Kichi joined Whitebeard on a balcony overlooking the castle. The sun dipped between peaks where a weak red filtered between towers, pouring into the castle hollow four hundred feet below. There sat an arena. It had an enormous, raised platform in the middle. At the end of the platform were thirteen seats of the same weathered stone.
Whitebeard propped himself on elbows and peered down. He had all the appearance of an old wise man except the shock of youth that was his face. “Tonight, I plan to make you a knight.”
Kichi waited for a joke, but none was forthcoming. “That's impossible.”
“Not so. The realm is in decline. Too much is at stake to have you hobbled by lack of title. The realm will need you in the days, months, and years to come.”
The air felt great as it fell down the slopes and whirled around the balcony. It made her arms bumpy, but she didn’t care. Still, no joke came from Whitebeard. She was starting to think the man was serious. “Why would the realm need me? No one becomes a knight in a day, and I'm still too weak and untrained to do anything so important.”
He fished something from his jacket. It hung sparking silver. He let it drop into her hand. “This amulet will focus your prescience into the near future like a bent mirror focusing the sun's rays into a single point.”
“Wouldn’t that be cheating?”
“Do you think this is a meritocracy? Crann’s root, girl, all these knights were gifted unfair advantages. Most were trained since they could hold a weapon. They have mystical items handed down to them. Resources at their disposal to forge great weapons. But equal the playing field, and it comes down to what's in here.” He tapped his head.
“Why me?”
“Huh? Why anyone? You’re still here of your own volition, which tells me you’re hard-nosed. I need people like you, and so does the King, or what’s left of him when chaos reins.”
As they spoke, something lowered from above and lighted on the balustrade. It was the Kichi who represented the Order of the Arc. Her cape settled on her shoulders, and she smiled. Her eyes were striking, two large and violet orbs set in a tapering face.
Whitebeard’s face warmed. “You’re late.”
The girl's mouth tightened. “I’m never late. Everyone else is early.”
“Kichi, meet my old friend Hisa.”
Kichi bowed.”I thought you looked my age, but you look even younger close-up.”
“Thank you. I've stayed out of the sun,” she said as if that explained it.
Whitebeard showed his teeth in a wide smile. “She's eighty-nine. She belongs to the Dragon Order, just as I do, but don’t tell anyone.”
Kichi looked at each. “So order was never lost?”
He shrugged and looked to the sky as if waiting for something. “I suppose it was lost. But what’s lost can be found again.”
Hisa was at least a foot shorter than Kichi. She seemed like a child. “I returned years ago. I thought I was alone until Sada showed up. I spent my time rising through the ranks to head the Arcs.”
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“What about the draining ritual? Do you plan to go through with it, Whitebeard?”
“I do. Oh, look.” He pointed to flakes of brown in the sky. No, they were birds.
Hisa turned to her. “Have you flown?”
Kichi didn’t answer because she was awestruck by the size of the eagles that came closer. Their tremendous wings beat the air with a low throb. She shied back as one fastened to the building and leaned into the balcony. Its beak could open and eat her as easily as a robin would a worm.
Whitebeard jumped on its back and held his hand out. “They called us Dragons long ago because we fought them on eagles backs. From the ground, they really didn’t know the difference. Now come, let’s be off”
Be off? Where? She wanted to ask questions. She wanted to turn around and run. But then she was on the back, and the world pitched and fell away. The wind yanked at her clothes.
It took her a moment to notice Kichi’s small hands around her waist. The three thundered through the sky, then pitched up along ever-snowy heights. Kichi gripped Whitebeard until her hands hurt.
Then it was over.
Hisa and Whitebeard stood before a panorama of cascading land. On one side, she saw the green countryside in twilight, and on the other, the deserts in the gloom. She was standing on the Great Divide.
Whitebeard put his hand on her back. “If you feel dizzy, we'll return.”
“I'm not scared of heights. I’ll be fine.”
“There,” Whitebeard said. He pointed to an outcropping where a snow devil played. “Mountain whisps are almost impossible to hit. They cause mischief at the passes and push travelers and cloud goats to their doom. Now that you have the amulet see if you can manage a hit. And don’t let it get you near the edge.”
Kichi stalked up with her blade outstretched. How do you fight the wind?
The snow devil seemed to notice her because it advanced and picked up more snow in its funnel.
Then, the blinding whiteness surrounded her. The fast-moving air hurt her skin. Her sword passed harmlessly through it. She tucked her face against her shoulder as it felt like she would get frostbite.
The edge came into view and was much closer than she’d thought. Was this thing really going to toss her over the edge? She gritted he teeth and thought. Whitebeard wouldn’t tell her to attack it if she couldn’t do anything to it. There must be a secret. And how does one use the amulet anyway?
Then, between heartbeats, the world seemed to slow, like it was caught in honey. She saw a razor-thin creature of blue pushing her back. It was like a stickman that children draw. It was in the funnel with her.
Beat.
She glanced around for the stick man when the world lurched forward in time. She swung in a wide arc, hoping to cover as much space behind her as possible. But she hit nothing.
It pushed her, and she stumbled toward the edge. Below was a hundred-foot drop and then an angle to slide thousands. She skidded to a stop and spun her arms to gain balance. It just needed to nudge her, and she would go over.
Beat.
The vision was clear. The stick man was behind her. It knew she was barely able to stop herself and was vulnerable. It ran straight at her with both arms to knock her into the void.
Beat.
She whipped around with the sword. It was dangerous, and she felt momentum tugging her towards the edge, but she had no choice. The blade bit into something. Yes, the blade hit the mountain wisp.
It slit in two and hit the snow.
She panted, unable to stand. She crawled to the blue stick man and plunged the pure sword into its body. The energy surged through her. Just as it overwhelmed her, it died out, and the warp of air showed where the cleansed spirit danced around her.
Whitebeard gave her a hand. “Are you ready to take the oath?”
Kichi
Level: 6
Focus: Prescience
Secondary focus: Lava+1
Weapons: pure sword - 3% pure
Items: Near Field Amulet (Prescience+2, focus)