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"You’re dead," I said "Aren’t you supposed to be burning in eternal damnation?"

Reyad wasn’t banished so easily "Teacher’s pet," he said, waving the book in the air "If only you had worked this hard forwould have been different"

"I like the way it turned out"

"Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath Not what I would consider the good life Death has its perks" He sniffed "I get to watch your miserable existence You should have chosen the noose, Yelena It would have saved you sonore the touch of hysteria in my voice and the trickle of sweat down et to Sitia alive? You’re a failure Alere Alill be Face it Accept it" Reyad rose from the bed "You failed all our efforts to ave up on you? When he let me have you?"

I remembered It had been the week of the fire festival, and Reyad had been so preoccupied with General Tesso’s visiting retinue, especially Tesso’s daughter, Kanna, that he hadn’t bothered to check on ain so in the assumption that he’d cowed me into submission As a result, it was more than a month since he’d locked me into my tiny rooain te Reyad’s instructions to stay away The beatings and humiliations of the year before were insufficient to deterto be intiht, knew deep down in a sht, but I threw all caution to fate The fire festival was a part of h it was for but a few moments, it orth the consequences

My defiance added an edge toh the first five rounds with aploy level unlimited I advanced to the final round of competition, which was scheduled for the last day of the festival

I scra touches on uided Kanna and a group of friends on a hunting party in the countryside

I had scrounged around theteeks to acquire the necessary supplies for my attire Now I stitched scarlet silk feathers onto a black leotard, and then outlined thes tied to a harness completed the outfit, but I folded the htly aroundred feathers in the back Pleased with the results, I arrived early at the acrobatics tent to practice

When the coed with people The crowd’s cheers soon dimmed to a dull roar inme were the thu of the tightrope as I launched myself in midair to execute a two-and-a-half twist and the crack of the slender rope when I landed on it without falling

The floor routine was e of thedeeply The heavy earthy ss This was ed The air vibrated like a thunderstor, I startedand diving through the air, round My spirit soared I felt like a bird perforht At the end ofthem open, I raised them over ht scarlet fabric of the wings billowed out behind me The crowd’s thunderous cheers vibrated deep in s on the updraft of the audience’s jubilant praise

I won the corinned for the first ti, I stood on the platform to receive the prize from the Master of Ceremonies He settled a bloodred araved with the year and event, on reatest moment of my entire life--followed by the worst, as I spotted Reyad and Kanna watching , but Reyad’s expression was hard and unforgiving as suppressed rage leaked fro rooone There were two exits to the tent, but Reyad had positioned his guards at both Knowing Reyad would take my amulet and destroy it, I buried it deep under the earthen floor of the roorabbed ed reed that I would never be "one of his group" Too independent, too stubborn and too willful, Brazell said, and gave me over to his son No ed to control his temper until ere alone in his room, but once the door was closed and locked, he vented his full anger with his fists and feet

"I wanted to kill you for disobeying lided acrossperiod of time, but you beat me to it You must have had that knife tucked underhis brow in thought