"Anyway, go in and grab the arrows you want, I have to work." It wasn't a complete lie, I still had to question uncle before I could start training.

Without wasting any more time I led Eve to the ammunition section in the workshop, there were barrels full of arrows of various types, as well as darts and throwing knives.

"Uncle went overboard this year didn't he Oz?"

"It's the same as every year, you know that."

Despite that, I had to agree with my sister, there were at a glance several more barrels of arrows than last years, and a few were oddly shaped, the one that caught my attention the most at the time was some double tipped arrows.

"By the way, where's uncle Miles?"

She had already finished filling her quiver when she noticed uncle's absence, he was still trying to get out of the forge when I opened the door so I assumed he was cleaning up.

"He must still be asleep, is that all you need?" I remarked pointing to her overpopulated quiver.

"Yes, I think if I use them right they will last me through the summer."

"If they will only last you until summer it will be because you didn't take care of them, I suggest you go get ready at home so you don't lose everything all at once."

"As if I would lose arrows of such quality, but yes, I wouldn't want to use them all, I'll see you at the house."

Eve hurried back into the house, and when she was out of sight I closed the door and locked it.

"Now, what will be better so I can question him?"

There was still the matter of why Uncle Miles locked himself in a forge full of coal and metal. I went up to his room and he was looking out the window for something, as if his life depended on it.

I grabbed a pike from the furnace and threw it at him. "Uncle, would you be so kind as to say what happened?"

With no problem in the least, uncle Miles ducked just before the pike touched his back and turned around in shock to see me there.

"You didn't happen to see anyone outside Oz?"

"Other than Eve who already left, no, why?"

"It happened again Oz!!!, I don't know who sent them, but I'm going to make him pay when I find him."

"A little context would help me right now."

It was rare to see uncle Miles upset about something, even rarer to start yelling, I needed to know what had happened in the short time I hadn't seen him.

"Ah, you're right, well, it just so happens that this is the second time people have come yelling at my door that they want to be my apprentices and they're ready for the test."

"And since when are you starting to look for apprentices?"It was unlikely to think that the man who ran an entire shop on his own would suddenly be looking for an apprentice.

"You know I haven't done anything like that, and that's the thing, they both came and knew everything about the workshop, and they didn't leave for hours, the one from today came from last night!"

"And that's why you pretended not to be and locked yourself in the forge?"

"Thinking about it now I could have gone out the back but I didn't want to meet anyone."

"Whatever, the good thing is that I was able to practice detecting again." Previously I wouldn't have been able to train that technique without being blindfolded and almost fainting. It was a good thing to be able to do it like that.

"Oh! So that's how you found me huh?"

" If it wasn't for that uncle, you'd have stayed there all week."

"You don't know that little Oz."

"Anyway, any idea who knows you well enough to know how to make you suffer?"

"None." His response at that moment was as short as his fuse to anyone outside his workshop. It was no wonder there was someone who wanted to make him run.

"Well I suggest you think hard uncle, before the next one comes along."

His expression turned to anguish when I mentioned the word 'next'.

"Changing the subject, is the room finished?" If I wanted to continue my training I couldn't have any more distractions at that point.

"Ah yes, it's done. I guess you read the story last night right?"

"I went over the essentials, so shall we get started?"

"Not so fast, first of all, I have to give you something."

Uncle Miles led me back downstairs and walked over to a chest next to an anvil, there was nothing flashy inside, but still, he pulled out two rods covered with cloth.

"What are you waiting for open it Oz!"

I followed uncle's indication and inside the cloth were two short black swords, the hilts had no guard, only two dents to avoid grabbing the blade, my reflection was in both blades, but darker and more vivid.  I ran my hand over the pommel and felt an engraving when I got a good look at it, it was the initials 'O.W'.