Free A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix Page B

Marmro.
    ‘Everyone block!’ snapped Charoz.
    They all took another step and stopped.
    ‘Still witnessing,’ said Marmro. He turned around and glared at Tyrtho, which wasn’t a good look for him, considering the previously mentioned low forehead. ‘You’d better not be helping him.’
    ‘Doesn’t look like he needs my help,’ drawled Tyrtho. ‘By the way, Marmro, I think in Cranes Advance on Single Fish you’re supposed to be farther around to the left.’
    ‘Shut up!’ ordered Charoz, just as I sent a command to Haddad to block everyone else and dropped my relay to the Imperial Mind. At the same time, I drew the phage emitter from my boot.
    ‘He’s disconnected—’ crowed Marmro.
    ‘Maximum dispersal,’ I said to the emitter, and smiled at my new enemies. ‘Who would have thought such a nasty Bitek accident could happen to such nice people?’
    I felt all of them stop blocking and reach desperately for the Imperial Mind. But they had only one priest each, and junior Masters of Assassins. Haddad and my twelve priests blocked their efforts without too much difficulty, though I was relieved Tyrtho had not joined in on their side. I had a feeling maybe she had more than a single priest.
    There were muttered cries of confusion and alarm. Two of the Princes who had been sensibly hanging back now ostentatiously separated themselves from the pack. I marked their names. Aliadh and Calzik. This swift behaviour was typical of them both, I would learn. They were very quick to assess who would be on the winning side in any situation.
    ‘We’ve wasted some of our precious time,’ I said. ‘I suggest we do as we’re told, get dressed, and go to our lesson. Bear in mind that I’ll be keeping up my connection to the Mind at all times, or blocking yours if I need us to have some quiet time all to ourselves. But I’m a friendly soul, and disposed to think the better of all you easily led types. Remember that.’
    ‘We’ll remember, all right,’ said Charoz. ‘You can’t stay connected all the time.’
    ‘Really?’ I asked. ‘How would you know?’
    Charoz glowered at me but didn’t answer. Like me, he was too newly ascended, and he didn’t know all the ins and outs of relays to the Mind, or how many priests I had or who might be supporting me, legally or not.
    ‘You’d better not get us any group demerits,’ he said finally, and turned back toward the beds. The others slowly followed. I waited till they had started getting their ceremonial uniforms out of their lockers, then stowed the phage emitter and went toward my own small patch of ground with its bed and locker.
    :Haddad. Stop blocking. Bring up relay to Imperial Mind.
    Witness. Continue witness unless ordered otherwise, at all times, awake or asleep:
    :Confirmed Highness. Well done:
    Haddad was being kind. I had only delayed the problem. I knew that the Commandant and the hierarchy of the Academy would look the other way whenever possible, and that my classmates or other members of House Jerrazis would do everything in their power to make my life a misery.
    As I put on the ridiculous high Bitek fur busby that completed my ceremonial uniform, I sent a query to the Imperial Mind. The arch-priest had said that I wasn’t to join a House because the Emperor had other plans for me. Naturally, being totally wet behind the ears, I had understood this to mean that just like Prince Garikm, any moment now I would receive a special mission from the Imperial Mind and would hurtle off into a troubled galaxy to take charge of something important—and the sooner that happened, the better.
    But I didn’t get a special mission. All I got back was a truncated version of what I’d heard before.
    :Study hard. Await direct instruction <>:

    The next three months were not a lot of fun. Even though the priests do most of the work, it is very wearying to keep up a constant connection to the Imperial Mind. I was tired anyway, for the work at