knew, but he obviously did. Do you know who your mother sent to get my clothes?"
"Zahri," Karvik replied with a grimace.
Stavin groaned. "Great! She might be back by sundown. I'll just have to wear this until then."
Karvik grinned. "She's not really that bad, Stave. Master Stavin. Do I have to keep calling you 'master' all the time?"
Stavin shrugged. "I don't think so, but we'd better ask your mom. I don't care what's changed, I'm still afraid of her. I don't want to make her mad."
Karvik nodded. "Good idea. Not making her mad is always a good plan, even if she can't really do anything to you anymore."
Stavin collapsed on to the bench and put his head in his hands. "Why did your dad try to kill me? I still don't understand. It's against all of our customs."
Karvik leaned against the wall. "I don't know, Stave. He probably just got mad and lost his temper when you defied him. Defiance really infuriates him, and he's been getting plenty of that from Dorvi lately. Or he may have thought you were lying about staying in the cave. You know how all of the Elders get when they think someone is lying to them."
"But I wasn't lying," Stavin whispered. "I did stay. Look at this cloth. Have you ever seen anything like it?"
Karvik shook his head. "No. It looks like spun gold. It feels like fluffy cloth, but it's shiny like metal. Stave, no one has ever stayed in the cave. Never. Dad didn't when he was a boy." Karvik paused and pursed his lips. " That may be what made him so mad. You're claiming that you are braver than he was."
"Now that , my friend, sounds more reasonable than him thinking I was lying. The last time I got caught lying I had to haul water for a moon."
"You're probably right," Karvik agreed, but was interrupted by a knock at the door before he could say anything else.
They both went out to the bedroom and Stavin said, "Come in." The door opened to reveal a bundle of clothes with a pair of skinny legs sticking out of the bottom.
"Here are your clothes, Master Stavin," a voice said from somewhere as the legs started forward.
Karvik saw the wrinkle in the carpet and said, "Zahri, be careful, you're going to—" Zahrinis's foot hit the wrinkle and sent her and the clothes tumbling to the floor. "—trip."
Zahrinis scrambled to her feet, snarling at her brother, then turned shame-faced to Stavin. "Please forgive my clumsiness, Master Stavin."
Stavin was struggling not to laugh as he said, "It's all right, Zahri. Why don't you go help your mother?"
Zahrinis bowed very low and said, "Yes, Master Stavin. Thank you." The look she gave her brother said far more as she turned away.
Stavin and Karvik managed to stifle their laughter until she had closed the door, then they picked up the clothes. Karvik put out a hand to stop Stavin when he tried to help. "You're the master here. Let me do it."
"I don't know how to be a master, Kar. I've always just been the third boy. I follow orders, not give them."
Karvik fought not to sneer at Stavin's self-pitying tone. "You have to learn. Master. All of the decisions about how this household is run are now yours to make. Master."
Stavin sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. "I'm not ready to be the head of a household, Kar. I don't even have my trade yet. I've never won in battle. I've never even fought in a real battle."
"You fought and won against my dad," Karvik said hotly. "Master."
Stavin looked up at the tone of Karvik's voice, then looked down again. "I wish I hadn't."
Chapter 4
N EITHER BOY HAD NOTICED THAT THE door had opened again until a deep voice said, "I'm glad you did," from the doorway. They both immediately scrambled to their feet. "If I had killed you, we would have been outlawed. Dispossessed, cast out of our home and people, bereft of everything. Your armor saved me from condemning my family, and for that I am truly grateful. With your permission, Master Stavin, Kar is needed in the kitchen. I'll see to you now."
Stavin nodded and
"Zahri," Karvik replied with a grimace.
Stavin groaned. "Great! She might be back by sundown. I'll just have to wear this until then."
Karvik grinned. "She's not really that bad, Stave. Master Stavin. Do I have to keep calling you 'master' all the time?"
Stavin shrugged. "I don't think so, but we'd better ask your mom. I don't care what's changed, I'm still afraid of her. I don't want to make her mad."
Karvik nodded. "Good idea. Not making her mad is always a good plan, even if she can't really do anything to you anymore."
Stavin collapsed on to the bench and put his head in his hands. "Why did your dad try to kill me? I still don't understand. It's against all of our customs."
Karvik leaned against the wall. "I don't know, Stave. He probably just got mad and lost his temper when you defied him. Defiance really infuriates him, and he's been getting plenty of that from Dorvi lately. Or he may have thought you were lying about staying in the cave. You know how all of the Elders get when they think someone is lying to them."
"But I wasn't lying," Stavin whispered. "I did stay. Look at this cloth. Have you ever seen anything like it?"
Karvik shook his head. "No. It looks like spun gold. It feels like fluffy cloth, but it's shiny like metal. Stave, no one has ever stayed in the cave. Never. Dad didn't when he was a boy." Karvik paused and pursed his lips. " That may be what made him so mad. You're claiming that you are braver than he was."
"Now that , my friend, sounds more reasonable than him thinking I was lying. The last time I got caught lying I had to haul water for a moon."
"You're probably right," Karvik agreed, but was interrupted by a knock at the door before he could say anything else.
They both went out to the bedroom and Stavin said, "Come in." The door opened to reveal a bundle of clothes with a pair of skinny legs sticking out of the bottom.
"Here are your clothes, Master Stavin," a voice said from somewhere as the legs started forward.
Karvik saw the wrinkle in the carpet and said, "Zahri, be careful, you're going to—" Zahrinis's foot hit the wrinkle and sent her and the clothes tumbling to the floor. "—trip."
Zahrinis scrambled to her feet, snarling at her brother, then turned shame-faced to Stavin. "Please forgive my clumsiness, Master Stavin."
Stavin was struggling not to laugh as he said, "It's all right, Zahri. Why don't you go help your mother?"
Zahrinis bowed very low and said, "Yes, Master Stavin. Thank you." The look she gave her brother said far more as she turned away.
Stavin and Karvik managed to stifle their laughter until she had closed the door, then they picked up the clothes. Karvik put out a hand to stop Stavin when he tried to help. "You're the master here. Let me do it."
"I don't know how to be a master, Kar. I've always just been the third boy. I follow orders, not give them."
Karvik fought not to sneer at Stavin's self-pitying tone. "You have to learn. Master. All of the decisions about how this household is run are now yours to make. Master."
Stavin sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. "I'm not ready to be the head of a household, Kar. I don't even have my trade yet. I've never won in battle. I've never even fought in a real battle."
"You fought and won against my dad," Karvik said hotly. "Master."
Stavin looked up at the tone of Karvik's voice, then looked down again. "I wish I hadn't."
Chapter 4
N EITHER BOY HAD NOTICED THAT THE door had opened again until a deep voice said, "I'm glad you did," from the doorway. They both immediately scrambled to their feet. "If I had killed you, we would have been outlawed. Dispossessed, cast out of our home and people, bereft of everything. Your armor saved me from condemning my family, and for that I am truly grateful. With your permission, Master Stavin, Kar is needed in the kitchen. I'll see to you now."
Stavin nodded and
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