With the Hie only days away Lucindeya began her training. She needed to become one of the fiercest competitors that there had ever been, even fiercer than Kaderin, the Valkyrie rumoured to not feeling emotion. No Kaderin was the cold hearted for a reason. She felt no emotion, not pain, not love…nothing. Therefore she was Cindey's biggest competition.

'Cindey are you even paying attention?' Olivia asked and Cindey woke from her musings to realise that their leader had her sword at her neck. Silently berating herself she grabbed her own sword and turned to Olivia, ready to show her what she was made of. And what made her different from a lot of the other sirenae.

In her darkest heart Lucindeya was a fighter, not a lover. She was ruthless; she often favoured fighting the vampires with some of the Valkyrie covens than joining the nymphs in their sexual activities. Cindey was fierce; she had cut down many of her enemy without a single thought to how the other sirenae would view her. She was strong, she liked to train every day, sometimes with Olivia, another fierce member of the coven, but mostly alone.

The solitary training she did consisted of hunting weaker, vampires and cutting them down. It was the best kind of training, taught her how to improve her reflexes, and her mortal enemies weak points. Yes this kind of training caused her a lot of injuries that she had to tend to, but it was worth it. If she could only cut down all of the vampires she would finally meet the one that had taken her beloved from her. And then there would be a battle to the death. Would her grief and her hatred be enough to defeat the mighty Grave-walker? She had no answer, but if she trained hard enough she could defeat anybody.

'Of course I am,' Cindey replied to Olivia's question as she flipped back out of the way of the ruby great sword.

'Then prove it. I know you've been privately training with Reginleit, show me what you are made of Cindey!' Olivia said and lunged once more, but that time Cindey had flipped to behind the siren and struck out from behind.

'Point,' she called out, slicing the back of Olivia's ruby coloured training top.

'Good,' Olivia complimented and when Cindey went to strike once more the leader struck out too, their two swords clashing. Yes Olivia's great sword was a lot more powerful than the one handed sword that Lucindeya carried, but there was just one problem with it.

'Point,' Cindey called out once more. The sword she had was defending her body against the leaders attacks but the ninja sword she'd had held in the mini sheath at her lower back had come in handy. Surprise attack! They were Cindey's speciality, and her greatest fighting talent. Yes she had her voice and could probably compel any enemy to kill themselves, but she felt as though it was cheating, as though it made her weak to rely on something that all sirenae had. Their voice.

She was different to the sirenae and she would prove it. She would win this Hie, defeating Kaderin and then she would, finally greet The Grave-walker himself. If she was strong enough to survive the Hie she was strong enough to kill her blood enemy. This Hie was a test of her strength as well as a way of hoping to get her beloved back. She would not rest until he was extinguished. He deserved nothing less. She would defy him a Bride, a heartbeat and a fully functioning body. She would defy him everything he had ever wanted. Even his rightful crown. He had defied her chance of a family, she could return the favour. He would not procreate anything else evil. Yes he had gathered more armies of vampires, those turned near to death but she would not have him sire a blood child. Born vampires were very, very strong and dangerous. They all needed putting down, and she would take them all. She would not even accept help from Kaderin who too had a reason to hate the vampires.

'Beware Grave-walker I have a few tricks of my own up my sleeve and you will fall to this sword,' Lucindeya said as she turned and threw her sapphire encrusted sword at the target that contained his face. Bull's eye, her shot was getting better and better each time. However she would have to take his head, for he had no beating heart…