They stopped about midday near a stream, and rested their horses. Aune badgered Nor until he pulled out a long object wrapped in a wool cloth.

"Here 'tis." He handed it to her. It rested in her hands with a fim weight.

Quickly she unwrapped the wool cloth and drew out the sword. The handle was bound, with some sort of black string, creating a firm grip. The crosspiece was of iron, as was the metal underneath the binding on the handle. Aune's eyes had only looked at the handle, but now they were drawn to the pommel stone. It was a deep red stone, almost opaque in the bright light. She threw off the rest of the blanket. The blade was long, about three feet, and polished steel. The edges were lined with shards of Colbandite, each shard forged into the blade. Aune ran her fingers gently down the sharp edge of the blade. It cut her.

"Do you like it?" In her dream-like state, she had forgotten all about Nor.

"I love it." She whispered back. Gripping the sword with both hands, she raised it.

"Let's see how you can use it." Ravi stood in front of her, sword in hand.

Aune leapt forward, slicing downward. He blocked her swing, and Aune flew in, slashing, hacking. She barely knew what she was doing. The sword moved as if it had a life of its own, humming and flashing. Ravi backed up, defending himself. The clearing was quiet, and all eyes were on the duel. Ravi spun, trying to see where he was. Aune caught his sword. They were locked hilt to hilt, both struggling for the other to cave and give way. Aune bit her lip. Ravi was stronger. She forced forward, pushing him back into a tree. In a trice, her sword was at his throat and his was on the ground.

"I surrender!" He panted. Aune lowered the sword. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Aune with respect. "I've heard of beginner's luck, but that was incredible. Great Seasons, I've never seen someone fight like that before. Are you sure you've never been trained?"

Aune shook her head, suddenly shy from all the attention. "No, sir. I've never trained before."

"Don't call me sir. Call me Ravi."

Aune nodded. Kaye stepped forward. "Aune, even though the sword belongs to my brother, you wield it far better than Nor ever could." Nor glared at her. There were chuckles. "If you prove yourself worthy of it, we will let you have it."

"Wait." A young man stepped forward. His face was the color of tea and his chocolate eyes flashed. He turned to Aune "I do not mean to deny you of your chance, but since you are in the custody of all of us, I think that we should vote."

Nor nodded. "That's reasonable, Hadar. All in favor of letting Aune prove herself worthy of this sword, raise your hand." The majority of the people raised their hands. Dan and Ravi were among them, and so was Prince Aonghus. Aune was surprised at how she had forgotten him. She hadn't seen him at all.

Nor spoke again. "It seems as though you have a chance to prove yourself, Aune." He nodded towards her. "I believe it's time we kept on our journey."

They rode on. Aune had a million questions on her mind. Next to her rode the young man Hadar, who had called for the vote.

"Where are we going?" She inquired after her curiosity had gotten the better of her. He looked her in the eye. "We're heading to Teclare."

Aune felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Teclare? She couldn't go back yet. No, not yet. "Why?"

"Well, it seems that Andras has connections in Teclare..." He saw the shock on Aune's face and cut himself off. Best not to upset her even more.

Aune bit her lip. She had to change the subject. "Where is Prince Aonghus going?"

"He's going to a refuge where we can protect ourselves in the case of us becoming the prey."

Aune nodded and stopped talking.

. . .

Gus Claney was a seasoned warrior. He and his little band of rag-tag ruffians were too. They didn't work all the time as criminals, but it still was one of their many professions. As a boy, Gus's father had been taken by the Blackwolf. He had sworn revenge.

"Listen up." He didn't speak loudly, but the small chattering stopped. "The Blackwolf are down the road thattaways. Arm yourselves and we attack tomorrow morning at first light."