The woman who Setanta calls master is dressed in a black dress that covers her from halfway through her face to the ground. The black dress is also filled with frills that move horizontally across the dress all through it, they remind me of waves on a beach.

Her head is covered in a veil that conceals her face entirely with one thing of note being the silver circlet that holds the veil over her face. Her hair is a beautiful light shade of purple and mimics that of a shark's tail.

“Wait did you just say Scáthach! As in the woman who trained the beastkin during our earliest years so we could strike back and reclaim Tir na n-iontas, the queen of shadows herself!”

“Yep, she is mine and Ferdiad's master.”

Jumping off all of the bodies he sits on top of, Setanta says, “And if my wife number zero. Now give your husband to be a kiss.”

Φ All my senses heighten as I feel a murderous aura emanating from my right, so I turn my face and say, “Ferdiad, did you arrive with master?”

“Yes, she brought me to you. Now would you mind telling me who all those boys are?”

“Just some red branch brats who call themselves the boys' troop, all of them were trash. Though one of them said he was the son of the king of Falias or something like that.”

Ferdiad then explodes at me, and says, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!”

“Hey, I simply accepted their challenge, and fought them on equal terms.”

“Like I would believe that! You must have provoked them knowing you. These aren’t your common noble bums, they come from families with the same level of prestige as your own!”

Φ Catching my breath I look at Setanta and reign myself in. This idiot, these boys will be men who will be leading the red branch, when you become the high king, the trust of people like this will be imperative.

I need to straighten this behaviour out of him, but I should be calm, I need to be calm. Looking at me with a dumbfounded expression Ferdiad says, “You look stressed, you should go and take a nap.”

My restrains instantly break and I shout, “YOU DUMB DOG!”

But before I can do anything master stops me, and says, “Ferdiad you need to be a little wiser.”

“Huh?”

Patting Setanta on the head, she says, “You did well, and acted like a true warrior today.”

Then with her shadows wrapping around me, she guides my face across the area and I notice how Laeg is looking, and with a little sniff, I notice that her scent is emanating from one of the boys in the pile.

Setanta looks giddy, and says, “Anything to woo you my wife number zero.”

Master giggles a bit and says, “You can consider me your wife when your spear manages to pierce my brain.”

With Vigour, Setanta says, “You better not take this back when you're dead.”

“I promise.”

Φ Running over to Setanta, I grab him and say, “Is that really the legendary Scáthach? Why the hell would she train someone like you? Do you think she would stab me with her spear if I asked? This is so unfair! Why does her voice sound so youthful, she is at the very least over one hundred and fifty years old since she trained the founders of the empire!?”

“If you have all these questions then ask them yourself.”

“No way could I do tha-.”

Before I could finish Setanta grabbed me and placed me between them, and as Scáthach stared down at me, I see she has bright beautiful blue eyes. That added to her massive presence completely suck me in and enraptures me to the point I start to stutter over my words again and again.

With a kind voice, she says, “is there something you want to say to me little one?”

“Umm, ahh, I just want to say, blah.”

“Blah?”

WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY! No time to think about it just follow through, “Yes blah.”

She pats me on my head and says, “Well that is good to hear. Setanta I can tell from her muscles but this one here is an excellent charioteer.”

“Spot on as always master.”

Φ Suddenly Laeg in front of me collapse and Ferdiad catches her, and he says, “It seems she got a bit too excited.”

I let out a loud laugh, and Ferdiad says, “It is not funny, I will bring her over to Kooacht and make sure they are both fine.”

“Ok, if anything is wrong tell me and we will leave.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“You’re not going anywhere till you clean up this mess!”

Master shadows emerge from the ground and then she picks up all of the broken boys and fixes their bones with her shadows. While she does this she personally walks towards them and sits them all up.

then after they are all transfixed by her presence like Laeg was she says, “Don’t act on your perception of your enemies, to can anything in this world you must be able to truly evaluate the power of yourself and your enemies.”

Master is very kind, she knows what these boys did yet still takes the time to educate them. It is due to that naturing personality that I was able to respect her as my master, her beauty and strength also do hell that as well.

Doubt I have yet to see the full extent of each, one of the many mountains I hope to conquer in this life. “YOU HEAR THAT MASTER ONE DAY YOU WILL BE MINE!”

A shadow wraps tightly around my mouth, and she says, “I am teaching you to be quiet.”

The anger in her voice is apparent so I quickly shut my mouth, and as this happens one of the boys says, “I am Ruairí Ó Éire, son of the king of Failas. And as someone of equal rank to Setanta, I ask that you instruct me and the rest of the boy's troop to reach his strength.”

“HEY, MASTER, IS MINE, SO BACK OFF UNLESS YOU WANT ANOTHER BEATING!”

The shadows wrap tighter around my mouth then master says, “Sorry but I cannot do such a thing.”

“Why are we not worthy of such a thing.”

“You misunderstand me. I have no barriers for accepting students from training students, the issue is that most people would die if they were to accept my training. Setanta over there is the bare minimum required to even approach me.”

Breaking out of the shadows I grab a spear and thrust it directly at my master's head, but with one hand she grabs my spear and says, “Did someone try to tickle me?”

She flings me with my spear towards where all the boys are sitting and I say, “Bare minimum. I have mastered many of your techniques, and have grown a lot since we last met.”

“Yet you try to pierce my skin with the overgrown toothpick.” Turning to the boys, master says, “I will never refuse minds who are curious to learn the way of the spear, but I hope that this mock battle will make you rethink what you are attempting to get into.”

“Take up your spear.”

From her swords, she pulls out a stick and says, “This will be good enough.”

Annoyed, I say, “Today will be the day where I finally best you. Red branch battle arts; star flower.”

I lunge forward and go for seven quick thrusts, but she blocks all of them with her stick, and it doesn’t slightly break when it is hit with my spear.

“Is that all you have learned little doggy?”

“It isn’t kind to insult your husband's wife number zero. Red branch battle arts; tulip.”

All around her, I start to move at incredible speeds in ever-changing patterns so she can’t even track me, and in response, master says, “Your tulip has gotten much better, I knew if you cooled down a bit more you would figure it out.”

As I move around I reflect some sunlight from my spear right into her eyes, then I move to the back right of her body and prepare to pierce her. But she quickly turns around knocks my spear upwards and then strikes me in my face with her stick.

Reeling from the pain, I say, “No way is that just a normal stick.”

“Of course it is, idiot.” With the stick, she whacks me right on the top of my head making me fall to the ground, and then says, “A true warrior can make even a stick a deadly weapon.”

Picking up my spear I break the point bit off my wooden spear, and say, “I see.”

Master laughs and says, “Now why would you do that?”

Getting into position, I say, “Experiencing something is the best way to understand said thing, now I am going to figure out your secrets.”

“Well let me teach you something today, you should use every advantage against those stronger than you.”

“Of course, I would if you were.”

“My, my this little boy truly does bring out my young competitive spirit. Now it is time to make you chew on those words.”

We start again.

Φ Opening my eyes, I see that I am on Ferdiad's lap. So I jumped off and say, “What happened!”

“You passed out upon meeting Scáthach.”

“NOOOOOO! Now she will think I am some strange girl.”

Kooacht who has a bandage attached to the place where he was struck comes to comfort me, “Thank you.”

Looking in the distance, I see Setanta fighting Scáthach and I ask, “WHAT IS HE DOING!?”

“Testing himself, though it isn’t going well.”

“That is a rather kind way to refer to this.” Setanta is moving around at speeds I couldn’t have even imagined, but the way Scáthach swats him away is reminiscent of the way an adult suppresses a child.

Her clothes don’t seem built for movement, but even with that restriction, she is effortlessly able to swat away all of his attacks. For the first time, Setanta genuinely looks like he is utterly outclassed, and the faces of the boys who he recently beat up corroborate this.

I turn to Ferdiad to say something, but I notice he is also holding a spear and watching intently. The focus on his face is so sharp that it feels like it has overwritten all the emotions he currently has.

“An opening,” he says right before he lunges directly towards her.

Φ She set herself slightly off balance with that last blow so if I am fast enough I could capitalize on it.

As I send my spear towards her, I am knocked away, by her stick then I am kicked into Setanta.

“Did I raise you boys to gang up on women?”

Setanta with pride says, “Ferdiad is my hand, he is me.”

“Don’t feel bitter master just because you are alone.”

Suddenly shadows fill the area, and we feel rage emanate from my master who says, “I would have you remember that I am a widow.”

Setanta with an honest smile, says, “Master that old lie again, you don’t have to pretend that no man wants you, because I do so here I could wife number zero.”

As the shadows start to encroach on us, I say, “This is why you should keep your big mouth shut, we are going to die.”

“That’s impossible because you are here with me.”

Sighing, I say, “Ok. Though if you die my mother and sister better get a castle.”

“Will do!”

Φ Riding up towards my sister, I ask, “What is going on?”

“A slaughter.”

-Break-

Φ In the middle of the knight we lay on the floor with both of our spears shattered to pieces, all the boys who were watching us left and all that remains is Laeg and Ibar. So I say, “You’re too strong!”

Getting up, Ferdiad says, “A stick shouldn’t be that strong, you must be cheating.”

Master laughs, and says, “You boys are far too focused on what your senses tell you is in front of you. Trust your soul more, and one day you will figure it out.”

Ferdiad says, “I wonder if we should even keep trying at this point.”

Master smacks both me and Ferdiad on the head, and says, “Don’t give up for even a moment. Both of you are boys of incredibly strong faith, and I am sure you will use said faith the guide the Tuatha Dé Dannan into the future.”

“Faith? Don’t pray to the human god.”

Master laughs, and I say, “What is funny?”

“Nothing, it is just that many things are funny when you are smart.”

“What does that mean?”

Ferdiad says, “It means you are dumb Setanta.”

Φ Setanta starts to fight Ferdiad and as he does I walk away. Under my breath I mutter, “I hope you both shine brightly so I can have a beautiful shadow to dwell in.”

Both of them behind me says, “WE WILL DO!”

“Truly lovely wolves.”