Kichi knelt in a circle of crystals. They were blue and green fragments that dazzled in the grandmaster’s room. Magic seeped along the circumference and danced all around her.
It flowed from Hisa’s outstretched hand and whirled in phantom flames.
When it rose above her head, Hisa pushed her sword through it, where it started to glow as bright as if it’d been placed in a blast furnace. “Do you swear never to harm another without just cause?”
The sword touched Kichi’s shoulder, and she flinched, but it didn’t burn. “On the pain of my death.”
“Do you swear never to undermine a noble’s sovereignty unless it involves treason?”
“On the pain of my death.”
Hisa moved the sword to the other shoulder. It was a yellow bar of metal. “Do you swear to avoid violence unless forced upon you or in tournament?”
A heat rushed through Kichi, but not from the blade, but an internal flame. “On the pain of my death.”
“Do you swear to defend those unable to protect themselves?”
Kichi gave her answer again but tried to keep her face neutral as the flame smoldered inside.
“Do you swear to reject the pursuit of worldly goods?”
“On the pain of my death.”
Hisa moved the sword back to the first shoulder. “Do you swear to be merciful?”
Kichi affirmed, but now her whole body ignited.
“Will you put the realm before yourself?”
Kichi tried not to, but she shook as she answered.
“Will you never tell a lie?”
When Kichi said, “On the pain of my death,” the pain vanished, as did the magic. Though it was gone, it lingered in her mind. The room seemed impossibly dark.
“You are now bound by the Knight’s Oath and a member of the Order of Arc. Rise.”
Kichi wondered how strong the spell entangled her. She tried to say a fib, that Bin was a horse, but though her lips moved, she couldn’t make a sound. She looked down at her mouth.
Hisa laughed. “Already, you’re trying to test the oath. Well, you’ll have to look long and hard to find a sorcerer who can do that.”
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“I wanted to see if it worked. It definitely did.”
“It always does. Now, run along and get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
Kichi found Masahide praying at a mountain spirit shrine. Mountain spirits were seldom corrupted because they were gargantuan and possessed unfathomable strength. When they were, it could cause a lot of damage. She wondered what Mount Templar looked like if they based a whole order around it.
She tried to slip into her room without disturbing him, but he turned around. “Congratulations, Kichi. You’re a fellow knight.”
“Thank you. It was rushed. But hopefully, I won’t let Whitebeard down.”
“Of course you won’t. As far as I’m concerned, you proved yourself back at Wythmere. You saved Whitebeard and I, and probably Ema, too.”
Kichi didn’t know what to say, and she felt a flush. That was too much of a compliment. Wythmere had been nothing but dumb luck.
A scream pierced the hallway. Kichi and Masahide froze. It came from a room. It was the sound of pure terror.
Masahide leapt to his feet. “Ema!” He stormed through Ema’s door. The room was empty, but a breeze stirred the air. A leg vanished through the window as the curtain flapped.
They rushed to the window and looked out. With only the moonlight, they saw a black shape carry Ema away. It had a hold on her nightgown, and her face of horror stared down at them. Black wings appeared to fly back into the castle further up the wall and yank the Ema inside.
Masahide yelled her name and started to climb out over the sheer drop. He tried to grab above the window, but his foot slipped, and he started to careen to his death.
Kichi caught his arm and they both tumbled back into the room. “There’s no way to chase them. Let’s tell Whitebeard.”
They raced down the hallway and to Whitebeard’s room. They barged in. He was in his sleep attire. His arms were lean ropes of muscle. “What’s wrong?”
They said at once, “It took Ema.”
Whitebeard calmed them down. He spoke gently and said to relax and take deep breaths, saying, “We’ll get her back. If you saw them reenter the castle, I believe she’s being held prisoner here, and she’s alive. The Duke’s up to something, and he’s probably making a move against you. She’s his ace against you.”
Masahide held his head in both hands. “How can you be sure? Who knows what’s happening to her.”
“They have nothing personal against Ema and no reason to harm her. Our foes are schemers who will try to gain an advantage. You’re here without your order, so they think you’re weak or up to something. Luckily, they don’t know that we’re far more capable than they could imagine.” He stood and pulled on clothes.
Masahide’s panic showed in his eyes as he looked at Whitebeard. “Where are you going?”
“We have allies. You two relax, and I’ll handle this.” He strode out of the door, and it slammed behind him.
Kichi and Masahide paced silently, sat, looked out the window, and finally turned to each other. She said, “We’re not waiting.”
“Agreed.”
Kichi
Level: 6
Focus: Prescience
Secondary focus: Lava+1
Weapons: pure sword - 3% pure
Items: Near Field Amulet (Prescience+2, focus)