Alanna The First Adventure - By Tamora Pierce Page 0,19
them?” Gary wanted to know.
Stefan shook his head. “It’s th’ rules—we don’t mess in th’ nobles’ fights. But I’ll say this—if Ralon ever comes back from th’ City wiv a full purse, George’ll have all our ears. George likes Master Alan.”
“Let George do what he wants.” Then Gary frowned. “What do you mean, he’ll have your ears?”
Stefan’s eyes were calm. “George has a collection. One slip an’ he warns ye. Two, an’ he takes an ear—fer his collection. Three mistakes—” Stefan shrugged. “He takes t’other ear an’ all that’s attached. George likes things done right.”
The next afternoon Raoul beat Ralon thoroughly. Ralon broke the code and informed Duke Gareth. From then on Jonathan’s friends left any room Ralon entered. Raoul watched Ralon all the time, just waiting for his chance.
Ralon couldn’t take revenge on Raoul, or Gary, or the Prince. Instead he found an easier victim.
“You told your friends!” he hissed when he caught Alanna in the library alone one day. He blacked her other eye and split her lip again. Four days later he caught her once more. This time Alanna used a few tricks Coram had taught her. She bloodied Ralon’s nose.
Ralon broke her arm.
Each talk she had with Duke Gareth was worse than the last one. Once again she faced him, this time with one arm in a sling.
“I fell down, your Grace,” she said, her face straight.
“Mithros, boy—can’t you think of a better excuse?”
She scuffed a foot. “This one works so well, sir. It—it has tradition behind it.”
Gareth scowled at her. “It certainly does. I’ve heard it from every page who’s been fighting that I ever trained—with a few exceptions.”
“Well, sir, you don’t believe me and I know you don’t believe me, but pride is satisfied all around. Your Grace.”
The Duke had to hide a smile. “You are pert, Alan of Trebond. An extra hour of mathematics for you for the next five weeks. You may go.”
Alanna was opening the door when he added, “I wish you would thrash him. He deserves it.”
She looked back at him. “I will one day, sir. I’m getting tired of falling down.”
While Alanna talked to Duke Gareth, Stefan came to the practice courts in search of the master who was teaching the boys hand-to-hand combat. After Stefan lured the teacher away, Jonathan’s friends surrounded Ralon. He saw Raoul adjusting the padded gloves on his big hands and began to sweat.
Jonathan spoke, his voice icy. “You were warned, Malven. You are no gentleman. You are a dog, and you shall be thrashed like one.”
Gary held Ralon. Raoul administered the beating, his face impossible to read. When the boys’ teacher returned from his wild-goose chase, he found his students practicing wrestling. Ralon, they said, was sick and had gone to his room.
After that Ralon kept to small bits of nastiness, knowing Alanna would never complain to anyone. If she had gone swimming, the others would have seen the many bruises on her body. As it was, she said nothing and continued to study with Coram. She lived with Ralon’s tormenting and spent her free time wrestling and boxing. She fell asleep the moment she rolled into bed, only to rise at dawn to practice some more. She was determined to beat Ralon—it would mean she had finally earned her place among the boys. It would mean that she could do anything larger and stronger males could.
Her splinted arm turned into an advantage. Normally she was right-handed. Now Alanna had to depend on her left hand for everything, and her left hand was the one she first learned to really fight with. She quickly saw that she could be twice as effective using both hands, and worked as hard as she could to develop her skill.
In mid-October the palace healers removed the splint. If they were surprised that her arm had healed so quickly, they said nothing. Impatient to get Ralon, Alanna had used her Gift to help mend her broken bone.
In bed the night the splint was taken off, she waited to hear Coram’s snores before getting up. Quickly she put on dark clothes and picked up her boots. She crept through Coram’s room, trying not to make a sound.
When she got to the door, Coram sighed, “Now what are ye up to?”
Alanna froze. “Go back to sleep.”
“Where are ye goin’?” She could see him sitting up in the dim light from the window.
“If Duke Gareth asks, you won’t be lying when you say you don’t know,” she pointed out.
Coram made a