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and he fell heavily onto the stone floor,
scrambling up again immediately and
checking to his left.
If his cousins had guessed what he
intended, they might have sent
someone up a passage there to spoil
his moment of triumph, but the
passage was empty. He could turn
back to savor his victory.
The light well was four times as
long as it was wide. By the time his
cousins had run around the sides of
it, whichever way they chose to go, he
would be safely away. They knew it,
and had panted to a halt in front of
the bench. None of them dared to more than a child’s prank. Stenides
attempt the jump. looked down at his brother unhappily.
What they said was not nice. “Ask him why,” Gen said, as angry
There were so many things that as he had been exuberant only a
Gen wanted to shout back that he moment before.
couldn’t settle on any one of them. He Stenides turned to Cleon. Cleon
put his thumbs in his ears and stuck threw up his hands. “Because he’s a
out his tounge. A heavy hand fell on little savage and someone should have
his shoulder and he whirled in panic. wrung his neck years ago, why else?”
“Sten,” he gasped. “Gods, you he shouted. The cousins behind him,
scared me.” Timos and Tenris and Phaedrus,
His older brother Stenides stood loudly supported him.
behind him. He looked grim, but Gen Gen shouted over them, his shrill
smiled in delight and turned back to voice cutting across their deeper ones.
his pursuers more cocksure than “Because she said that if father hadn’t
before. He put his thumbs back in his married so far beneath himself he
ears. He couldn’t open the fingers on could have made himself king!”
his right hand to achieve an entirely Gen felt Stenides stiffen beside him
satisfying wave, and he had no sooner and the boys on the far side of the
begun waving the fingers of the other light well were abruptly silent. Their
hand when Stenides shook him hard situation had changed. A moment
and his hands dropped. before they had been securely in the
“What’s he done?” Stenides asked. right, and suddenly they suspected
Gen turned on his brother, they were deeply in the wrong. Even
speechless with outrage, while Cleon, Cleon. If his sister Breia had in fact
the leader among his cousins, insulted their cousins’ family, then it
answered fro across the light well. was Stenides who was going to come
“Sten, he’s taken Breia’s earrings. around the light well with grim
The gold ones father gave her on her purpose.
birthday.” Timos, Tenris and Phaedrus
They were beautiful earrings, gold shuffled their feet nervously. Four on
set with crystal and onyx. Too lovely one they could beat Stenides … if they
really for a girl of 13, they were quite chose to. but that would mean
valuable. To have taken them was far supporting Breia’s insult, and only a
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