Selene had sweat through her shirt before long. In fact, she had abandoned it by the edge of the clearing to try and cool off. Cyan didn't seem to be at all tired and stood to watch Selene with her arms crossed.

"You must build up your stamina if you even hope to stand a chance in battle. You will face adversaries will strength far beyond your own and right now, you won't even hold a candle to them."

Selene was too out of breath to even respond. She kneeled over and closed her eyes.

"From now on, every morning before we begin training you will run five miles. After a week, it will be ten."

"What? I can't do that!"

"You'd be quite surprised by what the human body is capable of. Of course, you may be vomiting by the end of your run but nonetheless, you have to do it. Teacher's orders."

Selene's throat was too dry to swallow, in fact, it felt like she hadn't had a drop of water to drink in ages. She straightened herself and took one last deep breath before trying their exercise again.

At the edge the clearing there was a small target. She had to hit it with either a throwing dagger or a small burst of power from one of her fingers. If she missed, she had to do push-ups until Cyan was satisfied, and the sand didn't help. So far she had only succeeded in tiring herself out and nearly collapsing several times.

Cyan was doing the same thing alongside her. Yet she hit her target every time, both with her magic and with her dagger. Despite this, she still did the push-ups and even added extra exercises. Selene was almost ill just watching her.

This time, Selene was determined to hit the target. She knew it was only the first day, yet she felt as if she should be making some sort of progress.

She held the throwing dagger, a small knife with a plain hilt of brown leather, and readied it. She had watched Cyan countless times, the way her body tensed before the threw it, how she stepped forward with her right foot and threw with her right hand. She held the blade end, something Selene had never thought of. When she let go of the knife, it flowed so easily, as if it was an extension of her body.

Selene would be able to do that, even if she had to throw the dagger a thousand more times before it was right. She stepped back with her right foot and took a deep breath. The blade still felt foreign in her hands; she wasn't used to holding weapons.

She tried to block that thought from her mind as she stepped forward and let it fly. She could barely follow it with her eyes as it flew across the clearing, heading straight for the target. Her stomach dropped as it sailed past and disappeared into the brush.

Selene's shoulders dropped in defeat.

Cyan giggled next to her, "How on earth were you able to survive in the woods for so long. At this rate, a Ursidae cub would rip you apart."

Selene collapsed to the sand, closing her eyes against the sun overhead.

"I can't describe it myself. I don't quite understand it," she responded as she sank to the ground.

"What do you mean?" Cyan asked, sitting down and leaning back on her hands.

"In the past times I've fought, it felt as if I wasn't myself. It was as if something inside of me opened an eye and just moved me..."

She hesitated.

Cyan waited for her to speak again, not interrupting her. Selene remembered what Cyan had said before they began training. That a student and mentor shared everything and that was how learning took place. Cyan had similar magic to Selene, a fire-like power. Maybe she, of all people, would understand.

"Aiden told you of the demons that attacked my village?"

Cyan nodded.

"What I didn't tell him was that I killed one of them."

Though the elf did not speak a word, yet Selene could see the surprise in her eyes.

"I was gifted a dagger by a strange woman in my village, one that spoke to me and carried a large blue gem in its hilt. I had it when the demon had murdered everyone in my village and I was sad, yes, but my loss for them was nothing compared to the loss of one of my childhood friends," she took a breath, composing herself.

"When it killed him in front of me, I got so angry and so... different. I just moved. I'm a farmer, not a warrior. I don't know how I knew what to do. But somehow I was on top of it, and then the gem glowed."

Cyan reacted to that, she blinked several times in shock and looked as if the story was making her uneasy.

"It healed me and gave me this strength to kill the demon. And then I ran."

For a few moments, Cyan was silent. Then she said, "Do you have this dagger with you?" her voice was quiet, but not meek.

"It is with the rest of my belongings in the village."

Cyan nodded and stood, "When we return, I'd like to see it. It could be what was helping you, but considering you fought the Ursidae without it, I believe it's just you and you're instincts. But I'd still like to see it."

Selene nodded and rose on shaky legs. Everything hurt as if she had been a punching bag for soldiers. She didn't know if she'd be able to train like this every morning.

"For now, you will continue throwing the dagger until you can't even hold it."

Selene stood there for a moment, dreading the hours that laid ahead of her.

"Well? What are you standing here for? You missed the target, so get on your belly."

***

The sun had nearly set before Cyan was satisfied with Selene's progress. She had only hit the target a few times and none of those times did the dagger stick.

Selene was not impressed. If she could, she would have stayed out in that clearing until she was able to hit the target with her eyes closed. But Cyan was set on seeing the dagger Selene had described earlier.

They walked back to the village in silence, Cyan moving faster than when they first ventured out. Selene wondered why she was so captivated by it. The elf seemed as if she could face an army alone and not only stare it down with vigor and courage but wipe it out entirely.

Yet she seemed shaken.

Before the tall brambles were in view, Cyan asked Selene, "This dagger, describe it to me."

"Well, you know of the gem. But it is the finest thing I have ever seen. Strong enough to cut through bone and still remain sharp. And the sheath is beautiful. It's shaped like a silver dragon and its eyes seem to follow you. It's hard to describe without you seeing it."

Cyan nodded and kept silent.

A feeling of dread settled on Selene. She had never seen the warrior act like this. She had only known her for a short time, yet she did not strike her as the type to shrink in fear. If this dagger was truly something to scare a Fae, then where did it come from? Why was she so fearful of it?

Selene turned those thoughts over in her head until they blurred together. She hadn't noticed that they had already passed through the bramble guard gate, which opened for them silently.

The village was busy despite the growing darkness, children running through the crowds of people, the barter and trading of goods, and the laughs of the villagers filled the air. Cyan seemed numb to it all, deep in thought.

It didn't take long for them to reach the tree that held the house, and somehow it seemed to loom in the branches as if it were something dark and dangerous. She wrapped her hand around the ladder and climbed, each step she took made her seem heavier. When she reached the doorway, everything seemed normal. Aiden was nowhere to be seen, most likely out in the village.

She quickly retrieved the dagger and climbed back down the ladder, her thighs still sore from that day's training. Cyan's eyes showed something Selene couldn't recognize, she seemed cautious but Selene wasn't sure.

She held the weapon out to Cyan and let her take it gently in her hands.

"What is it you wanted to see?"

Cyan ran her fingers over the sheath, her face turning from one of wariness to a softer look. As if she recognized the blade. Selene's skin was crawling with curiosity and her fear disappeared. This strange blade had come to her in such a strange way, she couldn't help to wonder what its history was. And as she had carried it, she found out more and more that she wanted to know.

"I recognize this blade," she said.

"From where?"

Cyan chewed on her lip, "A long time ago. From my home."

How old was this woman?

"Where is that?"

"Somewhere you have never heard of, far away."

That didn't satisfy Selene at all. Ever since she was a child, she had always wanted to see as much as possible, with Lucius or not. After Lily's death, she had sunken into a hole so dark and deep that she didn't know if she could crawl out, but she had met these people who shared her pain. Aiden and Cyan. They seemed trustworthy and showed her a kindness that wasn't shown by many. She was starting to see the light again and with it came back that desire to know.

Cyan handed the blade back, seemingly against her will, and said, "Get some rest, we start again tomorrow at the same time and you will run before training. You'll need food and sleep."

Selene nodded and gripped the dagger. Cyan smiled brightly and turned to walk away, waving to her with her back turned.

What a strange character.

Despite her exhaustion and hunger, Selene didn't want to retire for the night. This new training had given her a purpose, a goal to achieve. So, she tucked her dagger into her belt and walked into the trees. She was lucky their treehouse was on the outskirts of the village; all the remaining trees inside the bramble gate were unoccupied and they even stretched until she could no longer see the houses. She searched until she found a wide oak, large enough to practice on and unsheathed her dagger. Carving a target mark into its trunk, she whispered to herself, "I'm going to regret this."

She knew she wouldn't. Even if her hands bled from broken blisters and her legs shook with the effort of holding herself up, she'd be happy. If she was given this rare power, then she would hone it and learn to fight with it. Just a few days ago, she hated it and saw herself as a demon, yet seeing Cyan that day with her black fire had done something to her. This was not a curse, but perhaps a gift. First, however, she would have to learn how to fight with normal weapons.

She stepped back until she was far enough from the target and slowly lifted the dagger.

She pictured Cyan next to her, her body loose as she leaned back and launched it straight into the bulls-eye. Selene copied as well as she could from memory, trying to feel the dagger as if it were a part of her hand, another finger.

Imagine it's the scythe you used at home, she thought, It's a rhythm. Just make it flow.

She leaned back and, keeping it within one fluid motion, she launched forward and let the blade fly. It hit the tree with a thud and fell to the roots.

Selene let out a curse and went to pick it up. What went wrong?

She had hit the tree, but she had not hit it hard enough. Then she would throw until her muscles were strong enough to stick the dagger to the tree. She would throw it until she could hit it a hundred yards away.

Selene began again, and as the stars began to glow, she felt them watching her once more.

Waiting.

***

Aiden followed the footprints through the empty trees, searching for Selene. He had returned to the treehouse well into the night expecting her to be fast asleep, yet the house was cold and the hammock empty.

He rushed out to look. Worry ate at him. He knew she was still weak from when the demon had attacked her. And being alone in the winter night, perhaps days or hours before the first snowfall, would surely be her demise. It didn't take long for him to find her trail; her footsteps were sluggish and dragged on the ground.

She must be exhausted from training, barely able to walk.

He knew firsthand how difficult Cyan could be when it came to training. She would tear you down and then build you back up into something new, better, and stronger. Aiden was surprised when Selene and Cyan came back their first night saying they would train the next morning. Selene still looked so small and frail, her hair still dull and her eyes half-lidded.

He remembered finding her a few mornings ago alone in the woods, crying. Something in him had snapped back into place when he saw her. He was once a brother, an older brother, and after being so alone for so long, he was glad to have someone to watch after.

He knew she could care for herself when it came down to it. Hell, he found her under a dead Ursidae. One she had killed. There was something inside her that fought and fought until her body could not take it, and even then it still hissed and spat venom.

If she didn't acknowledge her limits, she would for her.

So he hurried past the trees and through the darkness until he saw the white of her hair glowing in the blackness.

She was laying on the ground. At first, Aiden thought she was hurt, or even worse dead. However, when he approached, she just looked to be asleep. She had collapsed from exhaustion. He picked her up in his arms and at the feel of her cold body, he was reminded that the cold didn't bother her as it did for others. He had worried for nothing.

Just as he took a step to go back, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw her dagger, the bade sunken into the tree. It was only just barely in the wood, yet the whole trunk was littered with holes. She had come out here to train, and by the looks of it, for hours. He smiled and yanked the blade out of the wood, carefully sheathing it in her belt.

He carried her back and roused her long enough to help her climb the ladder into the house. As she collapsed into her hammock, her blade attached to her hip and her worn boots still on, he smiled.

This girl was growing on him more and more with each passing day.