The lodging yard was wet from the night rain. Kade was already on the flags when Calen came down the stairs. He stood with his coat open and his feet apart, as if the yard had been built for him to stand in.
“Instructor,” said Kade. “The Duke is ready for the third lesson.”
“Then the Duke can stand still.”
“The Duke has stood still since the bell. It is tiresome.”
Liss came off the wall with her hands pushed into her sleeves. She looked at the flags, not at Kade. “I will shove,” she said. “On the count.”
“On the count,” said Calen. “Then not on the count.”
Dorran sat on the lip of the water trough with both hands flat on the stone. Calen had given him the beats that morning. Dorran could hold a number in his head longer than anyone in the class. He lost only the numbers he was not sure of, and then he apologized for them.
“One,” said Dorran softly. He stopped. “Sorry. One. Two.”
