Chapter One, Winter:
Living out the fall alone, with only Kooraw to keep me company, I practiced everything Grandfather had taught me, over and over, until I had memorized every possible detail, every move, every poison, everything.
I practiced throwing daggers, striking at men-sized logs in all the right places, just as Grandfather had taught me, and honing my hunting skills. During the long hours of winter, I discovered things around the house that my Grandfather had never spoken of. After finding his personal library in his room, I spent the long winter tearing apart the house looking for anything to read.
What an amazing assortment of history did I find therein! Books and journals, notes and objects, a lifetime of an Assassin's tools and trade. The things I found under the floorboard would chill the blood of a normal man, and the objects I found in the rafters would chill the blood of any being with enough thought to fear it's own demise…
But the most amazing things, in my opinion, were of the simple sort. The things that defined my Grandfather as a person, rather than as a Shadow-Spinner. My Grandfather's devotion to wood carving was unmatched by anyone I have met since. His room and study were literally filled with carvings of Ravens, Weasels, Snakes, and Lizards. Many of them named, and described in his notes. Particularly the poisonous varieties, of course.
Spring was rather late in coming, and by then, I had created quite a stockpile of herbs, poisons, healing potions, and antidotes. I can honestly say now that there must have been enough poison and antidotes in that house to poison an entire army of men and bring them all back from the brink of death in the same day!
If only I had some of those Golden Serpent scales now… ah, bliss, those memories of the past…
