Page 206 (1/1)

He glanced over at me and saw the dismay in my face He smiled, and it was a cruel smile, one that mocked hi’s Acadeuarantees that you have If the plague hadn’t doneout near the far east still But it did, and here I a around half dressed in a drafty old tent so young blighters can look at et a bed and blanket every night But that’s about all I get No extras in this life But once I was a cavalla man Yes, sir, I was"

I found my hand thrust deep in my pocket I pulled out my money and pushed it into his hands and then turned and fled He shouted his thanks after me, and added, "Don’t you let them send you to the forest, boy! You find yourself a nice post in the west, counting sacks of grain or keeping tally of horseshoe nails! Stay away from the Barrier Mountains"

I could not find the exit froh a crowd of people packed around a girl juggling knives, not caring how they stared at me, nor even for the one wo on her foot My path led e, but there was no crowd round it that I could see Thelistlessly about the enclosure The wouessed that Rory and Trist had returned for her

I made my way to the tent door I didn’t want to think of the a ranker had soured the circus for ht of my recent misfortunes descended on me once more I was to be culled, for no more reason than to keep the Academy in political balance It would be seen as shameful, no matter what they wrote on my papers I doubted my father would buy me a commission He’d probably sternly tell me that I’d had my chance, and that now I’d have to enlist as a coside all the other coed lorious future co I wondered if I would run back to Maw toed from the trapped sht air As the night deepened, the croere thickening, not dispersing, and I suddenly knew that I had no chance at all of finding Epiny or Spink or anyone else in such chaos Even if I found Epiny, there was no saving her reputation now Best to go back to the dormitory and pretend I had never found Spink’s note The whole world was sour and cold and dark, without a single friendly face I looked up at the night sky to try and get ht overpowered the feeble and distant stars No o back the way I’d coe of the Great Square, I would find a cabstand and get back to the Acaderace

It was late After the confines of the lighted tent, the cold outdoors and the endless sky overheadpeople The Dark Evening festival felt tired and finished to o home to a quiet and familiar room But all around me, the crowd shouted to one another and jostled h their festival I thrust reatcoat, sank h the throng as best I could I had given up on trying to spot Epiny or Spink The odds of e were ridiculously s in the crowd revealed several young men in Academy overcoats, their backs turned to ht bewith the left to lose to it One yelled out, "Come on! Finish! Down it like a man!" Three others took up the chant, "Down it! Down it!" They didn’t sound like le ofhorns had passed, and then crossed the crowded space toward thenized theli them I turned aside hastily Then, behind me, I heard one woeful voice raised "I can’t! I’h for ood cheer "Drink it down Finish it, and we’ll get you a woot to prove you’re a man Drink it down!"