It was the end of the Knights first moon cycle in the Slør and they had decided to go down to the village that lay at the bottom of the hill that Ljósur was perched upon.

The meals at the castle were served with te, water or vin but Luke assured them there was a small Krógv that served decent bjór and vittles. And in the next village over there was a cathouse, if they were so inclined.

They left as the sun began to set, dressed casually though still bearing weapons - a Knight never went anywhere without weapons… Kylo frowned to himself as he thought again of the wrangler. He had been tempted to tell Luke of the knife throwing incident but for some reason, he had not. Yet he wasn't sure why and that troubled him, as did his curiosity with her.

As with Javiell, her aim was true, if he had not ducked, he would have been wounded, or dead. Normally he would have just killed her… And yet, it had not been an action of malice or even particularly threatening, or at least, not intentionally so.

But he really did need to make sure she understood if she did something like that again, he would kill her. He had an odd feeling that wouldn't trouble her. And it made him wonder all over again about her origins.

Luke had said she had come from beyond the mountains, he had said it so casually. And yet Luke knew that no one had ever crossed Svartideyði and returned to tell of it. The mountains were a death trap. And to Kylo's knowledge, no one had ever arrived from whatever lands there were beyond, if there were any. Yet Luke was not a foolish man.

"You're awfully quiet." Phasma murmured next to him. "If fact you've been brooding more than normal, which I did not think was possible, since we got to Ljósur."

Kylo gave her a smirk. "I've just been missing bjór and women." He said lightly.

Phasma rolled her eyes. "I think you're about to be disappointed then. I can't believe you'll find a woman down there that lives up to your exacting standards… Also I bet the bjór tastes like horse piss."

Kylo laughed out loud, "Do you know Luke refers to you my Lady-Knight? If only he could hear you now."

To his delight Phasma went red and spluttered in indignation, "He called me what?!"

The others dropped back and were as deeply amused when Kylo explained.

"You do realise that's now your new nickname, right?" Zainmar told her as they rode into the village.

Phasma scowled. "The next one of you to utter that name will be stabbed in the dick," she growled. They only laughed harder.

The peasants scurried out of their way as they hitched their horses to the post outside the Krógv. The Knights must look intimidating, dressed all in black, even without their armour. Black was a colour seldom seen in the Slør, and the people here all tended towards the small side, whereas the knights were huge and well muscled, distinguished by their deadly grace and obviously blue blood.

The Krógv fell silent as they entered, the eigari rushed over to welcome them, nervously bowing and dry washing his hands, eyes darting around as he watched most of his patrons slip out the back way.

As they sat on cushions at a low table, Kylo noticed that one table away in the corner had not emptied. And there she was, the wrangler, sitting with that stablehand and a few other servants and guards from Ljósur.

It looked like they were playing kasta and he watched as Rey stood to take her turn. She barely even looked at the round board before throwing, using her own knives he noted.

Rather than trying to hit the bulls eye, she'd made a perfect V around it with five knives. It took her barely seconds.

The others at her table made slightly annoyed but resigned grunts at her display, and money exchanged hands. He wondered why they even bothered.

But then he realised she was drunk. They had got her drunk in the hope that it would affect her aim. Evidently, it hadn't worked like they'd hoped.

He watched as she fell back onto her cushion, then realise she'd forgotten to collect her blades. She went to get up again and the stable hand, Finn, pulled her down, indicating another man to collect them for her. To Kylo's amusement she snarled at Finn, but he said a few soft words to her and she settled, though she snatched her blades when the other man had collected them.

"Hah! I haven't played kasta in years." Leonmar said, bringing Kylo's attention back to the table. "I do not think I would want to play against the wrangler though." Ingalan said.

Phasma punched him on the arm. "Rey. Her name is Rey." She growled as she got up and moved over to greet the girl.

Ingalan glared after her, rubbing his arm. "She really does seem to like her," he said ruefully. "Why are you surprised?" Javiell said and they all looked at him. "Phas doesn't meet many other women like her. And let's face it, the girl may be a peasant, but underneath that dirt she is a natural fighter."

The bjór turned out to be surprisingly good, rich and dark with a hint of bitterness. As they waited for their food to be served they played kasta on a new board the eigari brought them.

Phasma rejoined them, towing a grumbling Rey behind her. She pulled the girl down beside her and looked at the other Knights. "This is Rey." She told them firmly. Kylo wondered if the rumours about Phasma preferring ladies was true after all.

Rey glared around the table and hissed before slurring, "Greetings, rakhâs." Kylo watched as the other Knights tired to work out if that was an insult or not. Phasma looked down at Rey, the size disparity comical. "Have you eaten this evening, tiny one?"

Rey hissed slightly at that but grinned, "Not yet today."

Kylo frowned as Phasma glared down at Rey who seemed to be oblivious to her concern. "What, you mean you haven't eaten anything? And those guys got you drunk?"

Rey shrugged her small shoulders, "I do not eat when the sun is in the sky, it makes you weak."

"Not eating is what makes you weak." Javiell stated and Rey hissed as she looked at him.

"Sutta mín murt, rukhs."

Everyone started laughing, which clearly seemed to confuse her. "Who taught you that?" Zainmar asked as tears streamed down his face, "Did they tell you what it means?"

Rey shook her head, frowning, "Poe, he tells me this is an insult your people understand."

Phasma grinned down at her. "Well, he was right, we understand it… But you just told Javiell to suck your cock."

Rey's face went white, Kylo watched as her pupils blew wide. "Uh oh." Zainmar said, the warning came too late for Phasma to grab hold of Rey and she shot up, back to cursing in whatever dialect she normally did.

"Who, in their right minds, got the tiny savage drunk?" Ingalan asked no one in particular while Phasma and Kylo scrambled to their feet to pursue the tiny ball of fury weaving her way back towards the other table. "Poe Dameron! You, you," she hissed in vexation, "Abrâfu shaikmashâz!"

The dark curly haired man who had collected her knives scrambled up from his seat as she backed him into a corner, Finn bravely (or stupidly) leapt between them.

"Woah, Reyla, lítil jarðnøt, what is this?" He asked as she aimed a knife, Kylo marvelled at her steady arm before he grabbed it and Phasma grabbed her body from behind. He wondered absently if Rey knew that Finn had just referred to her as little peanut. He thought that she probably did not.

"You, Finn. Take her knives off her while we hold her," he ordered the man. Finn hesitated then complied, seeming to know exactly where she kept them.

After a few minutes Rey stopped struggling and settled down to hissing and shooting murderous looks at him and the man she named Poe Dameron.

Kylo spared him a glance, "Perhaps it would be wise to call it a night, yes?" The man tried a disarming smile at Rey, and Kylo reflected that it probably worked on almost any woman he tried it, but not Rey. Poe departed swiftly.

Finn lingered, "I will take her now," he told them stiffly, suspiciously.

Kylo shook his head, he was enjoying this too much. "I think it best if we watch her for a while." Phasma added, "And feed her. I can't believe you boys took her out drinking on an empty stomach - she's tiny!"

Finn shrugged uncomfortably, "She won't eat during the day, and it never stops her winning money off us… What set her off? She was fine when she left our table." His last words were faintly accusatory. Kylo didn't care for his tone, Finn, it seemed, had also be drinking.

"It seems your friend Poe has been teaching her insults in Gamal, without explaining the meanings," Phasma said.

Finn rolled his eyes, "Of course he has," he said before focusing on Rey, "Reyla, you cannot hurt Poe, he was playing a joke on you." Rey hissed at him. "Harri Luke will be angry if you hurt Poe."

Rey glared at him then muttered to herself, her body relaxing fully in Phasma's grip.

"Come," Phasma said to her, letting go save for one arm. "Sit with us and eat." Rey huffed, then peered out of a window. "Not yet, soon. When the sun is away. But I will sit with you." She turned to glare back at Finn, "My blades," she said as she held out her free hand.

Finn shook his head. Kylo held out his hand, "Give them to me. I will see she gets them, later."

Finn hesitated then gave them up, clearly unhappy but unable to refuse the obvious order.

They went back and sat down. Their food had just arrived, a large steaming bowl of curried goat, greens, rice and flatbread. The depth of flavour was surprisingly complex.

Once it was dark Rey dutifully ate, if she hadn't, Kylo wouldn't have been surprised to see Phasma hand feed her whilst holding her down.

As they ate, their talk turned to the cathouse in the next village. "I haven't seen any girls here I fancy, so I will go over. Who will join me?" Leomar asked.

"What makes you think the cathouse will have anyone you fancy?" Javiell asked.

Leonmar shrugged, "At least they'll know what to do, and I won't have to be nice to them to get them into bed."

Zainmar laughed.

"You," Rey asked Phasma, "You go there too?" The Knights laughed as Phasma shook her head, a rare blush painting her pale cheeks. "They only have women there. Not my thing." She answered.

"Are you sure, Phas?" Zainmar asked slyly and Phasma glared at him.

Rey mirrored her glare, "Hold your tongue, rukhs. It will be the only way a woman will lie with you."

Phasma laughed at that, slapping Rey on the back so hard the girl almost fell over. Kylo watched with amusement as Zainmar sputtered.

Rey grinned at him, "That, and perhaps a darkened room," she added, making Phasma laugh so much tears leaked from her eyes.

Zainmar glared, "What about you? Have you ever seen a mirror that hasn't cracked?"

If he was hoping to insult her, he was disappointed, she only grinned, baring unnaturally sharp looking teeth. "But I do not need someone to bed, so it is not a problem." Her emphasis on need made it appear a weakness.

"On the contrary, I think someone needs to give you a good fucking, maybe you'd lose some of your crazy." Javiell said blandly.

Zainmar and Leonmar hooted at that, then even more as Rey gave an indignant squawk and after remembering she didn't have any knives, frustratedly threw a piece of bread at him.

Javiell dodged it easily, smirking. "Yes. You definitely need to get laid." Next she threw a spoon at him. He blocked it but it caught his wrist, apparently she'd thrown it quite hard because he let out an involuntary, "Ow!"

"Oh you deserved that, Jav." Phasma chortled. "Just be glad we didn't eat steak tonight." Rey grinned up at her.

"You know, wrangler," Leonmar said loudly, putting on his best smile, "I'd happily oblige, as a favour, of course."

His meaning seemed to be lost on Rey, "What favour?" She asked him, nonplussed.

Javiell looked Rey up and down, "I'm not sure you'd survive, Leonmar, knives or no."

Rey turned to Phasma, "What is it they speak of?"

Phasma grinned down at her, "Leonmar is offering to take you to bed."

Rey looked him up and down critically, "I do not bed men who cannot beat me in a fight, rukhs." Leonmar gaped at her, then straightened his shoulders. "I could have you on the floor in five minutes, girl." He growled at her, but she merely grinned, then stood, turning to look down at Kylo.

"My blades." She said, holding out her hand.

"Wait, you didn't specify a fight with weapons." Leonmar said.

Rey looked down at him in surprise, "I did not think I needed to," and she sat back down.

Phasma looked at her with interest, "So, you only bed men who beat you in a real fight?"

Rey grinned up at her. "Yes."

Phasma seemed to find this weirdly fascinating.

"Zounds, how many men have been crazy enough to try?" Ingalan asked.

Rey shrugged, "Not many, and none have succeeded," she told them smugly.

They all blinked at this statement. "Wait." Phasma said, "Do you mean you have never been to bed with a man, with anyone?"

Rey looked at her, "This surprises you?"

Phasma nodded, then cocked her head. "Perhaps not as much now I think about it. I imagine most men here are terrified of you."

Rey smiled, "This is true. They are not men."

"But, what about where you came from? How old are you?" Phasma asked her.

Kylo watched as a shadow passed over the girls features, her smile fell. "I do not know my age, this was never told to me."

Kylo noted she did not answer Phasma's first question. He remembered the silver mesh of scars he had seen in the moonlight.

There was quiet for a moment, then Zainmar said, "Well. I for one, am going to the cathouse. Who's joining?"

Leonmar shrugged, "I like a challenge but one that won't involve me bleeding a lot, so I'm with you."

They stood and Ingalan stood too.

"I'll stay here." Javiell said.

Kylo nodded. "Me too."

"Well obviously I'm not going." Phasma said, "Kasta anyone?"

Their group split, and Kylo deemed the tiny wrangler to be sober enough to return her blades to her and they played Kasta. She won every game, till they gave up and started playing cards.

Rey had no interest in this and was idly throwing knives at the kasta board when she suddenly froze.

Kylo had marvelled before at how she went from movement to perfect stillness. Phasma noticed where he was staring and looked up from her cards.

"What is it?" The girl remained frozen for half a second more before she growled, it was a low animalistic sound, completely at odds with her unthreatening body.

She didn't answer them, she had her Kurambiks out and was moving so swiftly she'd made it to the door before they could get up.

They scrambled to follow her, spilling out of the krógv, blinking in the darkness. She stood in the middle of the road, quite alone, and she appeared to be… sniffing? Scenting the air like a hound after prey.

"What are you doing?" Javiell asked her, looking up and down the quiet street.

Kylo watched her closely as he and Phasma approached her.

She turned to face them when they were a few feet away, "Death." She hissed at them and the hair stood up along his neck and arms. She didn't seem quite… human. Then she was darting away from them, Phasma followed her, pulling out two long knives as she went.

"Stay here, Jav. Watch the street." Kylo ordered before he followed them quickly, pulling out his sabre and long knife.

He found Phasma and Rey some distance out from the village, in a field of long grass. There was a body lying sprawled on the ground.

Rey was crouching down to examine it. "Dead." She hissed, and bizarrely, she stuck a blood darkened finger in her mouth, "Not long." She closed the eyes of what had once been a girl, perhaps twelve years old.

Phasma knelt down to examine the body herself but Kylo watched as Rey stood, looking all around her. Then she closed her eyes again, hissing something in that unintelligible tongue of hers.

Her eyes flew open again and kylo was disturbed to detect fear in them, that had not been there before. "I thought these lands were free of them," she whispered.

Kylo frowned, her emotions were rattling him. "Whom do you speak of?"

She didn't answer him, but looked back down at Phasma and grabbed her arm. "We must go. Now, they have not finished with her, they will be back and we cannot fight them as we are." She said urgently. "There is nothing you can do for her now, and if we stay, we die."

"I'm not leaving her." Phasma said stubbornly, "And Kylo and I can take any number of lesser men."

Rey hissed, "These are not men as you know them, Phasma." She turned to Kylo opened her mouth, but stopped before saying anything, to turn wide eyes behind them, a small gasp escaped her mouth and it was her next words to him that made him move. "Kylo Ren we must run!" She had not called him rukhs, she had used his full title. "Now!" She cried, then turned tail and flew back towards the village as if her life depended on it.

Kylo unceremoniously yanked Phasma up and dragged her behind him as he ran. He never ran, ever. And yet the wranglers fear had leached into his body and it had responded on its own.

They caught up with Rey back on the main road through the village, her kurambiks still clutched in her hands, as she moved in a slow circle, again seeming to sniff the air.

"What is going on?" Kylo demanded, but she seemed oblivious so he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Rey, what is going on?"

Her eyes focused on his face. "Death," she hissed, "I do not know the name in your basic, and where I am from, we do not utter their name at night." She looked up at him and he suddenly thought how vulnerable she looked and he could feel a fine trembling in her limbs where he still had hold of her. "I cannot sense more than two, the girl in the grass will be enough for now, but… but they are seeking me. I must leave this place, I have been still too long." Her last words were angry.

"You aren't making any sense." Phasma said as she scanned the darkness. "You need to explain yourself, a girl is dead!"

Rey shook her head. "I cannot explain, not at night. I must go, back to the castle. If I leave here tomorrow at first light, they will trouble you no more."

She wrenched out of Kylo's grasp and started heading for the road up to the castle, Kylo exchanged a look with Phasma as they tried to work out what the hell had just happened. But a terrified hiss brought them to look towards where Rey was slowly backing towards them. The kurambiks wavering in her grip.

Kylo could see nothing. "What is it?" He called.

"I was wrong,"she said quietly as she got within a few paces of them, eyes still fixed in front of her. "Draw any weapons you have and go inside the krógv. Do not leave till daylight breaks."

"What in hell's name is going on?" Javiell asked as he joined them, Rey didn't turn around. "This is beyond any of you," She said quietly as she squared her shoulders and steadied her hands, dropping into a fighting crouch, "Run!"

Javiell pulled out his sabre and long knife, Rey's eyes never left the place she was staring but she made an angry hiss. "I cannot protect you all and myself. Run!"

And just as Kylo was about to argue with her, two shadows leapt out of the darkness, snarling. Suddenly, Rey was everywhere, her blades glinting in the moonlight as she attacked them head on.

Kylo, Phasma and Javiell found themselves fighting for their lives with what at first appeared to be shadowy men, but they were inhumanly strong and fast, seemingly impervious to pain. Their lips were stretched back, showing fangs instead of teeth, as they growled and snarled, the sounds blood curdling.

Then there was an head-splitting scream, that seemed to grate on Kylo's bones it cut so deep. Phasma was down and bleeding, Kylo and Javiell standing over her as they attempted to keep the other shadow at bay. Rey joined them, launching herself onto its back, gripping it's torso with her legs hooked together in front of her, and used her kurambiks simultaneously to cut into the creatures neck. It reared back its head, hands scrabbling as she cut deeper.

Kylo and Javiell took advantage of the creatures distraction and they both stabbed it in the chest, avoiding Rey's legs and sinking the blades in deeply.

There issued from it's bloody mouth another head splitting scream and Rey's jumped free as it fell to the ground, thrashing. She grabbed one of Phasma's long knives from the ground and to Kylo's shock she pinned the creature down with a knee on its chest, and decapitated it, finishing the job her kurambiks had started.

He watched as she tossed the head to land with another. "We must burn them, now," she yelled at them as she dragged the bodies into the middle of the street. "Now!"

"Jav, get fire." Kylo commanded and knelt to help Phasma, who was still on the floor, moaning in pain.

Rey joined him, dropping to her knees to look at the other woman. She lifted one of Phasma's arms and hissed, pulling the cloth of her tunic sleeve away to reveal a ragged looking bite, she hissed again. "Be still," she ordered Phasma, then covered the bite with her mouth and started sucking.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kylo asked, trying to pull her away from Phasma. Rey detached, turned her head and spat. "I am saving her life. Burn the bodies," and she went back to sucking, Phasma's moans did seem to be easing.

Javiell came back with two torches and together he and Kylo set the headless bodies on fire, making sure to let it take hold everywhere they could.

Some of the villagers started to leave their homes now the danger appeared to be over.

"Burn the heads too," Rey said and Kylo turned away from the macabre scene to look back at her. Blood was smeared over the lower part of her face and her eyes appeared glassy. He was relieved to see Phasma on her feet, wobbly, but alive.

Rey took a few steps towards the fire and then just collapsed, falling bonelessly to the ground. "Javiell, ride over to the next village and find the others, bring them back." Kylo commanded before he ran over to where Phasma was trying to revive Rey.

"Phas, can you ride?" She nodded, "Ride back to the castle, take Rey with you. Inform Luke that he needs to bring his guards down here. I'll stay and do damage control… Ride fast, we don't know if this is over."

Phasma nodded grimly, and he helped her onto her horse, lying Rey's still limp body over the front of the saddle, Kylo slapped the horses rump and they sped off, the already nervous horse very happy to be getting away from the acrid smoke the burning bodies were producing.

Kylo turned back to the villagers, ordering them to go back into their homes and to stay there until daylight.

He wanted to run the perimeter, but on his own that would be foolish, so he waited for the Knights and Luke's guard, carefully scanning the surroundings as he collected the scattered weapons and studied the burning bodies as much as he could, a rag pressed up against his nose and mouth.

He knew the stench of charred human flesh and this was not it. They were not human, and whatever they were, they were deadly. He could not recall any being like them from all his training.

And yet the wrangler appeared to know them intimately. She had killed one all on her own while three Knights of Ren had only managed to keep one at bay.

A startling question presented itself to him, was Rey human? If she survived whatever it was that had struck her down, he would require answers from her.

For now, he watched, sabre and knife bare in his hands, tension coiled in his muscles, he waited.