coming up behind him. Bullet's blood turned cold,
and he quickly pushed his way through the crowd. The man was behind The
Young Speaker, his hand went beneath his coat, and when it came out,
something flashed in the light. Bullet sprung forward, his hand lashed
out,
seized the man's wrist, twisting the man's arm around and pinned it to
his body. "Drop it!" cried Bullet. "Drop it, or I'll rip your arm off!"
166 The crowd began to back off around them. The man struggled for a
moment, then there was a loud "CLANG," as the thin-bladed knife slipped
from his hand and hit the floor. "Don't touch that!" warned Bullet, "the
blade is poisoned!"
167 He let go of the man's arm, spun him around, and two of The Young
Speaker's Guard grabbed the attacker from either side.
168 "Stand still, Blade!" Bullet ordered the man, "or I'll break your
face!"
169 "Hi, Bullet!" the man laughed. "Heard you'd turned religious, but
didn't believe it!"
170 Bullet searched every inch of the man's body, removing five more
knives and two wires. He found the scabbard for the thin blade and
carefully dressed it. He put it in the box someone had given him with
the other knives. "Get him out of here!" he snapped. "I've pulled his
teeth, but he's still dangerous."
171 The Guards nodded. Bullet turned toward The Young Speaker. "Never,"
he snapped, "NEVER let anybody you don't know that close to your back
again! Don't your Guards know anything?"
172 "They're good men," explained The Young Speaker, "but they're not
professionals."
173 "They WILL BE!" Bullet snapped , "They WILL be!"
174 In the next couple of days he taught The Young Speaker's Guards
every trick he knew. For now, he got the punch and went back to Sweet
Blossom.
175 "You said that blade was poisoned," she stammered