He had recently been to Iceland, to spend months with Ardnock, the great frozen terrain expert. Inigo had already mastered fighting from below and from above, fighting from trees, from rocks, in rapids. But what if the six-fingered man was from the far north, and they battled on frost or freshly watered ice? And what if Inigo, helpless and slipping, lost his balance, lost the battle, lost everything?

After Iceland, he spent half a year on the equator, studying with Atumba, the master of heat, because what if the six-fingered man came from a steaming country, and what if they battled in the hear of the hottest day, temperature at 150, and what if the grip of his sword went wet for just a moment in his hand?

Chapter 1, Buttercup’s Baby