The Girl with the Blade of Bone

Every town needs a hero, and the seaside village of Tanaby has one, told in tales and songs and legends. Her stories are told and retold, embellished and misremembered. Some say they're all true, some scoff at that, but all the townsfolk agree that something or someone looks over them-a ghost, a whisper, a fleeting memory in the dark. Sometimes it's a mighty warrior, sometimes a clever lass with a gleam in her eye, always quick, always alert, her faithful dog Kaze by her side. Maybe it's all myths, but there's always someone who says that they've seen her, cloaked in gray, standing guard on the bluffs overlooking the town on the stormiest nights or flitting through the woods and fields or melting into the shadows of Tanaby. Everyone has a story, and everyone knows that at some time long ago that story was the tale of Nelaka, the girl with the blade of bone.