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It took another day for Myranda to recover completely from the overexertion of the test. During that time, she received several angry visits from Ayna, the air wizard who was to be Myranda's second trainer. She reminded Myranda that she had been specifically told to report to her on the day of the test, and now three days had passed. She went on to accuse Solomon of sabotaging her so that he could appear to be the only teacher capable of producing such a pupil.
The harsh words swept over her without effect. There were more serious concerns stewing in her mind. When Myranda finally felt well enough, she ventured out to find Lain. He was outside of his hut, as usual, engaging in some manner of odd stretching exercise.
"I have been told to congratulate you," he said.
"You are one of the Chosen," she said, angrily.
"Not this again. I thought I was through hearing this nonsense when I left this place the last time," he said, readying his staff. "Prepare yourself."
"You finished your training here decades ago. You were out there, in this war, with the power to stop it. And you did nothing!" she screamed, lunging at him with the weapon.
"It is the dream of a child. There are no Chosen," he said, parrying her attack.
Myranda launched into an offense with a ferocity that she would have never thought herself capable of. With each block or dodge, she grew angrier. Visions of the war spurred her on. Had he done what it was his destiny to do, she would never have had to know war. Every hardship of her life would never have occurred. Suddenly, it happened. Perhaps it was the long rest, or the anger-fueled strength, or the unpredictability of her furious attacks, but a blow slipped through, passing by his block and striking him squarely on the chest. In an instant, he swept her legs out from under her and put the end of his staff to her throat, his teeth bared.
Myn stood rigidly still, unsure what to do.
"That's . . . one," Myranda managed.
Lain removed the staff.
"So it is," he conceded.
The vicious session continued. A handful more hits slipped past his guard before the sun finally set. Myn was beside herself watching the two finally attack each other in earnest. Myranda mopped the sweat from her brow. Lain inspected the site of one of the more powerful blows for blood or swelling.
"I count six," Myranda said.
"Five. I said solid blows. The third was glancing at best," he corrected.
"Fine, five. Time for you to pay up. I know that you have not been fighting to end the war as your destiny would dictate, and I know that you are not a tournament fighter as you said you were. For my first question, I want to know what you really do," she said.
"Are you certain? I warn you, you will not like the answer," he said.
"I assure you, I like the mystery even less," she said.
"Very well. I am an assassin. As a matter of fact, you are quite familiar with my exploits," she said.
"Why would . . . no," she said as the answer dawned on her. "You are the Red Shadow!"
Lain nodded.
"That is impossible--he is a man," she said.
"A man who killed a wolf with his bare hands and wears the bloody skull as a helmet," he said. "I started that rumor myself. If I was seen, I couldn't risk being recognized as a malthrope. Your kind would more easily let a mass murderer slip through your fingers than one of my kind. So if the gossip speaks of a man with a red wolf helmet, that it what people will see."
"And the Elites were after the Red Shadow. That is why they were really after you," she said.
"They are a formidable force," he said.
"If you are an assassin, then why were you after me?" she asked.
"This is your second question. The Alliance Army hired me to locate the swordsman and retrieve both he and the sword. I was also told that I was not the only one that would be after him, and that if he was to fall before I found him, I was to retrieve the sword and anyone who touched it and lived. That was you. I was also to kill anyone who tried to stop me," he said.
"But those men who came to claim me. They were of the Alliance Army. Why did you kill them?" she asked.
"Your third question," he said. "I must first inform you that I did not kill four men that day."
"I saw you with my own eyes," she said.
"You saw me kill four soldiers, but they were not men. Not quite," he said.
"I don't understand," she said.
"Somehow, I thought that you hadn't noticed them yet," he said. "They have been around for as long as I can remember, always wearing Alliance armor. At first they looked and sounded just as men do, but even then there was the smell. It was something . . . artificial. As time went on, they began to look less and less like men. Now they must wear their helmets lest their faces give them away. I do not know what they are, but I have taken to calling them nearmen, and they have infested your army.
"It was four of those that I killed that day, because they had come to collect you for themselves. They had been sent out with the same orders as I. Had they brought the payment, I would have let them have you and the sword, but they were empty-handed and they had to die."
"Wait, wait? Nearmen? You mean that there are creatures in the army that look human but aren't?" she said.
Lain began to open his mouth.
"That wasn't for you. I will not have you wasting one of my questions by answering that. Two more . . ." she scolded.
"Very well," he said.
Myranda looked at Myn, who had finally begun to relax after the anxious battle.
"Tell me about her. She likes you, me, and no one else. Solomon tells me he is sure that you were present at her birth. What happened that day?" Myranda asked.
Lain sighed.
"When I saw the cloaks recapture you so soon after I released you, I realized I had underestimated the number of other agents that the Alliance Army had dispatched after you. If you were to remain my prize I would have to keep you on a shorter leash. I made certain that, once you left the Undermine headquarters, I did not let you out of my sight. It turned out to be a very good thing that I did, because you chose as shelter a dragon's den. Even your nose could have told you that.
"I followed inside, and as fate would have it, a large male had been on the way. You panicked, so I knocked you unconscious, pulled you aside. If you had only kept your head and slipped out after the male had passed, you would have been safe. The dragons had no interest in you. After the female warded off the male, I remained near. The last remaining egg hatched, the creature inspected us, and deemed the two of us family," he said.
Myranda's head reeled. There was so much she had learned, and yet there was so much more to ask. What were those cloaks that had captured her? He had spoken of them so matter-of-factly, they must be as common as the nearmen that she had only just learned of. And exactly what was Lain? She didn't know much about malthropes, but she knew that they didn't live much longer than humans, and yet he had been active for over seventy years. There was only one question left . . .
"I will save my last question until next time. And I intend to earn more," Myranda decided.
"As you wish. I must warn you though--thus far, I have been limiting myself. It will not be so simple next time," he said.
"And I must warn you, Lain, I will not let this pass. You are Chosen, and I will see to it that you do your duty. I swear to it. From this day forward I am dedicating myself to the task," she hissed. "You will take your place in destiny."