'Go a bit easy!' Mel said irritably as Stella grabbed her forcefully, the nails sinking into her waist.

'I'm sorry!' Stella said, her voice shaky as Mel steered the horse out of the pit she had just driven it into. 'I've never ridden anything before'

Mel scowled. She wished she had left her in Thais itself. Not only had she no real proof that Stella was actually being chased by vampires, but she was nothing more than a slow down while traveling. It wasn't that Mel wanted to go any faster, but the journey itself had become uncomfortable.

They had been riding right along the path that led to the north of Thais for the last five hours and Mel felt glad that Edward was with them. He had sound knowledge about the roads, passes and even about several cross roads that he claimed led straight into traps. He rode better than her too, something no one could possibly blame her for. Their breathing had turned harsh and Mel was drenched with perspiration.

'Let's stop here for a while!' she called out to Edward, who was waiting a little distance ahead. Without waiting for an answer, she got down from the horse and tied it to a nearby tree.

'I must say you did well' Edward said, getting down himself. He tied up his horse beside Mel's and threw a bit of water on it's head. 'That is, for a first time long rider, at least!'

'Where have you been to before?' Mel asked, washing her face with water. It was quite cool, unlike she had expected in the harsh sun.

'Not too many' he said, looking through the bags. 'I have been to Stormbend once, it's a sea shore town; then there is the kingdom of Candar, once glorious like Thais; then some other places too, like Naedor that you wouldn't hear of so often and of course, Tar Vedron. You know the princes who had...'

'I know that!' she said, nodding. 'That's quite far, isn't it?'

'Yeah, it actually is. You've got to go by a ship, something that I'm not really inclined to, but it is rewarding. Complete desert, but beautiful! The people are awesome, like all kinds of magic stuff, fighting competitions and all that!'

She nodded again, not very interested. She had started on a loaf of bread, taking huge chunks.

'So what about you, Stella?' Edward asked. Mel almost jumped. She had completely forgotten about her. Stella was quietly standing behind her, the bright hair gleaming in the light.

'I... I don't know...' she said, looking sad again. 'I can't remember anything except being ch...'

She stopped abruptly as Mel glared at her.

'Except falling' she said hastily. 'Nothing before that...'

Edward looked at her, then at Mel and again at her.

'Alright, I'll believe that!' he said loudly. Stella looked as if someone had just accused her of murder. Mel looked at her sternly again.

They finished a little more of their supply of food in silence, before lying down on the rough ground, thinking they'd leave in a few minutes. Her back ached, rather badly, and the ground felt like heaven. Within seconds, she was snoring.


They didn't ride as fast as the morning when they started again. The scenery had hardly changed, but Mel was sure they had traveled at least about fifty miles. Most of her body had turned rather numb and the occasional knocks the horse gave felt nothing. The sun was somewhere nearby the horizon when Edward suggested they stop at a village they had come by. Without much thought, Mel obliged.

The night in the nameless village passed quietly. People in these parts were general a merry and slow going folk. Guests were rare, so they didn't mind asking them many a question. Edward avoided mentioning his rank, Mel avoided much talk altogether while Stella didn't really have much to talk. They spent the night in the local inn, not wanting to take advantage of anyone's hospitality. The inn was mediocre at best, for again, not many people usually came in those parts. The night was uneventful, and they woke up to find their horses fresh and fed by their host. Still sleepy, they set off just after the crack of dawn.

The scenery changed rapidly today, as they steadily moved northward, nearing the border of the kingdom of Thais. The foliage had become sparse, but greener, and they did have difficulty finding shadowy trees. The frequent lakes that appeared near Thais had completely vanished and the terrain had become steadily rockier and sloping upwards. Their horses tired quickly in the burning sun, and they had to stop more than once through the day.

Stella, Mel discovered, was actually quite a pleasant person, unlike her mind had set herself. She was innocent, careful and above all, easily afraid, perhaps due to her lack of knowledge of her past. Mel had started to wonder again whether the falling comet really had been her, for she no longer doubted much that Stella had told her. Somehow, she didn't feel like a person who would lie, and anyway, what could possibly be the motive?

They rode through the day, wondering at the strength of the horses. They were very near to the border now and more than once were they held by the soldiers of Thais. The particular area they were in was a dense forest, not as dense as Harburg, but denser than Thais. It had been a surprise for Edward too, for generally, the forest thinned in this direction, like their experience had been till now. Still frowning, he got down. It was almost night, and only a few patches of blue could be seen in the sky.

'We'll stop here' he announced. 'I guess this is the first time you're camping, right?'

'No' Mel said, slightly irritated. Edward was again speaking like a know-it-all. Stella on the other hand, nodded, looking around fearfully.

They set up their small, but important fire in the middle of a nearby clearing. The roads were not developed in these parts, so there was no choice of staying close to civilization. The forest besides the fire was pitch black, though the crescent moon did shine a bit of white light. The forest was quiet, a bit too quiet for her liking. Edward had lit a torch, fixing it in the ground. About an hour later, when her eyes had become droopy, Edward suddenly turned back.

Slowly, carefully he scanned the trees. Not looking back, he tried to get to the torch, almost burning his hand. Carefully, slowly he again looked through the trees in the dim light.

'Mel' he whispered. Before he could call again, she was wide awake, so was Stella. There was a slight ruffling sound, that of movement. Several dangerous things were known to lurk in the forest, and Mel hoped it wasn't one of them. They waited, eyes wide open for a minute. A rabbit suddenly jumped out, ran the length of the clearing, and disappeared into the forest.

Mel breathed out. Edward had become jumpy for no reason. He continued to stare at the trees for a few more seconds and then turned back, putting the torch back into the ground.

A swift sound of movement, grinding of metal, a scream and a bright flash of light. It all happened before she knew it. Edward was on his feet, the Excalibur gleaming in the moonlight, stained with blood. The corpse of the beast lied on the ground, decapitated. The wild wolves, often called Wrants, were known to be fierce, but Mel had no idea that it would be so huge. It probably could have eaten her whole. But that wasn't the only intriguing part.

Besides the corpse lay the body if another. This one was almost five feet from Edward but looked it fallen, unconscious. Stella was standing, her hand still pointing at the wolf. She looked shaky and the color was drained from her face.

'Who did that?' Edward asked, he himself looking slightly afraid. The question didn't need to be answered. Looking at them with wide eyes, he sprinted to the body and examined it.

'It's alive' he said, his nose wrinkled at the smell. Carefully, he ran his hand over the thick fur. 'Why didn't you tell us?'

The question was obviously intended for Stella.

'I...' she looked at them close to tears, one after the other. 'I swear, I didn't know'

They softened. She was, obviously, telling the truth.

'Well, then it's good we could find it' Edward said, grinning. 'It could be of use to us!'

'But what did you do?' Mel asked.

'I...' she stammered again. 'It jumped out, so I... don't... that's it...'

They looked at each other.

'I think you must be of the healer's clan' Edward said, nodding. 'The specific spell you used, which happens to be "sleep", is a distinguished characteristic of theirs'

Stella nodded, unsure of the implications. They didn't speak for a few seconds.

'Well, I'll just say, don't be too keen to show it to everyone around' Edward said gravely. 'Sorcery is not well taken in these parts, unlike foreign lands. Only trained magic is considered acceptable, likes of which are taught only in the academy. Uncontrolled magic is often considered witchcraft, which has bad consequences, and I'm not looking forward to something like that...'

She nodded again, looking afraid as usual.

'Don't get freaked out though, I think it's all good!' he said, suddenly joyful, as if nothing had happened. 'Today's a good day. A real kill, Stella discovering herself and... I don't know anything for you...' He looked at Mel, who scowled.

'Let's move somewhere else' she said. 'I don't fancy sleeping in a pool of blood'

'Trust me' Edward said grimly. 'None of us do'

He bent down and cleanly killed the other wrant.