Part 1

Discovery

Howls rent the air of my village. I walked over to my window, staring up at the full moon, just visible over the tops of the trees. It was past midnight and I couldn't sleep. Silently I slipped out the front door, not bothering with shoes.

I walked down the dirt path, my sword bouncing lightly against my left hip. Reaching the village, shouts greeted me from the taverns. A gentle wind blew my short, brown hair into my face. Brushing it back, I continued through the streets until I came to my friend Laena Oshiro's house.

She sat on the roof outside her window, green eyes trained on the sky, black hair loose and being tossed playfully by the breeze. She wore a long jacket as it was still too cool out for anything less. I called up to her. She climbed back through the window and appeared at the front door a minute later.

"They're louder tonight," she stated, referring to the wolves. I nodded in reply. We rounded a corner and stopped.

Sitting in a pool of lantern-light was a wolf. It was pure white except for the tips of it's ears and tail, which were black. It stood as we appeared, and I heard the rattle of chains – it was chained to a stake buried in the ground. I stepped closer and Laena grabbed my wrist.

"Are you insane?"

"We have to help her," I said.

"There is no way am I letting you go near that thing!" Laena replied.

"Thanks mother," I said sarcastically, and twisted out of her grip.

As I approached the wolf, it bristled, pulling at the chain and snarling menacingly. I put my hands out in front of me to show it they were empty.

Reaching the wolf, I crouched in front of it and met it's eyes– which were dark red. I slipped my hands up to its neck… A flash of teeth, a jolting pain in my left arm, blood dripped onto my feet.

I jumped back and looked down at the wound in my left forearm, teeth clenched to stop from crying out at the pain. I ripped off what was left of my sleeve, and used my teeth to tie it around my arm. I approached the wolf a second time. Behind me I heard Laena mutter something, but I ignored her.

The wolf eyed me warily as I came closer, so I tried talking to it. And I think it worked. At the sound of my voice, the wolf's snarls subsided to a low growl at the back of her throat. I found the clasp on the collar and unfastened it. Backing away slowly, I watched to see what it would do. Now that it was no longer hindered by the chain, it would be free to attack.

It didn't though. It took a few steps forward, then, realizing it was free of the chain, it turned and ran off. It stopped once and looked back over it's shoulder, crimson eyes flashing in the lantern-light, then it leapt into the shadows and disappeared.

My eyes flickered open and I found myself staring up at my bedroom ceiling. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Just a dream," I muttered, and yawned. I interlaced my fingers and extended my arms, palms out. That's when I noticed my arm.

My arm was caked in dry blood, and my sleeve had been ripped off. Wiping away some of the blood revealed a large crescent shaped scar. I stared a moment, then jumped up and belted on my sword. Jamming boots on my feet, I raced from the house, covering the distance between Laena's house and mine in minutes.

I live outside Dantor, but it doesn't take too long to reach the village from my house. My parents are farmers, but I've never been able to grow anything; I don't have the patience to learn. They have always disliked that I took to sword fighting rather than farming. It's not considered proper for a woman to carry a sword. My friends and I are not to be considered "proper".

Dantor is located in the North, nestled in the heart of a large valley. It is the only village with access to the mountain passes from North to South, making it a very popular stop for travelers; so even though I've never been outside the valley, I've learned about many different cultures.

I reached Laena's house and climbed up the fencing to her window. I knocked loudly on it. A minute passed, then the window opened and Laena stuck her head out.

"Camryn, do you know what time it is?" she moaned, stepping to one side

I climbed in. "I know perfectly well what time it is," I lied. "But look at this." I showed her my arm.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, recoiling. "What did you do!"

"I don't know," I replied honestly, "But I had this dream where you and I –

Laena cut me off. "Where you and I are walking, we find this wolf, it attacks you, but you're still crazy enough to try to free it again?"

"Not exactly my choice of words, but yes..." We exchanged a look before scrambling back out the window, down the fencing and onto the path below. We walked around the corner and stopped. A stake was buried in the ground in front of us. Attached to it was a chain, and attached to that was a leather collar.

I noticed paw prints leading away from the stake and started to follow them. Laena followed me without question.

"Isn't this near where the hermit lives?" Laena asked me. We had been walking for a good part of the morning. I brushed my bangs out of my eyes and looked around.

"I think so." I looked down at the path. The paw prints continued further into the woods. "C'mon, let's keep going." I continued walking, but stopped when I noticed Laena wasn't with me. "What's wrong?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at her, she looked uneasy.

"Haven't you heard the stories, Camryn?"

"No, and I wouldn't believe them if I had. He's just a grumpy old man." I started walking again, and a few seconds later I heard Laena following me.

Not long after, we reached a clearing in the woods. In it was a small house. Both of us stopped at the edge of the trees, watching. For what? Neither of us knew. Suddenly I heard Laena cry out, and I felt something smash into my back, knocking me over and slamming the breath from my lungs.

We stayed pinned for a moment before we heard a gruff voice from behind us yell, "Kirei! Kuro! Off." The weight moved off my back, and I was able to turn over, gasping in an effort to regain my breath.

A man in about his early fifties stood on the path in the direction we had come. Beside him were five wolves. I immediately recognized the white wolf from my dream. Its crimson eyes seemed to glow, even in daylight. And I could now tell that it was female.

The man studied Laena and me for a moment; then he stuck his hand out towards me. I stared at it for a couple seconds before realizing he was offering to help me up. Hesitantly, I took it and he pulled me to my feet – not gently – then I helped Laena up.

"Um... thanks for, uh, helping us... I guess we'll go now..." I stammered, breaking an uncomfortable silence. Laena and I started back towards the village, giving the little group as wide a berth as was possible on the narrow path.

"Camryn and Laena, am I right?"

That stopped us in our tracks. How did he know our names? A man who hadn't spoken to anyone for thirty years or more, and was friends with wolves

Laena asked the question we were both thinking.

He didn't answer. Instead, he said, "You've met Kirei before, haven't you? I saw recognition in your eyes when you saw her."

I wasn't sure how to answer, but I figured that it would make no difference whether I lied or not, so I decided to tell the truth. "I dreamt about her," I said.

The old man seemed to be contemplating something. "Yes, that makes sense," he said, almost to himself. "Bring the others next time you come up this way." This time he spoke directly to us. Then he was gone, out of sight, into the forest glade. We hurried back to the village to find our friends, Tori and Maylin, to tell them of what had just happened.

"Did you two hit your head on something by any chance?" Tori asked after we told her and Maylin. "Why would you follow the paw prints of a wolf?" She stood on the porch of her house, arms crossed over her chest. Tori Shigoto – easily classified as a very pretty girl – she had shoulder-length blonde hair and dark green eyes. She was fancied by many men in the village, but refused to have anything to do with any of them, saying she was already in love with someone. Of course, she would never tell anyone who it was. She raised a dark eyebrow, waiting for our response.

"I don't know," Laena replied. "It kind of felt like we didn't have a choice."

"Haven't you heard that curiosity kills?" Maylin spoke for the first time. She sat on the stairs leading to the porch, her chin resting on her knees. "You could have died." She ran a hand down her leg where a scar ran the length of her calf. An action she often repeated when she was agitated. "The hermit could have killed you for all you know. Or you could have been ripped to shreds by those wolves."

I noticed her hand and countered with, "Says the one who was foolish enough to drop their sword."

She glared at me, pulling at her skirt to cover her leg more and putting her legs down.

Laena and I were the only women in the village who didn't wear skirts. We preferred men's breeches, and couldn't be bothered to keep up appearances like Tori and Maylin did.

"And he wants you to come back?" Tori continued. "With us?"

"Yes," I replied. "I don't see what harm it could do," I added. "He called those wolves off of us."

"What does that prove? That he was trying to gain your trust so you'd come back and he could kill you then?"

"Stop being so negative Tori," Laena snapped.

"Well sorry that I actually use my head," Tori snapped back.

I sighed. "Well, I'm going back," I stated. "Follow me if you want or stay. I don't care." I turned and walked away from my friends, heading back into the woods toward the hermit's house.

When I reached the forest glade, he was nowhere to be seen, so I looked around. There wasn't much to see. The man's house stood to one side, a fire pit was located in the center of the clearing. The rest of the space was clear and empty.

I jumped as I heard a noise behind me. I turned slowly to see a large white wolf, snarling at me. It was one of the wolves that had been with the hermit when he'd found Laena and I, but this one was male, not the one from my dream.

I stepped back, hands out to the sides, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. I hadn't felt this in my dream. I had felt calm in my dream. Like nothing could hurt me. And even when I'd been bitten, there had been a part of my mind that had know that it hadn't hurt as much as it should have.

I was about to turn and run when I heard more snarling from behind me. I swallowed, but before I could do anything, another white wolf darted around me to face the first wolf. It was the wolf from my dream. She snarled at the other wolf and he took a step back. She advanced, driving him farther away. Eventually, he turned and trotted away, tail between his legs. The wolf from my dreams sat and snorted as if in triumph before looking over her shoulder at me. Once again I turned to run, but I was stopped, this time by a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up. It was the old man.

"I – " I began.

"Where are the others?" he asked, cutting me off. His eyes were dark brown and narrowed.

"They – they didn't want to come," I stammered.

He sighed, releasing my shoulder. "As I suspected," he mumbled so quietly I almost didn't catch the words. "But you came," he said to me. "Why?"

I was surprised at his question, mainly because I didn't have an answer. "I don't know," I replied quickly. I thought a moment. "I was curious I guess," I finally answered. "How you knew our names and the wolves and…" I trailed off as he nodded.

"This way," he said, turning toward the fire pit in the center of the clearing and beckoning for me to follow. "My name is Sashen by the way."

I hesitated a moment, then caught up to him. The wolf from my dream trotted after us. If a wolf could look smug, that would have been how I described her.

Sashen sat on the ground next to the remains of the fire and motioned me to do the same. I sat across from him, and the wolf disappeared behind me. I was unnerved to have her at my back, but said nothing.

"You no doubt want me to explain why I asked you to come back here." He looked to me, waiting for my answer. I just nodded and he scowled. "You need to learn to speak up Camryn. You can't be intimidated," he scolded.

"I'm not intimidated," I replied indignantly.

"Oh really?" Sashen questioned. He stood. "Look how you're sitting," he said, pointing at me. I had my legs drawn up, arms hooked around my thighs. "You're curled in on yourself – like you're uncomfortable and trying to hide. Your shoulders are pulled in – trying to be as far away from Kirei as possible. And yet, you're also in a position you could quickly get out of: you let go of your legs and you can push yourself to your feet. You could have your sword out in a matter of seconds."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked. I was confused.

"Partially," he replied. He remained standing and crossed his arms, reminding me of Tori's father. "You look defensive. Anyone with eyes can see that. They'll read that as intimidation and they will use that against you."

"I don't get it."

"You don't go through life without lying and tricking people. That's a fact. Especially people like us."

"Us…?"

"Have you ever noticed anything different about you?"

"Other than the fact that I woke up with a scar from a dream?"

"Who said it was a dream."

"No one… but I woke up in my bed… but the chain and the paw prints… and Laena…" I had confused myself even more and I had no idea where this conversation had come from or where it was going.

"It was a dream," Sashen stated, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "But the events were real."

My brows pulled together as I tried to make sense of what he was saying. "If it was a dream that means it wasn't real." Maybe my friends had been wrong. Maybe this man was just completely insane and I'd been crazy to come back out here. Alone to boot.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Some dreams, yes, they aren't real, but others are simply memories of what happened on a different plane."

Okay. Yes. He was definitely not right in the head. Then I remembered something. "What about the chain… and the paw prints? How did those get there if it happened on a different plane?"

"I put them there of course. I had to get you out here somehow."

"But… how'd you know what I dreamt about?"

"Back to what I asked about if you'd ever noticed something different about you."

"I answered that. No, not unless you count this scar."

"Think again," he said. He began pacing. He was smiling now, clearly amused by my confusion and frustration.

"About what!" I snapped, angry with him for being so cryptic.

My hands balled into fists as he began chuckling and I realized I was standing. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

"I knew all I needed to do was make you angry," he replied, laughter fading. He sat back down with a sigh.

"What?"

"You're a defensive person. You don't want others to think badly of you. Yet you dress like a boy; you defy the wishes of your parents, even though you're the only child and will inherit the farm; and you came here despite what your friends said."

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" Sashen questioned.

"How do you know about a person you've never met?"

He chuckled again before the humor faded from his face. "I will explain that, but not now. Was I correct in my analysis?"

I hesitated before answering. Yes, he was right. Everything he'd said had been accurate. But he also unnerved me. I couldn't see a point in lying though. If he already knew this much, I wouldn't have been surprised if he could read minds. "Yes, but so what?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure I understood you. Not that I really do yet. Why do you act against what is considered right, when you want others to view you well?"

The answer to that was simple enough. I'd said it to my parents enough times. "Because it's who I am and what I'm good at. I'm not going to act like something I'm not to please others. I've learned to ignore the stares and whispers, whether or not I like it is beside the point. I can strike harder than most of the boys in this village. I can put up a fight. What's wrong with that?" I couldn't help but sound slightly angry.

"Absolutely nothing," Sashen replied, looking amused again. "Sit down, please, and I will explain myself." He gestured across the fire to where I'd been sitting before.

I hesitated, then sat. I wasn't too sure what had happened, but we were back on topic.

"Do you believe in magic?" Sashen asked.

I scoffed. "No."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Why should I?" I retorted.

"Do you believe in the gods?"

"Of course I do."

"And yet, you don't believe in magic?"

"No. Gods doesn't mean magic. Even if it did, magic would belong to the gods. They're divine beings."

Sashen pulled an empty flower pot towards him. When I looked closer, I realized that it wasn't empty. Tiny green sprouts peeked up from the dark soil. I scowled. I'd never gotten my plants that far. They'd never sprouted for me no matter what I did. He put a hand over the sprouts and murmured something under his breath that I didn't quite catch. As I watched, the flowers bloomed. The green sprouts shooting up, buds forming and leaves unfurling. The petals unfolded. In a matter of seconds, ten beautiful Irises had replaced the tiny green sprouts in the pot. Sashen set the pot aside as I sat there, mouth agape.

"Do you believe in magic?" He asked again.

"How did you do that?" I asked incredulously.

Sashen sighed. "Magic, Camryn. I can use magic. You can too."

I was past not believing him about magic. What else could that have possibly been? "Me?" I asked, then laughed. "I can't use magic. I didn't even know it existed until a few seconds ago."

"Not many people in Dantor do. You are far away from the cities. Tíernael is rich with tales of magic. The land of Llangaria as well. The Craì woods are filled with creatures wishing to escape the king."

"I've heard stories, but I've never believed them," I said, remembering the night my friends and I had snuck into a tavern. A trapper from the Far East had been telling a story about a young man named Aerrow Fell. Aerrow had allegedly saved the king while the king had been traveling to Tíernael for a competition of mages (magic users). We had been chased out by the tavern's Keeper before we could hear more than the beginning, not that we had believed him anyway.

"The legend of Aerrow Fell no doubt," Sashen said, snapping me out of my flashback.

"Yeah," I replied. "I only heard the beginning."

"I have it written, if you would like to read it. It's a fascinating story and now that you've been enlightened to the existence of magic, you would enjoy it more."

I looked down, embarrassment coloring my cheeks pink. "I don't know how to read or write," I admitted quietly.

He raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised, although I don't know why. It wasn't common for those who lived on farms to be educated past writing their name.

"Well then I'll have to teach you, won't I?" He chuckled as I looked up surprised. "What?" he asked. "Don't think I can read or write? Well I can. It's a skill all mages are taught when they're trained by anyone at least half way decent."

"Are you offering to teach me to read?" I asked incredulously.

"Not only to read, but to use the magic you poses too."

I was skeptical. Though I did believe magic existed now, I didn't think I would possibly be able to use it. There was nothing special about me. In the stories, the people were all heroes who'd done amazing things. Not a fifteen year old girl who refused to even act like a woman.

"Well?" Sashen asked.

"Alright," I agreed. What the hell. Even if he was wrong as I thought he was, I could at least learn to read and write – a decent skill to have, especially for one who was completely inept at farming.

"Wonderful." Sashen smiled. It was the first real smile of happiness I'd seen. His amused smirks didn't count. It took years off his appearance, making him look about the same age as my father. "First thing's first. Kirei!"

I turned to look as the white wolf from my dream stood and stretched. She yawned hugely before trotting over to us. I inched away, not keen to be close to the teeth that had already tasted my flesh.

"Don't be scared Camryn, she won't hurt you."

I looked up at him. "She's a wolf," I stated.

"Good observation skills," Sashen said, more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "She is also your Link."

"My Link?" I repeated.

"Yes. You see, as a human, you cannot tap into the mana source directly. Mana is, essentially, magic, only in a much more concentrated form. Humans are too weak to use it directly, so we channel the mana through an animal – a wolf. It can be channeled through other animals, but not nearly so much as with these beautiful creatures.

"The sign of a human mage is a connection with a wolf. A couple hundred years ago it was considered normal for adolescents to be sent into the mountains to try and search for theirs. Few ever returned.

"But once a connection is made, it cannot be broken. That wolf will remain with you forever, and both of your lives will be prolonged because of the mana that is being channeled. That scar on your arm." He pointed to my left arm where the crescent-shaped scar stood out pink against my sun-tanned skin. "Is what connects you to Kirei. She is your life companion now. If she feels pain, you will feel pain, and vice versa. If she dies, you won't. However, if you die, she will."

I looked at Kirei, who was watching Sashen as if she understood his words. I was responsible for her life now. "That's a big responsibility," I breathed.

"Yes. And you would do well to always keep it in mind. You cannot act recklessly." He stood with a grunt and I began to wonder just how old he was. I was about to ask but then four more wolves appeared out of the trees behind him, led by the one Kirei had chased off earlier.

I swallowed.

"Don't be afraid of them," Sashen said before walking off and leaving me alone with them.

I didn't take my eyes off the four sets of teeth I was sure would be all too happy to take a bite out of me. Before I could figure out anything to do, Kirei stepped in front of me, her ears pulled back and teeth barred, snarling.

The lead wolf growled, but stepped back and turned away, snorting. It trotted off and the others followed.

Kirei turned to me and sat down, tail swishing on the ground. There seemed to be amusement in her eyes.

"Thanks," I breathed. "So, do you come with me, or do you stay here?" I asked as if she could really understand me.

She stood and darted to the path. I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what I'm saying?" I asked.

She dipped her head in what I could only assume to be a nod.

"How?" I asked.

"Because you two are linked."

I jumped at the sound of Sashen's voice behind me. I turned to see him walking toward his house with an armful of wood.

"She can understand you on a certain level. Better than a dog can, but not as well as another human. And she can't speak to you."

"Really? Wow." I looked back at Kirei. "This day just keeps getting crazier and crazier," I muttered.

Sashen chuckled as I followed after Kirei, who was already trotting off down the path. I paused at the edge of the clearing. "Sashen?" I called before he was inside his house.

He turned back to me. "Hm?"

"What about the others? They won't come out here."

"They'll come in their own time."

"And what about my lessons? Reading and writing and such..."

He frowned a moment, then said, "Come by whenever you have spare time. If I'm here, I'll teach you. If I'm not..." He shrugged. "Feel free to hang around anyway. No doubt Kirei won't be pleased with having no company outside humans."

"Okay... Thanks Sashen."

He grunted a reply and pushed open the door of his house.

Down the path, I heard Kirei growl and I could sense her annoyance. Laughing half out of humor and half out of nerves over what had just happened, I jogged down the path to meet up with her.

I spent the next few days on the farm a lot... well, the woods out behind the farm. I wanted to spend time with Kirei and I wasn't sure how my friends would take everything Sashen had told me.

As much as I wanted to learn to read and write, I didn't want to go back to Sashen's right away. So I stuck to the woods out behind our land. With Kirei beside me, I felt safer and wandered farther than I'd ever done. I brought home more game than ever to our table and I think I saw respect in my parent's eyes after a third day of having more than we could eat. I may not be a farmer, and they might not like that I didn't act ladylike, but in the absence of another child, they could appreciate that I brought home food.

It was the fourth day since I'd learned about magic from Sashen, and I was out back at the edge of the woods. I had no need to hunt today – we had enough leftovers for the rest of the week. I had climbed up into a tree and had a stick of charcoal and a stretch of parchment I'd been able to buy by selling the extra game that would otherwise have gone bad. Kirei was sleeping at the base of a tree a bit away from me – tired after spending about an hour chasing a bug of some sort. I was sketching the scene on the parchment when I heard Tori's voice.

"... Haven't seen her in three days."

"So you automatically assume the worst?" That was Laena's voice.

"She headed off to the middle of the woods and we haven't seen her since. There's no sign of the hermit out there either. So yes, I assume the worst."

I finished the sketch and rolled up the parchment, sticking it and the charcoal into an old hole in the tree that had once probably housed squirrels. It was my favorite hiding place.

I whistled softly, only loud enough for Kirei to hear. Her head snapped up immediately and her eyes sought me out. She stood as she saw me up in the tree.

"Go give them a scare," I said quietly.

I could see the mischief in her eyes as she darted toward my friend's voices.

A moment later I heard three screams of surprise and fright. Crashing footsteps came towards my perch and then my three friends burst into the small clearing, Kirei chasing after them – happy to have new playmates.

"Keep running and she's just gonna think you're playing," I called down. "C'mon now Kirei, that's enough."

Kirei sat beneath the tree obediently as my friends gaped.

"You know, or she might eat you 'cause you look like cows," I laughed.

Tori was the first one to recover. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes burning with anger. "What the hell Camryn?" she snapped. "You've trained this thing to follow you around and listen to you?"

I laughed and quickly made my way down the tree. "I haven't trained her to do anything," I said as my feet hit the ground.

"Where've you been Camryn?" Laena asked before Tori could say anything. "What happened when you went back?"

"If Tori can not interrupt, I'll tell you." I cast a glance at Tori, who rolled her eyes and muttered a "Whatever."

I launched into the story of what had happened when I'd gone back to see Sashen. I could see that Tori was having a hard time not saying anything, and Maylin and Laena both looked fascinated.

I looked at Tori when I finished. "Anything to say?" I asked, not bothering to hide the humor in my voice.

"It's a load of crap!" Tori exclaimed, glaring at me.

I shook my head. "It's not Tori. I saw what he did with the flowers – they grew in seconds what takes weeks right in front of me. And I can feel Kirei's emotions and she can understand me. I was skeptical at first too, but there's no other explanation."

"I don't believe it," Tori replied stubbornly.

"Well I do," Laena said. She turned to Tori. "I don't think it's possible to train a wolf, let alone in three days. And what reason would Camryn have to lie to us?" She paused. "I think we should go see Sashen ourselves."

Tori shook her head as Maylin voiced her agreement. "You're all nuts," she stated. "Count me out!" She started to walk off.

"Come on Tori," I called after her. "You can't pretend you aren't the least bit curious. Just come with us. If you don't believe it after that, then you can pretend nothing ever happened."

Tori turned, glaring at us. "And I'm just supposed to pretend that when I have to be around you and those oversized dogs all the time? Not likely." She turned and kept walking.

"Tori," Laena said, running after our friend. "Just come this once. Please?"

Tori turned back to us and sighed. "I'm not going to hear the end of this am I?" she grumbled.

Laena grinned. "Nope."

Tori sighed again. "Fine. I'll go. But I still say it's all a load of crap."

"Still think it's a load of crap?" I asked as Tori stood looking at the patch of ground in front of her. An entire three foot by three foot space in front of her was covered in wildflowers that would never normally grow in this season.

Her face was contemplative, like she didn't want to believe, but had been provided with so much proof that she had no choice. It was obvious she didn't like it.

Sashen stood off to the side, holding back a black wolf with sliver tipped ears and a silver tipped tail that was trying to rush over to Tori. Sashen looked tired. The magic he'd had to use to convince Tori had taken a lot of effort.

Tori sighed and finally said, "No. I don't. But I don't like it."

I laughed. "No one said you had to like it."

Sashen let go of the wolf and it bolted toward Tori and I. Tori yelped and jumped back, but I pushed her forward.

"He won't hurt you Tori," Sashen said in a flat voice. "As I explained - the complete opposite."

Tori looked skeptical still, but took a slight step forward. "I really don't like this. Why can't I have normal friends?"

The wolf stepped up to sniff her hand, then licked it. Tori laughed slightly. I smiled. "It's like a dog," Tori stated.

The wolf's ears flattened, but it didn't bare its teeth or growl.

"They don't like being called dogs, Miss Shigoto. Can't you feel her discontent?"

There was a strange look of Tori's face. A mixture of dislike, confusion, and understanding. "What's his name?" She asked.

"Rikko," Sashen replied. "He's named for his speed – faster than any of the others." With a tired sigh, he looked at me. "Come back tomorrow, all of you. I'll start your lessons properly since all of you now know everything." He disappeared into his house.

I looked at my other friends. It hadn't taken much to convince Laena and Maylin. All Sashen had had to do was confirm my story and introduce them to Kuro and Inu and they were in. They were sitting with the wolves now.

"Why don't we go home?" I suggested.

"One thing Camryn."

I turned back to Tori. "Yeah?"

"Unlike you, we don't live on a farm with endless miles of woods out back. What are we supposed to do with them?" she asked, referring to the wolves.

I frowned. "Well, it's not like it harms us or them to be apart. Why don't they come with me? That way they're all together and they've got plenty of room."

"That sounds like it would work," Laena stated.

Maylin nodded her agreement.

Tori looked indecisive a moment, then nodded. "It's a good plan."

"Great. Home then?"

My friends all nodded and we started home.

Three months passed and we fell into a routine. Tori, Laena and Maylin would come to the farm every morning and we would walk up to Sashen's with the wolves and Sashen would start our lessons, which varied from using magic, learning the history of it, learning how to read and to write, and studying maps of our land.

My birthday fell on the day the seasons changed from summer to autumn. On that day, Sashen approached us with a gift and a request.

We showed up for our lessons as we did every morning, but he wasn't outside as he usually was. We glanced around the clearing, but he was nowhere to be seen. Tori checked the house, but it was empty. We hung around the clearing fro a bit. He'd been late once or twice. Once an hour passed though, we began to wonder. Just as we were about to head back to the village, knowing there was little we could do in the ways of going and looking for him, he stepped out of the trees on the far side of the clearing, behind his house. He carried something in his arms, and as he came closer, we saw that they were swords.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," he said roughly when he reached us. "I got somewhat side tracked." He shifted the swords into one arm. "I have something for all of you. I think you're as ready as you'll ever be. I also need to ask something of you. But you can keep these whether or not you say yes."

I exchanged a confused glance with Laena.

Sashen looked at each one of us in turn. "Three months isn't nearly as long as I'd like to train you before you go, but it'll have to suffice," he stated. "I've just received word from a friend in Tíernael that the king's hand has already reached that far. He's spreading stories about magic users and scaring the humans that can't use magic into hunting down and killing mages. He's sent his soldiers into these mountains to search for those who managed to escape."

"What does this have to do with us?" I interjected.

He looked at me, obviously displeased. He hated when we interrupted.

"This has to do with you because you four and I are the only mages in this village, and the soldiers get closer each day. And also, as much as I hate to ask this of you, I must. I need you to travel to Tíernael and find a girl about your age named Amari. She can help you."

"Help us what exactly?" Tori asked.

He looked at her in confusion. "Surely you've heard all of what I've said. The king is hunting down magic users. Do you intend to simply sit back and allow him to kill off innocent people? Or will you do something about it?"

"Well I'm sorry you never clarified that before," Tori muttered, hating being scolded.

"You're still not being completely clear Sashen," I put in. "What is she going to help us with?"

"I already said that I disliked the little amount of time I got to spend training you. She can take you to someone who can help you learn more about your magic than I could ever teach you, and then, if you wish to, you can fight alongside us to stop the king."

"I thought the king was all for magic," Maylin said. "Wasn't he the one who supposedly brought it to this land?"

Sashen nodded. "That's no tale. It's true. But after the incident with Aerrow Fell, he has grown to hate magic, and fear it. He has his few, trusted mages at his side. That's it."

"What happened to Aerrow?" Laena asked. "You never did tell us his story."

"And for that I apologize," Sashen replied. "But there is no time for it now. I need your answer by nightfall of whether or not you will go. If you choose to, you will leave tonight, under the cover of dark. If not, return here anyway."

"We're supposed to figure this out in the next few hours?" Tori asked incredulously.

"I realize that leaving your homes and families would be difficult," Sashen said with a shrug. "And that is why I'm not trying to influence your decision. But I must know by tonight." He sighed wearily and looked at each of us again. "I would do this myself, but I'm getting too old to be running off to the far corners of the earth." He turned toward his house. "I will see you tonight then," he said, disappearing inside.

Several hours later found us sitting on the front steps of Tori's house, discussing what we were going to do.

"To leave home to go wandering around the world? It doesn't make any sense." Maylin said, shaking her head.

"But he is right. He is too old to be running to the far corners of the earth," I replied.

"My dad says the world doesn't have corners. He says its round."

We all looked over at Laena, who sat on the ground in front of the porch steps. "That had absolutely nothing to do with what we were talking about, Laena," Tori said.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly.

"Right. Now we still haven't decided whether to go or not."

"I think we should," I said, staring at my hands. "It seems really important to Sashen, and he's done so much for us."

Laena frowned. "Dad won't like me leaving the shop to my sisters, but I agree with Tori."

We all thought for a moment in silence. Then, one by one, nodded in agreement – Tori last, but with determination in her eyes.

In the back of my mind, I knew something was going to change. I didn't know what, or if it would be good or bad, but I knew this decision was going to affect us all.

We'd all decided that telling our folks about our leaving would be a bad idea, and since we were to leave at night anyway, it just made things easier.

Before leaving, I spoke to Tori's older brother and asked him to make sure my family had enough food in exchange for half my life savings – about four gold and six silver pieces. He seemed glad to help, and for that I was grateful. I had no idea when – or if – we'd be back.

I debated leaving a note for my parents, but they couldn't read very well, so I just hoped they wouldn't miss me too much.

As night fell and the sun slipped behind the mountains, I picked up my pack and jogged into the village to meet up with my friends. The wolves followed silently behind me as if sensing the need to be quiet.

The wood echoed hollowly as my knuckles hit it, once, twice, three times. I shifted the pack on my back as I waited for Maylin to open the back door. Tori and Laena stood behind me, packs on both of their backs as well.

Maylin opened the door only enough for her to slip outside and to avoid making the hinges creak. She shut it silently behind her and turned to face us. "Let's go," she whispered, shouldering her bag. We nodded and started to walk.

We reached Sashen's house after a few minutes of walking. He sat beside a fire beside his house. Beside him, five swords glittered in the firelight.

He looked up, taking in our clothing (Maylin and Tori both wore boys clothes now instead of skirts), and the bags on our backs.

"So I take it you're going," he said with no discernable emotion in his voice.

"That's right," I replied.

He took his time sheathing each of the swords before approaching us. He handed us each one. "These swords are unbreakable," he explained as we examined them.

They were beautiful. The one I held had a gold hilt inlaid with tiny black stones and a crimson blade hidden in a black scabbard.

"Even against the strongest opponent, they will never fail you."

"You're just giving us these?" Laena asked, shocked. "These must be worth a fortune. I've never seen such craftsmanship

"That's because they weren't crafted by human hands. These swords were forged by magic. And why shouldn't I give them to you?" he replied.

I belted mine on. I wasn't one to pass up something like this. It seemed my friends all had the same mind set as they, too, attached them to their belts.

There was still one sword in Sashen's hand.

"What of that one?" Laena asked. I could sense in her voice that she was eager to examine the swords in better light and more thoroughly. Her father was the village's blacksmith, and she was training to be one herself.

Sashen grabbed a piece of dirty cloth up from next to the fire and wrapped the sword in it. He handed it to me and I slipped it into my pack. "Give that one to Amari," he said and gestured for us to start walking.

The sun reappeared to us as we reached the mouth of the mountain pass and were no longer in the valley, casting a bloody glow on the rock that surrounded us. We all stopped walking and stared out at the horizon. "I want you to take this," Sashen said, breaking the silence, we all turned to look at him. He pulled a small chain out of his pocket. On it hung a piece of obsidian, carved in the shape of a fang, about two inches long. He handed it to Laena, who slipped it over her head.

"Thank you Sashen," she said quietly.

"You'd best get on so you get a decent head start. If you can make it around the soldiers tonight, you'll be safe for the next two weeks." He paused, then added, "Good Luck"

I nodded, though I didn't like the sound of his voice as he wished us luck, I could sense everyone's excitement as well as anxiety, and decided it was best not to bring attention to it. Not now at least.

We turned in the direction of the setting sun and started off.