“As much as I like impressing you, that wasn’t me. Jack, maybe?”

She frowned. “No, there’s no blood.”

“It wasn’t Annis,” said Sanguine. “She’s been over this side of the compound the whole time.”

“Maybe we have our very own guardian angel or something, like a patron saint of killers.”

“We already got one of those.”

“We do?”

“Yep. And like anyone worth anything, he’s a Southern boy like me. Did you get the bow?”

She smiled. “Of course I did. I switched it the moment I got into the room, before Earl even knew I was there. Right now he thinks he has the real one and I’ve run off with the forgery.”

“So, two down,” said Sanguine.

“Two down,” said Tanith.

15

his part of your training is complete,” said Quoneel. “You have done everything that has been asked of you, and here you stand, on the threshold of your new life. Beyond that door is your family. Beyond that door is the world. Are you anxious?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

“And so you should be. You are free to cast off the rules and restrictions that we have placed upon you. You are no longer a child. You have had your Surge. You are nineteen years old, a woman, an adult and a sorcerer. You are your own responsibility.”

“What if I don’t want to go?”

Quoneel smiled. “You would choose to stay? The others still call you Highborn, do they not? Even though Avaunt has been gone for almost a year?”

“The name has stuck,” she said, “but it’s lost its sting. When the others say it, it’s meaningless. This is my home, Master. It’s dark and cold and lonely, but... but it’s my home. I don’t know my family any more. I haven’t spoken to my parents since I was eight. I can’t remember what my brother’s voice sounds like.”

“Your father was a hidden blade before you. All these feelings you’re experiencing, he has experienced them also. As has your brother. They will understand your reticence. I know they are looking forward to seeing you again.”

“What if I don’t like it out there?” she asked. “What if I can’t live out there?”

“Then you will return with your tail between your legs and I will laugh at you until your pride forces you back out of that door. You have been an exemplary student, and I will miss our time together, but your lessons are far from over. As a knife in the shadows, you will continue to learn, to improve, to surpass even your own expectations. But first, you need to take a name.”

“I already have,” she told him. “I took it years ago.”

Quoneel looked surprised. “And you kept it to yourself?”