"For goodness sake! He's gone and gotten himself into trouble again. Those boys!" Eva said, opening the door to the healers' guild. Gaius and Laelia trailed behind her silently. "I'm going to kill him. Naphtali, I don't know what you were thinking, stowing away like that...to go see some... some silly travelling troupe!"

Eva marched sternly forward, approaching one of the girls in blue robes, who beamed a warm welcome.

"We're here to see Naphtali and Korah. They were admitted late last night" Eva said over the counter.

"Oh," the girl said, looking at them, with her mouth half open in thought for a moment, before she ducked down and began to shuffle through a pile of parchments.

"Naphtali and Korah..." the girl muttered to herself.

A second later the girl jumped up cheerfully. She held a cream-coloured parchment in her hand.

"This must be them! Come on through; I'll show you to their ward," the girl said, walking on ahead.

Eva, Laelia and Gaius followed her through one of the doors that led into a well-lit hallway.

"Are they alright?" Eva asked the girl in front of them, while taking long strides to keep up with the girl's hasty pace.

"Naphtali suffered severe burns over his hand, Korah had a mild concussion, but nothing serious. They'll both make a full recovery."

"Well, thank goodness."

The girl giggled.

"I've never heard of anyone their age getting into a fight with a dragon."

"Don't remind me!" Eva growled.

The healer took several turns, entering a few different corridors before opening a double door that led into a large space. It was lined with beds through the middle. Some of the patients were being attended to by the healers whilst others just lay alone. Windows lined the wooden walls, and small lanterns were mounted in the corners; the shelves were full of vials, potions and plants that were used as medicine. At the very end of the room, Naphtali and Korah lay awake under their quilts. Both of them were dressed in their usual attire, though Naphtali was shirtless, with several bandages wrapped around his hand. They seemed to be talking to each other, laughing and engaging in regular conversation, though when Naphtali noticed his family approaching his smile turned into a frown.

"Just over here," the girl said, ushering them through. "I'll give you some privacy." She said and disappeared. Eva didn't hesitate to speak up.

"What did you two go and do!? You had us so worried! When I saw that note you left, I knew there'd be trouble!"

"Sorry," Korah said.

"Yes, sorry. It is good to see you, though," Naphtali replied.

"I think you two should really explain to us what happened," Gaius suggested.

Naphtali sat upright.

"Well...did you want to tell them, Korah?"

Korah laughed gently, a laugh that he supposed may cover up the fright he had of telling his parents. Though he knew he wouldn't be scolded in front of Naphtali and Eva.

"Can you tell them?"

"What happened was...well, we came across a notice board about the bards playing at the Rusty Dagger Tavern... Korah and I wanted to see them together; and you weren't home when we came back..." Naphtali trailed off.

Eva crossed her arms.

"And then we got attacked by a dragon," Korah jumped in.

"I know about that part," Eva said.

"Oh."

A few long seconds passed, in which Eva's face twisted and turned. Then with a last huff, she seemed to let her anger go.

"It's up to your parents to decide your punishment, Korah. I'd punish you Naphtali, but...it seems that you've been through enough trauma."

"You're not angry, are you?" Naphtali asked.

"What's done is done," Eva said. "We still need to talk later, though, Naphtali."

"Yes, Aunt," Naphtali replied.

"The good news is you two will be able to leave today. They said you're both going to be fine." Gaius eyed Naphtali curiously. Naphtali had never found Gaius to be unkind to him, but sometimes he would catch Gaius looking at him in quite an odd way.

"Korah, you're going to have to start packing your things when we get back; we have to be off soon," Laelia said.

"Yes mother," Korah replied.

The boys were kept in the ward until lunch time. Before they were given leave, one of the healers prescribed them several vials full of medicine. There was nothing to pay: because of a law that had been written by the King only a few years earlier, taxes had been increased a small amount in order to provide free medical assistance to anyone in the land who suffered a major injury, assistance which was given by the healing guilds, not by private practitioners who worked outside of the guilds. Along with the medicine, the two boys were given a bag of seeds from a fairy vine to aid their healing, and Naphtali was given an ointment made from the petals of a frost flower, for his hand.

Twilight was nearly upon them when Korah, Gaius and Laelia were ready to leave. Eva made sure to brew some tea before they left. Along with that, the five of them munched on biscuits and cake, though it was a short snack, as time was getting away from them. After his cousin, aunt and uncle had finished packing, the five of them made their way outside for a final farewell. Though Naphtali pulled Eva briskly to the side before they could get to the door.

"You promise you're not angry with me?" Naphtali asked in a worried kind of way.

"No, though you never cease to surprise me Naphtali," Eva affirmed him. She spoke with a familiar tone that comforted him, yet at the same time still made him feel a little guilty about what he'd done. Naphtali followed her outside with a warmth in his heart that buzzed with his momentary feeling of contentment.

"I suppose this is farewell, cousin," Korah said when they were all out on the street.

"Not forever," Naphtali replied.

"No, definitely not forever. But I think we'll both be a little different the next time we meet. A little more like adults –"

"We had better get going," Gaius interrupted, "before the gates close on us. We don't want to get locked inside the city, now, do we?"

Everything was loaded onto the horses, and they climbed up hastily.

Naphtali looked into Korah's childlike blue eyes that were identical to his own. Korah lifted his hand as the horses began to ride off; gesturing a goodbye in a slight wave of his fingers. Naphtali understood. Words would be too superficial to use at this point. He lifted his own hand, waving back and then the three horses galloped off, rounding the corner and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but the vast red sunset that shimmered in the last minutes of daylight. Then Naphtali was alone with Eva.

"Let's go inside. We still have to talk, remember," she said.

Naphtali looked at her with curious eyes.

"About what? I thought you weren't angry...?"

"I'm not. And you're not in trouble either."

"Really?"

"Really. Come on, I'll cook something up and we can talk over dinner."

"That sounds great! I'm starving!" Naphtali replied, bounding inside.

The dimness of the night had began to encroach into the corners of their home. So whilst Eva worked on lighting a fire under the oven range in the kitchen, Naphtali proceeded to ignite the lamps around the house.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Naphtali asked Eva as she stirred one of the boiling pots on the stove.

"Why don't you sit down, honey?"

Naphtali slumped back into the chair beside the dining table. The crumbs from the biscuits he had eaten earlier were still scattered over the wooden bench.

"So, what is it?" Naphtali asked. He was suddenly starting to get an inkling as to what this conversation may entail; but decided to play dumb, lest it turn out to be something different.

"You know what's going on, Naphtali. It's not every day we get a Dragon Slayer coming to this home, is it?" Eva said, confirming the little suspicion Naphtali had. "And even more than that" she continued "... well, the last thing that I expected was... I didn't think the reason he'd be coming to talk to me was because...he...wanted to ask me for permission to take you up as his apprentice."

Naphtali gulped. She'd been so up front about it. At the very least, he had expected her to give him some time to mull over the idea of being apprenticed to a Dragon Slayer. Indeed, up until now Naphtali had still been wondering if the whole thing may in fact have actually been just a dream. But Naphtali could see the anxiety that it caused her, so he could see why she had wanted to bring it up as quickly as possible.

"Did Aunt Laelia or Uncle Gaius find out?"

"No. He spoke to me in private."

"And what did you say?"

"I said it was up to you."

"You didn't say no?" Naphtali asked, huffing with excitement.

"I nearly did... I didn't really want you heading down such a dangerous path. Naphtali, you've had too much hardship already, and this is only going to bring you more. But it's not my life, it's yours. I still remember how happy you used to be when you came back from one of the bard's tellings. You never could keep quiet, it was so obvious how much you admired those Dragon Slayers."

"Aunt Eva..."

"I didn't want to rob you of that, Naphtali. I didn't really want to rob you of your choice. You've probably already gone and told that man that you want to become a Dragon Slayer. I still want you to think about it, though. Think about it carefully. And just remember that if you choose to take this road now, there will be no turning back."

"I know that."

"The man told me that if you didn't arrive at first light three days after The Waning, he would assume you had decided that you didn't want to become a Dragon Slayer. Or that I hadn't allowed it."

"Yes?"

"Remember Naphtali, sometimes we don't realise what we're praying for, not until our God gives it to us. Sometimes, what we pray for brings us more hardship than joy, and afterward we may even realise that we didn't really want what we prayed for in the first place."

"But in the end, if we're praying for what's right, it'll still turn out for our good. Won't it?"

"Yes, it will."

"I'll think about it for you. But you know it will probably be 'yes'. I can't really see myself making any other choice right now."

Eva smiled.

"And whatever decision you make, I'll support you in every way I can."

The days passed slowly. Naphtali felt like he had a lot of spare time to think – too much time. Torin had instructed him not to return to the blacksmith's guild for work; he wouldn't be able to do much with one hand anyway. It was true that there were some skilled blacksmiths who'd lost a hand or an arm and were still able to do the job – but they had spent years perfecting it. His aunt left him some chores to do while he was home, but it didn't take him long. Sweep the floors. Wipe the tables. He finished all of them well before noon. And so he found himself out in the street in front of his house, behind his aunt's back, swinging around one of his wooden swords with one hand, hoping to somehow gain an edge in the next couple of days and impress the Dragon Slayers.

"A sword has to become an extension of one's own hand," he said to himself – that's what they all spurted on about at the blacksmiths' guild. He held the sword straight out in front of him. An extension of his hand. He could feel it from his palm, through the hilt, all the way down to the tip. He could even feel the resistance of the air as he swung the weapon back and forth. To say that he was restless would have been an understatement – at a time like this, could anyone have expected anything less from him? But swinging something around and shooting arrows at makeshift targets seemed to tire him a little, or at least focus his attention on something that didn't have to do with becoming a Dragon Slayer. He didn't need to think about it any longer because he had already made his decision. He had made it years ago. He was going to join them; he wanted to become a Dragon Slayer if at all he could.

Nine days passed, and Naphtali counted every single one of them, to the hour and almost to the minute. It was early in the morning of the ninth day when Naphtali tiptoed through the kitchen; the stars were still sparkling in the night sky and the lamps around his home had been doused. He clipped his small satchel around his shoulder and crept past the table, hoping not to wake his aunt.

"So you've made your decision?" a gentle voice came from out of the darkness behind him.

Naphtali spun around. His aunt sat in a chair in the corner of the room.

"What are you doing up so early?" Naphtali exclaimed.

"I like to wake up early and watch the sun rise. I find it relaxing and it's really the only peace and quiet I get in my day."

"You won't be able to sneak up on me like that once I become a Dragon Slayer," Naphtali joked. "I'll see you coming from a mile away!"

Eva chuckled along with him.

"Well then, good luck."

Naphtali smiled, wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and walked out the door.

It was still cool outside; the hems of his cloak fluttered in the breeze that passed through. Naphtali lit his lantern and hung it upon Saul's saddle. At night the main streets of Aldun were lit with fairy light, but not the back alleys where he and his aunt lived, so he'd made sure to stock enough oil to last him until daylight.

The streets were quieter than normal, yet a few people still wandered about, preparing for the day ahead. With the cowl of his cloak over his head Naphtali made his way to the Dragon Slayers' Guild. He didn't have any trouble finding it, of course – he knew exactly where it was.

The Dragon Slayers guild was in the Western parts of Aldun. The guild building was extraordinary: it was large and tall, up against the walls of Aldun, and took up a vast amount of space. The place was walled off in a large semi-circle against the city; Naphtali would always wonder what lay behind there. But he didn't know, and as much as Naphtali asked around, not many other people knew either. Nobody except for the Dragon Slayers were allowed to enter the place. Quite the opposite of the blacksmith's guild.

Naphtali travelled west through the city and soon came upon the parts of Aldun that were less populated and more spread out. There were many vacant blocks of land, and most of the houses had been abandoned. This was rare, for such a large Alesian city, but, then again, it was the only part of Aldun that was like this. It was in the midst of this part of the city was where the Dragon Slayers guild lived. The sunlight was barely peaking up over the horizon when Naphtali got there. Two Dragon Slayers waited out the front, ready to greet him. One of them was Torin, who stood with his arms folded, leaning casually back against the wall of the guild. The other word his cowl which cast shadows over his face. Naphtali approached them, pulling Saul to a halt and slid down from the horse eagerly.

"Naphtali, I was starting to think you had decided not to come," Torin called, his voice neither enthusiastic nor bored, but somewhere in between.

The other Dragon Slayer, with his face still covered, stepped forward.

"I wouldn't have been surprised, Torin, for what untrained boy, after having met a dragon, would come back for more? Somewhat brave if you ask me."

The Dragon Slayer pulled back his hood. Berra had short black hair, with a few grey streaks. Naphtali knew he was quite old, and, indeed, his face showed some signs of age, but his physique was well shaped, and muscles well toned.

"Berra," he said, holding out his hand for Naphtali to take. "Pleasure to meet you."

Naphtali's eyes widened as he grasped Berra's hand firmly.

"Master of the Aldun guild?"

"Yes. You guessed it," Berra said, letting go and stepping back.

"W...well...it ahh, wasn't... it wasn't really a guess...umm, Torin...Torin mentioned you'd be here," Naphtali said.

Berra laughed with a hearty smile.

"I'm sure he did. But anyhow; Torin wants you to become a Dragon Slayer. That's what we're here for. Do you want to become a Dragon Slayer?"

"Y...Yes. Of course! I wouldn't be here otherwise," Naphtali beamed up at Berra.

"No. Indeed you wouldn't. Let's go out into the fields of Aldun then, and have a look at you. We don't have much room inside the city, and you're not allowed into the guild because you're not an official Dragon Slayer yet."

"So...are these going to be...some sort of tests?" Naphtali asked.

"Well... I suppose you already passed the test by coming here," Berra said, "And whatever you did to make Torin, of all men, want to take you up...that's something that even the most talented boys your age, throughout all the land, weren't able to accomplish. You must be something special."

Naphtali gawked.

"You know, I did kind of, almost... well I nearly killed a dragon," Naphtali blurted.

"Try not to fire up his ego too much, Berra – I'm going to be the one training him, not you," Torin said.

"I think he deserves the praise. Don't you?"

Torin remained silent.

"Today, we're just going to see what we have to work with," Berra smiled and climbed up onto his horse. Torin followed suit, mounting his own.

Naphtali stood still, looking up at the two white-clad warriors in awe.

"Are you coming, or not?" Torin asked.

They started off toward the city gates.

The city had livened up quite a lot since dawn when Naphtali had travelled to the guild. Two Dragon Slayers followed by an ordinary boy – that was a sight that the people around them turned to see, interesting and odd; it would surely generate gossip. The Dragon Slayers, however, didn't even seem fazed, passing through the crowd without a second look, even though the people clearly made an effort to get out of their way.

Naphtali had never travelled through the city this fast, especially at this time of day, with crowds of people commuting to and from their jobs. But riding with the Dragon Slayers was as quick as if he had been riding after twilight when everybody had doused their lanterns and gone to bed. Is this what it's like to be one of them?

The Dragon Slayers did not speak as they travelled through the streets. They wore the cowls of their robes over their heads, casting shadows over their faces which created an aura of mystery that protruded from them like vapour. Soon they reached the western gates of Aldun. The incoming crowd stood aside immediately; the guards didn't even think about holding up the two Dragon Slayers as their horses trotted across the drawbridge. They did, however, pull Naphtali up.

"Hey, are you from Aldun?" one of the guards called out to him.

Naphtali pulled back on the reins of his horse and opened his mouth to answer.

"He's with us," Torin called, without even turning to look at the guard.

"Oh!" the guard said. "In that case, don't let me keep you any longer. I didn't mean to interrupt your affairs, Dragon Slayer."

They moved out, off the roads and into the fields of Aldun. Before long, there was almost nobody to be seen. Most people didn't travel apart from the roads if they didn't have to – the risk was too great – though somehow Naphtali didn't think that there was much that could threaten him in his present company.

They continued out until the field was wide and open.

"I don't think we'll be disturbed by anyone here," Berra said, jumping down.

Torin slid off his horse, landing silently on the soft grass that rose as high as his boots. Naphtali pulled back on Saul's reins, slowing him down to a halt, and followed suit.

Berra walked up to Naphtali, looking up at the sky blissfully.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Berra said.

"Yes, it is," Naphtali replied.

Naphtali looked nervously at Berra who stood before him.

"Be...I mean, master... Berra Dragon Slayer, or is it Sir Berra Dragon Slayer? Wait, you're not knighted, are you. Hmmm."

"What is it Naphtali?" Berra asked.

Naphtali gasped. His pulse seemed as though it were increasing with every second he spent in the presence of the master Dragon Slayer.

"Umm, I was just wondering....well, ahh, am I sort of... if there aren't any tests, does that mean I'm already a Dragon Slayer?"

"That's really up to Torin isn't it; don't worry, he's not usually one to backtrack after he's made a decision. Quite stubborn that way."

Naphtali gulped nervously.

Berra moved over to his horse, unzipping the pack that hung over its back and shuffled through its contents. He pulled out a small, unstrung bow, along with what looked like several large wooden targets, carved from light wood.

"I know you're probably used to shooting with your own bow, but I want you to use mine today," Berra said, throwing the weapon over to Naphtali.

Naphtali's hand flew up, catching it without even thinking, and less than a moment later he'd strung the bow and was holding it out ready to use. Berra gave him another item, a quiver full of arrows. Naphtali strapped it over his back.

Berra put two fingers into his mouth, and then let out a loud and high pitched whistle. Naphtali noticed a shadow moving across the green fields, and he looked up to see a beautiful crimson red bird flying across the sky trailing fire in its wake as it flew. The bird circled around, harmless flames glittering from its wings, and landed on Berra's shoulder. The Ignatius Avan; or the fire bird as some called it. Naphtali had seen wild ones plenty of times flying across the sky, but he had never seen on so close.

Berra tied the target to the fire bird's legs, and without command the fire bird took off and began to circle the sky.

"So, here's how this is going to work: you see that target?" Berra said, pointing to the fire bird flying around in front of them. "You're going to shoot at them. And hit them if you can. Pretty simple, right?"

"Easy!" Naphtali said, sliding an arrow against his bow, "but what if I umm...accidentally hit the...fire bird?"

Berra waved him off.

"The firebird can't be killed by an ordinary arrow on a sunny day. You could probably use it for target practise if you wanted. The bird wouldn't even bat an eyelid."

Naphtali nodded and pulled back on the string of the bow; it felt different, lighter, more flexible than his own. But Naphtali didn't think about it for too long, and instead aimed carefully. The firebird zigzagged back and forth across the blue sky. Naphtali let the arrow loose. It zoomed off faster than he had expected, passing its target, and flying off steadily through the air, before dropping and burying itself in the dirt of the open field some distance away. Naphtali squinted in embarrassment.

"You're not familiar with the bow. It doesn't matter. Try again," Berra called.

Naphtali eagerly shot another arrow but again, missed completely, much to his disappointment. Berra signalled for him to continue, and Naphtali shot arrow after arrow, but did not once come anywhere near his target. Naphtali knew that the bow he held was of better quality than he had ever seen but for some reason he failed to exploit its power in every way.

Eventually, Berra signalled for him to stop and took the bow from him.

"Take a break Naphtali, you're doing well."

Naphtali fell back into the soft grass, crossing his legs and sitting awkwardly.

"That was horrible!" he muttered to himself.

While Naphtali was daydreaming, Berra called the fire bird down and untied the target from its legs. The clouds floated seamlessly high above him, taking the shape of one thing, and then another. He looked up at them for a moment. When he was younger, he loved to watch theme shift and change and he'd often make stories out of the creatures he saw in them. Now they helped to calm him down, at least a little. When he looked back down, Berra held a wooden sword.

"Ready for the next task?"

Naphtali nodded and took the sword from him. It was polished and carved almost well enough to be mistaken for a real blade. With the sword in his hand, Naphtali leapt up and turned to face Berra.

"So Be...master- ahh-?" Naphtali stuttered.

"Berra is fine."

"Berra, just...Berra?"

"Just Berra," the older man grinned. He was much friendlier than Naphtali had ever imagined.

"Hmm, so, Berra, how well do you think I went before? I mean, most of my arrows came close to the targets, right?" Naphtali's smile stretched wide across his face.

"You were pretty terrible, actually," Berra laughed. Torin approached them at that moment, so that he stood side by side with Berra.

"Wha... Oh. Well, my arm was a little bit sore, you know, from that dragon I took down the other day." Naphtali frowned to himself, knowing he was barely believable to mundane folk, let alone the Dragon Slayers.

Berra shook his head in amusement.

"But," Naphtali said, "I'll keep trying. I will. Just give me another go."

"How long would you keep trying for?" Torin interrupted suddenly.

"As long as it takes."

Torin stared at Naphtali. Such a seemingly empty statement, but Torin's mind flashed back to Naphtali's fight against the green dragon. He remembered Naphtali running back to save his cousin. He remembered the look in Naphtali's eyes at that moment – the look that said he wasn't going to back down, no matter what. Even if it cost him his life, he would protect his cousin. Such a seemingly empty statement, but Naphtali had the same look in his eyes now. Such a seemingly empty statement, which was in no way empty.

"I'm going to have a look at how you handle a sword now," Berra said cutting Torin off from his thoughts.

Naphtali gritted his teeth in determination, glancing over at Torin, but only for a brief moment. Torin stood with a straight face, strands of his hair, although tied up, still managed to brush down over his stubble of beard.

"Are you ready?" Berra asked.

"Yes," Naphtali replied.

Torin backed off, giving them some room to move about.

"Let us start then," Berra said, his sword hand dangling casually by his side.

Naphtali waited for Berra to move, but he didn't. A few moments passed.

"I'll let you take the first hit," Berra urged.

Naphtali hesitated, and then readied himself before jumping forward and slashing diagonally downward, careful to fully show his technique in the swing of his sword. Berra leant to the side, the sword brushing harmlessly past him.

Naphtali pulled back his sword and followed up with another side slash. It should've hit Berra in the hip, but the Master Dragon Slayer jumped upward, and Naphtali's slash continued straight through where Berra had been. The sword recoiled sideways, Naphtali recovered, and whipped a swing the opposite way, at shoulder height. Berra landed and then ducked, and Naphtali's sword completely missed him once again. Naphtali jumped and skidded backwards. Laying a hit on Berra was like trying to take hold of thick white mist. But Naphtali didn't stop. It was clear that Naphtali was determined to impress these men, he stabbed forward, Berra twirled to the side to avoid the blow. This was it. There was no way anyone would be able to avoid his follow up. Naphtali swung his sword sideways, towards Berra, the wooden blade was only inches away from making contact, and then, like a flash, Berra was on the other side of his swing. But how? Such speed? Naphtali's blow flew aimlessly through the air. Berra ended it quite quickly after that. He knocked Naphtali's sword out of his hand with his own, sending it spinning off into the meadows.

"That sword arm isn't as bad as you made it out to be, Torin," Berra remarked "though it is still nothing special."

Torin didn't react.

"We'll have another quick sparring match, then I'll take you through one last exercise."

Naphtali nodded, and ran into the fields, searching through the greenery for his sword. As he ran, he felt his boots catch onto his laces, and he stumbled forward, plummeting face first into the grass.

"It's alright! I'm alright! And I found the sword," Naphtali called, holding his arm up.

One moment and two bruises later, Naphtali was back in front of Berra.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Berra eyed him curiously, though there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Whaaaaaat? No, no! Of course I didn't! Let's go. I'm ready!" he called out, jumping up and forming a semi-fighting pose.

"Well then, let us continue," Berra said.

Quite frankly, Naphtali didn't even feel the need to give the Master Dragon Slayer time to ready himself, at this point. He simply ran forward as fast as he could, jumping upward and cutting down with one swift motion. Berra stepped to the side like a blurred flash, the blow missing him entirely.

"Try to put more control into your swing, and less power," Berra said.

Without thinking, Naphtali whipped the sword sideward at Berra's neck. Berra jumped backward, again avoiding the blow.

"Ahh!" Naphtali grunted in frustration.

Naphtali hacked back and forth, up and down, in and out. But Berra danced and dodged, twirled and spun, jumped and ducked, and he seemed to be doing it with so little effort, avoiding every little swing of Naphtali's sword.

"Get ready, I'm going to see how you go on the defence," Berra said as he spun under another one of Naphtali's swings.

Berra flicked his sword in a sideways arc, he'd made extra effort to drastically hold back in speed and power and so for Berra, it was like a sword swing in slow motion. Naphtali, however, was barely able to block it. Berra pulled back and cut sideways. His sword swing hit Naphtali in the side and Naphtali staggered, slipping over onto the ground. Berra stepped back, straightening up.

"I think we've seen enough, haven't we Torin?"

Naphtali looked up, and Berra held out his hand for him to take. Their hands clasped together firmly and Berra pulled Naphtali to his feet.

"It took great courage to for you to come here today, I want to commend you on that Naphtali. But do you mind if I speak to Torin privately for a short moment," Berra smiled. It wasn't really a question, but Naphtali nodded anyway. Berra and Torin moved a short distance away, but far enough so that Naphtali couldn't hear their discussion.

"You're still set on taking him up?" Berra asked Torin when they were out of earshot.

Torin scratched the stubble on his cheek and Berra knew Torin was collecting his thoughts. There was a long pause. Torin recalled Naphtali's fight with the dragon, their conversation in the healers' ward, and everything Naphtali had just done. He remembered looking into Naphtali's eyes and seeing that fire of determination, the light of hope blazing out from him even in the most hopeless of situations. The persistence to get through, that persistence to keep trying no matter how many times he had fallen. 'How long would you keep trying for?' Torin had asked him. 'As long as it takes.' Torin knew that if that boy was given the opportunity, he would spar with them all day.

"I haven't changed my mind," Torin said eventually.

"He isn't overly skilled," Berra remarked.

"I know."

"Good. As long as you do. You've always been stubborn, and, although it is against the norms of the Dragon Slayers to take up an apprentice as old as he is, I think you are making a wise choice."

"Then we're done?" Torin replied.

"No, not just yet. I want to put him through the last test."

"I already know how he'll respond."

"I'm sure you do."

The two Dragon Slayers approached the young boy and they stood side by side, opposite him.

"There's just one more exercise I want to take you through, Naphtali," Berra said.

Berra reached into his robes, removing a small vial filled with black liquid. He held it out, up in front of him, so that the sunlight glinted off the rounded glass.

"Naphtali, do you know what this is?" Berra asked.

Naphtali observed the potion from a distance, with careful curiosity. His mother had practised medicine and had been an expert at herb-lore, and so had his aunt and they'd taught him a thing or two about it. Naphtali gaped.

Berra threw the vial at him; Naphtali fumbled as he caught it. Torin watched as Naphtali held the potion with two fingers, examining the fluid closely, and even more carefully than he had a moment ago. Naphtali could see the tiny red orbs that swished back and forth within the deep dark depths of the liquid.

"It can't be!"

"Yes," Berra said. "A mortum potion. If you're familiar with it, I'm guessing you know what it does?"

"It tests the potential of the body of whoever drinks it. If the person drinks it, and their body isn't strong enough to take the potion..."

"That person will die. More specifically, the potion acts upon your fitness, strength, reflexes and willpower, although potential is part of it, and the strength of the potions can vary."

"These are used as the entry tests for cults and improper factions, to discern the weak from the strong... Isn't this illegal?" Naphtali was amazed.

"The Dragon Slayers have special permission from the King to make this potion and distribute it to anyone who wishes to join our guild. You could say that it is illegal for everyone except us. Now show Torin and I how much you want to be a Dragon Slayer. Prove to us that your decision wasn't made on some childish whim. Drink the potion."

Naphtali held out the potion out in front of him. It was a simple decision, not a complex riddle. He didn't need any kind of special skill or training to drink the potion. Death had faced him twice already in his lifetime, and here it was again. Naphtali felt his heart pumping hard within his chest; his cheeks were flushed.

He pulled off the cork, raising the lip of the vial to his nose. He could smell the burning, hell-like scent it gave off. There was no mistake – this was the potion he had read about. He could put it down; after all, they weren't forcing him to drink it. But Naphtali would rather die, than live with having passed up the opportunity to become a Dragon Slayer. Naphtali was motionless for a moment longer, and then a cheeky smile slid over his face. He pressed the vial to his lips and drained it in two mouthfuls.

He could feel the liquid melt down into his stomach. Naphtali froze, expecting to die any moment. But he didn't.

"Well done. You called our bluff," Berra said.

Naphtali raised an eyebrow, suddenly realising that the taste of the potion had been sweet and appealing, not like the mortus potion at all.

"Your...bluff?" Naphtali said slowly, before he finally clicked, "your bluff! Pfft. That's right. I knew the whole time that wasn't the real thing! Was that just a sweet juice?"

"Grape juice with red jelly balls," Berra said. "You have no idea how much experimentation it took to get that scent right, though. I guess you really are determined to become one of us."

"Is that a traditional Dragon Slayer entry test?" Naphtali asked.

"No. Not at all. Just my personal test that I've been using for the last few years. Well, anyway, I had already given Torin permission to take you up, so you can consider yourself one of us. From now onward, consider yourself a Dragon Slayer."

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