PROLOGUE

Forty times the sun rose before her eyes and forty times it fell below the horizon. Forty days since they had put the babe in her belly. Forty nights since they chained her in this cell. Her belly grew each day and the sickness that came to her each time she woke was left evident on her clothes. As she watched the sun rise for the forty-first time through the barred arched window that faced her cell, she swore the same oath she had sworn every morning since her son, her true son, left this world. An oath of vengeance. Vengeance for her blood, vengeance for her country, vengeance for the girl they killed all those years ago. With concerted effort, she lifted her head and looked up at her shackled left hand that hung from the wall. Golden shafts of sunlight kissed her face gently, and in that godly light she saw the instrument of her vengeance, a rune tattoo. When a rune attaches itself to a person, markings show through the skin where it resides. Though this was no ordinary rune, she knew. This was one of the 27 True Runes and her tattoo was of a great, golden dragon.

HIKUSAAK

Highlake was the highest point in The Tonjord, apart from Penguin Mons, and from the city walls a man could see farther to the west than from any other place, if you had eyes keen enough. Where The Tonjord was a cold place, completely surrounded by mountain and sea, the western lands were green and fertile, though Hikusaak knew that one day they would start to wither and die. That was the curse of the Sindar, the white haired demons. The mere thought of them caused his blood to boil, as it should in any young Tonjordaian boy. From his vantage point he could see them, a forward camp just over half a league away, though they dared not get any closer. The last time they tried to enter Tonjord lands, Hikusaak's father lit the warning fires across the Two Pass mountain, signalling battle for the troops stationed in both Highlake and Whitecliff, which lay on the other side of the pass.

Hikusaak's father, Mayor Berthold Lightseer, knew that a battle in the open plains away from the mountains was a lost cause however, as Tonjordi are a mountain folk and the mountains were their steadfast allies. So instead he drew the Sindar troops into the pass using a small force who would attack and then retreat, feigning defeat and causing the too arrogant Sindar to follow them into Two Pass down Whitecliff way, where Lord Mayor Baxtrix Nirro's larger army lay in wait. The Tonjord army was perfectly equipped for rugged terrain, they were master of camoflage and could blend into any part of the pass easily. The Sindary never knew that for every man they chased, fifty more waited for them in the pass. Not a single Sindar lived to tell the tale. Mayor Nirro wanted to line the mountain with white haired Sindar heads, though Hikusaak's father petitioned against it, and convinced him to let the Sindar come collect their dead for proper burial rites. Mayor Lightseer got his wish, as the two men were like brothers to one another, though not by blood. Hikusaak had been calling Mayor Baxtrix 'uncle' for as long as he could remember.

A rock whooshing past his ear brought Hikusaak from out of his reverie and a girls voice called from below the wall, "You ain't gonna kill 'em just by starin' at em, little coz." she shouted. Hikusaak scowled at her from atop the wall. He knew her well of course, they had been neighbors all their lives. She was red of hair and pale of complexion, she was tall for her age, standing near a foot taller than Hikusaak who was only a few months her junior. Her name was Boudessa Morningstar and though she talked like a commoner, she was of noble birth like Hikusaak. "I am not your cousin, lest you forget." He cried down to her, which caused her to roll her eyes. "So frequently you like to remind me, little coz. I'm beginning to think you don't like me." She feigned hurt and placed the back of her hand on her forehead, mock fainting. "I'd like you just fine should you withhold throwing rocks at my head, Bo. I've had quite enough of that today."

With one last glance at the horizon, Hikusaak began to descend the wall. He had been climbing it since he was small, and his feet were sure. When he reached the bottom he got a better look at his childhood friend. Though her father forbade her wearing trousers like a boy, she often still managed to dress herself in a tomboyish fashion. Today however she was wearing a white dress with impractical shoes and stockings, a bear fur mantle hung around her shoulders protecting her from the cold. "Why, you look almost like a girl wearing that, Bo." said Hikusaak, which earned him a swift punch in the arm. Afterwards she began to unclip the turtledove clasps that adorned her usually wild mane of hair. "Trust me, I ain't wearin' this by my own volition, coz. My pa decided it's time I started courtin' guys again, y'know, find a future husband." She oft spoke of this subject with a chagrin that perplexed Hikusaak. "That makes sense, you are fifteen, Bo. A woman should be looking for a husband." It all seemed so obvious to Hikusaak, but Boudessa just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Who says I need a husband, eh? Lady Gwendoline Fairmaid of Lyre never took no husband." said Boudessa, tucking the last of the turtledoves into her pocket and shaking her head, causing her hair to fan out like wildfire. Hikusaak had to laugh. "Lady Gwendoline? They say she prefers the company of the gentler sex," Hikusaak snickered, "pray tell, Bo, are you also fond of such unseemly activities? Mayhaps your father would like to know." Boudessa scrunched up her nose and looked horrified at the thought. "I don't mean nothin' like that, you're twistin' my words, coz. I'm just sayin' a woman can get by without a man." Boudessa squinted her eyes at Hikusaak "Besides, fifteen ain't so old. Your Ma was in her twenties before she married your pa."

"My mother isn't nobly born, you know that." said Hikusaak, "So, how did it go? The courting I mean." Hikusaak and Boudessa walked through the streets of Highlake. They were well known to locale, who waved and smiled politely as they past, due to the respect both their fathers commanded. They stopped at the stone steps of the True Water shrine, though of course the True Water rune wasn't here, and sat. Boudessa explained as they walked, "Need I say it? It was a disaster. D'ya know who my father was tryin' to match me with? Guess." Hikusaak shrugged, "Peter Hawkshaw! Little Blind Pete!" she explained, trusting her arms up into the air in outrage. Hikusaak shrugged once more, "So? Blind Pete's a nice guy. He's not actually blind you know, just nearsighted." Boudessa waved her hand dismissively, "Course I know he's not blind, and it wouldn't matter if he was, neither. He's just so stupid! All he ever talks about is killing those Sindar swine, yet he knows if anyone puts a spear in his hand he'll end up plucking out their eye with it cause he can't see two feet from his face!" She sighed exasperated, "And yet he still has more right to go into battle than I do." Hikusaak knew this was another point of contention for Boudessa, "Well, you are a woman..."

She shot him a dark look. "Oh! Am I? I didn't notice, thanks for reminding me, little coz. I thought I had just misplaced my cock." Her voice was raised, and Hikusaak looked around the courtyard of the shrine in a panic lest anyone hear her. "You're not supposed to swear here, Bo." Yet she hardly seemed to care. "Let's just say our prayers and go home." She sounded tired. Together they both fell to their knees on the snowy steps of the shrine and clasped their hands before the engraved visage of the True Water Rune and prayed in unison.

"Oh, most gentle of the True Runes, give us your protection

For we are your children, in need of succor

Though those who wish to harm us hammer at our gate

With your support we stand strong

For we are of Tonjord, born of sea and ice

Forever, til the end of days."

When they finished they headed home together. Hikusaak saw her to the gates of her fathers estate and then went to his own. His fathers estate was the largest in all Highlake, though other mayors boasted more ostentatious dwellings, Hikusaak shared his fathers enjoyment for more humble lodgings. With only three stories, many nobles in the capital state of Mera could beat it in size. Though a smaller home was easier to heat, and Hikusaak's mother always kept the fires burning. Though she was from The Tonjord originally, she traveled with a group of performing actors during much of her youth and had grown accustomed to more humid climates. When he entered the foyer he gave his coat and leather boots to Franko, the Head Servant, who took them off to get dry. Growing up, Hikusaak thought that Franko would be what a grandfather would be like. Sindar soldiers killed his real grandparents many years before he was born, when his father was still a boy, when the war first started. Franko was well past seventy, but was still eager to serve. He was kindly and would often tell Hikusaak stories at night when his parents were busy, or he would sneak him a potch to buy sweets with. His mother once told him that Franko's homeland had been taken from him by the Sindar over fifty years ago, Hikusaak clenched his teeth thinking about it.

He was starved and went to the kitchens for some cold meats and cheese, first. He noted the absence of his mothers cook and figured that it must be his night off. Once he had eaten his fill he climbed to the second floor, and entered the retiring room, where his parents would often sit after a days work and drink brandy. Though his parents were indeed there, he was shocked to find another person in the room as well, talking and smiling with his mother. It was a woman with blonde hair so vivid it almost seemed as it were waves of molten gold cascading down her back. She was wearing riding clothes, with a sky blue cape fastened around her shoulders, and golden gloves on her hands. On her head rested a golden circlet, with what appeared to be a sapphire that gave her the appearance of having a third eye. When his mother saw him enter the room she squealed with delight.

"Hikusaak, child, come meet our guest!" She smiled her infectious smile, which Hikusaak had to return. His mother was petite with auburn hair, and a figure like a ballerina. Her face was kindly, though people oft said Hikusaak took more off his father than he did his mother. His father smiled, "Son, meet Lissgeth. She'll be staying with us for the time being." His lord father motioned for him to sit down on the opposite couch from the stranger. As he sat, the stranger bowed her head slightly and smiled. "The pleasure is mine. As your lord father already mentioned, my name is Lissgeth. Pardon my clothes, I just arrived from Whitecliff a short time ago." Hikusaak couldn't deny she was beautiful, yet he couldn't place her age. His mother said it was rude to ask a woman her age, so he bit his tongue. "A pleasure, Lady Lissgeth. I am Hikusaak." He bowed his head in return. She chuckled jovially "Oh, I promise you I am no lady, m'lord." Her accent was also hard to place, certainly not from Tonjord, perhaps from over the sea. The Queendom of Falena, or the Tarvas maybe.

"Where do you hail from, Lady, er, I mean, Lissgeth?" he asked. He still found it hard to believe she wasn't a noble of some sort. "Oh, here and there" was the vague answer he received in return. "Mayor Lightseer, I hate to be a bother, but might I retire to my chambers? I've traveled the best part of a week and I confess, I'm desperate to sleep in a feather bed again." His lord father nodded at once, "Of course, Lissgeth! Emily, could you get Franko to show her to her bed?" His mother waved her hand "Oh, psh, I'll show her myself. Come Lissgeth, we can have a womanly chat as we walk." Lissgeth took his mothers hand and they walked arm and arm to the door as out as if they were old friends. Once the door was closed Hikusaak shot a quizzical look at his father.

"Who's she then?" asked Hikusaak. His father stretched and suddenly seemed very tired, he was always a good host, he could have been an actor like his mother if he hadn't been a soldier. His father pulled up the leg of his trousers and began unstrapping the belts that kept his fake leg in place. He had lost it during the war. "Nothing that concerns you, son." He said. Such evasive answers always meant it was work related, his father rarely talked to him about the ins and outs of his work, though Hikusaak was curious to know. Hikusaak looked into the fire in the hearth and closed his eyes, his father rubbed the stump above the knee, massaging the sore muscles. He often complained of sensations in his leg, where there was none. The doctors said it was a common affliction.

"How was your training today, son?" His father asked. Hikusaak was in training to be a soldier, like his father was before him. Each day he went to the training grounds with the other boys and got drilled under Old Mossheart. He served in the first years of the war and was the one to find Hikusaak's father, crying over the bodies of his slain mother and father. House Lightseer had much to thank for Captain Mossheart, as he delivered his father Berthold to House Nirro in Whitecliff for warding. When his father became Mayor of Highlake, the first thing he did was give Captain Mossheart lands and a position of respect, training the new recruits. "It went well father, I bested Tom Blackgate in a duel though he didn't take it so well. Threw a rock at the back of my head, Old Mossheart made him run twenty laps for that one." Hikusaak laughed, but his father gave an unapproving look. "That's Captain Mossheart, boy. He's a man who should be respected." His father stared until Hikusaak nodded in agreement, and then went back to rubbing his sore stump. "What about your archery? John said your like to feather one of our own than a Sindar with the way you aim."

Hikusaak's face flushed. Old Mossheart has been informing on him to his father, he should have figured. "I'll get it, don't fret father. I'll be standing atop that wall feathering Sindar so far away, even rune magic won't be able to touch me." Hikusaak grinned so boyishly, his father had to laugh. "You better. Now off to bed, it's getting late." Hikusaak bowed to his father who bowed his head in return and he left his father to solitude. On the way back to his bedroom, Hikusaak thought he heard whispering. He stopped and listened, and sounded out that it was coming from a guest room. Was it Lissgeth and his mother gossiping? He was curious to know and gently tiptoed to the door, as to make sure the floorboards didn't creak. However, when he pressed his ear to the door he heard nothing. Then suddenly, the door flew inward, knocking him off balance.

Lissgeth stood in the doorway, looking down at the fallen lord. She was tying a robe around her, clearly ready for bed. "It's not nice to spy on ladies, little lord." she said, a smile playing on her lips. Hikusaak fumbled his words as he tried to find his feet, horribly embarrassed. "I, um, I wanted to speak to my mother." he said. "You're mother isn't here, I'm afraid. Just me. Though I am quite tired, so, if it please you little lord, good night." Hikusaak mindlessly nodded and Lissgeth closed the door. Hikusaak quickly darted to his own room further down the hall and closed the door, his heart racing. He could have sworn he had heard two voices.