Jen found herself wandering towards the camp where the Forest Dwellers were staying. Arturo was testing some potential recruits, and she had decided to leave with Tarmon. The day was going to be a long one, at least for Arturo. She hoped he would find the recruits he wanted, for she was ready to move on once more. There were still four more nations to visit.

  The Forest Dwellers interested her. She knew very little about them, and that was about to change. Knowledge was power—that was one thing she had learned in her time with the Whispering Mists. Some people didn’t care to learn, and she couldn’t understand that. Her brother was like that, so focused on his mission that he didn’t bother to learn about the world around him.

  She was glad Tarmon had come along, though. Jen didn’t know much about him, but she knew how important Tarmon was to her brother. “So, how have you been getting along with the Forest Dwellers?” she asked.

  Tarmon smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, things have gone pretty well, I would say. Not that I’ve spoken to many of them much.”

  “Same,” Jen said. “I’m glad you came; perhaps we can both make friends today.”

  “We are going to be fighting alongside each other, so it makes sense to get to know one another,” Tarmon said.

  Nodding, Jen looked around the camp. She was looking for Eurisha. The Forest Dwellers were peculiar about their status. They would talk, but when asked specific questions about their culture, they would direct her to Eurisha, whom she was having trouble finding.

  “Estebel!” Jen called out. The Forest Dweller looked over and walked over, carrying a small log.

  “Hello, Jen Pentori,” Estebel said.

  “How are things going?” Jen asked.

  Estebel shrugged. “The same as the last time you asked. Nothing has changed.”

  Jen always found it difficult to converse with the Forest Dwellers. They took some things too literally. “Have you seen Eurisha?” she asked.

  “Yes, she went to grab some water,” Estebel pointed in the direction she went.

  “Thanks,” Jen said and headed in that direction. There was a stream that flowed, and she was betting she would run into Eurisha as she walked back.

  “Do you have an idea on how to get Eurisha to talk this time?” Tarmon asked in an amused tone.

  “I do,” Jen said. This wasn’t her first attempt to talk to Eurisha about her culture, but she was close to breaking through. She made it a habit to eat and talk with her whenever possible. While that hadn’t given her many answers, she had a plan.

  “Mind telling me what that is?” Tarmon said.

  “No,” Jen said and shot him a smile. “You’ll see soon enough.”

  “Come on, give me a hint at least,” Tarmon pleaded.

  Jen shook her head. “Not this time.” She was about to say more when they ran into Eurisha.

  “Oh,” Eurisha said and stopped. She held a large bucket of water in each hand. “Jen Pentori and Tarmon Mayhee. What brings you out here today?”

  “Do you need help?” Jen asked.

  Eurisha looked at her with a confused look. “With these? No, this is easy,” she said and kept walking.

  Jen walked alongside her. “Even if it’s easy, it’s all right to accept help, you know,” she said.

  “Why would I ask for help when I can do this myself?” Eurisha asked.

  “Never mind,” Jen said. She had learned early on that the Forest Dwellers were a stubborn lot. They reminded her of Arturo. She heard Tarmon snickering and ignored him. “What are you doing after you drop off this water?”

  “I’m not sure,” Eurisha said.

  “Good,” Jen said, which earned a confused look from Eurisha. “I would like to spar with you and learn more about your culture. If we’re going to fight together, don’t you think we should know more about each other?”

  That stopped Eurisha in her tracks, and she looked a bit conflicted. “It is rare for an outlander to show such interest in my people, and you have been most persistent. Are you looking for something?” she finally said.

  “No, I have been fascinated by your culture for a while and nobody knows much about you. I promise, there is no hidden motive,” Jen said.

  “Very well,” Eurisha said with a smile. “Jen Pentori, we shall spar and you shall learn.”

  “Thank you,” Jen said. She took a quick glance at Tarmon, who looked surprised Eurisha agreed. “Let’s drop that water off so we can spar.”

  Jen took out her dual blades. The weight was perfect. Tarmon was sitting on a rock, while a few of the Forest Dwellers took an interest in the duel. Eurisha, wielding a staff, twirled the weapon to warm up.

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  This would be Jen’s first fight with a Forest Dweller. Arturo had taken on three at once, though she wasn't foolish enough to think she could do that. Despite her training, Arturo could beat her without going all out, of that she was certain.

  “Are you ready?” Jen asked.

  Eurisha planted her staff in the ground and grinned. “Ready when you are.”

  “Then let’s begin,” Jen said.

  For a few seconds, they looked at each other, then Jen made the first move. She swung her left arm downwards, which Eurisha knocked aside. Jen had expected that and swung with her right, missing Eurisha.

  Jen was testing her opponent, making sure to keep her guard up as Eurisha remained defensive, blocking and dodging each move. She wasn’t naive; she could tell the Forest Dweller was studying her, trying to gauge a weakness.

  The fight started to accelerate, with each swing coming faster and stronger from Jen. Eurisha was being pushed back. Then, in the blink of an eye, Eurisha changed her stance and countered. Jen barely dodged as the staff missed her head by centimeters. Air breezed across her face, and she found herself on the defense, with Eurisha striking without mercy. The tables had turned, and Jen found herself struggling to block each attack.

  After a brutal thirty seconds of non-stop blocking, Jen found her opening. She ducked under Eurisha’s attack and moved her sword forward, stopping when her blade was inches from Eurisha’s throat. That was when she realized Eurisha had stopped with her staff inches away from her own throat.

  “I believe that is a draw,” Eurisha said. Sweat dripped down her face, and there was no missing the excitement in her gaze as she lowered her staff.

  “That it is,” Jen said. Both of them were breathing hard and wiped some sweat off their faces. “Not many can keep up with me.”

  “I was about to say the same,” Eurisha said. She walked over to a container, grabbed two cups, and filled them with water. “For an outlander, you are good.”

  Jen accepted the cup and took a deep drink. The cool liquid tasted good. One of her favorite things was drinking cold water after a sparring session.

  “Tarmon, are you as good as Jen?” Eurisha asked.

  Tarmon blushed and put a hand on the back of his head. “Afraid not. I'm not a very good fighter,” he admitted.

  “Yet you fight with Arturo, who requested skilled warriors. If you aren’t good, why did he allow you to join?” Eurisha asked and set down her empty cup.

  “My talents are with the power,” Tarmon said.

  “I see. The mages call you a rogue power user, correct?”

  “That’s right,” Tarmon said.

  “Now,” Jen said before Eurisha could ask anything else. “I think it's your turn to give us some answers.”

  “You are a forceful one, Jen Pentori,” Eurisha leaned back and nodded. “Ask your questions, but be warned that I may not be able to answer them all.”

  “I want to know about your training. Every Forest Dweller I've seen seems to know how to wield a weapon. Do all of you fight?” Jen asked.

  “All of us are taught to wield a weapon. We choose what to specialize in. Starting at the age of five, we are taught how to handle our weapon of choice. Once we’re seven, we’re expected to learn a new weapon, such as a sword or spear and a bow. Then at ten, if we want to be a warrior, well, let’s just say our training gets much tougher. Is that a good enough answer for you?” Eurisha said with a chuckle.

  “Fascinating,” Jen found herself saying, unable to stop herself from smiling. She was getting a little careless with her emotions after being away from the Whispering Mists for so long. “You are a warrior. How did your training get tougher?”

  “I got trained by a master, and at fifteen, I was sent to the wastelands to fend for myself for a month.”

  The wastelands, that was a week or so journey out of the forest. “That doesn’t sound too bad. I imagine your hardest task is finding water?” Jen asked.

  “No,” Eurisha said. “The sand walkers are the biggest threat. There are poisonous reptiles, but they are easy to avoid.”

  “Sand walkers?” Jen had never heard of them.

  “You outlanders wouldn’t know them. The sand walkers are a clan who left the Forest Dwellers a long time ago. They hate us and you outlanders. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to see them,” Eurisha said.

  “Do they kill Forest Dwellers on sight?” Jen pressed.

  “They can. I don’t know about the others, but I fought over a dozen sand walkers during my month. They tend to roam and fight anything that moves. I got a few scars, yet none of them could do more than give me a small wound.”

  “Is there any way to get them to fight with us? Li-”

  “No,” Eurisha said. “There is no talking to them. They would kill you the moment they saw you. The main reason they left us is that they wanted to conquer Malvarian and Skahad. When the rest of our clans refused, they left.”

  “All right. What happens when you return?”

  “Our final training comes as we prove ourselves worthy. Constant fighting, multiple times a day, with little food as we are pushed to our utmost limit. Then, when a few masters think you are ready, you are granted the status of warrior. I was officially a warrior at sixteen years old,” Eurisha said, her voice filled with pride. “What about you? How did you join the Whispering Mists?”

  Despite the years since her parents' deaths, sadness shot through Jen. Even when she thought she had accepted Jahad’s and her family’s death, she found out she hadn’t. Not fully. “It was… timing mainly,” Jen began, forcing herself to maintain her composure. “Shortly after the invaders attacked my home, I was saved by Caldian, a member of the Whispering Mists. Originally, he was going to take me to safety but saw my determination to learn how to fight and took me under his wing, despite Modric’s hesitance at taking a young girl who had little to no training.”

  “Oh? How did Caldian convince Modric to let you in?” Eurisha asked.

  Despite herself, Jen couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “He said he was going to train me regardless of Modric’s opinion and said he would eat his words,” she paused and took a sip of her water, recalling the harsh training Caldian had put her through. “I think that’s why he trained me so hard. I’m pretty sure Arturo wouldn’t have approved of how he trained me.”

  “He did well,” Eurisha said. “Not many outlanders fight as well as you. I’m glad to have fought with you, Jen Pentori.”

  “Same here,” Jen said.

  “Oi, Eurisha, are you going to help us hunt or just chat?”

  Jen turned and recognized the Forest Dweller as Tasadario, one of the three who had fought with Arturo to test her brother's skills.

  “Don’t act like I don’t hunt more than you,” Eurisha shot back, her lips curling into a smile. “I recall you staying back the past couple of times.”

  “I had other duties and you know it,” Tasadario said. He had a spear in his left hand and a bow with quivers strapped to his back. “Are you going to make an excuse, or come with?”

  Eurisha rolled her eyes and got up. “We’ll speak later, Jen Pentori,” she said.

  Jen watched the two leave and wondered if that sort of teasing was normal or if there were feelings between the two. She remembered Jahad teasing her when he saw her practicing in the woods. She missed those days.

  “Well, are you ready to head back?” Tarmon asked.

  “Huh?” Jen said, forgetting for a moment that she was sitting in the middle of camp. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  “You’re an odd one,” Tarmon said.

  “Like you are one to talk,” Jen shot back and pushed Tarmon playfully. “Don’t want my brother to think you are slacking, now do we?”

  “Now you’re being rude,” Tarmon said with a smile.

  Chuckling to herself, Jen began walking back to the inn. It wouldn’t be long before Arturo said it was time to go, and this little camp would be far larger as more people joined his army. She wondered how many fights would break out as the different cultures clashed.