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Ironfist was scowling "So we don’t teach until a year from now Kip, who showed you that?"

Kip turned his hands up, helpless

"Willjacking or will-breaking Trainer Fisk?"

The muscle-bound teacher stepped forward "Technically, it’s called forced translucification Luxin has no memory There is no your luxin or my luxin Once a drafter makes physical contact with open luxin of a color that she can draft, she can use it What just happened here o drafters fought will to will, and Kip broke Grazner’s will"

The boy Kip had just defeated said, "But, but, I didn’t knohat he was doing!"

The trainer said, "He didn’t knohat he was doing either Did you, Kip?"

"Uh, no, sir"

"You’re just lucky you weren’t left a blithering idiot, Graz," Trainer Fisk said

A boy in the crohispered, "Blithering, no Idiot? Weeelll…"

Several people snickered A few had the decency to try to cover it with coughs

"So Adrasteia, you want to challenge Kip?" Ironfist asked

"Ah hells," the boy murmured He was the one who’d ht if I won I was done," Kip said

"Whatever would inning"

Kip sed

Adrasteia didn’t look terribly pleased to be fighting Kip either Alone of all the fighters, he wasn’t wearing an arht, shoulder-length dark hair, bound back with a gold scarf Skin just dark enough for the Blackguard, with Atashian features and striking blue eyes Short and slender, but wearing a baggy shirt and baggy pants, he looked maybe thirteen years old Odd haircut, but then Kip wasn’t exactly a e nairl!" Kip said It just slipped out

The class hooted Ironfist rubbed his forehead

Not trying for an insult, but succeeding Oops

"No mercy, chubs," Adrasteia said Now he could tell she was his age Fifteen, maybe sixteen, petite, no curves Fairly pretty, but no knockout

He hoped she wasn’t a knockout, anyway

"Form up," Trainer Fisk said "Sa, but then, that shouldn’t be a problerimaced toward the trainer, face intense She turned toward Kip, gave a very perfunctory bow

Kip bowed back "Sorry, I didn’t--"

"Save it, Lard Guile," she said

Several students laughed aloud

"Oh, I get it, you’re jealous ’cause I have bigger boobs than you," Kip said He covered the stab of self-loathing with a condescending grin

"I can see you naked," she said "And I’m not jealous of that" She sniffed with distaste at his body

Huh?

But Kip didn’t have time to think about what she could possibly mean, because she attacked him

He wasn’t in a ready stance, and he wasn’t ready, period Especially not for her foot to go from the floor to the side of his head in the blink of an eye

The flexibility! The grace!

The astonishing feeling of blood flying fro at the world sideways He was lying doithout having been aware of the whole falling part As ever when hurt, he did a quick inventory: just how bad was it? Not that bad He’d bit the hell out of his cheek and tongue, but he’d gone downyour head torn off by a little girl will do that to you

She ca stance, close to his head Flat on his back, he asked, "That all you got?"

It enraged her, and she stepped toward hi to catch her feet and trip her