(A/N:) Surprise, it's me. Number29. Also known as Jake the King

I really am not going to write much of a Author Note here. I think the title explains pretty much everything you need to know about this chapter. Plus my fingers are already tired from typing for almost a strait hour, correcting mistakes, creating this chapter, an so on.

Anyway, all you need to know is that there is action ahead. Lots of it. Plus a new character. Want to know his name? Oh... well you've been pretty good so far. Alright, here we go. His name is... is... is Jakkar Inimul Shu. Remember that name. It will be said many times throughout the book, perhaps more than two times in this very chapter! Ha Ha!

Keep reading.

(End of A/N)

3. Legendary Swordsman

After the men had recovered from the surprise attack by the Binetreum, the armies set out again. Daine was in the same spot she'd began, and noted with a satisfied feeling that the men were all tense, and on their toes.

It was one of the hottest days of the year, as it was already into the beginning of the summer months, and the sun beat down on them mercilessly. Most of the men, even King Jonathan had stiripped off at least their plate armor. Some weren't even wearing any clothing on their upper bodies.

When they stopped to make camp that night, Daine could fell the animals moving back into the forest from all directions, thanking her for scouring the forest of the Binetreum. Along the ride, at least one hundred birds greeted her, and she was very happy the forest was getting back to normal.

Practicing her archery later that night, with only the light of the full moon to guide her, she kept a wary eye on the edge of the forest, not quiet trusting it, even after a full days worth of order restoring.

Numair and Onua were meditating. Daine hadn't even known that Onua was there until they were pitching camp and she'd seen Onua through the crowd.

Daine, having been keeping her senses aware that night, heard a twig snap behind her. In one motion, she quickly drew her bowstring back to her ear, and whipped around.

Her arrow was pointed at a young man, probably about her age. He didn't flinch when her finger tightened on the bowstring.

"What is your name?" she demanded, not relaxing her grip on the bow in the least.

He didn't reply.

"Who are you?" she demanded again, tightening her grip on the bowstring again.

"My name is... is Jakkar," he replied after a moments hesitation. "Is the King of Tortall here?"

Daine lowered her weapon, and set it on the ground. She brought her hand to her sword's hilt.

"What makes you think the King would be in such a place?" she laughed. "The King is sitting comfortably on his thrown in Corus."

He glanced at her. "I answered you truthfully, you could do me the same."

"Last name?" she inquired.

"My full name is Jakkar Inimul Shu."

Shu... she knew that name.

"Alright, I'll show you to the King, but I warn you, one wrong move and my sword will cut you down to size," she said. "Now, you walk ahead of me."

He stepped in front of her as she herded him from the edge of the wood to the center of the camp, stopping often to talk to friends of hers along the way. If he truely wanted to see the King, he'd be patient.

They reached the King's tent, and a guard nodded at Daine, signaling that she could enter. When Jakkar tried to follow and they stopped him, she said, "He's with me."

"Daine?" the King asked from a chair next to a small folding desk. "What can I do for you?"

Jakkar bowed quickly. Daine looked at him, remembering that two years ago she would have done the same.

"Jon, this is Jakkar Inimul Shu. He needs to see you, or so he says," Daine replied politely. "Should I ---"

"Shu? As in the legendary swordsman, Jakkar Inimul Shu?" Jonathan cut her off.

"You know him?" Daine asked, puzzled. If he were a "legendary swordsman" then she was sure she'd have heard of him.

"Yes, Daine. This is Jakkar Shu the greatest swordman in the world. He won the tournament on Champion Island two years ago. Show us your sword, Jakkar," Jonathan said.

Jakkar unclipped his sword sheath, and drew an insanely long and thin sword from inside it.

"I make my own swords," Jakkar said, seeing Daine's surprised look. "It is unbreakable."

Daine reached for the sword, and Jakkar offered it to her. She accepted, running her finger over the edge of the blade. It drew blood instantaneously, and she smiled. The sword was sharp, and if it was unbreakable, then it must be formidable.

"You beat the Lioness?" Daine asked absentmindedly, trying out a few practice swings with the sword.

Jakkar smiled. "Barely. It was a very close match."

"If I asked, could you forge me a sword?" Daine asked.

Jakkar looked surprised. "I suppose. I'd need your measurments, though."

Daine laughed, "No, that's alright. I'm quiet happy with the sword I have now."

She drew out her own sword. Jakkar took it, then he did something Daine had never dreamed he would.

He held the sword above his head, and green magic swirled around it. Jakkar screamed something that sounded remotely like "Unbreakable!" but she couldn't tell.

He handed the sword back to her, along with a smile.

"It will never break," he said.

Daine stared at him.

"Are you a mage?" she asked. "What robe?"

"I am," he replied. "Black robe."

"Funny, Numair's never mentioned you," Daine replied.

"He doesn't know me. He studied at the University in Carthak, I studied in the Yamani Islands."

"Oh," Daine said, feeling stupid. "Well I'm off to bed. When are we moving on?"

"Tomorrow morning, at dawn," the King replied. "Tomorrow is our last day riding. Then begins the war."

The man sat at the King of Tusaine's elbow. His hair was filled with braids, and many jewels adorned his body, on his toes, fingers, and around his neck. He wore silk robes of red.

"I grow bored," he commented. "When will the real fun begin?"

"All in due time, Ozorne," was the reply. "I grow restless as well. Jonathan is one day's ride from Drell. He will be there by this time tomorrow. Go get some rest. You will get your revenge on one Numair Salmal'in and Verdaine Sarrasri."

Ozorne stood, his beads knocking together.

"But I want to kill them now!" he screamed with rage. "Now!" he screamed again. The air around him glowed brightly.

"Restrain yourself, Ozorne. Remember, if you do as I wish," King Ain held up a clay figure of Ozorne, "I'll give this to you. After, and only after, Jonathan has died."

"Yes," Ozorne muttered as he walked away. "Emperor Ozorne is not someone that you want to toy with, my friend."

The spirits in the camp that morning were grim. The men all knew what was happening. They were going into battle agianst Tusaine, some for the second time in their lives.

Daine was among the grim. She was barely an adult, but she had already fought in two wars. And she wasn't even a rider or knight!

About two hours riding later, Jakkar found his way to Daine and Numair. He was ridding a horse that was black with a cresent moon shaped white spot on its forehead ---

"Dagger?" Daine asked surprised.

Jakkar looked at her strangely.

"Dagger is that you?" Daine repeated, reaching out with her Wild magic. She couldn't feel anything. "There's something wrong with your horse, Jakkar."

"What do you mean?" Jakkar asked.

"Numair," Daine asked, ignoring Jakkar. "What exactly are all of the abilities the Binetreum posess?"

"They can through acid, change their shape, become invisible, enter another being's body and control it, they can read, and they are fairly smart. They have magic dampeners in their very breath."

"How could you expell it from a body it has infiltrated?" Jakkar asked, catching on.

"I suppose you'd have to spread your magic into it's body and literally burn it to death."

Jakkar put both hands on the stallion's head, and Daine could see his emerald green Gift swirling around it.

The horse let out a sharp neigh that sounded like a strangled scream. Daine quickly put her hands ont othe horses neck, and searched the body for any injuries. She found a hole burnt in the stomach, and she healed it.

They continued this way for at least two minutes, finally Jakkar nodded at her, and took his hands away. Daine followed suit, pulling her hands away slowly, putting the finishing touches on healing a burned lung wall.

"Dagger, can you hear me?" she asked.

Of course, he replied, looking at her funnily. Why wouldn't I be able to?

"No reason."

They rode in silence from then on. After another hour or two of hard riding, they stopped for their midday break, and to eat their midday meal.

Daine was eating with the other men when she noticed that Jakkar wasn't there. Frowning, she finished her meal, and went looking for him, asking the animals for help along the way. With the help on an eagle soaring high overhead, she found him in no time at all.

He was in a clearing, a good hundred yards from the camp. She couldn't see him, but she could hear him, after reforming her ears to those of a bat. He was practicing swordsplay.

She entered the clearing silently, they way she and Numair walked when they were on their journey's together. He apparently heard her though, as he turned and glared at her.

"What?" he demanded.

"I was just looking for you," Daine replied firmly, not even flinching at the harshness of his voice. "You could be slightly more civil, by the way. It's not like I've walking in on you naked or anything."

He turned his gaze to the ground. "I don't like people watching when I practice."

He took a few swings with his customly made sword. Daine couldn't even see them.

Of course, she reminded herself, he is a legendary swordsman, and I do have much more to learn about the art of swordsmanship.

His back was turned to her now, and he was practicing his swings again, against a replica of him. It was a similicron, like the kind Numair made.

So this is how he got so good, she thought, practicing against himself. If he's so good, then his similicron must be almost the same.

"Daine, Jakkar," Numair said, entering the clearing silently just as Daine had. "We're leaving now."

They reached Fort Drell by sundown. They could see it on the horizon from the makeshift fort that the men that had arrrived before them had created. It was built like Port Legann, with six solid rock and wood walls, dotted with guard towers.

"It was built by mages, Daine," Numair told her, as she gazed in wonder at the huge fort before them. "Building was begun on it ten years ago, and these men, along with some of the lesser mages, finished construction. It's just as good as Fort Drell."

As they rode in, Daine could see that there was three catapults atop each wall, with a ready supply of boulders and liquid fire close by. The walls were walkable. The inside of the secondary fort looked like Legann as well, there was the large gate they'd rode in through, made out of solid oak with three iron locks, top, bottom, and middle.

There was a large courtyard in the center, filled with high growing trees. Animals that lived in the fort gretted her, including some birds and squirrels in the trees.

After climbing the wall, Daine saw that there was multiple defenses to slow any riders from the newly built fort: trenches filled with quicksand as the first line, large X shaped sharpened wooden crosses as the second to gut any horses that tried to jump, and a long stretch of thick liquid that was filled with what Numair called "Fireweed." It sizzled threateningly, large bubbles of gas popped every now and then, and in stunk badly.

"Daine!" Tkaa yelled happily, running to them with Kitten in his pouch. "We've already been here a week, what took you?"

"Oh just the fact that I had to ride with the pace of a slow moving army," Daine replied. "Tkaa, there's someone I'd like you to meet," she guestered to Vindine, who'd caught up to them the night before.

"Vindine?" Tkaa asked. "Is that you?"

"Tkaa? I can't believe this!" Vindine said, settling on the ground. "You didn't tell me you knew Tkaa," he added to Daine.

"I didn't think you'd know him."

Vindine walked to Tkaa, and embraced him.

"When we were separated in the Divine Realms, brother, I never dreamed I'd see you again," Vindine said after a few seconds, breaking away from Tkaa as he said it.

"You're a basilik?" Daine asked. "You can't be, I'd have reconized you."

"No, he is a Enetrian," Tkaa replied. "He is much older than me, at least by ten centuries. He is an Immortal that humans know little, if nothing, about. I call him brother because he is the closest Immortal species besides my own people that are related to the basilik."

Now that she looked, Tkaa and Vindine did look slightly the same. But she'd ponder that later, for now, all she wanted was a hot bath and some sleep.