“A master-apprentice relationship works best within the context of an Allegiance. I will require that you swear Fealty to me as part of your Apprentice Oath.”

She nodded immediately. “That is sensible. What must I do?”

I did not have many direct Vassals, actually only seven: Abigail was my Seneschal, and virtually everyone from Heavenbound Hall was sworn under her, organized in a broad pyramid of Duty and Loyalty beneath her.

The Angelos and the Windgraf had Sworn directly to me. Beneath them were many, many Heavenbound and Stormbound, who had all returned to the Hall, however briefly, to swear their Loyalty... or, the two had dared to go to them, in Astral Warded secrecy, escaping the notice of many of their enemies.

In addition, many of the Heavenly Priests had gotten together and agreed to swear underneath the Angelos, as the nature of the angel encompassed all Churches evenly, showing no favoritism among them. The Windgraf was now also commanding many of the Artificers and other Crafters who labored at Heavenbound Hall, and they had formed up under his leadership, given his rapid rise to power and the sheer volume of what he was now pressing forwards with.

Master Fred was also Sworn directly to me. I was his Lady, he was my Warlock. La.

Sir Pellier had Sworn directly to me, and his own branch of the Allegiance included many military people and adventurous sorts who wanted to enter my service, and who were now prosecuting the Shroudzones. A lot of lower-Level people who wanted to follow the Helix path were underneath him.

I had Slots left for Sama and Briggs, of course, who I could probably fit under me now after all the slaughter I’d been undertaking. We’d see when I met up with them. That would get me a huge number of Chinese people who had been Marked, and so could swear formal Oath under Sama once she was under me. If one of the two of them agreed to go under the other, that would free up a Slot for me, but I wasn’t going to say either of them was more valuable than the other.

Shvaughn had Sworn to me. That was... exceptional, of course, and her branch of the Allegiance was sequestered from most of the rest. She knew why, and didn’t begrudge it, as her own branch was considerably darker than everyone else. She looked out at the bright shiny lights of everyone else, and if she had regrets, they didn’t show.

The Mick was also Sworn under me. I’d advised him to be under Sama, and he had politely refused. I gathered he had plans, and did not press the point.

That meant Azaia could fill the Eighth Seat. There were likely a LOT of people who would have been ready to risk death for the privilege, but I had reserved it here just in case. I had been considering Helix for the position if necessary, but really, he was doing too good a job as an inspiration for Sir Pellier’s following, because he was just such an average guy improving himself. His popularity and influence grew because he was not exceptional.

Azaia Morningwind, on the other hand, was a certifiable genius by all standards, coming from the family of the most famous halvyr Casters in the world, and was likely the most gifted among them in the various paths of magic. While Intellect was definitely her highest Stat, Wisdom, instead of Charisma, was her next highest, in contrast to most of her family. This left her far more introspective and aware than her sisters, for instance, and why she was able to subvert the Geas on herself, without even knowing that it was there, to look after Elrii.

Alas, look had been all she could do, she could never act. That she knew her mother was responsible was a given, and what would come out of that was something else.

I stood up calmly, and let my Presence flow out again. “Kneel,” I said calmly.

A bit starry-eyed, she obeyed. The aura of nobility and power about me, coupled with superhuman charisma and the Spell Power of a post-Twenty, was not something she could defy.

“The Oath of Allegiance is second only to the Oath to a True King, or the Pact of a Warlock in its power,” I said softly, my voice echoing on the faint lines of magic all around, save that only she could hear them. “An Allegiance is built on this Oath, upon the interplay of Loyalty and Duty that it makes possible. Hear now the form of the Oath of Allegiance.”

I watched her tremble as she realized this was a moment certainly no less significant than her formal vows to serve the Silver Queen.

“You may embellish as you wish, but here is the minimal form. As you are Sworn to the Divine, you must also include them. If your Goddess should choose that you may not swear Oath, then that is their right as Divine.”

The words rose behind me, and her eyes flickered over the bare bones of the Oath.

I, Azaia Morningwind of Sylune, before (name those other Powers important to you), do offer my Oath of Allegiance, and that of those to whom I owe Duty, to The Traveler, Monarch of the Jet and Silver, on this day, before gods and mortals.

Simple, pure, and yet resonating with conviction and power. Just looking at it made her eyes tremble, acknowledging that those simple words, in this chosen format, had a great power rendered unto them.

Before gods and mortals...

---

She inhaled sharply, lowering her eyes, choosing her words. They would exemplify her own Free Will, that this Oath was undertaken without outside pressure.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I, Azaia Morningwind of Sylune,” she began, and instantly felt the power of the Oath starting to gather in her heart and soul, “before Tiirith, who watches over the Halvyr; Mimir, who seeks Wisdom; Aethra, who stands the long watch; and Aru, who seeks Enlightenment, do offer my Oath of Allegiance, as Apprentice and Vassal, and that of those to whom I will owe Duty, to The Traveler, Monarch of the Jet and Silver, on this day, before gods and mortals!”

Every syllable was extra weight crashing down, winding into the Aura of the woman before her, the woman who should be her youngest sister, and yet was so much more, now.

A hand came down upon her head, softly, but with the weight of power that tons of matter could not have emulated, a weight upon her Casting Aura greater than a mountain.

“I, The Traveler, Monarch of the Jet and Silver, before Mithar the Grand Master, Sylune the Queen of Silver Magic, and Aru Who Is Light, do accept this Oath of Loyalty and the Duty that it brings as Monarch and Master, from Azaia Morningwind of Sylune’s Own, before gods and mortals! Rise, Star of the Jet and Silver!”

The air was thrumming with thunder, energies she knew only in tangent, coming crashing down to form a link and bond that the gods themselves, distant as they were, would acknowledge and respect, and furthermore, a Title Rang in the air, by which she would be known to all members of this Allegiance.

That link formed, and she opened the door without thinking, stepping through eagerly to see what was beyond, and froze in astonishment.

“Eep!” she blurted out despite herself, her eyes snapping up helplessly to stare at Lady Traveler. That image in her mind overlaying the physical form before her, and made her appear transcendent, her beauty unearthly, her power a seething vortex of both harmony and purpose, fell, furious, and yet serene, bathed in a clinging darkness that yet could not bind nor hide the Light that flared beneath it.

There was seeing high Stat numbers, and then Seeing those Stats for yourself.

She could barely register hundreds of thousands and more Lights beyond and about her, each of them individual, and even the slightest glance zooming in to realize that they were singular and could not be misidentified, connected via bonds immaterial yet as strong as steel going back and forth.

Seven other Vassals, Directs, she could see in their Seats around Lady Traveler, and her eyes widened as they fell upon the Sinbound Warlock there...

Jet and Silver, indeed...

She saw each of the Vassals were regarding her, and saw their acknowledgements. None of them were less than Seven, even Abigail, who had joined the expedition of Heavenbound Hall’s members to shut down the Shroudzones slowly and thoroughly, raising her own Levels in the meantime to do so.

She swallowed as she stared at Traveler, her new Master, again, and a gentle pressure pushed her back behind that Door in her mind, and quietly closed it.

The Aura and Presence fell away sharply, but unlike before, she could still feel it there, on the other side of that Door, where it could not be hidden from her.

Her Monarch and Master could not hide what she was from her.

Azaia swallowed and remembered to breathe. Such incredible power, incredible mental ability. She had never imagined it was possible to be so formidable, and had nothing to compare the experience to.

She found herself smiling, for her sisters and her mother would similarly have utterly no fucking clue about this either, and she knew for certain that none of them even knew that Lady Traveler was related to them.

Indeed, her mother could not conceive that the daughter she’d borne that had no magic could possibly be this person, and her older sisters basically ignored the fact she existed, by both preference and the Geas their mother had put upon them.

“A Blessing for my Apprentice,” Traveler said softly, lifting her chin up so that she could place a cool kiss on Azaia’s brow.

Silvery light flowed across Azaia’s mind. She gasped at the sensation, which was similar to, but not the same, as Stat-Enhancing magic. This was purer, deeper; not a physical change, but a metaphysical one. It felt like her instinctive understanding, her quiet will, and deep connection with magic had grown deeper, fuller. She sighed despite herself at the sensation.

“In a few hours, I am going to be leaving for southeast Asia once again, Azaia. I am going to be exposing you to Cultivators and all that they are, and what they have done. Commander Haru’Ara will be coming with me to help guide the Chinese who are whelming to fight them, and you need to meet Sama and Briggs.

“Before then, we need to talk about your future, and get you Drained.” She calmly helped Azaia up, while Azaia tried to forget the automatic overlay of that mental image on top of her half-sister in front of her.

It was reeeeeeally hard to do so...

Probably a good thing. She would have absolutely no problem at all maintaining a very healthy level of respect for her Master.

“What manner of future, Master?” she had to ask.

“What Levels you are going to take once we drain you down to Three.” Traveler smiled warmly at her. “And yes, I have a way to do so. Better yet, I can retain the Karma involved, and when you exceed your Level, you can have it returned to you.” A diamond as big as a baby’s fist was suddenly glistening between her fingers with the Positive glow of Life energy. Azaia swallowed at the sight of a stone which could fuel the power to Raise the Dead. She had not quite been at Nine when news of that feat had spread throughout the world, and had actually been looking forward to being able to do so herself.

Another thing to be pushed off to the future...

“Establishing a firm foundation to gain power in the future,” Azaia agreed, and paused a moment. “My Lady, may I ask... how many Classes have you followed?” She grimaced slightly herself. “I had only followed two, and had just taken my first in Sorcerer...”

Traveler gestured, and the whole... list of... Classes...

Azaia read them all slowly, one by one, her jaw dropping in disbelief. “This...” She literally did not know what to say.

So many Classes! It was unbelievable!

“It is entirely possible for you to catch me, if we handle this correctly.” Azaia blinked in shock, despite herself. Traveler smiled slightly at her. “I did not take so many Classes of my own will. For whatever reasons, probably so that I would be prepared to operate alone, the Shroud has forced me to take all of this. There naturally is no reason for you to do so.

“In terms of pure power, I am at a point where I do not ‘need’ to further advance, although I most certainly ‘can’ advance. The Shroud, however, has decided to make up for its pressure on me.

“Thus, I am currently being forced to take all the extra Masteries I am entitled to, one by one, day by day, without further Advancing... although I am quite capable of doing so. Based on the number of Classes and Levels that were not fully taken, I am not going to be able to Advance again for almost an entire year.”

Azaia blinked. “You went from no magic, to this,” she could only wince and wave at the list of Classes, “in less than six months, and now you can’t Advance further?”

Lady Traveler only shrugged at her. “It is not my choice. There are definitely things I want to do and take, but I am not being allowed to.

“On the other hand, it places emphasis on getting my Gear up to snuff. No reason to fall behind on what I still have to do, no?”

Azaia could only agree...