The world was finally setting down. Cheryza had once again fallen on her knees during the jump.

For some odd reason, she really wasn’t used to travel between Chali’enda and Welani. The travel

could only be done with some of the gods anyway, and...

Where was Xalitha?

Cheryza carefully stood up and looked around her. But... What the..?

Stones after stones. Weak little bushes. She was in the middle of very narrow path. The landscape

was obviously a one belonging to the mountains. What in the name of the goddess she was doing on

Mountains? This wasn’t even close that town they had left to Welani. There was no mountains in

the northern Xafimez..

“Cheryza?”

The woman jumped to air because of the sudden surprise. She had not noticed anyone while she had

been looking around. But now, turning to the direction the voice had come out, she saw middle

length man, whose dark beard was already partly grey because of his age. The old man was leaning

on a wooden staff.

“Cheryza?” he asked again.

“Yes, that is my name. Now what you want of me?” the woman asked, full of suspicion.

Man began to smile widely.

“Good.. Good! Now, follow me girl.” he turned around and started to walk along the path up

heading to the top of the mountain. Cheryza saw he limped. And she didn’t move an inch.

“Where are we?” She demanded to know.

The old man stopped and turned to look at her.

“On the mountains.”

“I can see that,” Cheryza replied, sounding a little sarcastic.

“Then... Why did you even ask?” The man turned and kept on going.

Cheryza still stayed right there. Disbelief, Annoyance and insecurity were fighting inside her.

The man up on the path turned one more time to look at her.

“Are you coming, or not?”

Did she really have a choice? Cheryza followed the man, who was very nimble according his age

and his leg. That impressed Cheryza. Obviously, this man had taken good care of his condition.

After they had travelled awhile, in silence, Cheryza got so curious that she had to ask.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Cerondee Reijzah.”

Cerondee. Image of a memory flashed in her mind.

Xalithas voice as she told Xolethane about education Cheryza would attend to.

I thought Cerondee-tribe would be excellent for her.

The travel continued in silence. Suddenly the path lead them into a cave. Darkness swallowed the

daylight.

From the first crossing they went to right, from the other one to the left, Third one left.. After that,

Cheryza lost her count. And finally, the road inside the mountain ended. A thick, stone wall stood

on their way. Reijzah held out his wooden staff and knocked the stone wall twice. The he waited.

Inside the stonewall, five knocks replied to him Cheryza shivered.

“Serathe,” man said quietly.

Another while passed. Then, the stone wall started to move. It opened. Bright sunlight blinded

Cheryzas eyes for few moments.

After blinking awhile she was again able to see, and first thing she saw, were the two muscular guards standing beside the doorway. Other of them was calmly leaning on a huge battle-axe. Both of them nodded to the old man. Reijzah nodded back and then told Cheryza to follow him.

A wide river divided the big valley into two parts. There was big forests and grass fields. The town on the west side of the valley among its fields stood out from the green background as a bloodspot on the snow.

They walked along the road covered by large stone plates. There was fencings on the roadside, horses and cattle were feeding themselves on the long grass, walking lazily around in the sunshine.

Then, suddenly, Reijzah spoke.

“I’m now taking you to see Serathe. Those were his orders. Serathe is the leader of Cerondee-tribe, so you better keep that in mind while we are seeing him. If Serathe thinks you’re not worthy of the Cerondee-tribe education, you won’t be educated our way, no matter how many times Xalitha would beg us.”

Cheryza startled. She was starting to feel nervous.

“Alright.”

They had already reached the edge of the town during their conversation. And now she finally realised how big the town was. It seemed to be bigger than Gref’ma, the biggest town in all the Chali’enda. Cheryza had been there once, but it had been long ago. When she still was a servant in the noble family.

Still, the town of Cerondee was different. There was no people hurrying to their directions, no noise, no haste. Cheryza walked the stone-covered road, following the old man. The people on the yards of the shops and the houses happily greeted Reijzah. And finally, they were there.

The house of Serathe seemed to be just the same as all the buildings in the town: Built of white adobes, had two floors and the window frames and the door were very dark shade of wood.

Reijzah knocked the door and it opened few minutes after.

The girl seemed to be few years younger than Cheryza.

“Come in. My dad waits you in the hall.”

Reijzah nodded, and led Cheryza through the small porch.

Serathe was a man around thirty years old, tall, fit, and had a dark brown hair and short beard.

He stood up as they came in.

“This way.”

After few other rooms and one staircase they were in a wide, lounge-like room.

“Now, here’s the girl who Xalitha herself wishes to be given the Cerondee-education?”

“Not just Cerondee-education. Xalitha actually wants me to teach her too”, Reijzah said.

A surprise glimpsed in Serathes eyes for a short while.

Cheryza stood straight when Serathe examined her.

“Seems a light build. Maybe a bit too short, but that would be no problem... What we loose in the length of arms we can replace with the length of the blade.. Assuming she will pick up a sword... Now, how old are you?”

“Nineteen, Serathe Cerondee.”

“That’s pretty old to start the education...”

“But not too old,” Reijzah pointed out quietly.

Serathe nodded.

“And she seems to be in good shape... Tell me, girl, what was your occupation?”

Cheryza focused the gaze of her orange eyes straight into Serathes eyes.

“Thief, Serathe Cerondee. I was a thief. And even though you didn’t ask it, I say I was a good one too.”

The leader of Cerondee-tribe stared Cheryza for a while, and then he burst into laughter.

“How amusing! Then you should already be used to killing.”

“I said I was a thief, not a murderer. But I have killed before, For the first time I was thirteen.”

Reijzah nodded.

“That’s a honourable age.”

“I don’t like killing, Serathe Cerondee. Sometimes you just have no other options.”

Serathe stopped walking around in the room.

“There’s always other options. We kill nonetheless.”

For a while he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, but then he turned back to Reijzah and Cheryza.

“Very well. We shall fulfil the will of Xalitha.”

The room was obviously built for this case only. Serathe walked all the way to the end of the long table, when Reijzah stayed in the doorway. A bunch of all kinds of weapons laid on the table.

“Cerondee-tribe has many trainers, but there’s many to be trained, also. The trainees will be divided into groups, by the weapon they will choose. Each weapon will be made by the Master blacksmith, for the trainee, only. And, here are your options.”

Cheryza let her gaze travel. She saw big battle-axe, like the one the guard on the door of the valley had got. But then suddenly she spotted something peculiar.

“Why there’s only leathery protective gloves on the table? And what about the bottle then?”

“You see, not everyone wants to grab the usual weapons. There’s other ways to kill too, you know. The empty bottle you see, represents poisons. And the gloves are for those who want to fight without weapons, though, usually these two groups will be united. The Weaponless and the Poison-group. Daggers are only weapons they’re allowed to carry. If somebody needs assassin, the people having this education will probably get the job.”

Cheryza nodded, just to show she had understood.

She saw a big broadsword and rejected it in her mind straight away. Unusual looking throwing-knives got her attention for a while, but she knew she could not possibly choose them.

“Reijzah, is that ordinary battle-rod?”

“No, it’s not ordinary at all.”

Knew it, Cheryza thought to herself.

“You obviously didn’t saw the other end of the rod.”

The other end was hidden under the blades of two short, mildly curved swords. She removed the short swords out of the way and now fully saw the battle-rod.

“Only us Cerondee-warriors have this kind of battle-rods. As you can see, they can also be used as a long spears. They’re called Milwa-spears after the man who invented these.”

But Cheryza wasn’t paying him attention anymore. Her eyes were fixed upon the two short swords she had moved away. And suddenly, the decision was made.

“I want these”, Cheryza said, and picked up the swords.

Reijzah gave Serathe a quick glance. The leader nodded slightly.

“Very well, Cheryza, so be it. You shall carry the Zarew-swords.”

“It’d be better you take her to see the Master blacksmith straight away, since the Zarew-group is already formed and the education starts in four days. The sooner she gets her swords, the better.”

Reijzah nodded.

“Come along now, Cheryza.”

And so she once again found herself following the steps of the old man.

She felt herself very uncomfortable. Strong build blacksmith was all over her with the damn measuring tape, muttering to himself.

“Bit too short arms.. Must make longer blades... So skinny and little girl, maybe I have to make the swords lighter.. “

Cheryza had had enough.

“JUST TAKE THE DAMN MEASUREMENTS! Don’t judge me as if I were some old cow on sale on market-day! Just take the measurements and then forge the swords. And don’t you dare make them any lighter than usual, it’s my worry to carry them!”

Oppressive silence filled the room. Now Cheryza saw what she had truly done. Here was the Master Blacksmith of Cerondee-tribe, only man in the world capable to do the Zarew-words for her. The words she would carry the rest of her life. And she was just had been accepted as a Cerondee trainee.

She felt the sting of Reijzah’s gaze in her spine. The big Blacksmith stared at her, eyes burning cold. In her mind Cheryza quickly categorised him as the one carrying either a broadsword or big battle-axe. She swallowed. He measured Cheryzas arms just few more times and then, he let them go.

She followed all humble as the old man led her away from the town.

“Cerondee Reijzah?” she asked after awhile, using the formal, respectful way of speaking on purpose.

“Tell me, girl.”

“Where are we going? Aren’t we staying in the town?”

“Oh, I will stay in the town, in my own house. You won’t. From now on, for the next ten years you’ll be staying with the other trainees of Zarew-group. You seriously thought that you’d be all educated in the town?”

Cheryza lowered her head, feeling bit ashamed. She hadn’t given a slightest thought to where they would be educated.

The darkness fell as they walked all the way to the southern edge of the valley. There, suddenly, they spotted a pack of houses. Reijzah walked straight into the biggest one, and Cheryza followed him. What else she could do?

“Reijzah!” The bright voice belonged to a woman, sitting at the table. The tall man next to her nodded.

“ I bring a new member to your group. Serathe Cerondee sees her appropriate to receive our education. We were asked to give her the education by an outsider.”

The woman stood up very fast.

“An Outsider?!” it was nearly a scream.

“Xalitha”, Reijzah said shortly.

The silent man still sitting at the table gave a meaningful look to the woman now standing there, her jaw dropped. She quickly returned to her seat, bit blushed.

“Trainee, step forward!” She ordered now, her voice calm and bright as it had been when she had greeted Reijzah.

Cheryza stepped away from the shadows on the doorway and bowed shortly to the couple watching her closely.

“Cheryza, here are your trainers. Zarew-master Lilis and Zarew-master Aneiwa”, Reijzah said formally.

“She seems to be quite old”, woman called Lilis pointed out. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

Aneiwa gave accepting nod.

“No more questions, for now at least. We accept the trainee into Zarew-group. Reijzah, please escort her to the girlshall.” Lilis waved her hand to show they were dismissed.

Reijzah nodded and then turned to Cheryza.

“This way.”

The low buzz of voices, which could clearly be heard outside, cut out immediately as Cheryza knocked the door. Reijzah was already heading back to the village.

It took awhile when the girl who had hurried to open the door, fought against the lock system on it.

The hinges creaked when the door was slightly pulled open.

All Cheryza could see was a big dark brown eye.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a new trainee. Reijzah just brought me, and-“

The door was quickly wrenched fully open, and Cheryza saw a girl five years younger and three inches taller standing in front of her.

“Reijzah brought you?”

A curios whispering started in the hall.

“Ehh... It’s quite cool out here already, may I come in?”

The girl made way for Cheryza. The thief stepped in.

Girlshall appeared to be a small hall, which had mattresses on the floor, next to the walls. Upon each mattress, in the wall, was a notch, apparently for keeping personal items and stuff there.

“There’s still some room”, the girl, who had opened the door, helpfully told and pointed to the empty mattresses on the opposite wall. Cheryza nodded and walked to the closest empty mattress, took her dagger and little leathery pouch out of her belt where they had dangled. When she turned her head to look over her shoulder, she met every pair of eyes in the hall, fixed upon her, watching closely every move she made. Cheryza really felt uneasy. She took her dark cloak off too, and put all the stuff into that notch over her bed.

For awhile she just let her gaze travel the hall, face a curious look after another.

Then, one of the girls got brave enough to speak.

“You’re not from the village, are you? You’re from Outside.”

Cheryza nodded slowly.

“Yes, I come from the northern area of Xafimez, from a little town.. Though I was born in southern Xafimez.”

Like it’s been proved before, the first question breaks the barrage. And so happened again. Cheryza quickly found herself, sitting on the floor and circled by all the other girls in the hall.

“Why didn’t your parents bring you here?”

“How did you found out about us?”

“How old are you?”

“Have your eyes always been that colour?”

“What have you studied before?”

“Why did you want to be here?”

“Why did you chose our group?”

And it went on and on and on. But since it was already getting late, the curiosity turned into drowsiness. Cheryza didn’t have bad coincidence of lying to the girls. She just couldn’t answer some of the questions with truth. What would it seem; “Yeah, Xalitha told me all about you Cerondees... But that was of course After she introduced me to every other god in this universe.. Oh, and guess what! There’s other universes as well! And, by the way, Xalitha really didn’t create the whole universe....”

When the last girl still awake and sitting next to Cheryza, yawned widely, Cheryza smiled.

“You had better to go to sleep already. No use trying to keep yourself awake.”

Girl nodded. She slowly stoop up and pointed one of the corners in the hall.

“There’s some pillows and blank –“ her sentence was cut off by another yawn. “Good night.”

“Sleep well.”