Thanks for your reviews! I'm so happy! Sum up the reviews of my two ff and you'll get...97!

3 more and I've got 100! I could scream like a seven-year-old when he has learned how to bicycle...lol

Ok, on with the story...

Chapter 6: Lightning

A small figure, wrapped in a big cloak rode across the land.(A/N: Haha, I'm not going to tell you who he is. Can you guess?) He gallopped as if someone was hunting him and his cloak waved in the strong wind. Then it began to rain heavily. The man cursed under his breath and urged his horse to run even faster.

He looked around as if he was looking for something or someone. Where is she?, he thought. And why shall I find her? He was confused. Strange dreams had been haunting him lately. Strange dreams about a little girl with purple eyes.

Flashback-

Deep in a forest lay a young girl. She seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen. Her head was bleeding. It seemed as if it had been thud on the rock on which it was lying now. But still she looked as if she was alive. The strange thing about her were her eyes. And her hair…it was short, like the one of a boy and her skirt had also been cut.

The picture of the girl slowly vanished. A pair of emerald eyes appeared in the darkness. "I have a task for you" someone said. Her voice - it definitely belonged to a woman- was husky and soft, like the wind blowing through the treetops and yet it reminded him of a pack of hounds belling in the hunt.

The man shuddered at the memory of the voice. It had sounded like the voice of a goddess. He didn't like the thought about being given a task by a god or goddess. What if he failed?

"Keep the look of the girl in mind. You have to find her. She's in danger and I doubt she'll survive if she is left in that forest alone for long. I know you're a good man, I trust you."

The big green eyes with the long lashes stared at him for a moment. It seemed as if they wanted to make sure he wouldn't forget them.

"The girl has an important duty. Everything could happen if she dies, but it surely wouldn't be something good. The kingdom of Tortall is in danger. When her time comes the girl with the purple eyes has to save the kingdom and the crown prince."

The eyes disappeared and the voice slowly faded. One last time it spoke up again.

"It's the girl's destiny. It's been written in the stars…"

End of Flashback-

The man looked up. A forest spanned itself in front of him. It had to be the forest that he had seen in his dream. He didn't know how he was so sure about that, but anyway he was. He rode deep in the heart of the wood and looked everywhere. Then he heard hushed breathing.

He dismounted and walked towards the sound. There she laid, her head on a rock and her face pale. He kneeled down next to her and examined the wound on her head. It wasn't very deep and it would be healed in about three days if she was brought to a healer. But she was really thin. It seemed as if she hadn't eaten for days. The man ripped a piece of cloth off his tunic and bandaged the wound.

The girls slowly opened her eyes. "Who…who are…you?", she stammered.

"I'm Myles of Olau. I'm going to bring you to a healer and you'll get well again. Can you stand up?"

"I don't know", she answered and her voice was still a bit shaky. She tried to stand up but she stumbled and fell again.

Myles helped her up and the girl leaned against him. He brought her to his horse and helped her to mount up. He took the reins and headed for the next village.

A few weeks later….

Alanna sat on her new bed in her new home. After being healed Sir Myles had offered her to live at Barony Olau and after long thinking about it Alanna had accepted after all. She didn't want to go home to Trebond and of course she wouldn't go to the convent again.

Sir Myles was nice to her. He let her wear men's clothes and he helped her with her training. He had more and more become like a father for her, a father she never had had. It didn't matter to him that she was a girl or that she had run away from the convent or that she was stubborn and had quite a temper. He took her just as she was and Alanna's life started to become better.

One day Sir Myles took Alanna to the ruins of Barony Olau. The walls of the ruins were taller than Alanna was. They were built with marble, and the stone gleamed as if it had been carved the day before. A gate made of heavy black wood dangled half off its bronze hinges.

Alanna was fascinated, but somehow she wondered why it had been so important for Myles to show her the ruins. Not that she didn't want to go, she just wondered… "Why do you bring me here?", she asked finally.

"Because I was compelled", he answered casually.

Alanna's eyes grew wide in shock. "You were what?"

"I was compelled", he said again. "For seven nights in a row a had the same dream. You and I were exploring the ruins. As I asked you to go here with me two days before, the dreams stopped."

"Oh", Alanna said. She didn't understand all that. Why should she have to go to the ruins of Barony Olau? She was just a little girl…why should it be important for anyone that she went there?

"I'm an everyday man. I like when I know what comes tomorrow and when everything's in its place. I get nervous when the gods brush my life. You never know what happens if they brush your life."

The gods, Alanna thought, What did she have to do with the gods? Why should they want anything from her? She wasn't one of the gods' chosen, was she? Alanna shuddered. The thought of being one who was chosen from the gods made her nervous and let her shiver.

"Shall we go in?", Myles asked.

Myles showed Alanna all the rooms in the ruin and told her what he had found out and what he thought the rooms could have been.

After a few minutes Alanna found a spearhead on the floor. She looked around and saw brackets carved in the stone blocks lying nearby. Those brackets could easily fit spears, swords, axes-

"Myles!", she called. "I think I found the armory."

He came over. "I agree. But I'm interested in cooking gear, not weapons. You'll probably find more of these. You're a sharp fellow, Alanna.", he said with a grin.

Then a great piece of stone lying on the floor caught Alanna's eyes. Unlike the blocks that formed the walls it was black. A metal handle was set in one side. Alanna rubbed it with her shirtsleeve.

"What makes you think that?", she asked.

"How many thirteen-year-olds find out where the armory is in an old ruin. That's great, especially for a girl. Don't misunderstand me. I think it's great that there are girls who are interested in things like that, but still it's unusual, even if that's sad."

Then she tugged at the handle, but the stone didn't move. "Myles, you seem to think I'm special. I'm not, really." She tried again to make the stone move, with both hands this time.

"You are special. You can deny it but you are.", then he added with a smile, "And even if it's just because the gods seem to like you."

Alanna sighed. Then she looked at the stone again. "Myles, could you help me?"

"It won't move, anyway. I tried often enough. I think it's just the armory door."

But Alanna didn't give in. She braced her feet firmly, gripped the handle and tugged with all her strength. Suddenly there was a groan of mechanism long unused and the great stone moved away. It revealed a stairway, leading down into darkness.

"Don't you come with me?", Alanna asked as she saw Myles looking at her oddly.

"You….you….I tried to open it when I was sixteen and I was with another boy, who is the blacksmith now. How could you open it? You're only thirteen."

"I guess there was dirt in the gears and the rain washed it away. Come on now."

"Are you crazy? You can't go without light."

Alanna began to grin. "But I have light. Haven't I told you I have the gift?"

Myles stared at her for a few minutes. Then he smiled. "You have the gift? And you want to tell me you're not special.", he said.

A bright violet flame appeared on Alanna's palm and she trotted of down the passage. Alanna realized that there was something strange about the dark tunnel. Something down there seemed to call her, singing in her mind. And there was another something. It felt cold, black and ghostlike and somehow it seemed to be alive, hovering just outside the fire of her magic and waiting for the flame to die down. It frightened Alanna but the voice that sang in her head was stronger. Far stronger.

"Come back!", she heard Myles yell but the voice in her head made Myles screams fade away.

Then she saw something in her darkness. It was a crystal. Alanna touched it and recognized it was attached to the hilt of a sword. Alanna took it with trembling hands and shouted, "Myles! Come down and look what I've found!"

Suddenly the flame on Alanna's palm went out. Darkness began to surround her and long dark tentacles reached for her. Finally those tentacles grabbed her body and squeezed all the breath out of Alanna. She tried to scream and to fight against that something. She struggled and kicked but it was no use.

And then, for the first time in her life, Alanna stopped to fight. She had tried everything but she knew she had used up all her air and her strengh. The darkness entered her brain and she was dying.

Suddenly the crystal sword blazed, its light shoving the darkness out of her brain. The tentacles around Alanna's body let loose and Alanna drew in a lungful of air.

Back at Sir Myles' house…

Alanna sat in a big armchair and regarded the crystal sword in her hands. Myles voice woke her from her thoughts. "Do you think it has magic?"

Alanna looked up. "I'm sure it has. It has saved my life down there, but I don't know what kind of magic it is. I've got no control over it, that's for sure."

"Why don't you draw it?", Myles enquired.

Alanna stared at him, confused. "It's not my sword, I've found it in your ruins so it belongs to you."

But Myles shook his head. "No, it doesn't" As he saw that Alanna was still staring at him he sighed. "I've almost been forced to bring you here, don't you understand? I've pulled on that stone about a hundred times, but it has never opened and now it does when you try. That's no coincidence. The sword is meant to be yours so take it."

Alanna smiled and draw the sword.

"What will you call her?"

Alanna thought a bit but then she had an idea. "What about 'Lightning'?"

Hey, that was the longest chapter I've ever written...Please review! You know...klick on the button down there and write something (nice) about my story ;-) lol

The next chapter: The black city...