Emerald Steel

Prologue

A man raced through the forest, a hand pressed to the wound on his side. They're approaching quickly!

The man came to a stop in front of a giant oak tree. "Then this is it my friend." The man drew a sword from the scabbard at his hip, its emerald blade shown in the moonlight. With a quick thrust the blade sunk into the ground.

No you can't do this! The blade cried before getting cut off sharply by the man as he put his hand on the oaks trunk. After a few moments, the sword was engulfed by green light as it slid deep below the surface.

"Goodbye." The man whispered before he took off running as far as he could get before the thundering of horses hooves caught him just as death crept up on him. The Black Knight dismounted and stalked over to the dying man. "Where is it?!" He yelled at him picking him up by his shirt. The man smirked as his life ebbed away. The Black Knights disposed of his body in to the river and rode back to their master.

Chapter 1

The blade stayed hidden as centuries crept by, a village had sprung up over the land hiding the sword. Below a carpenters house the sword waited to be reawakened.

With a cry, the baby slid into the hands of the midwife, Kathy, who scooped up the crying baby girl, cut the cord, and quickly wrapped her in a blanket. Kathy handed the howling baby to the sweat streaked mother, the baby slowly calmed down, and Kathy pulled the blanket down over her legs before going to the door and called in the father, the town's carpenter, Michael. The mother, Abigail (called Abby by everyone) had tears of happiness running down her sweaty flushed cheeks as Michael sat on the bed next to her and gave the his thumb for inspection by his wide eyed daughter. "I'm going to leave now, Abby if you have any problems just give a holler. Mr. Gregor will be banging down your door quickly if I don't get down there and take care of his headache. You know how he is." Kathy told them with a sigh and left the house before they could thank her.

"What will we name her Michael?" Abby asked stroking the child's head gently.

"Haru." He told her quietly looking into the child's gold eyes.

"What does it mean?" She asked looking up at him.

"Spring in an old language I learned from a merchant in Arccos." He told her with a smile.

"She will be loved by all people, just like spring is." Abby said quietly as Haru began to fuss. Abby peeled away her wet shirt and let Haru feed.

Haru was hiding in a thorn bush from James, her dark haired friend, about a year older then her. She was sitting, very still, keeping from getting stuck by thorns. Her other friends Amy, Peter, and Dan were hiding in trees and other bushes less dangerous then hers. She heard James pace in front of her bush and she stilled her breathing until she heard him pass by. "Dang it! You found me again! Why can't you find Haru first?!" That was her friend Peter yelling like that.

"Because she's a better at hiding then you are." James told him bluntly. He quickly walked away to look for the others and she let out a soft sigh.

"HARU! GET SOME APPLES FROM THE CELLAR FOR ME!" She heard her mother call and she let out a groan. She quickly slid through the small space she had entered the bush from tearing a little of her skirt as it caught on a thorn.

"Ha! I found you!" James shouted and I shook my head.

"Mom wants me." She told him turning toward home. "Bye!" I called from over my shoulder as I ran down the forest path to home. Skidding to a halt in front of the front door and panted a little dusting off her dress.

"Mother, what is it you needed again?" She asked her mother from the door way. She had a slender build for a 12 year old with about five feet of height on her with her mid-back length gold hair falling from its tie, her gold eyes looking over her pregnant mother.

"Some apples we preserved for some apple pie." Her mother sighed and caressed her pregnant belly as most mothers did. Haru walked to the cellar looking over the yard full of chickens, another with their horses grazing about. She carefully walked down the old steps and looked for the old jars. In her search, her green dress caught on something sticking up from the ground, stopping her. Her hand reached down to touch it, as she did there was a flash of green light and she collapsed.

She slowly opened her eyes to see it had gotten dark out and her candle was lit with her mom napping in the chair next to her bed. In her hand she gripped a long emerald sword, making her eyes widen. I am one of the 12 swords of the Angels, Earth. The Black Nights are coming and will slaughter your village if you do not heed my warning.

"How can I trust a talking sword?" Haru said. "The Swords of the Angels are legends." She whispered skeptically.

How many talking swords do you know? She raised an eyebrow at this and she nodded. She began to quietly pack her things, wrote a quick note to her parents, telling them she had to go and not to follow, and stalked quietly to the stable to get her massive gold mare, Shana. She quickly saddled Shana up, pausing briefly at the top of the hill to look back at the town she loved before racing away into the night.

She stopped after a good 3 hours of hard riding, to rest Shana and to eat a little of the week's worth of food she packed. After half an hour she began to pack up her things when she heard an evil cackle behind her. Seven darkly dressed bandits circled in around her holding deadly looking knives in their dirty hands. "Well, we caught ourselves a real fun night boys!" One behind her said, making her whip around to face him. "Well go ahead and capture her you dunderheads!" He ordered smirking. They came at her and she clumsily drew her sword from the belt around her waist. She blocked two of the bandits before the others could react.

Her foot snapped out, kicking another bandit in the stomach, and into another bandit's knife. With a horizontal slash another went down, when Shana reared, fury in her eyes. Her deadly hooves came down on two of the bandits, as another came at her from behind. There was a creak and dark branches reached down and caught him around the neck. The branch lifted him off the ground and with a deafening crack broke his neck. A blade hissed by, missed, and sliced her sleeve. She pivoted quickly, facing him. One came down on her sword and his other came in an upward slash. She pulled her body back just in time and pushed her blade against his, breaking the weakly made knife and slashing his chest open. He slid to the ground dead as blood splattered on her dress. The boss came at her quickly, almost a blur, knives ready to slash her to pieces. He slashed horizontally as she stepped back only to pivot at a vertical strike. "I don't know how a little lassie could take down six grown men." He said attacking again. Bending low and pivoting, her blade jammed in his chest.

"By underestimating me, that's how. Thank the gods for James' lessons in swords." She whispered before a vile taste rose and she bent over and all she just ate covered the plants.

We need to get moving! The sword said from his position on the ground.

"I'm getting there. You need to start explaining things now. Also what am I to call you?" She said standing up slowly, the sword in her hands.

Which part? The sword said sarcastically as she slid the sword back into her belt and mounting back up on Shana.

"How about we start with your name, you smart-aleck!" She muttered, with a squeeze of knees, sending Shana trotting.

I've been called Hevaru. The sword told her and she sighed.

"So you're a male then. Now please tell me what's going on." She said looking up at the half moon.

Well my last master died about two centuries ago, the Black Knights had killed him. When I awoke from my slumber, you were born. Your Magic had awoken me, I unconsciously chose you as my next master. You were too young to wield me then, so I waited twelve years.

"My Magic? I don't have any of that!" She said surprised.

Did you ever notice that whenever you attended a garden, that it was the biggest and healthiest one in the town?

"I have a green thumb." She said strongly.

No you just didn't know how to control your Magic. It leaked out of you whenever you tried to grow a garden.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Then why did I faint when I touched you?" She asked suddenly suspicious.

That was my power entering your body and making our connection. He said rather smugly.

"What if I don't want to be your master?" She asked angrily. "Did you ever think of asking to see if this was what I wanted?"

Well you didn't really have a choice in the matter anyway. Once the chosen touched the sword whether they know they are or not, the bond is formed.

She was silent for sometime before she asked, "So where are we going?"

I'd like to know too, because if I'm just walking randomly then I'm not going to be too happy. A female voice said in her mind.

"Who said that?" She cried looking around anxiously.

Shana. The voice said exasperatedly.

"Hevaru, how is my horse talking to me?!" She growled angrily.

Oops! I forgot to mention that tidbit of information. Your mind is linked to all animals that are Earth based. Anything that fly or swim you don't have to worry about! Oh and also plants! He said brightly.

She sat there simmering in anger, when Shana threw her head.

Well? Where are we going you piece of scrap?! Shana said agitation in her voice.

I guess we should head north till we hit the mountains then head east. Hevaru said in a thoughtful voice.

"That's suicide! First we go into the frigid mountains then to the desert? Are you crazy? To the Barbarians, then the Nomads, all are known to kill any trespassers on their land?" She said with a visible shudder.

Well we are trying to avoid public. Oh you might want to buy some boy clothing in the next town because fighting in a dress will get you killed. Boy, times have changed! He said with a sigh.

So I am guessing I am to head to the closest town that's north? Shana asked.

"Yeah, I don't have a lot of money though." She muttered in deep thought. She looked at her torn dress and agreed with Hevaru. "We should enter at first light but I should hide you Hevaru, you don't even have a scabbard!" Haru told him with a glance down to him.

Well I can make myself look like a normal sword but a scabbard would be smart. He said agreeing with Haru.

"How would I go about getting you one?" Haru asked him smartly.

Ask an Oak. He told her as if she was an idiot. There's one. He said showing Haru the tree to her right in her mind.

Just don't take too long. Shana told her coming to a stop and let her climb off of her.

Haru looked questioningly at the Oak in question. "Um, can I have a scabbard for my sword?" She asked shyly.

Of course, dear, give me your hand. A warm female voice said. She obeyed the command and put her hand on the trunk of the Oak. Her hand began to glow a soft green and then the shape of a scabbard was seen on the bark. Then it began to take on its own shape as it pushed out of the bark. The light disappeared and in her hand was a beautiful glossy green scabbard made of some unknown material. Indestructible my dear, take care of it, and gods bless you. The voice said, sounding almost like a mother.

"Thank you, I will." With that she drew Hevaru and sliding him into his new sheath. "Well how does it fit?" She asked tying the scabbard to her belt.

Let's go, I want to get to the next town quickly. Shana said impatiently. Haru mounted up and Shana took off at a trot toward the town.

Like a glove. He said satisfied with his new scabbard.