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friction,achafingburrinourproverbialsaddle,andaninstrumentofwar.Sonowwemeltoursword intoaplowshare.”
    “Butnotbeforeyouuseittolopoffmyhead.”
    “Darrow,donotbeg.”Plinysighs.“Showsomeresolve,youngman.Yourtimeherehasexpired,
    yes,butyou’vegotpluck.You’vegotthevigorofayoungman.Now,straightenthatspineofyours andleavewiththedignityofaGoldwhoknowshetriedhisbest.”Hiseyeslaughatme.“Thatmeans leave this office. Now , my goodman, before Leto throws you out on your preposterously toned buttocks.”
    IstareattheArchGovernor.
    “Isthiswhatyoutakemefor?Somesnivelingchildtobepushedintoacorner?”
    “Darrow,it’dbebestif—”Letobegins.
    “It is you who have pushed us into a corner,” Pliny answers, putting a hand on my shoulder. “If you’reworriedyouwon’treceiveaseverancepackage,youwill.Enoughmoneyto—”
    “ThelasttimeoneoftheArchGovernor ’slackeystouchedme,Iburiedaknifeinhiscerebellum.
    Sixtimes.”Ilookathishandashequicklywithdrawsit.Isquaremyshoulders.“Idonotanswertoa scarlessPixiewhelp.IamaPeerlessScarred.ArchPrimusofthe542ndclassoftheInstituteofMars.I answertotheArchGovernoralone.”
    ItakeasteptowardAugustus,causingLetototakeaprotectiveangle.Thelengthofmytemperis wellremembered.“YouputJulianauBellonainthePassagewithme,myliege.”Myeyesburndown athim.“Ikilledhimtherefor you .IwarredagainstKarnusfor you .Ikeptmymouth,themouthsof mymen,sealedafteryoutriedtobuyyoursonvictoryattheInstitute.”Letoflinchesatthat.“Ialtered therecordings.Iprovedmyselfbetterthanyourbloodheirs.Now,myliege,yousayI’ma liability .”
    “YouareaPeerlessScarred,”theArchGovernoragrees,examiningdataonhisdesk.“Butyouare
    of little substance. Your family is dead. They left you with no lands, no holdings of resources or industry, no position in government. All was seized as their debts came due, including their honor.
    Whatscrapsyouhavebeengivenbyyourbetters,cherish.Whatfavoryoucurried,remember.”
    “Ithoughtyoufavoreddeeds,nottitles.Myliege,Mustanghasleftyou.Donotmakethemistakeof severingmefromyouaswell.”
    Finallyheraiseshisheadtolookatme.Eyesbelongingtosomecreaturebeyondman—adistant,
    callouscalculationfueledbymonstrous,inhumanpride.Apridethatgoesbeyondhimandstretches backtoman’sfirstfeeblestepsintoblackspace.Itistheprideofadozengenerationsoffathersand grandfathersandsistersandbrothers,alldistillednowintoasinglebrilliant,perfectvesselthatbears nofailure,abidesnoflaws.
    “Myenemiesembarrassedyou.Sotheyembarrassedme,Darrow.Youtoldmeyouwouldwin.But
    thenyoulost.Andthatchangeseverything.”

    5
    ABANDONED
    Iwillsoondie.
    That is the thought I carry with me as our shuttle coasts away from Augustus’s flagship and flits through the Scepter Armada. I sit among the lancers, but I am not one of them. They know.
    Appropriately,they do notspeak to me.Whatever bond they couldmake does notmatter. I have no political capital. I overhear Tactus being offered a wager to see how long I’ll last outside of Augustus’s protection. One lancer says three days. Tactus argues ferociously against the number, showingthetrueextentoftheloyaltyIearnedfromhimattheInstitute.
    “Tendays,”hedeclares.“Atleasttendays.”
    Itwashewholaunchedtheescapepodwithoutme.Ialwaysknewhisfriendshipwasconditional.
    Yet still the wound gnaws deep, carving in me a loneliness I can’t express. A loneliness that I’ve alwaysfeltamongtheseGolds,buttrickedmyselfintoforgetting.Iamnotoneofthem.SoIsitthere insilence,staringoutthewindowaswepassthegatheredfleetandwaitforLunatoappear.
    MycontractendsonthefinaleveningoftheSummit,whereallrulingfamiliesgatheronLunato dealwithmatterspressingandfrivolous.Thatisthethree-daywindowIhavetoimprovemystock,to makeothersthinkthatIamundervaluedbytheArchGovernorandripeforrecruitment.Butnomatter myvalue,Iammarred.Someonehadme,thenthrewmeaway.Whowouldwantsuchausedthing?
    Thisismyfate.DespitemyGoldenfaceandtalents,Iama commodity .Itmakesmewanttotearmy bloodydamnSigilsout.IfI’mtobeaslave,Ishouldatleastlookaslave.
    To make matters