The perpetually agitated man sprayed spit all over my face as he raised me by the neck.

I grimaced, giving him the most disrespectful look I could muster in my state.

"You think because you threw yourself headlong into a ritual you barely understand, that you’ll be safe from me?! If I can’t make use of you, I’ll find those who c-”

His grip vanished, and he appeared at the end of the hall looking harried. I landed solidly on my feet and looked casually at Krix next to me, the pain in my neck rapidly fading.

I refuse to admit I’m relieved to see her…

Thankfully, she had her eyes trained on the Seeker. She tsked as she sauntered closer to him. “Miard, you overeager brute of a child, that’s my potential apprentice you’re manhandling.” She winked at me. “Loving the transformation, by the way. At least you look like you’ll survive a fight.”

She raised her voice, “And where do you think you’re going, boy?!”

“Oh, let’s stop with the charade, Lady Krix!” Miard drew himself to his full height in front of the stairwell, acting as though he hadn’t tried to sneak away a second ago. “You can’t hurt me without incurring my master’s wrath. I’m leaving. Stand there and glare at me to your heart’s content till I’m out of sight!”

He moved for the staircase.

“Miard…” Krix drawled, all levity gone from her voice.

Miard froze on the first step.

“Consider yourself a dead man if you take another step without my permission.”

“...My master will hear of this.” He said evenly, but he remained where he was.

Lady Krix waved dismissively, "Lukas has enough on his plate right now.”

She walked closer to the man, "But I’m sure he would appreciate being disturbed because his servant succumbed to a sudden fit of sass.” She passed by Miard and beckoned us as she went down and around the stairway bend, “C’mon you two! We shouldn’t keep the Lady of the Castle waiting.”

Somehow, Miard looked even more constipated at the statement. He stared glumly at his feet as we followed the Lady Krix to the ground floor.

I broke the silence. “Roukk won’t be joining us?” I asked her.

“He’s downstairs, waiting for us.” She replied.

Nodding, I kept silent till we reached our destination.

I noted a distinct absence of wayward nephews on our way, however.

The scene at the entrance hall of the Castle, was alarming, no doubt, but it also brought a smile to my face, and it wasn’t only because, I saw the battered but very alive ‘Little Tolly’ prostrated at the entrance. Three rows, each of Knights, Seekers and some third, red-robed faction, lined up like primary school children at assembly before four figures in front of the main entrance. The contrast between the people in the rows only highlighted what they all had in common.

They looked thoroughly brow beaten.

Krix bee-lined for the people presiding over the ‘assembly’.

The first I noticed was Roukk. Lady Krix glommed to his side the moment she reached him, pouting dramatically at the others. An old woman in red robes glared with disapproval at the small woman, “Even here, you won’t give me face, Krix? Ungrateful child!”

“Stuff it, Granny Xihan! My husband almost died today, and your talisman didn’t trigger!”

“That’s not fair to her, dearest. The Castle interferes with lifesaving artifacts- Wait...you know this!” Roukk sputtered.

“Roukk!” Krix whined, “Don’t ruin our fun! Read the room!”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“I told you he wouldn’t be any good for you, he could never keep up with your mind, but nooo! You were in love, you said… He’s the one, you said!” Xihan ranted.

Krix pecked Roukk’s cheek then continued to bicker with the old lady, clearly having a good time.

I kept my thoughts carefully neutral.

Roukk sighed, beckoning at me, “Glad to see the ritual was successful, Jude. Stand by me please, the Commander will be here soon.”

There was a high-backed ebony chair sitting conspicuously empty beside him. “What’s with the chair?” I asked, as Roukk eyed Miard warily.

Miard ignored him.

“It’s for the Commander.” Roukk eventually replied. I nodded, returning to my sightseeing.

The third person was a woman in blue-green robes with white highlights, who glared with disgust at… everyone. She was tall and well built, her otherwise pleasant face made grotesque by her expression.

She stood in a warding position before a man meditating mid-air, seemingly dead to the world. Miard prostrated himself beside ‘Little Tolly’ and before her, the moment we reached them. However, it seemed she was quite determined to ignore him indefinitely. Unfortunately for Miard, the wait grated on him. So, he did what people with more confidence than sense do quite often.

He opened his pie-hole and expected the world to be pay attention.

Before his first words exited his mouth, his face was crushed into the ground by the woman’s armored boot. “A dog should not bark while it’s master sleeps.”

I flinched when the ground cracked, giving way for his head. “Holy-!”

Is everyone crazy in this place!

The ruckus, of course got everyone’s attention.

Krix wrinkled her nose, “As happy as I am to see that kid put in his place, I don’t think the Commander would take kindly to a proper murder in her domain, Lady Lonih.”

The woman, somehow, wrangled her face into producing an even fiercer scowl, but after a few tense seconds, she lifted her foot from Miard’s bleeding head.

A pulse of wind suddenly swept through the room.

Everyone froze.

Rather, I should say everyone but Lady Krix. Her right eyebrow twitched, before she muttered into the silence, “Show-off…”

At her words, the spell broke, and the room breathed.

Lady Lonih about-faced and bowed to the floating man, seemingly having a conversation with the man, “… Yes master… I’ll do so.” She gave Miard a sour look, “I understand.”

She snapped her finger and Miard flinched awake, groaning.

Gingerly, he removed his bleeding face from the floor. Then he stood, boldly meeting Lonih’s gaze. “You’ve done your worst. Now, will you let me speak?”

Her eyes narrowed, but Miard just spat blood out to the side.

He's got guts I'll give him that...

Her lips thinned, “…For master’s sake, yes. Answer me. Why were we met with such a shameful sight, as an entire division of Seekers… brawling, like common thugs.”

Everyone but me refrained from glancing at the blood-filled crack she left in the ground.

“We were attacked by the Knights without warning. Their excuse-”

Lonih slapped him.

“... I wanted to present an Otherworlder to the master.”

“Better.” Lonih replied, “Now why did you go so far for it? Our master could acquire plenty with a small effort.”

I beg your pardon?!

Miard cut off my nascent verbal lashing, by pointing at me, out of nowhere. “Look at him! You’ll see my point made for me.”

If I wasn’t so weak, I would add to the bruises on your face!

Krix snorted.

“Hmm.” Lonih eyed me like a side of beef, “I see…”

She raised her eyebrows at the Lady Krix, who smiled toothily at her. Lonih shook her head, “Forget it. You can keep him.”

“No one’s keeping m-” Roukk covered my mouth with his hand before I could say more.

Meanwhile, Lonih pinned Miard with a look. The man remained unmoved, at least, until she suddenly smiled like a shark baring its teeth. I shuddered.

She wasn’t even looking at me.

“Master said I’m to administer punishment if you overstep your bounds.” She drew him closer by the jaw, “So, who gave you permission to meet the gaze of your betters, hmm? Or you thought because I asked you a question, there was no need to give me face?!”

The man was still struggling in her grip. Or perhaps she was excitedly shaking him. She chuckled, “Well, for every day master remains in meditation, you’ll lose a limb. Pray he doesn’t take more than four days, or I’ll have to get creative. He’ll restore what’s left when he wakes.”

She gripped one of Miard’s arms, then froze.

Where the heck did she come from!!

A woman was seated in the empty chair amidst us.

She was long-limbed, with silver hair and extremely defined muscles visible even through her blue and silver uniform. She had a wide, faded scar trail from underneath her jaw to her nose.

Roukk saluted. “Commander!” She nodded at him.

Xihan curtsied politely, “Knight Commander Hanf, I sincerely apologize for the Mage Council’s part to play in this nonsense…” She gave Lady Krix the side eye, “Krix can apologize for herself.”

Krix just looked entertained.

“Indeed…” The Commander drawled. She raised her hand, “I trust you to discipline your own in this matter, Xihan.” The old lady bowed and stepped back.

The Commander lazily stared at the Seekers, “You, however…” She shook her head, “That bloody curse has struck again. Won’t be able to get anything reasonable out of you lot.”

“That’s exactly what I said!” Krix raised her hand.

The Commander ignored her and gestured at the door, “See yourselves out.”

Lonih stiffly nodded and dragged Miard with her out of the Castle. A whistle rang out soon after, and the blue-green robes filed out quickly in response.

A beat passed before Little Tolly belatedly scrambled up after them.

However, the floating old man remained in place. The Commander stared at him for a while, then sighing, she turned to look deadpan at Lady Krix.

“Hey Hanfy! What’s up?!” Krix waved.

“Little Krix… Do I want to know why you’re here?”

“Hmm… Honestly? I don’t think that would help you any.” Krix replied.

“...”

Roukk was evidently pained.

I was just happy to not be the only one experiencing this flavor of discombobulation.

The Commander breathed, then she pivoted to the Knight Captain. “… Roukk! Report!”

“Sir!” Roukk straightened, “Late morning today, this here young man, named Jude, was thrown into my office by Knight Yero on suspicions of being an accomplice to the deaths of the most recently deployed Knights into the Forest.”

“And where is Yero now?”

“He will wake with the sunrise, sir.”

“Noted… Go on.”

That's all?!

Roukk continued, “Lord Seeker Miard somehow knew what Jude is and was determined to acquire him at all costs... I desperately wanted to disappoint him, sir.”

“Say no more. What’s more interesting…” She swiveled to me, “What the hell did you do in that ritual to come out so perfect?!”

“Trauma. I think.” I shrugged.

The Commander nodded sagely, “Mm. Indeed. Well, would you like to be a Knight? I assume Roukk has given you the sales pitch.”

This is going too well. Eh, let's run with it.

“I’m keeping my options open… ma’am.”

Her face blanked. “Keeping y-Who wants this guy?” The lady looked around incredulous, “Krix?”

“I think it best, if he chooses by himself, Commander.” Roukk pressed.

“So, no one then. That’s fine.”

“Commander!”

She appeared in front of me, her hand on my shoulder squeezing gently.

“Hanf… Leave him be!” Krix growled.

“Is he yours or not? Stop getting involved in matters that don’t concern you, Little Krix.”

“I’m no one’s property!” I tried to remove her hand from my shoulder. She ground the bones in my shoulder together. My vision darkened.

I vaguely heard her mutter, “- how the world works, little one.”

Heat began to seep into in my chest.

Here we go again…