WOOHOO! I've been watching the Fast and the Furious, and ya know what? Now my writer's block is gone. Maybe it was sweaty Paul Walker driving fast cars . . . yumyum. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I changed my pen name — sort of. Anyway, here is the next chapter!

A Noble Landing in the Copper Isles

Kel stood at the prow of the Surfsoarer, a luxury ship bound for the Copper Isles. She looked out over the seemingly endless expanse of the Emerald Ocean, and let her mind drift back over the past three weeks.

***

After they had recovered the Fourth, Kel and Neal had immediately headed out of the Grimhold Mountains. They didn't know how long the Shrillskin's tunnel system stretched, and neither of them wanted to stick around and find out.

It took them a little over four days to reach the foothills, and another day to reach flat ground. They had a minor skirmish with another band of Scanrans, but this time there were only four, and they disposed of them fairly quickly.

Two more days on the road should have brought them to the Tortallan border, but instead, Kel and Neal found themselves on the outskirts of the Scanran base camp. The two knights were forced to go all the way around on the coast. Finally, they came to the end of the Scanrans, only to run into a group of Copper Islanders.

"Is it just me, or are things looking very, very bad?" Neal muttered to Kel as they beat a hasty retreat.

Luckily, they were able to thread a path in the forest, right between the two enemy camps. They exited the forest when they crested a small hill, and found themselves looking at the revised Tortallan border. The kingdom was barricaded against entry.

Kel and Neal made a quick decision.

The next night, under cover of darkness, Neal snuck to the city walls and levitated himself over them, taking care that the sentries didn't notice him. Once inside, he made his way by back halls and secret passages to Myles's suite, and talked late into the night with him. Just before dawn broke, Myles escorted him out a gate, heavily cloaked and with great baskets of food.

Kel was waiting for him, nervously biting her fingernails. She waited for him to get to the other side of the small hill, than bit her lip, asking, "How is it?"

Neal was grim. "Not good." He gave her a quick rundown. Fiefs Disart, Josu's Dirk, Vikison Lake, Runnerspring, Darroch, Blythdin and seven others were all taken, and all four enemy forces were closing in on the capital.

"And Mindelan?" Kel asked, closing her eyes.

"Mindelan is surrounded on all sides and under siege, but so far, they're holding up," he told her gently. They both knew that Queenscove was quite near the center of the kingdom, and therefore pretty much out of danger.

She sat silently for a few minutes, eyes closed. A single tear trickled out of her right eye. When Kel finally opened her eyes, they had a merciless look in them. Angrily, she brushed the single tear away.

"Let's go," she said. "We don't have much time."

***

"You're all wet."

Neal's voice jolted her out of her memories. She blinked and shook herself, sparkling beads of water falling from her body. Kel looked down. She was covered in thousands of tiny water droplets, the result of standing in the spray for a continuous amount of time. She turned to Neal and smiled. "I know." There was a short pause.

"You know," Neal began. "I don't think we can just waltz into Copper Isles, not with you looking like . . . well, a lady knight. You know that this is an extremely conservative kingdom, and bad things could, and probably will, happen if you beat anyone."

"Are you saying I should disguise myself?" Kel's voice was incredulous.

"Well . . . yeah," Neal said.

Silence.

"It was just a suggestion," Neal said.

Silence.

"Nnghh," Neal said.

"Just what type of person were you thinking I would dress up as?" Kel asked, her voice dangerously low.

Neal turned a little to the left and looked over Kel's shoulder. His eyes flicked to her face, than back over her shoulder. Kel turned slowly. Standing a short while behind her was a lady she recognized from Court. The lady was wearing at least three layers of petticoats, and a dress covered in more flounces than Kel could ever remember seeing on a single dress ever before in her life. The lady had an elaborate hairdo. Standing beside her was an elegantly dressed man.

"Absolutely not. No way in the Dark God's Realms," Kel hissed. Pause.

"Kel . . . "

Three hours later, Kel, leading Topaz (an appropriately fine-boned mare for a noble lady), dashed off the pier and onto Island soil. She was garbed in an intricately worked dress. However, it was about three inches too short, and almost obscenely tight across the shoulders. Why did that lady have to be so gullible? she thought despairingly. She bought that story about Neal's "sister's" wardrobe getting lost so quickly you'd think it happened every day! And the maids! Clucking over my height, exchanging glances over my muscles and bruises! I wish I had my glaive! she finished passionately.

As soon as she got onto dry land, she flounced in the direction of the tree line, but stopped after several steps. "Augh!" she cried. "This dress makes it impossible to do anything but flounce!" Neal snorted.

Kel adjusted her petticoats furiously. "I still don't see why I couldn't have hidden my hair and been a boy."

"M'dear," Neal drawled, "You'd have to hide other things than your hair." He glanced obviously at her chest. Kel glared furiously at him and mounted Topaz.

Or rather, she tried to. Her dress — her gown, it wasn't a dress — her gown tangled her legs and hindered her attempt to mount. Neal watched with interest as she fought with the ruffles and lace, and chuckled when she finally flung her skirts down in disgust.

"A little help?" she said.

Neal offered her his hand, but she grabbed his shoulder and levered herself up, sitting astride the saddle. Rubbing his shoulder ruefully, Neal swung into the saddle of Peachblossom.

"Oof," he said. "How do you manage to sit on this horse? His back is absolutely enormous!"

Kel eyed him. "I wouldn't ride him too fast. You might fall off," she told him smugly.

"Remember to sit sidesaddle, Lady Keladry," he retorted. "Wouldn't the nobles think it strange to find a lady who rides like a knight? Go faster," he told Peachblossom, who trotted into the trees.

"Not if the lady is a knight," muttered Kel. She yelled after him, "First stop is to get me some new dresses!"

Okay. Fairly pointless chapter, but I don't care. I needed to write something, and I had to set up the next section. So now that I know where I'm going, there will be more updates more often. And don't worry, the next chapter will be better — hopefully.

Also, if you hadn't noticed, I changed my pen name to Lady Katharine Heartspark. I like it better, and it's more unique. So yay for Heartspark!

Augh! I just re-read the chapter. I hate it! Augh! Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad! Sorry! Better chapter next time! Ack! It's so bad and boring that I want to throw up. Yuck.