How could I connect new knights? The current bond was a triangle, with Lucy and myself at the top and Lily at the bottom. Could I connect new bonds under Lily? She would be our knight general. From her the bond would extend to her officers, and from them to the normal knights. Or something like that. Meaning the further down the chain of command they were, the less power they got.

First, I would need to create a bond from nothing. With only an oath of fealty. Hm. I could use swords as a ritual focus again. I had enough of those. It would certainly be a weaker ritual. We would connect them to an existing system, not create a new one.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tug on my mind. After a bit of confusion I realised it was Shani. The summoning spell was almost running out. That meant I had spent quite some time contemplating the ritual. So Shani was still around but had not returned. Sadly, there was no way to talk to her. Has she found Loriel? Was she still looking? I had used three 9th tier spells today. I would need one more to move Thessia’s tree. If I extended Shani’s summon, that would leave me with four slots for any upcoming fights.

Obviously, I had plenty of lower tier spells left. And other abilities. But I had no idea when I could rest again. Hopefully tonight. Loriel might be in danger though. So I decided to keep Shani around and extended the spell. Maybe I could search for a less costly way to keep her around at some point.

I stood up and stretched. Then I looked around the room. Thessia was still busy. Josef was talking with Minerva and Iris. Lily was lounging on a chair with Eshantri kneeling on the floor next to her.

“Where is Lucy?” I asked.

“She is outside keeping watch, my lady.” Lily answered.

I nodded and left. My storm was still here but it had calmed. There was barely any wind. Mostly just dark clouds and rain, with the occasional flash of lightning, followed by thunder. Lucy was standing in front of the temple. I embraced her from behind.

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“Enjoying the rain?” I asked.

She leaned into me. “Mhm. It’s beautiful.”

“Any sign of trouble?” I asked.

“No. No friends. No enemies. It’s rather peaceful. If you ignore all the smoke and explosions you see in the distance.”

“What do you think about Iris and Minerva?”

“We know very little about them. But they have the training and experience to be useful to us. We could have Minerva train any new recruits. Keep her in our county, away from the fighting, until we are certain she is not going to be controlled again. Iris has command experience. A perfect advisor for Lily.”

“You have given that much thought. Are you already imagining our glorious maid army?”

”I admit that I like the idea.”

“Minerva was betrayed by the Inquisition, Iris was betrayed by the army. Or at least her captain. We saved both. I hope that has built enough trust for the knight bond, if they want it.”

“So you figured something out?”

“Yes. They need to trust us enough to willingly enter the ritual. And then they need to swear an oath. We inscribe it in blood on a sword, which serves as the ritual focus. They will swear to serve us under Lily’s command and we route the bond through her. And an 8th circle spell slot should be enough to power it.”

“Good. I think they will accept the offer. But there is something else. I... have a favour to ask you.”

“Anything for you.” I replied.

“My parents. They are still in the Empire. With the civil war going on they might be in danger. I want to take them with us to the Dominion.”

“Of course we will get them. How far away is your village?”

“We can get there in a week, maybe faster. Depends on our speed. In my huge fox form I could carry some people. Or pull a cart.”

“Excuse us.” I heard Iris say from behind. “Are we interrupting?”

I let go of Lucy and turned around. Minerva was here as well. “No, it’s fine. Have you come to a decision?”

“Yes. We would like to join you.”

“So you are willing to swear fealty to us?” Lucy asked. “Knowing that you will need to leave the Empire?”

“Yes.” Iris said. “We had a long talk. There is no future for me here. And if the Inquisition is not stopped there is no future for anyone. That is not something I can do alone. So far you have been honourable. You saved me. You saved Minerva. And while Lily was vague you seem to have freed her from something. I am willing to follow you.”

“I am willing to follow you as well.” Minerva said. “I tried to kill you and you spared me. You freed me from the mind control. You are offering me a new life and a chance for revenge.”

I nodded. “Let’s set up the ritual. We should be able to get it done before Thessia is ready.”