"I object in the strongest terms." Brinn Halin came to his feet. "Abandoning a four-year-old to the imperial foster system is wrong."
"No one's abandoning her." Kam Zavala, Master of the Academy, leaned back in his chair near the end of the oval table. "She'll be returned to the imperial facility where we got her. She's unsuitable. There's no malice in the board's decision. It's simply a good decision for the Academy."
Could the man not hear how cold-blooded those words were? "And how will that good decision affect a little girl?"
Kam, like the seven others seated around the table, had eyes as lifeless as the flat black tabletop.
Brinn straightened. "Yes, the imperial services will house and educate her, but that's it. She'll be a number, not a person. We rescued Dresden Fasra because she's a HalfKin. She may be four, but her vocabulary is akin to a twelve-year-old." With the flick of a hand, Brinn cast a holographic chart into the center of the table. "Her dexterity, speed, and comprehension are off the charts compared to human students."
"We're familiar with HalfKin stats." With a curt wave, Kam dismissed the chart. "Intelligence and ability don't change the fact that she's not a good fit. She needs to go."
"What she needs is training only the Academy can give her."
"Training with whom?" Kam folded his hands on the table. "This child has been through three foster families in the Academy in as many weeks. Each one marked her as ungovernable."
"All that means is they couldn't manage her. She's spirited."
"Spirited?" Kam picked up his notereader. "According to the first family, Dresden Fasra is, and I quote, 'difficult, obstinate, impudent, and impertinent.'" He stroked upward on the reader. "The second found her 'insulting, insolent, and flippant.' The third family simply stated, 'tantrums.'" He tossed the device onto the table. "With those qualities in her record, no Sen'dai in their right minds would foster her. The Guild wants children who can be trained as thieves. This girl is unsuitable. Thieves require patience and discipline. She has neither."
"Of course not. She's four!" Resisting the urge to raise his voice, Brinn braced both hands on the table. This was a board meeting, not a shouting match. "The lack of patience and discipline is why we foster young children. We mold them and teach them those skills. Dresden's parents were killed when she was two, and for half her life she's been housed with the imperial agency. Do any of you have a clue what life in that system is like?"
No one spoke.
"Well, I do."
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