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"I will" Kip felt little shivers

"And will you forswear other loyalties, and have loyalty first to this body, to Orholam, and to his Prism?"

"I will"

"Then I declare you, Breaker, a trainee in the Blackguard"

"Break-er! Break-er!" the crowd chanted

Ironfist let theo on for a few more seconds, then quieted them and worked his way down the line

The rest of the ceremony passed like a dream Each scrub orn in, and then the older trainees and the full Blackguards gathered around theo to a tavern that the Blackguards preferred--all drinks on the new trainees, of course Before he let hi, Kip looked for his father

Gavin Guile was standing where Kip had left hier who’d co or other He had eyes only for Kip The Prism wore a bemused smirk, but maybe it was more than bemused Maybe it was a little proud

Chapter 93

Karris was di stones, praying they wouldn’t co for unconsciousness It didn’t come She lifted her face and saw a pool of blood where hershut, and the right doing the same, more slowly

She felt sick from the blow to her head There was a foul taste in herwith the flat metal taste of blood She realized they’d rolled her onto her side so she wouldn’t drown on her own voot it all over herself, but the spas just to breathe, and heaving her guts up

The spasms passed slowly, but her head still felt barely connected to her body,She rolled onto her sto

She could crawl Good Part of her noted that she hadn’t broken either her arood Her hands were slick with blood and worse, and the paving stones cut her knees Her ribs ached every time she took a breath, but if any ribs were broken, they were merely cracked She’d had broken ribs before, and that hurt worse than this

Unless, of course, her body wascaught in her throat and she spat up blood

Still had her teeth, but she’d bit the hell out of her tongue So around her neck She was afraid to touch it, though Couldn’t, and still crawl

She reached the intersection five or ten minutes, or a year, later

What street was this? She’d just come down it, but she couldn’t remember Couldn’t reh

But she couldn’t go any farther Her right eye was completely shut now She realized her butt hurt They’d kicked the hell out of her butt And her legs were starting to craain Dry-heaved

When she opened her one good eye, she saw so toward her down the street

The man turned aside and walked wide around her

Others passed Men, and women A man with a cart None stopped Orholaht as well be naked out here She couldn’t do anything At the e

She started crying, and hated herself for it Everything just hurt so bad

"Co to be fine Such a brave girl you are" Sounded Ilytian, by the accent Karris hadn’t had good luck with Ilytians Didn’t think uard, but white as a sail You’re Karris White Oak"