A/N:

Tikka IS a teenager (around that age). And Nikre is in his early 30's.

Also, I will include some of the original Graceling characters ;)

Thanks for your reviews peoples ;D

Prologue

My family and I hated the Seven Kingdoms; Nander, Wester, Estill, Middluns, Sunder, Monsea, and Lienid. Our solitude was well known throughout the lands but we were not feared. Many raiding parties targeted the watch-tower fortress that was our home. We belonged no where and were feared by no one.

Chapter 1 – I'm not blind… all the time

"If they don't stop that they will most likely kill each other." My sister, Flore said one day as we watched our brothers, Nathaniel and Maximum, fighting relentlessly.

"True. Should we stop them?" I asked.

Flore smiled, "It's not like they would listen if we did try to part them."

She continued with her embroidery. I rolled my eyes at her. How anyone could stand embroidery I don't know.

We were sitting on a large blanket on a beautiful grassy hill side. My family and I lived in a valley filled with forests and rivers. Our brothers and father had no trouble finding dinner in those forests and sometimes I was able to join them with my bow.

There was a dirt track that led up the side of the hill toward our fortress. Over the years the house was transformed into a watch-tower fortress because of the excessive raiding parties that came our way frequently.

Suddenly I became aware of a man on horseback riding up the dirt track toward us. I gasped and stood.

Flore looked up at me startled and tried to look at where I was staring.

"What is it Tikka? What is it?" She asked urgently. She couldn't see the man. He was too far away for her eyes to register the movement.

"A man. Riding up the hill. I don't think he's armed."

"Nathan! Max!" Flore yelled to the two young men still sparring on the side of the hill. They stopped what they were doing, probably hearing the urgency in Flore's voice. Flore motioned for them to come closer and they jogged over glancing around nervously.

When they were in speaking distance Nathan asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

I pointed down the hill. The man had just made it to the base of the hill and now my brothers and sister could see him though not very well.

"Is he armed?" Max asked. "Is he from Estill?"

I stared at the man's clothes. Purple tunic and grey trousers. "No. He wears a purple tunic and grey trousers. Not the clothing of a thug from the Estill court."

Nathan tugged at my sleeve. "We need to get you inside."

"There's no time. He already sees us. All of us. If I go running up the Fortress he'll be suspicious, whoever he is."

Flore nodded in agreement, "Yes. Tikka's right. She's blind to everyone outside of this valley, is she not? The man will not suspect she is a Graceling."

Nathan and Max still looked uncertain but Max said, "It's too late to act natural. We'll need to be suitably suspicious now or he might see we are hiding something."

Nathan nodded, "Yes, we should go and greet him and then go and tell father. He can deal with this man."

We approached the rode at a leisurely pace, even though we were tense and ready for a fight.

I closed my eyes as the man approached and placed a hand on Flore's arm. We couldn't risk this man seeing my eyes. He would recognise what I was immediately.

By the sound of the horse's hooves on the dirt track I could tell that the man was slowing his horse to a stop as he reached us.

I heard the underside of boots hit the ground and the clomp, clomp, clomp of said boots walking toward us.

Closing my eyes my awareness was always heightened. I could hear the rustle of the leaves in the trees at the forest at the base of the hill. Hear each and every one of my family breathing, including the stranger. The clomping sound stopped and there was silence. It was eerie.

"Good day for sparring, don't you think?" The man said his voice deep and amused.

"Yes I should think so." Nathan replied but his voice was strained. Why was that? Nathan was normally fearless. What did the man really look like? Hold on, how could the man have known they were sparring, it was too far away for a mortal to see! I didn't like the way this was going.

"I wish to speak to the owner of the mines. Your father I believe. I have some urgent business needs that his immediate attention."

I felt a vibration run along Flore's arm, "Ye – yes, of course. We would be happy to show you to him. He is in his study."

I didn't understand why my younger siblings were acting so polite and afraid. I couldn't see this man but surely he couldn't look so menacing to scare my younger brothers? I would have thought that impossible. Now I was beginning to feel edgy.

I felt someone fall into step beside me as Flore led me up to the Fortress.

"I see you are blind, my dear." The man purred. I flinched.

"Yes." I answered trying to keep my voice even.

"Such a shame. I am sure you have beautiful eyes. Would you show them to me?"

"I'm afraid I can't. The light hurts my eyes." I muttered.

"But, my dear, you are blind. The light shouldn't affect your eyes." He said gently, a smirk evident in his voice.

I swallowed hard. What have I done?

Then Nathan spoke trying to take his attention away from me for a while. "So what business was it that you intend to discuss with our father?"

I felt the man turn his attention way from me and I sighed in relief. "That is for me to discuss with him in person. Not with his children." He sneered.

Judging by the amount of time we had been walking I guessed we should be at the fortress gates by now. Flore stopped us and I heard Nathan and Max open the huge wooden doors. I was led into the Fortress by Flore and once we had ascended some marble steps leading up to the main entrance Flore spoke to the other men. "I'm afraid we must leave you now. Mother is expecting us." It was a good enough excuse I guess.

"Then farewell, ladies. I hope we meet again." He purred.

And I hope not, I thought as Flore led us into a room to the right of the grand entrance hall.

I opened my eyes and found myself in the armoury. Flore felt most comfortable here. She probably had booby-traps all over the place. She sat herself down with a huff at a large metal work bench and continued threading tiny metal rings through some half-finished chainmail.

"Seeing as you're the eldest I would've thought you would be a little more thoughtful. Now he is obviously suspicious of you."

I shrugged indifferently glancing around the room at the various weapons that lined the walls, my gaze landing on a long bow. "If he is suspicious I will kill him."

Flore snorted. "You can't solve everything by killing, Tikka. It's wrong."

"No, my dear sister, it's me. I was born to kill. My Grace gives me impossible eyesight, impossible aim and swiftness with a bow. I am agile in battle and I can destroy an army with a bow and a quiver even without arrows."

Flore pursed her lips. "It is not for you to decide who lives and who dies. You were not born to kill Tikka, you were born for battle. Those two are completely different. Never use you Grace to kill whoever you please because you're wrong."

I'd never thought that my Grace was for battle. But I suppose she was right. Other Gracelings that were born with exceptional battlefield skills and reflexes must be for wars not killing.

"I think you might have a point." I said reluctantly. When did my little sister get wiser than me?

Flore smiled, "You know I'm right."

I thought about the stranger, "Was he a Graceling? The stranger?"

Flore hesitated when she was just about to thread another white metal ring. "Yes, he was." She hesitated again and slid the metal ring through the chainmail. "He had one red eye and one yellow eye."

I gasped. This couldn't be the man she was thinking of, could it? The right hand man of the Sunder king Murgon? We had heard stories of this man when we were little. He was invincible. No man could ever beat him in battle. He had impenetrable skin, diamond hard.

"How could it be him, the Nikre? What does Murgon want with our father?"

Flore shrugged, "Probably to do with money. That's what I think. You know King Murgon of Sunder. He's got gold on the brain."

I laughed. "I do hope that's all it is."