Horace glanced at him, then understanding dawned and he moved away from the knight, taking a seat by the edge of the fire. There was absolute silence in the room now. The townspeople gazed at the two men confronting each other, wondering where this impasse was going to end. Only two people in the room, Halt and Deparnieux, knew that the knight was trying to gauge his chances of drawing his sword and cutting down the archer before he could fire. As Deparnieux hesitated, he met the unwavering gaze of the Ranger.

     I chose this paragraph because it shows how Horace has adapted to Halts subtle gestures and attitude, as well as introducing a new and dangerous enemy. Horace is a battleschool cadet who simply follows orders and has a natural ability with weapons. Halt is a seasoned veteran Ranger whose grim demeanor is often taken more seriously. After a short time Horace has grown accustomed to Halt who had known only on occasion and never spent any amount of time with the grizzled Ranger. The fact that Horace has adjusted so quickly is a marvel. As for the new character, Deparnieux, he is a black clad, underhanded thief, who calls himself a knight. The fact that he did not pursue a confrontation is a hint that he will play a bigger part to come.

     Strangely, he found that the prospect didn't disturb him nearly as much as it might have a few months ago. It was not that he looked forward to renewing the the fight with Horace, but he found he could face the idea with a certain amount of equanimity. He felt a deep satisfaction when he recalled that good, solid punch he had landed on Horace's nose. He also realized, with a slight sense of surprise, that the memory of the incident was made more enjoyable by the fact that had happened in the presence of Jenny and- this was where the surprise lay- Alyss. Inconclusive as the event might have been, there was still a lot about it to set Will thinking and remembering.

     The reason I chose this paragraph is because it explains the growth shown in the character of Will. At the beginning of the book Will and Horace where always fighting and Will always ended up running away to avoid getting beaten up. But after spending just a few months as a Rangers Apprentice, he had already started to learn his size dis-advantage to his gain. It is at this point in the book that Will begins to realize that being small can help in more ways than being big. This is the turning point of the book and the characters.