Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Curriculum

According to ancient records, Skill users are in groups of 6. Membership in these groups usually does not include those of particularly strong royal blood, but is limited to the cousins ​​and nephews of those in line to the throne, or those who have shown talent and are considered eligible to learn the Skill. One of the most famous groups, the Firenet Group, is a good example of how these groups work. The Firenet is exclusive to the Queen of Visions, and along with her other groups are trained by a Skill Master named Tactician. Partners in the group are chosen from each other and receive special training from strategists to bind them into a cohesive unit.

They have been scattered across the six duchies, collecting or distributing information, and they have gathered together to confuse, confuse, and demoralize their enemies. Their deeds became legendary, and the ballad "The Sacrifice of the Firenet" recounts their last act of valor, that of bringing together the strength of all six to the Queen of Vision at the Battle of the Isle of Becher. The exhausted Queen had no idea that they were giving her more strength than they could afford, and halfway through the victory feast, the six were found dying in their tower. Perhaps part of what people love about the Firenet squad is that all six members are physically handicapped: blind, lame, cleft-lipped, or disfigured by fire burns, yet their Skill is stronger than the largest warship, and Better able to defend the Queen.

During the reign of King Generosity there was peace, and the practice of imparting the Skill to form groups was abolished, and existing groups were disbanded as members aged, or died, or simply lacked purpose. Thereafter only princes were trained in the Skill, and for a time it was considered a somewhat ancient and outdated art. By the time the Red Ship raiders began plundering the town, only King Shrewd and his son Verity were left with actual use of the Skill. The Shrewd Realms worked hard to find and recruit former Skill wielders, but most of them were old or incapable of proficiency in the Skill.

Shrewdly assigned Galen, his skill master, to create a new team to defend the kingdom. Galen decided not to follow the tradition. The members of the team were no longer elected by others, but appointed. Galen's teaching method is very strict, the goal is to train every member to be part of a unit that obeys orders without asking questions, and becomes a tool that the king can use when needed. This quality was entirely of Galen's design, and when he presented King Shrewd with the first group he had trained, he acted as if the group were his gift to the king. At least one member of the royal family resented the notion, but the situation was so dire that King Shrewd could not resist using the weapon that had been put into his hands.

Such deep hatred. Oh how they hate me. Every student who walked from the stairwell to the top of the tower turned around and despised me when they found me waiting there. I felt their contempt, palpably clear, like everyone was throwing cold water on me. By the time the seventh and final student appeared, their cold hatred had surrounded me like a wall. But I stood there silently and calmly, standing in my usual position, meeting every pair of eyes looking at me. I think that's why none of them said a word to me. They had to position themselves around me, and they didn't talk to each other.

we wait. The sun was up, even above the top wall of the tower, and Garen hadn't come yet. But they continued to stand and wait, so I did the same. At last I heard his staccato footsteps on the stairs. As he made his way to the top of the tower—his eyes widened from the pale, bright sunlight that shone everywhere, and then he caught a glimpse of me, visibly startled. I stand still. We watch each other. He could see the heavy weight of other people's hate on me, and that satisfied him as much as the bandages still wrapped around my temples. But I met his eyes without flinching.

I dare not back down. Then I realized the panic of others. No matter who saw him, it was impossible not to notice how badly he was beaten. The witness stone shows that he is justified, and everyone who sees him will know that. His thin face was covered with bruises and purple spots, the middle of his lower lip was split, and the corner of his mouth was also bruised. He was wearing a robe with long sleeves that covered his arms, but the flowing loose robe was so different from the tight-fitting embroidered shirt and vest he usually wore that it looked like he was wearing pajamas . His hands were also purple and swollen, but I don't recall seeing any bruising on Burrich, so I concluded he was trying in vain to shield his face with his hands.

He still holds the little leather whip, but I doubt he can wield it effectively. And just like that, we examine each other. His bruising or disgrace did not satisfy me, it bordered on shame. I had believed so strongly in his invincibility and superiority that it made me feel stupid to see evidence that he was also mortal. This made it impossible for him to maintain his composure. Twice he opened his mouth to speak to me, and the second time, he turned his back on everyone and said, "Start doing soft exercises. I'll watch you guys to see if you're doing it right. " His voice trailed off, coming out of his aching mouth.

We stretched, swayed, and bent obediently as a group, and he walked awkwardly sideways in this tower garden, trying not to lean against the wall or rest too often. What had directed us before was the slap, slap, slap of his whip against his thigh, but that was no longer heard, and he just held on to the whip as if afraid it might fall to the floor. As for me, I'm grateful Burrich asked me to get up and move around earlier. My ribs were tightly bandaged, so I couldn't move as flexily as Galen had asked us to, but I did try hard to get it right. He didn't teach us anything new that day, he only reviewed what we had learned, and the class ended early, before the sun went down.

"You guys are doing great." he said feebly. "You guys deserve the early dismissal because I'm satisfied that you're still practicing while I'm away." Before letting us go, he called us one by one to him for a brief Skill touch. The others walked hesitantly, looking back all the time, curious to know what he would do to me. There are fewer and fewer classmates left, and I tense up to face a one-on-one confrontation. But even this scene was disappointing. He called me to him, and I walked over, remaining as silent and seemingly respectful as the others.

I stood in front of him like they did before, and he waved his hand in front of my face and head a few times, and then said in a cold voice, "You are too defensive. You have to learn to let go of your own thoughts before you can learn to send them out or receive other people's thoughts. let's go! "So I went off like the others, but regretted it, and secretly wanted to stay to know if he tried to touch me with the Skill or not. I don't feel it. I walked down the stairs, sore and resentful, wondering why I kept trying. I went back to the room, then to the stables, and gave the soot a rough brush, while the blacksmith looked on. I still feel restless and dissatisfied. I know I should rest, and I know that if I don't, I'll regret it later. go to town?The blacksmith suggested, and I agreed to take it into town. I walked out of the castle and down, and it ran around me sniffing and turning. It was calm in the morning, but by this time in the afternoon the wind picked up and there was a storm developing at sea. After this gust of wind brought warmth that was not like winter, I felt that the fresh air cleared my mind, and the muscles that were tangled and aching from Galen's movements were also stretched in the steady rhythm of walking. The sensual messages from the blacksmith chugging tethered me to everything around me, preventing me from dwelling on my frustrations. It was the blacksmith, I told myself, who had brought us straight to Molly's shop, where she had been welcome, following the manner of a puppy. Molly's father got up in bed that day, and the shop was pretty quiet except for one customer who lingered and talked to Molly. Molly introduced him to me as Tama, a sailor on a merchant ship in Seal Bay. He's not yet twenty, talks to me like I'm a ten-year-old, and keeps smiling at Molly over me. He was full of stories of Red Ship raiders and storms at sea, and he wore a red stone earring in one ear and a new curly beard on his chin. He had come to buy candles and a brass oil lamp, but he stayed too long, but at last he went away. "Shut up the shop!" I urged Molly. "Let's go to the beach for a walk, the wind is so comfortable today." She shook her head regretfully. "I'm behind schedule. If no customers came, I should have been making candles all afternoon this afternoon, and if they did, I should have stayed here. " My disappointment was unnaturally strong. I probed her and found that she really wanted to go. "The day will be over soon," I said convincingly, "you can make candles tonight! If customers come and see that your shop is closed, they will come again tomorrow!" She She tilted her head, showing a thoughtful expression, and then suddenly put down the candle wick in her hand. "Well, you're right. A breath of fresh air would be good for me too. " She picked up the cloak with a swiftness and ease that pleased the blacksmith and surprised me. We close the shop and leave. Molly walked with her usual brisk pace, and the blacksmith danced happily beside her. We chatted in bits and pieces, and in the cold wind, her face was as pink as a rose, and her eyes seemed to be brighter. I thought to myself that she was looking at me more often than usual and more thoughtfully. It was quiet in town and the market was almost deserted. We ambled down to the beach where we were running and screaming just a few short years ago. She asked me if I had learned to light my lantern before descending the stairs at night, which puzzled me until I remembered that my earlier explanation of my injuries was that I had fallen down the dark steps. She asked me if the teacher and the stable master were still at odds, and I realized that Burrich and Galen's challenge at the Witness Stone had become something of a local legend. I assured her that all was back to peace. We spent a little time gathering some kind of sea vegetable, which she said would be used to spice up the bisque in the evening. Then, because I was out of breath, we sat downwind behind a few rocks and watched the blacksmith stop and go after the seagulls on the beach. "By the way, I heard that Prince Verity is getting married." She chatted. "What?" I asked in amazement. She laughed out loud. "New here, I've never met anyone who is as insulated from gossip as you are. You live in the castle up there, how can you not know what everyone in town is already talking about?Verity had agreed to take a wife to ensure a succession to the throne. But I heard people in the city say that he is too busy to ask for marriage by himself, so Emperor Zun will find a wife for him. " "Oh, no way!" My panic was genuine, imagining a pair of big, rough Verity and a rock sugar woman like Regal. Whenever there is any festival in the castle, such as Spring Festival, Winter Heart or Autumn Harvest Day, they come here from Chase, Farrow, and Bearns, either in a carriage, or riding a tame horse with gorgeous accessories, Or take a sedan chair. They wore butterfly-wing dresses, ate like little sparrows, seemed to be always flying around, and always perched near Regal. He would sit among them in his mottled silks and velvets, content with their silvery voices, fans and embroidered handkerchiefs quivering in their hands. I've heard people say they're "prince catchers," aristocratic women who display themselves like shop window merchandise hoping to marry into the royal family. There's nothing too inappropriate about their behavior, but it looks a bit like a dog jumping over the wall in my opinion, and the cruel Regal first smiles at one, then dances with the other all night, and sleeps late the next day Get up for breakfast, then take another walk in the garden. I try to imagine Verity with such a woman on his arm, standing with him looking at the dancers at the ball, or quietly with her in his study as Verity ponders and draws those maps he loves so much. weave. They didn't walk in the gardens. Verity walked on the pier and in the fields, stopping often to chat with fishermen and farmers holding plows. Delicate shoes and embroidered skirts would never follow him to those places. Molly slipped a dime into my hand. "What's this for?" "Buy something you just thought about so obsessively. You're sitting on my skirt and I told you to move away twice but you didn't respond. I don't think you heard a word I said. " I sigh. "Verity and Regal are so different that I can't imagine one choosing a wife for the other." Molly showed a puzzled expression. "Regal will choose someone who is beautiful, rich, and of good family background, who can dance, sing, play musical instruments, dress up beautifully, wear jewels on his hands, go to the restaurant for breakfast, and always exude the radiance of being born in the rainy field. scent of flowers." "Wouldn't Verity like a woman like that?" Molly's face looked bewildered as if I were insisting that sea water was soup. "Verity should be worthy of a companion, not an ornament worn on the sleeve." I express my contempt and protest. "If I were Verity, I'd want a woman who could do things. Instead of picking out jewels and braiding her own hair, she should be able to sew, or tend her own garden, and have a specialty of her own, like copying scrolls or knowing herbs. " "New here, that's not what upper-class ladies should do." Molly scolded me. "They are specially dressed up as decorations, and they are rich, so they are not suitable or needed to do these jobs." "Of course it is suitable and necessary. Take Lady Patience and her handmaiden, Lacey!They're always doing this and that, and their room is like a jungle for the plants Mrs. grows, and the cuffs of her gown sometimes get sticky from papermaking, or her hair gets sticky from planting herbs. There are a few leaves, but she is still beautiful. And whether a woman is pretty or not is not the most important thing. I've seen Lei Xi make a pair of small fishing nets for the children in the castle with twine. Her fingers are as fast and nimble as any man weaving a net by the pier. That beauty has nothing to do with her face . And what about Hao De who taught weapons?She likes making and engraving silverware very much. She made a dagger for her father as a birthday present. It will poke, scrape, and hook anywhere. Even with her gray hair and wrinkled face, this beauty will continue, and one day her grandson will look at the delicate work of that dagger and think what a clever woman she is. " "You really think so?" ""certainly. " I moved and suddenly realized that Molly was so close to me. I moved my body a little, but didn't really move away from her. On the other side of the beach the blacksmith charged again at a flock of seagulls, its tongue down to its knees, but still running. "But if noble ladies do these things, their hands will become thicker, their hair will be dried by the wind, and their faces will be tanned. Surely Verity shouldn't be paired with a woman who looks like a dock worker? "" Of course it should. Much better than a woman who looks like a fat goldfish in a water bowl. " Molly giggled. "Someone who can run alongside him when he rides 'Hunter' in the morning and goes out for a run, or someone who looks at a part of a map he just finished and can really see how well he's drawn, that's That's the one Verity should marry." "I've never ridden a horse," Molly objected suddenly. "I don't even know a few big characters." I looked at her curiously, wondering why she suddenly seemed so depressed. "What does that matter? You're smart enough to learn everything. You see, you taught yourself so much about candles and herbs. Don't tell me that's what your father taught you. Sometimes when I go to your shop, your hair and clothes smell of fresh herbs, and I can tell from the first smell that you are experimenting with new scents for candles. If you want to read and write, you can learn. As for riding, you must be a natural, you have good balance, you are strong enough... just look at the way you climb those rocks on the cliff face. And the animals like you, you've almost snatched the blacksmith's heart from me—" "Wow! "She gave me a shoulder bump. "You talk as if some knight from the castle should ride down the hill and take me away." I thought of the stiff manner of Dignity, or Regal's smirk at her. "Ada, please don't let this happen. It's a waste of you to be with them, they don't have the brains to understand you, and they don't have the heart to appreciate you. " Molly looked down at her labor-rough hands. "Then who has it?" she asked softly. Boys are fools. The conversation wound up all around us, and every word and every sentence I said was as natural as my breath, not meant to compliment her, nor was it intended to be a quiet courtship. The sun began to sink into the water, and we sat close to each other, and the sand in front of us seemed to be the world under our feet. If at that moment I said, "I can." I thought her heart would fall tremblingly in my clumsy hands, like ripe fruit from a tree. I thought she might kiss me and give herself to me of her own accord. I suddenly understood what my feeling for her was, but I failed to grasp the magnitude of its significance. So I couldn't even tell such a simple truth, just sat there, and after a while, the blacksmith came, wet and sandy, and rushed towards us, so Molly jumped up so that her skirt would not be stained by it , the opportunity is lost forever like this, like a piece of water blown away by the wind. We stood up and stretched, and Molly exclaimed that it was getting late, and I suddenly felt pain in the wounds that were healing all over my body. Sitting on a cold beach and letting your body cool down is stupid, and I would never let any horse do that. I walk Molly home and there's a moment of awkwardness at the door as she bends down and says goodbye to the blacksmith with a hug. Then I was left alone with a curious little dog who kept wondering why I was walking so slowly and insisted that he was starving, trying to run and roll all the way back up the hill to the castle. I walked slowly up the hill, feeling cold inside and out. I sent the blacksmith back to the stables, said goodnight to Soot, and went back to the castle. Galen and his little followers had left after their meager meal, as had most of the people in the castle, and I found myself back in my old haunt. There was always food in the kitchen, and there was never a shortage of company in the guardhouse outside the kitchen. No matter day or night, no matter the time of day, there will always be soldiers coming and going, so the cook hangs a pot on a hook and simmers it over a low heat. When there is less stuff in it, add water, meat, and vegetables. There was wine and beer and cheese, and the rustic keepers who had accepted me as one of them from the first day I was placed in Burrich's care. So I prepared myself a simple meal there, not as stingy as Galen had arranged, but not as rich as I craved. This is Burrich's teaching, and I feed myself like a wounded animal. I listened to the gossip around me and refocused into life inside the castle that I hadn't noticed in months. I'm amazed at how much I don't know, just because I've been putting my heart and soul into Galen's class. Most people were talking about a wife for Verity. They made some crude soldierly jokes about it, which was to be expected, and there was sympathy for his misfortune that Regal should choose his future mate for him. There was never any doubt that the marriage would be a political alliance. It is impossible for the prince's life to be wasted on stupid people, such as his own favorite people. This is a large part of the reason why Junqi's insistence on courting Patience caused shock and outrage. She was from our own domain, the daughter of one of our noblemen, who was already well connected with the royal family, so there was absolutely no political gain in that marriage. But Verity cannot be wasted like this, especially in these extraordinary times when the Red Ships pose dangers and threats along our winding shores. So everyone guessed very vigorously, who would she be?Is it the people of our neighboring islands in the White Sea to the north?The Neighboring Islands are actually small rocky islands, like the bones of the earth jutting out of the sea, but if a series of watchtowers were set up on those islands, we would get an early warning that sea robbers are invading our waters . Going south-west beyond our borders, past the Rainfields, which are not under human dominion, is the Spice Coast; marrying a princess there is less of a defense advantage, but some say she might bring good trade deals . A few days' voyage from us to the southeast lie great islands with trees that shipwrights long for; would there be any king and his daughter who would give up the warmth and wind and ripe soft fruit for She married into a castle in a country with rocky terrain and frozen frontiers?What would they give us for a soft southern woman and the tall timbers of her island?Some say fur, some say grain. There is also the mountain kingdom behind us, guarding the pass leading to the northern tundra area; if you marry a princess there, you can bring her brave and warlike people under your command, and you can live with them on the other side of the border The ivory artisans trade with the reindeer herders, and their southern border has a pass to the headwaters of the upper Rain River, which winds its way through the Rain Fields. Every one of our soldiers has heard the old tales of abandoned temples of jewels on the banks of the Rain River, with tall carved gods still guarding their sacred springs, and gold dust glistening in the tributary streams . So maybe marrying a mountain princess would be nice too?They discussed and debated every possibility in detail, and their speech was full of understanding and familiarity with politics. Galen would never believe that these simple soldiers could think of such things. I rose from among them, ashamed to feel contemptuous of them before me; in such a short time Galen had made me think of them as sword-wielding ignorants, limbs and limbs. brain. I've lived with them my whole life, and I should know they're not stupid. No, I would have known, but I was eager to improve my position, to prove that I had an unquestionable right to practice that royal magic, so I was willing to accept whatever nonsense he uttered. Something inside of me suddenly became clear, like a key piece of a wooden puzzle suddenly falling into place. I was bribed by "access to knowledge" just as others may be bribed with money. I went upstairs and went back to my room, quite disdainful to myself. As I lay down to bed, I resolved never again to let Galen deceive me, or persuade me to deceive myself, and I resolved with the utmost determination to learn the Skill, however painful or difficult it might be. So early in the dark of the next morning, I threw myself fully back into the lessons and routine. I listened intently to every word Galen said, pushing myself to push every exercise, physical or mental, to the limit of my abilities. But time passed painfully, first a week, then a month, and I felt like a dog looking at a piece of meat that was barely enough to bite. Something was clearly going on in the others, a network of shared thoughts that they formed with each other, a communication that made them turn to each other before they could speak, and shared physical exercises that felt like one. They took turns pairing me sullenly and resentfully, but I felt nothing from them, and they shivered and backed away from me, complaining to Galen that if the force I was throwing at them hadn't been like Weak as a whisper, but too violent as a slamming goalpost. I watched almost in desperation as they danced in pairs, sharing control of each other's muscles, or walking blindfolded through a maze of coal, guided by a partner sitting nearby. Sometimes I know I have the Skill, I can feel it growing within me like a growing seed, but I just can't seem to direct or control it. One minute it was in me, like a tidal wave crashing against a rock wall, and the next minute it was gone, leaving nothing but empty, dry sand inside me. When it was strong, I could force Wei Yi to stand up, bow, and walk, but then he would stand there and stare at me and challenge me, and I couldn't reach him at all. And no one seemed to be able to touch what was inside of me. "Let your guard down, tear down your walls." Galen ordered me angrily, standing before me in vain trying to deliver me the simplest order or suggestion, and I felt nothing but the slightest flick of his Skill. But I can't let him into my head any more than I can stand and let someone stab a sword through my ribs. As much as I tried to force myself, I would dodge him, whether it was physical or mental contact, and I couldn't feel the touch of my classmates at all. I watched them improve day by day, but I couldn't even master the basic skills. Finally, one day, Weiyi looked at a page of text, and his partner at the other end of the tower read the content aloud, and two groups of partners played chess, and the people responsible for deciding how to move on both sides could not see the chessboard at all. Galen was perfectly happy with them all, except me. He touches each of us with the Skill every day before class is over, and I can barely feel it. Every day I was the last to go, he reminded me grimly that he was wasting his time with a bastard only because the king ordered him to. Spring is getting closer, and the blacksmith has grown from a puppy to a dog. Soot gave birth to a fine filly one day while I was in class, and the sire was a stallion of Verity. I met Molly once, and we walked through the market almost without saying a word. There was a new stall there, and a rude man was selling birds and beasts, wild animals that he caught and put in cages. In his stall were crows, sparrows, a swallow, and a young fox, so weak that he could barely stand, full of parasites. Rather than expect any buyer to set it free, I'm afraid death will set it free sooner, and even if I had the money to buy it, it's in such a bad condition that the vermin poison will kill both the parasite and itself. It made me sick, so I stood there poking around at the birds, suggesting that picking at a certain bright piece of metal might open their cage door. But Molly thought I was just staring at the poor animals, and I felt she was becoming more distant and distant from me than ever before. The blacksmith whined for her attention as we walked her home, and got a hug and a pat from her before leaving. I really envy it can plead so well, my own pleas seem to be ignored. Spring is in the air, and all the harbors are getting tense, for the season of robbery will soon be upon us. Now I eat among the guards every night, listening carefully to all the rumors. Forged men are looting on the roads everywhere, and everyone in the tavern is talking about how bad they are and how much damage they have caused. They are predators more brazen and merciless than any beast, and it is easy to forget that they were once human, and to harbor a bitter hatred for them. The fear of being smelted grew, and sugar-coated poison pills were sold in markets so mothers could feed their children when the whole family was captured by robbers. Rumor has it that some coastal villagers have packed their belongings into cars and moved inland to escape the threat from the sea, abandoning their traditional livelihoods of fishermen and merchants to become farmers and hunters. The number of beggars in the city is indeed increasing. There is also a forged man who came to the city of Buckkeep, walked swaggeringly on the street, and took whatever he liked from the stalls in the market. He is treated like a lunatic, no one is hostile to him. He was gone the next day, and whispers were whispered that just wait and see, his body would wash up on the beach. There are other rumors that Verity's wife has been found, a man from the mountains, some say it's to make sure we're free to cross those passes, others say our whole coast is threatened by the Red Ships and can't Then let there be potential enemies behind you. There was another rumor, no, it could only be the weakest whisper, too short and fragmented to be called a rumor, in short that Prince Verity's condition was not good. Some said he was tired and sick, others snickered that he was strained and fatigued from his impending marriage, and a few contemptuously said that he had begun to drink heavily and was only seen during the day when his headaches were worst. I found myself more concerned about this last rumor than I expected. No one in the royal family has ever paid me much attention, at least not personally. Shrewd made sure I was educated and fed, he bought my loyalty a long time ago, so now that I'm his he doesn't have to think twice. Regal despised me, and I had long learned to avoid his malicious glances, and his casual push or sneaky bump used to be enough to throw me off my feet when I was younger. But Verity had always been kind to me, a half-hearted kindness, and I could understand his love for his dog, his horse, his falcon. I want to see him stand proudly at his wedding, head held high, and I hope one day I can stand behind his throne as Chade stood behind Shrewd's. I wish him well, but there's nothing I can do if he isn't, I can't even see him. Even though we live at similar times, our spheres of life rarely meet. Before spring had fully arrived, Galen announced something. Everyone else in the castle was busy preparing for the spring festival. The market stalls were sanded clean and repainted with bright colors. The branches were brought indoors and gently stimulated so that the flowers on the branches and tiny leaves add color to spring eve feasts. But what Galen has to deliver to us has nothing to do with young green leaves and cakes sprinkled with karesseeds, or puppet shows and hunting dances. As the new season rolls around, we're put to the test, qualified or eliminated. "Be eliminated." He repeated that even if he had announced that those who were not chosen were to be executed, the other students would not have been more attentive than they were at this moment. I try numbly to fully understand what happens when I fail. I don't believe in the slightest that he will test me fairly, and even if he were, I don't believe that I will pass the test. "Those of you who can prove you can make a group, a group that I think has never been seen before. I myself will present you to the king at the height of the Spring Festival, and he will marvel at my work. You have been in my class for so long, you should be very clear that I will never lose face in front of him, so I will test you personally, test the limits of your abilities, so that I can be sure that the weapon I handed over to the king is sharp enough, can accomplish the task. Tomorrow I will scatter you all over the kingdom like seeds to the wind. I have arranged for you to be driven on fast horses to your destination, where each of you will be left alone, completely unaware of where the others are. " He paused, I think to make each of us feel the taut tension vibrating throughout the space. I knew the others were all trembling in unison, sharing a common emotion, receiving instructions almost with a common mind. I doubt they heard more than the simple words of Galen. I felt like a foreigner, listening to some strange language and not understanding its idiomatic grammar. I will fail. "After being left at your destination for two days, you will be called. Be called by me. I will instruct you where and whom to contact, and each of you will have the information necessary to return to this place. If you have all learned what I have taught you, then my group will be back here on Spring Festival Eve, ready to be presented to the King. " He paused again. "However, don't think that all you have to do is find your way back to Buckkeep by Spring Festival Eve. You are going to be a group, not pigeons looking for a way to fly home, and the way you come back and the companions you bring back will prove to me whether you have mastered the Skill or not. 准备好明天一早出发。 " 然后他一个个放我们走，依然是对每个人碰触一下、称赞一句，除了我之外。 我站在他面前，尽可能开启自己，在我敢的范围之内暴露出自己的弱处，然而精技轻掠过我的脑海，就像风吹。 他低头瞪着我，我抬头看他，不需要具备精技也知道他既厌恶又鄙视我。 他发出轻蔑的声音，转开眼神，放我走。 我举步准备离开。 “要是，”他瓮声瓮气地说，“你那天晚上爬过那道墙跳下去，那就太好了，小杂种。 好得太多了。 博瑞屈以为我虐待你，但我只是给你一条出路而已，一条最接近你可能达成的光荣出路。 离开这里去死吧，小子，或者至少离开这里。 你光是存在就侮辱了你父亲的声名。 艾达在上，我真不知道你怎么会存在。 像你父亲那样的人怎么会堕落到跟不知什么东西睡了一觉，让你出现在世界上，我真是怎么也想不通。 " 一如往常，他一讲到骏骑就出现狂热的语调，盲目的崇拜使他的眼神几乎变成一片空白。 他走到楼梯口，然后非常缓慢地转过身来。 “我必须问，”他说，恶毒的声音里充满饥渴的仇恨。 “你是不是他的娈童，他让你从他身上吸取力量？所以他对你这么有占有欲？”“娈童？”我覆述这个我不懂的词。 他微笑，这微笑让他那枯槁的脸显得更像骷髅。 “你以为我没发现他是怎么回事？你以为这次的测试中你可以自由取用他的力量？门都没有。 你放心吧，小杂种，门都没有。 " 他转过身走下楼梯，留下我独自站在塔顶。 我完全不知道他最后这几句话是什么意思，但他的仇恨之强烈，让我感到虚弱想吐，彷佛他在我血液中下了毒。 我想起他上一次把我留在塔顶的时候，忍不住走到塔缘向下看。 城堡的这个角落下是朝海，但塔底仍散布着许多崎岖的岩石，从这里跳下去没人活得成。 如果我不得了能维持一秒钟坚定的决心，那我就可以摆脱这一切，而且博瑞屈或切德或随便哪个人的想法就再也烦不到我了。 远处传来一声哀鸣的回音。 “来了，铁匠。” 我咕哝着，转身离开塔缘。