“This,” he said, passing it to her, “is the villain that broke my nose.” When he released it into her hands, its weight almost made her drop it in the snow. “This?” she asked. “My first day as apprentice,” he said, rueful. “There was blood everywhere. I won’t disgust you by pointing out the stain on the spine.” “A book of fairy tales broke your nose,” she said, helpless not to smile at how wrong her first impression had been. “I supposed you were in a fight.” “More of an ambush, actually,” he said. “I was on tiptoe, trying to get it.” He touched his nose. “But it got me.” “You’re lucky it
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