You grab the boy by the wrist and pull him from the circle. As his feet break the line he begins to cry and will not look at you. "You have wronged the child, Oathsworn," the priest says, "He has left the circle and is now a sinner and must start again, lest he be marked for his sins."

You look at the other people, the lowest and the impoverished showing faint marks on their arms and necks from distant brands. You look to the mark on your own wrist. You know the weight of past decisions. With a last glance at the boy, you leave.

G