It was early morning when Arran set off with Darkfire and Liane for the tournament. Their departure caused some consternation for the steward, who tried to foist a handful of guards on Liane, but the man relented when she pointed out that both Darkfire and Arran could each easily take on a dozen of his strongest guards. Arran looked around as they walked along the streets of Hillfort, and he saw that there were even more people than usual — something he'd previously thought was barely possible. The city held a festive atmosphere, and there were families walking through the crowd, all dressed in bright colors, many of them carrying baskets and bags. He could also see groups of young boys and girls, excitedly hitting each other with wooden swords in mock combat, with the occasional cry of pain when one of them attacked a bit too enthusiastically. "The tournaments are extremely popular with the pe

As he waited for his next fight, Arran considered the situation. He had believed that he was a rarity among the recruits, vastly stronger than any of the others. Yet now, he understood that he had been misled by his own arrogance. Despite his strength, it seemed there were still other recruits who could match him, if not defeat him outright. Aside from taking his pride down a notch or two, it also meant he needed to rethink the dangers that lay ahead. If there were other recruits as strong as he was, then Amaya and the others likely didn't value him as much as he had believed. And that, he hoped, might also mean that he was less of a target than he had feared. Zehava had said neither Amaya nor Stoneheart would allow the other to have him, but then, she had been trying to influence him. If he was merely a reasonably strong recruit, he doubted whether any of them would care enough to take action &mdash

"She's what?" Arran looked at Liane in confusion, unsure whether he heard her correctly. "The Patriarch's granddaughter," Liane repeated. "She arrived in the city just this morning, to see my father. She's a novice, and if you join her, none of the others will dare touch you." "But why would the Patriarch's granddaughter want to recruit me?" "She doesn't," Liane said. "She didn't intend to recruit anyone. But my father has known the Patriarch for a long time, and when I called in some of his favors, she couldn't refuse." "You called in your father's favors for me?" Arran looked at Liane, surprised that she would have gone that far to help him. Whatever there was between her and Darkfire, she only barely knew Arran. "Consider it payment for a debt I owe you," Liane said. "I know you and Darkfire were going to travel together, and I got in the way of those plans." 

As they made their way to the capital of the Sixth Valley, Arran was surprised at how normal the Valley seemed. He had somehow expected the Sixth Valley to be like a much larger version of Windsong's monastery, filled with nothing but mages who were constantly in training. But instead, what he found were endless fields with crops and cattle, littered with small farms, and the occasional village or town. From what Arran had seen of the Valley so far, it might as well have been any random part of the Empire, with the only difference being the mountains he could see in the distance behind him. Yet even those vanished into the distance as they traveled further from the valley's edges, until finally, only the thinness of the air was left to remind Arran that they were still in the mountains. As they traveled, Snowcloud remained her quiet self. She seldom spoke, and when she did, it was about plants by the

Arran followed Snowcloud out of the inn, and in short order, they had left the city behind. "How long can you run before you get tired?" she asked him. "As long as I need to," Arran said. Although he had never tested the limits of his endurance, he knew that even running at a sprint for hours did not leave him noticeably tired. "Then follow me," she said. In an instant, she dashed off along the road, her moonlit silhouette almost disappearing in the distance before Arran could even respond. Immediately, he followed, sprinting after her. He caught up a few moments later, then slowed his pace to match hers as he ran beside her. "Why are we in such a hurry?" he asked. Although he did not know the reason, he would have been a fool not to understand that she was fleeing something. And anything that was cause enough for her to flee would certainly be a danger to hi