The frost had come down in the night. It lay across the yard in a thin white skin, and it crunched under Calen’s boots when he carried the cords out of the armory.
The grey post stood in the far corner, where it had stood since the first lesson. Calen tied the three cords to its iron ring, one above the other. He set the knots at the height of Nell’s chest, and he checked each one twice before he let go.
Teel came across the frost with his board under one arm. He set his stool at the left side of the post and sat down. The frost stayed white on the ground around the legs.
“Begin when the bell goes,” Teel said.
“Three in a row. One arm’s length. No stop.”
“Yes.”
“I will write what I see.”
Hoff stood on the guardroom step with a tin mug in both hands. Kade leaned on the north wall, and for once he did not say a word. Hesper sat on the bench with her spoon across her knees.
