Walker was standing next to the tree he picked out yesterday patiently waiting for Zara to arrive. As she walked she fiddled with the pommels of her swords, she was trying to figure out why this tree was so Dark damned important to her training. She stood next to Walker and looked at the tree.

“What now?” she asked.

“Now” Walker turned to her “you carve your enemy out of the tree. Try to make it an even mach.” He answered honestly.

“What?!” Zara turned to face him, anger building and showing on her face. “I’m not here to learn to be a carpenter!”

Walker held her gaze unperturbed by her outburst, like he was a teacher for more years than she was alive. “I know it seems unconnected, you’ll learn that most things in this world aren’t.” he started patiently “But, you have to trust me. The task will teach you how to hold the sword properly, it will teach you how to make the most of your swing and it will let you learn from where you can make an attack. I recommend you use both swords right away. Don’t try to master one and then incorporate the other, it will slow you down. Additionally, cutting wood with a sword is harder than it is cutting flesh and bone so when you do get to that point you’ll have the strength and stamina to endure any fight.” He took a breath “Also that’s how my master taught me… so I know of no other way to teach you swordsmanship.”

His answer left Zara speechless for a moment then she got angrier.

“Bullshit!” she exclaimed. “I don’t believe you! How can hacking at a tree help me wield a sword?!”

Walker nodded. “Fair enough. I guess I can’t expect you to believe me if I don’t show you I know what I am doing.” he said placatingly. “Give me your primary sword.” He extended his hand towards her.

“Use your own!” Zara held the pommel of her longer sword protectively.

Walker calmly explained “My sword is for Freeing people. Yours are for training, by the time you finish your training the tools will be useless for anything else. And I do not pull my sword if I do not intend to Free a soul from this world.” He didn’t move his hand.

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Might as well Zara thought bitterly, trying to break the burgeoning tie with the swords she considered her own in such a small time of possessing them. She was still sceptical as to Walkers abilities in battle. He was obviously capable, but any child can kill a sleeping man.

Zara handed her longer sword to walker than stepped back after he motioned her to do so. Then he weighed the sword in his hand than looked at the tree with a sharp glare. He inhaled slowly and in a flash of sun off steal he was standing with the sword at his side in a casual grip. After a moment there was a crashing of wood against wood and snapping branches. Then a loud groan as the tree they were standing in front of started to bend at a line a hand span above the top of Zara’s head.

The next thing she noticed was that the top of the tree was falling towards them. She bolted to the side and dropped to the ground trying to be as small as possible to not get crushed by the trunk of the old tree.

Two things were on her mind, though, while on the ground In the Names of all the Stars he cut a tree in a single swing. And it was easy for him and I want that power.

When the crashing stopped and only the squawking of frightened birds remained in the woods Zara stood from the ground and faced Walker. He was standing straight only a few span from where the tree now lay on the ground.

She looked him in the eyes and said “I am ready.”

Walker handed back her sword with a smile and no comments.

Zara was not, in fact, ready. After just a dozen of swings against the wood she could feel the handles of her swords digging into her palms, the force of the impacts sent reverberations through the bones of her arms, the muscles in her hands and back quickly starting to burn with pain of inaction and lack of use.

All that and all she accomplished was two small dents in the trunk only now starting to send chips of wood into the air with ever weakening strikes as Zara tired from the exercise. Soon she was panting and leaning on the longer sword, sticking it into the ground.

Pain and strain stopped her, but she would not be held back for long. She knew she had to do this. Walker said he would train her, and this had to be a test of some kind. A test to see if she was determined enough to be taught, all the stories mentioned something like that.

So she gulped air into her lungs and straightened her spine. Zara refused to fail such a test. If she knew one thing about herself it was that nothing could break her when she set out to do something, not even a tree.