Chapter one

Shoot first, ask questions later. If they answer, shoot again

—a friend

Guinevere sat under her linen sheet staring at the ceiling there was a small breeze coming in through the open window and Guinevere couldn't get to sleep. She got up and slipped into her silk robe and walked out onto the balcony of the girls' dorm. She looked out on edge of the plane and the rainbow shimmer that separated them from the darkness of nothingness. Guinevere was worried about her Draconic test the next day and not getting any sleep wasn't helping. She decided to go through some attack sequences to burn off her extra energy. Guinevere returned to her room, she replaced her robe on the rack and lifted her sleeping pad up removed the lose floor board. Underneath was a short bow draped in demon and devil thumbs, three vials of knock out poison and an aqua obsidian kukri with an intricately crafted mahogany handle that had been gilded with swirls or gold and platinum. She reached in and carefully removed the kukri. Placing it in her cloth thong she replaced her mat and walled silently back to the balcony. Guinevere closed her eyes and a set of lightless black wings sprung forth from her shoulder blades. She looked down at the ground some thirty feet below with out a second thought she leaped off the balcony and glided onto the ground. When she landed her winds dissipated into the night and she began to walk to the training grounds. Guinevere walked through the garden and around the lake, as she neared the training grounds she the clashing of metal and heavy breathing. Guinevere closed her eyes and the shadows engulfed her she opened her eyes and walked silently to the edge of training ring.

Inside the wring was a female figure cloaked in full samurai armor. She was wielding a curved katana and kukri. On the other side of the ring was a Minotaur wielding a huge great sword and a tower shield. It was bleeding from a large gash on its left arm and it was supporting it self on its sword tip. Guinevere watched as the woman moved into an extremely complex attack stance and beckon to Minotaur with her kukri. It snorted and charged with its' sword above its head. The woman didn't flinch instead she took one step forward and started to fade, and then she ran at the Minotaur. Right as the Minotaur's sword should have contacted with the samurai's head she leaped through the sword and she slashed the creatures left horn off, then she threw her kukri into its left shoulder. To complete the action the samurai grabbed the horn and landed about five feet behind the Minotaur. Guinevere was awed.

"You are one foolish creature to even think you could make me break a sweat." The samurai scoffed and shook the horn at the Minotaur.

"Grash anaga oot, oot nitoco diai!!" it snarled in anger. He dropped his sword and shield, lowered his head and started to paw the ground.

"You can even use common can you? You are stupid come on you fool come after me I dare you. Can you look death straight in the eyes and not flinch you feral cow?" The samurai said calmly.

"I can it just horrid speech. Now diai ready oot self death!" it screamed and charged. The samurai ran at the Minotaur and leaped over its charge with ease, then turned and a dime and charged at the back of the minotaur, using her pent up momentum the samurai leaped again and smashed the horn into its neck. In a finally spasm of death the Minotaur spun around. The action caught the samurai by surprise and she got the Minotaur's right horn stuck in her right shoulder. Pined against the ground and with out her right arm she tried to no avail to lift the bulky creature off her person.

Guinevere watched the fight in awe of the samurai's skills and watch as she was pinned against the ground. She stood staring at the helpless samurai for about three minutes. Finally she ran out of the shadows and dropped her shadow cloak and dropped to her knees next to the samurai's head.

"Are you ok?" Guinevere asked sheepishly.

"Yes I'm . . . uhhh . . . ok maybe I'm not, could you help me with this thing?" the woman said through a gasp of pain.

"Um sure let me see if I can lift it." Guinevere got up and moved to the other side of the Minotaur.

"You wont be able to lift it trust me."

"Just let me try." Guinevere closed her eyes and grasped the Minotaur. It became to shimmer black and a swirling mass appeared above it. The mass expanded engulfing the Minotaur. As the darkness swirled around the Minotaur and it began to melt into the shadows. After a few minuets of melting all of the Minotaur was gone except the horn in the samurai's shoulder.

"How, how did you . . . uhhh . . . do that?" the samurai clutched her shoulder as she spoke.

"Um, well you see, I can't really tell you. Here just let me finish fixing your shoulder I'm usually good at these kinds of things." Guinevere bent down and started to remove the samurai's broken armor. "I'm Guinevere but I'm called Gwen."

"Oh I'm Ariel and you can just cut the bindings this is my practice suite." Ariel said through gritted teeth.

"Oh ok" Guinevere drew her Kukri and cut the bindings with ease, then she removed the armor, finally she replaced her kukri in her thong. "Do you have any extra cloth I can use?" she asked looking around for a large leaf. With out her armor on Ariel was a stunning Elvin youth. She was lean and well built. Her hair was dirty blond and came down to her waist even though it was in a tight French braid. She wore a lose linen shirt and a pair of tight cotton pants.

"Will my shirt do?" Ariel asked.

"Probably do you mind?" Guinevere asked gesturing to Ariel's shirt.

"You don't seem to mind and I would rather . . . uhhh . . . would rather let you see me half nude than die."

The comment went straight over Guinevere's head and she ripped Ariel's shirt off. Placing her had on Ariel's chest next to the horn she griped the horn just above Ariel's skin and started to pull. Ariel bit hard on a piece of armor to keep from screaming, and Guinevere continued to pull. Finally the horn came out.

"Keep biting I'm going to need to dig through the wound a little to find the bits of armor, your luckily it didn't hit your lung." Guinevere closed her eyes and little tendrils of shadow stuff came from her hands. The phased into the wound and started to probe. After about one minuet they found the small piece and pulled it from the wound, finally the tendrils began to heal the top of the skin in order to stop the bleeding. As the wound was closing Ariel passed out because of the pain and Guinevere began to feel woozy from the exertion. She was not used to working that hard with her shadow abilities. Finally as she finished she placed a few herbs and began to wrap the shoulder. As she neared completion Ariel regained consciousness and started to try to sit up. "Wait stay down." Guinevere said.

"The pain is almost gone what, what did you do?" Ariel asked astonished.

"Just what I said I would, you wound is healed on the surface and the bone is reconnected but it will take some time to heal the rest of the way." Guinevere said, she sat back on her heals. She was looking down and playing with the grass.

"Hay what are you embarrassed about you just saved my life, look up." Ariel said sitting up and taking Guinevere's chin. "How long have you been at the Academy Gwen?"

"Well this is my second year but I'm a third year student." She pulled her head away and stood up. "I'm far ahead every one who's my age in blade work and in archery. Its really bad though almost no one likes me because of it."

"Hay its ok don't worry you'll find someone to hang with I'm sure. So do you usually come out here half naked for a walk or was this a special occasion?"

"Hmmm, oh no I don't usually come out here half naked." As Guinevere spoke these words the truth of the matter hit her and she turned around quickly. "I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention and I forgot, usually I don't do those kinds of things."

"Its ok I didn't mind before and I don't mind now, it's not like I'm a guy or anything" Ariel said.

"I guess but still its embarrassing" as Guinevere spoke she closed her eye's and shadow stuff began to surround her. It fully covered her like a jump suite. She turned around and sat down next to Ariel. "So do you usually come out here to fight random creatures?"

"No that was a challenge, it challenged me last time I went off campus and it decided to fight my here."

"Oh I see how do you get off campus its not allowed?"

"Well if you walk right off the edge of the plain then you end up on the astral plane, from there you can go almost any where, the only other way I can think of is going through the shadows."

"I might be able to do that, I've never tried though."

"Well with practice you may be able to we should probably get back to our rooms."

"Yah we should, hay do you know Draconic?"

"Not very well why you have a test soon or something?"

"Yep I got one this morning third period and I'm too worried to sleep."

"Well do you want to spar for a little wile? We still have like six hours to the awakening light."

"I guess but you should be careful with your shoulder you have a pretty deep wound."
"Don't worry I've had worse and still fought"

"ok if you're sure I guess we could spar for a wile, I only brought my kukri, I was planning on summoning sum shadow creatures to fight, maybe we could do that?"

"sure its your choice."

"ok" Guinevere walked over to the ring and closed her eyes. She began to chant and a portal opened in the middle of the ring. After about one minuet three large black dogs leaped out of the portal and it closed.

"Nice job three shadow mastiffs. Let's do this"
"you got it." Guinevere drew her Kukri and started to circle the shadow mastiffs. Ariel picked up her katana and circled opposite Guinevere. As they circled the Shadow mastiffs moved into a triangle position. The first leaped and Guinevere, she side stepped and slashed at the animal hitting its leg. The second shadow mastiff leaped at Ariel, she stood and meat its attack with her katana she slashed up. She caught the shadow mastiff right under the sternum and the force shattered the bone. She drew the katana out on it curved edge then rolled to the left and stood at a ready. The third shadow mastiff backed down and ready to leap at Guinevere. The first shadow mastiff limped to the side of the ring and turned, it barred it teeth and growled at Guinevere. The second hound howled and swayed, as it turned it collapsed into a heap on the ground whimpering. The third shadow mastiff stayed at a ready. Guinevere ran at the wounded shadow mastiff and leaped over it, spreading her wings she swooped down into the face of the creature and slashed the back of its neck, hitting its spine it collapsed, she flipped over dissipating her wings, she flung her kukri at the last dog, before it could react it slammed into its front hip between the neck and bone. It stumbled back wards and yelped. Ariel took the opening rushing forward and slamming her kukri right into the top of the shadow mastiff's skull. Its eye's rolled back into its head and it slumped over. Guinevere walked over and pulled the kukris out of the dead animal; she handed Ariel's to her and wiped hers on the shadow mastiff's fur.

"You did very well. I'm impressed, how did you get those wings?" Ariel said wiping her katana and kukri of.

"Well if I tell you, you have to keep it to your self understand?"

"Of course what ever you're secret is it is safe with me." Ariel said in a clam voice as she walked over to her discarded amour and she sheathed her weapons, picking up her weapons she tied the seethes around her waist and started to lift her armor over her head "well out with it"

"Um well I'm a Drow shadow demon cross breed, my mother was raped so I was the result."

"That's not too bad but as you wish it will never leave these lips, and don't worry I'm here because I'm the child of the great dragon Io Gaman Riato. He had been bread by a great mage Margaret."

"Really wow that like my life almost, how many people know?"

"Um well you and my mother"

"oh ok well its getting pretty early so I should probably go back to sleep."

"yah well your right what level are you in fighting?"

"um I'm in tenth level blade training and third level archery."

"really wow I've got tenth level blade work I'll see you there, good night."

"night" with the last parting words Ariel walked away in the opposite from Guinevere's dorm. She decided to try to go through the shadows as Ariel said. She closed her eyes and began to open a portal, she opened her eyes witch were glowing blood red, she gripped the side of the portal and stepped through. The other side was a mockery of the plane, in the shadow realm the shadows were real and their shadows were the solid objects of the other plain. Guinevere started to walk and found she walked really quickly, in about one minuet she had reached her dorm and she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she ripped through the plane again and walked out. Guinevere was so tired but she managed to fly up to her room and collapse onto her sleeping mat.