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He left the arh drawers, producing paper, pen, and ink, and then writing furiously and with such focus that Karigan and Cade ed, collected the empty teacups on a tray, and carried thean watched the professor work, she wondered just exactly what had been set in motion

THE TRAINING OF CADE HARLOWE

Neither Cade nor the professor paid Karigan anyaway on papers, and after Cade deposited the tea tray in the kitchen, he proceeded to the training area without a glance in her direction

She switched chairs so she could watch Cade work First he re theaze, this time he did not remove his shirt He next looked over the weapons arrayed before hisword He stood with it at his side for so with slow, deep breaths

Karigan waited and waited, while he stood there breathing, wondering when he would begin If he were one of Drent’s students, he’d have been pounded into the ground already, solely for standing there, with Drent screa was not about peaceful conteet it, for in a real-life fight, hesitation meant death Enemies did not wait for an opponent to be ready

Finally, Cade moved slowly and deliberately into so his lier than Drent would have ever perers on the armrest of her chair

She settled in when he finally, and swiftly, transitioned to forlea to intermediate and more advanced forms It was much as she had observed before--his posture and balance were very good, but his execution lacked finesse Soh, and a couple of the forht, would have enjoyed tearing Cade Harlowe apart

After he tried to sweep from Crayman’s Circle into Aspen Leaf--very advanced er Before she knew it, she was on her feet and crossing over to the training area with her bonewood in hand She halted before hinore her, and she had to ader she stood there, the more hissome effect on him No, Drent would not approve

He fuant Deer Hunt for an opponent to ile swift thrust of the bonewood, she knocked the sword out of his hand, then jabbed hi of steel on the wooden floor echoed through the vast rooasping for air, while sian watched faintly ah breath to swear

"What in damnation was that for?" he roared

It was a pleasant surprise to see the usually stoic Cade show soer "Your sloppy technique provoked h to disarm you, evidently"

"You could have causedlike that"

"You’re an observed

Cade’s face reddened as he fought to stifle his anger He swiped his sword off the floor "How do you know? Girlsswords back in your day, but they could hardly fight men"

His pronouncement irked her, but she could hardly blas of his world The enificantly from what she’d been accustomed to in her own Woated to passivity, systematically made powerless by the rules of the empire If this was all Cade had ever known, she could not expect to change his attitude about "girls" in one evening, but she could try

"Apparently you do not have all the facts of your history correct" The bonewood hummed toward his face and he barely blocked it in time The blood now drained froht very well have bashed in his face had she so desired As it was, she easily disaruard of his sith the bonewood and yanking it right out of his hand

He bent once again to retrieve his sword, rage building in his expression, but she stepped on the blade and jabbed the tip of the bonewood into his neck He stilled "I’irls of enerations You forget that the ar War were filled with females because so many of the men had died, and irls were swordmasters and Weapons Even female Green Riders, who never trained for swordht to fight irls If this boneere a sword, and ere enemies, I’d have killed you at least three times already"

She removed her foot from his sword blade and withdrew the bonewood from his neck It left a redto ht with swords here," he snapped "We use other weapons"