those who had beaten him could not openly boast of it Doubtless their friends would know of it But if Gord refused to ade a defeat from them, he took some of their triu so the fact that both Spink and Trist seemed to have a natural leadership that I lacked, I had overlooked soolden charis Caulder, with disastrous results Spink was tough and stubborn and the son of a war hero He gave and dereat loyalty Those of us who followed hiht of it, the h ahead and reason out where his actions ht I had admired that he had stood up to Trist, despite the differences in their sizes, and I had been ierconsequences of those actions He and Trist, by taking their rivalry to blows, had put all the lads in our patrol into a co position We had all witnessed an Acade broken, and none of us had kept our honor vow to report it It bothered raced if I had raced off to report the infraction

Only Gord had had the foresight to save hi a hellish day tomorrow, he forced his body to be subject to his intellect I had considered hiirth But in truth, now that I pondered it, he did not seee his appetite any more than the rest of us did Perhaps he was simply born to be a portly man and alould be

And perhaps he was de a quiet leadership that I had not witnessed before Even if his only folloas hiht Then my ht that Gord had attached himself to Spink because of the s his help to Spink, Gord had been, not following hi his leadership So, then, if Spink followed Gord and I followed Spink, was not Gord who as my commander?

We had almost reached the ay to Carneston House when Caulder ran past us, headed back toward the infir backward as he shouted at us, "Seeht for new nobles’ sons! I’ain" Then he turned and ran off into the darkness

"I don’t like the sound of that," I said to Spink

"He caasped "We should go see who is hurt"

I shook my head "You’re done in, Gord Go up to bed Spink, o find out what Caulder was talking about"

I had expected Spink to argue with et back to the dormitory alone Instead, Gord nodded miserably, and Spink said, "If you don’t co for you Be careful"

That was a strange ad’s Cavalla Acadeo, but I couldn’t turn back now I nodded to Spink and Gord and ran off toward the carriageway The wind gusted and the rain slappedto hope that Caulder had lied about another injured cadet I had actually turned back and was hurrying horoan I stopped and looked back In the shadows of the trees by the carriageway, so prone on the wet earth He earing a dark cloak, and the deep shadows of the trees had hidden him from me I was surprised Caulder had seen him

"Are you hurt?" I asked him stupidly as I knelt down by his side Then the reek of raw spirits hit me "Or just drunk?" I amended my question My disapproval must have been in my voice Cadets were forbidden to drink on ca-down drunk on the grounds

"Not drunk," he said in a faint hoarse whisper The voice was fa to nized Cadet Lieutenant Tiber, who had rescued ue with hi drunk

"But you’re hurt Lie still Caulder’s gone to fetch the doctor" It was too dark for me to knohat sort of injuries he had, but I knew better than to try to il by him until Caulder sent help