Walking through the forest was oddly calming. The breeze causing the leaves above to rustle softly as the birds and insects went about their business. I stared around at everything, not really noticing where we were going. Eventually, though, I did notice when we came to a sheer cliff.

  Given that none of us had climbing equipment, I had no clue how we were going to get down. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I watched Victoria’s mother walk off the edge, dropping nearly out of sight. Only the top of her head showed as she stood there.

  Rushing over, we both looked over the edge to see her standing on a path that followed the wall as it descended to the ground. The thing was barely wide enough for two people to stand abreast without one stepping off the edge.

  Victoria squeezed my hand before letting go and sitting on the ledge. Her mom helped her down before starting off down the path. Apparently, they both thought I would be okay doing this on my own. Sighing, I crouched at the edge and hopped slightly forward. Just enough to clear the ledge and drop down to the path.

  My legs hit a few rocks that were jutting out of the wall as I fell. The sudden impacts were not enough to stop me, but they were enough to change my body's positioning. One foot, then the other hit the ground. Instinctively, I started to roll in an effort to control my impact with the ground.

  As soon as I realized where my roll was taking me, I filed my arms to stop my motion. Only just stopping as my head looked over the edge. My eyes took in the majestic view of the forest below me. The same forest I had nearly gotten too acquainted with just now.

  “Are you going to stay there, or are you coming?” Victoria’s mother’s voice broke me out of my stupor. Scrambling up, I rushed to join them. Keeping as close to the wall as I could. They both gave me a look but otherwise said nothing.

  The path met with the ground near a bend in a small river that had grown into a small pond. Creatures of all sorts were wandering around, not caring about what was going on around them. A snap of a twig had a rather rge wolf looking up at us.

  His eyes looked at us with disdain, until he spotted her mother. The wolf's ears fell ft against his head as he whimpered as he slowly backed up. As soon as he passed the first bush and left my sight, I heard his paws scampering across the ground as he took off in a sprint.

  His abrupt exit didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the clearing. Each creature took their time looking at where he had been before turning to the newcomers. Each of them mimicked him as well as they could. Birds took off just as fast as the nd creatures ran. Water creatures vanishing below the water as various others just disappeared into their burrows.

  Within a matter of minutes of us entering the clearing, it was completely devoid of creatures. That sight, more than anything, made me realize just how dangerous Victoria’s mother was. Just what was she that the very scary creatures of this magic nd ran away at the mere sight of her?

  Not that she seemed to notice or care. She just kept walking. Following the river upstream as it followed the cliff face. Eventually exiting the forest and into a rge, ft, pin-like area. In the distance, a stone wall curved around a town. Each end of the wall merging with the wall of the cliff. In the middle of the wall stood a tall wooden door.

  Between the town and us, filling the rest of the pins, were a multitude of various farm pts. Crops of all sorts growing. The colors looked as if some child simply tossed their paint set onto a canvas before calling it done. Only leaving a few clear lines that crisscrossed the pce. Inevitably, all leading to the entrance to the town.

  We joined the throng of people heading into town. Walking behind a couple of carts as they brought their harvest into town. Eventually, the throng turned into a pair of lines. One for carts and another for groups of people.

  Slowly, the line of people moved into the town. As we got closer, I noticed that the guards at the gate were checking everyone and everything as they entered. “What are they looking for?” I asked, curious.

  “There are creatures that can disguise themselves as humans as well as criminals. Now, both of you, listen to everything they say and follow their instructions.” Her mother said.

  “Next.” The guard gestured to us. “Names and purpose of your visit?”

  Her mother surprised me by answering with our whole names. I didn’t even realize she knew my st name. “Victoria Caldwell, Christian Pendragon, and Marcy Kingston…”

  There were a few whispers at my name, but nothing compared to, what I assume was, hers. The crowd exploded in noise and cries of terror. The guard in front of us straightened and saluted her before gesturing us in. Giving a bow as we passed. Marcy sighed at the reaction and led the way.

  Around us, the crowd parted as we walked. Word of whatever her name meant passing through the town faster than I thought possible given the ck of modern anything. She led us down the roads, apparently knowing exactly where she wanted to go.

  Eventually stopping at a rge piece of property. Pillers dotted the ground as they held up a roof high above. Multiple people walked to and fro, carrying various pieces of metal as they worked on this or that project.

  In the middle of the mayhem stood a man shorter than the rest. His massive hammer coming down onto a bright yellow bar of metal as he worked it into some shape. “Devin Brightsteel!” Marcy called as we approached him.

  He whirled around, his hammer held out in clear threat. His voice gravely with a hint of a Scottish accent as he demanded, “Who dares utter that name?” His anger disappeared as soon as he caught sight of her. His hammer dropping to the ground as he lept forward. “MARCY! By the gods below, where the hell have you been? I was beginning tah think you dead!”

  Everyone near us must have noticed the commotion as all the noises around us abruptly ceased. She held the man in a hug as he kept ranting. “Everyone said that you were captured or that you had died that night. None of the mages I talked to could find a trace of where you went.”

  “Maybe I will tell you ter over a drink. For now, can we get a sword for the boy?”

  “Hah, you know I can never turn down alcohol. What’s this about you wanting tah get a sword for a boy? Dat’s not like you. What are you up tah?” He said as he turned to look me up and down before spotting the hand that Victoria was gripping again. “Ah, always had a soft spot for the boys that protected their dies, didn’t ya?”

  “That’s my daughter.” That had him spinning around to face her again.

  His accent disappeared as he growled. “What do you mean your daughter? I thought you and your…” She cut him off with a simple gesture. Waving her off, he continued, “Right, right. Wrong pce, wrong time. You will talk to me about this ter.” Turning to me again, his accent returning as if it had never disappeared. “Have you ever used a sword?”

  Nodding, I said, “I prefer to use a single-handed sword and a longer knife.”

  He nodded as he gestured for me to follow him. As Victoria went to join me, he shook his head, “Just tah d my dear. I am sure your mother will want to talk to you.”

  For her part, Marcy rolled her eyes. Gesturing that it was fine. “She already knows some of it. We can talk more when we get home.”

  Devin shrugged as he led us over to a clearing with a few dummies in the center. A wall of various weapons of all shapes and sizes to my right. The left wall mirroring it with various shields. “Try a few weapons and tell me if you find one that fits. Don worry ‘bout it being perfect. It is just so I can get a sense of what to make yah.”

  Walking down the wall, I stopped at the knife section first. Picking up quite a few and trying them out with both hands against the dummy nearest me. Each of which had various issues ranging from being too heavy to a grip that was way too rge. Eventually, I settled on a bde just shorter than the length of my forearm. It was sharp on one side and had a thick spine covered in ridges on the other.

  The handle was shaped such that I could flip it around with little effort. Adjusting the bde with just a twitch of my hand as I went back and forth from a normal grip to a reverse grip. Sshes at the straw-filled dummy left long, shallow cuts across various vital parts of the body. Most just deep enough to cause any human to bleed out given time.

  Putting the bde to the side, I searched for a sword. Eventually, settling on a thin bde with a fuller traveling down the length. The weight reduction allowing me to swing the bde with ease, even with one hand. Not that the grip limited me to only using one hand. It was just long enough that I could squeeze the other hand onto it to give a swing extra power as needed. I demonstrated this by cutting halfway through one of the dummies' necks.

  Finally, I picked up the knife and took a stance against a new dummy. Sshing and stabbing at it as I went through all the forms my parents had drilled into me. Only when I finished did I realize how much damage I had done. The thing was barely standing as cuts dug into it from everywhere. Some of which went deep enough to reveal the pole hidden at the center.

  “Yah, I think those will do. Don’t cha agree?” Devin said, startling me as he spped my back.