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Kip touched his nose gingerly Oh, that was not the right shape for a nose "Is that the thing where it makes that sound and I scream?"

"Try not to," Gavin said Heedless of Kip’s sweaty hair, he reached behind Kip’s head, holding hiasped, gasped, breathed Orholam haveI don’t fail today

He followed Gavin to the bleachers, but the only part of what his father had said that stuck with hireen drafter chirurgeon brought superviolet-infused bandages and tended to Kip’s cuts as they watched the rereen luxin, the ht cheek and left eyebrow, then suents on those and several other cuts

Then he gave hiht was far too , because he didn’t think his legs were going to let hiood in teaching Kip anything because he couldn’t pay enough attention to learn It was, however, a good distraction Teia defeated a challenge, and then o fights against boys who looked stunned at how fast she was She ended up at seventh Kip was proud of her He could tell frorin that she was proud of herself, too

They watched until the end Watching Cruxer fight was art He’d been bu, too He challenged third, second, and first--and won Kip saw his father look over at Coacy?" Gavin asked

"Third generation Inana’s and Holdfast’s son"

"Should have guessed They still alive?"

"Inana is She’s been holding on For this"

"He’s aht even be better than you were"

Ironfist raised an eyebrow

Gavin grinned

Ironfist grunted It h"

"I should go see Inana," Gavin said "She was a ge up for the little ceremony that would see theo now?" he asked

Gavin said, "This is your friends’ moment of triumph Think about someone other than yourself You turn your back on them now, and they’ll remember it forever"

Kip blinked Blinked I’m a self-centered brat

"Yes, sir," he said

Coot up and went forward All the scrubs were lined up according to their placement in the top fourteen Except for Cruxer, as down on both knees in the training circle, head bowed, one hand to his eyes and forehead in the sign of the three and the one, praying

"Cruxer!" Trainer Fisk barked He was standing in front of Arauard pin to each scrub’s lapel "Ti, triumphant, accustomed to and amused by Cruxer’s quirks They all stood proudly, hands folded behind their backs, stances wide, chests out All around the training ground, the older trainees and the full Blackguards were standing up, co the same way

"Yes, sir" Cruxer ju, but Kip thought it was a tense sulf between him and them intensely Outsider, loner, alien They were all he would never be