Six Months Later

“A Dragon Knight must show courage in all aspects of life, both on and off the battlefield.”

-Alexei von Goethe, Founder of the First Order of the Dragon.

Eadric Bjornsson, Knight Novitiate of the Third Order of the Wolf, walked steadily upon the road to the city of Kanlin. He glanced down at the note in his hand, the paper well creased from how many times he'd done so.

To all Knights Novitiate, Greetings from Kanlin. It has been three months since the Grand March. You are to be commended for your continued service. In an effort to continue the training of the Orders, all novitiates are requested to come to Kanlin for further guidance and possible reassignment. Mistress Roselyn D’Aboville, Seventh Order of the SpiderHe sighed heavily, hefted his pack, and continued on. Eadric was a Wolf Knight, his guiding principle that of Unity. It felt odd to be traveling alone, but seeing as he was perhaps the last Wolf Knight around…

Stop that. We know they aren’t dead. He chided himself.

In truth, no one truly knew what was happening in the White Hill, only that the tide of monsters that spawned forth from it had slowed to a trickle since the Twelve Orders had entered. It was the only reason that the world had survived without the bulk of the Beast Knights around to defend it. The strange pyramid-like structure of white stone and black inlay still performed it’s bizarre pattern, randomly disappearing and reappearing in different parts of the world, but where once hordes of creatures would spawn forth to overwhelm towns and villages and lay waste to countryside, only small packs exited, usually easy enough to dispatch by a dedicated force, though they remained a constant annoyance and a danger to smaller farms and communities.

Eadric had been the youngest Wolf Knight, still was most likely, and as such had not received the training necessary to further his powers. He could enter the First Bond easily enough and even the second occasionally, but the Third Bond remained far out of his reach and he dared not try to enter it without Magnus, the Founder of the Wolf Knights or another Knight who had mastered the Third Bond. He hoped that whatever training Mistress Roselyn had planned would be enough to help him improve his control of the Bonds.

He looked down at the smooth stones of the road he walked on. Such roads were unheard of in the northern forests where he'd been born and raised. He'd heard that southern Phechios was more advanced than their northern neighbors and so far he'd been pleasantly surprised by the amount of towns, villages, and warm inns that he'd passed on his trip. He still passed the occasional ruin, destroyed by bandits or wandering monsters, but compared to his barren and empty homeland, the southern kingdoms were downright leisurely.

It was said that all the roads of Phechios eventually led to Kanlin. The Fourth Order of the Ant had ensured as such with their projects. Soon this was proven true as Eadric came up over a hill and finally laid eyes on the grand city.

The ancestral home of House Veltaan, Castle Kanlin had once been a modest, but well maintained fortress, commanding a good view of the surrounding territory, having access to water by way of a nearby river, with several farms and a small town to support the castle's needs. After becoming the official kings of the region, House Veltaan had expanded the town growing in the castle's shadow into a full city with it's own curtain wall, enveloping the river so that the city always had access to fresh water. The further growth of Kanlin's economy brought on by being the de facto headquarters for several of the Orders of the Beast had helped immensely to improve the lives of the average citizens and had secured Kanlin's importance in the eyes of it's neighbors.

A steady stream of traffic was coming and going out of the city, traders, farmers, and patrols of soldiers. Eadric fell in step at the back of a trade caravan and despite being armed, was let through the gates with nothing but a passing nod from one of the guards stationed there. Probably the uniform he wore. While a rarity these past several months, it was still recognizable.

He approached the keep in the center of the city, feeling some small amount of trepidation as the guards there crossed their spears to block his path.

“Who approaches Castle Kanlin?” One of the guards asked authoritatively.

“Eadric Bjornsson, by order of Mistress Roselyn.” He proffered his letter.

The guard accepted it and scanned the contents quickly. “You’re a little late lad. This notice went out months ago.”

Eadric shrugged and gave an affable smile. “We don’t get many couriers up north. And it’s a long walk.”

“Fair enough.” The guard acknowledged. “Head on inside, Mistress Roselyn has commandeered the fourth floor of the castle, her office should be in the southern wing.”

“Much obliged. Gods be with you.” He made a casual salute that the guards returned and then strode into the interior of the castle itself.

Much of the stone was new construction, freshly quarried, carved, and put together using some classic techniques, but also incorporating the new technologies and knowledge of the Fourth Order. The original walls of the castle had fallen 25 years ago, during the Night of the Beast, the first recorded appearance of the White Hill and also when the first two of the twelve Founders had been granted their powers and saved the city from complete destruction. As such, the castle was rather large and densely populated. Luckily, the engineers who had a hand in it’s reconstruction had known it might be confusing and had signs giving directions to various important areas. An odd thing to have in a fortress, but Eadric figured if things got so dire that an enemy was inside the walls of the castle itself, then basic directions wouldn’t make things much worse.

As he approached the door marked as Mistress Roselyn’s, he began to hear shouting, cursing, and the breaking of objects. Curious, he tapped into the First Bond. He felt it as fur began to grow up the sides of neck, his lips pulled in and blackened, and his eyes took on a yellow sheen. With it, his sense of smell and hearing rocketed up and he began to hear words and smell presences. From within the room he could smell three individuals, one of them smelling overwhelmingly of a floral scent. He winced as the sharpness of it hit him. Someone who had bathed recently and with a large amount of scented oils in the water. The second presence smelled much like the first, but there was a faint aroma beneath it that made his hair stand on edge. The sickly sweet smell of poison. The final person smelled strongly of only two things: Steel and blood. He allowed the bond’s power to fade and approached, raising his fist to knock, when the door burst open and knocked him back a step. A fuming girl several inches shorter than he stalked out, her skin pale as most Phechios natives, her hair a distinctive shade of gold, quite beautiful really, but that wasn’t the first thing Eadric noticed about her.

That would be the fact she had only a single eye, burning with furious intensity, the other hidden behind a black patch. She stopped, seeing that someone barred her way and she gave a smile that looked more dangerous than if she’d threatened him. “Move.” She said it with a kind voice, but the steel in it made his spine straighten and his fight or flight response to kick in.

Eadric hastened to obey and the girl continued forward down the hallway, taking the smell of flowers with her. He shuddered. He’d only seen two people with that force of will and both of them had been Knights capable of using the Third Bond.

“Don’t just stand outside, if you need to speak with me, then hurry it up.” A regal feminine voice called out. “I haven’t got all day.”

Eadric immediately stepped through and saluted. “Knight Novitiate Eadric Bjornsson of the Third Order, reporting as requested, ma’am.”

Mistress Roselyn D’Aboville turned out to be a stunningly beautiful woman with golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, both common traits of Kanlinite nobility from what his lessons had told him. Her skin lacked the ordinary paleness, instead having a touch of a golden tan. She smiled at him, teeth perfectly white and clean and her eyes seemed to dissect him for a moment. She was the one who smelled of both perfume and poison, though he couldn’t see any indications of the third presence. “You made decent time, novitiate.”

“Ma’am? The notice went out three months ago, I feel as if I’m late if anything.”

“Indeed, but I know how treacherous the northern roads are.” Roselyn gestured to a map of the world that rested on the wall to her right, depicting the three continents of Panthalassa, Phechios, and Sarnorum. “Most of southern Phechios has far more advanced roads and horses are more common as well. Panthalassa has the fastest of ships of course. I’m not surprised that the novitiates from those areas made it here with such speed.” She picked up a decanter of amber liquid and poured a small measure into an ornately crafted glass on her desk. “You’re of the Third Order… did you bring anyone with you?”

“No, ma’am. I was the only one left at our keep to the north as far as I’m aware.” Eadric informed her.

Roselyn’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “You were the only person up there in that gods forsaken keep?”

“No, of course not, non bonded members of the Order and servants still man it, but I was the last Wolf Knight with a connection to the Crest Beast.” He explained.

Roselyn downed her drink and poured another. “Damn. Well then congratulations young man, you’re perhaps the only Wolf Knight outside of the White Hill.”

Eadric felt his heart clench. “No other novitiates from other countries have arrived then?”

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“No. It makes sense though, your Order always was big on the whole pack mentality thing. You were probably left out because you’ve only been a Knight a short while I’m guessing?”

“Only a month when the Grand March commenced.” Eadric answered honestly. “Magnus told me I’d be a liability within the Hill.”

“He was right.” Roselyn said bluntly. “Thousands of Knights marched in and they still haven’t returned. My guess is that the place is as hostile as we feared, overrun by the monsters that call it home.”

“Not dead as some whisper?” He asked tentatively, hoping the Founder would have more information than he.

“No.” Roselyn said with a small shake of her head. “Of that, I am sure. Hindered from returning, yes. But dead? No, I don’t believe so.” Her eyes became distant as if lost in thought before she sighed and then took out a large book. “Well then, Novitiate Bjornsson, I’ll make a note that you’ve arrived. Find yourself an empty room somewhere up here on the fourth floor.” She waved a hand. “If any remain at least. Share with someone if you must. At dawn, all novitiates are supposed to gather outside the gates of the city for morning practice. Be there. Or don’t. I’m not here to hold your hand, only ensure you don’t kill yourself with your powers. Thank you for informing me of your arrival.”

“Yes ma’am.” Eadric saluted, then hesitated. “Ma’am, you are aware that there is another person somewhere in this room, yes?”

Roselyn smiled slightly. “Concerned for my safety, novitiate?”

“They smell of blood and steel. Just making sure it isn’t an assassin.”

Roselyn let out a small, polite laugh. “I forget how sharp a Wolf Knight’s senses can be. No need to worry yourself, simply my bodyguard.”

Eadric saluted again and then began to search for an empty room. The castle was large and it wasn’t hard to find a set of chambers that had no indications of being occupied. He set his travel pack and gear, a medium round shield and an axe, against the foot of his bed. Then he simply sat for a moment, sighing in relief. The journey to Kanlin had been long and tiresome. He took a moment to smell his clothes and winced. He had some coin still from his allowance, he’d need to purchase some new outfits another day. As it stood though, he needed to clean himself. He stepped out of the chambers and stopped a passing servant.

“Is there a place around here to have a proper bath?” He asked.

The servant bowed his head in deference. “Yes sir, on the first floor so as not to strain the plumbing.” The servant eyed his rather ragged attire. “If you leave your clothes in the changing rooms, I’ll arrange for these to be laundered and a new uniform left for you in the meantime.”

“My thanks.” Eadric gave the servant a nod and then headed off.

Eadric’s home in the north had not possessed the kind of infrastructure necessary to make a place like Castle Kanlin’s baths possible, but he had encountered a few like it on his journey south. It was easy enough to find the chamber lined with benches and storage cubbies where clean clothes were left to be changed into once one was cleansed, albeit far larger than any of the ones he’d seen before. Stripping out of his ragged uniform and leaving it on a bench, he grabbed a towel from a stack that looked to be provided for the public and walked into the main chamber. A large pool of hot water awaited, bars of soap sitting at various intervals around the edge of the water along with rough rags to be used for scrubbing. He sank into the water with a sigh of contentment. Hot water, so easily readily available… Truly, the south was much more luxurious than the north. He made sure to cleanse himself thoroughly, enjoying the chance to get rid of the road’s dust and filth and then simply leaned against the stone edge and closed his eyes.

“Do you think he knows?” A voice whispered lowly, just at the edge of his hearing.

“He’s sleeping and the place is empty, he’s probably a foreigner.” Another whispered back.

“And he can hear you.” He growled, opening his eyes and noting that the light streaming in from the windows had dulled and his skin had grown a bit wrinkled. He blinked as he took in the two women submerged in the pool across from him, steam hiding their nudity. “Can’t a man simply enjoy a peaceful bath after a long day of travel?”

One of the two women, her skin quite a bit darker than her companion’s Eastern Panthalassian complexion and who looked to be nearly the same height as Eadric, arched an eyebrow at him. “Perhaps when done in the men’s side of the baths.”

Eadric flushed with embarrassment. “Oh hells, the baths here are separated by gender?” He asked incredulously.

“Why else would there be two different baths?” The shorter woman asked with a small giggle and the faintest accent. It matched that of other Eastern Panthalassian’s that Eadric had met, all of them Wolf Knights stationed at the main northern keep.

“Every other bath I’ve been in had a cold for swimming and a hot for bathing.” Eadric explained somewhat defensively. “It didn’t occur to me, apologies. I’ll just uh,” he made a vague motion and made to stand.

“Oh sit down.” The Western Panthalassian sighed and waved him down. “Phechiosian nobles are so much more uptight about ‘propriety’ and all that, we could care less. Just don’t hit on us and we’re square.”

“I’m Phechiosian too.” He pointed out.

“Yes, but you’re clearly not nobleborn or you’d be a lot more embarrassed.” The woman laughed. “I’m Hestia. My friend here is Thalia.”

“Eadric.”

“Ah, a northern name.” Hestia’s eyes gleamed and did not look entirely human for a moment. “You’re a novitiate then?”

“Aye. Third Order.” Eadric said.

“How exciting!” Hestia grinned. “I am of the Sixth Order myself.” An Eagle Knight then.

“Eleventh Order.” The shorter woman, Thalia, spoke up. Hellbender. “Nice to meet you, Eadric.”

“You as well.” Eadric gave a short bow from where he was seated.

“Did you just arrive here in Kanlin?” Thalia asked curiously, dark eyes scanning his face. “You don’t look familiar, but then again there are quite a few of us around nowadays.”

“I arrived only a few hours ago.” He confirmed. “The northern roads make for long travel. I received the notice only two months ago and it took me that long to get here. No horses to spare you see.” He explained.

“A long journey.” Hestia noted. “Do you have any friends around here? Fellow members of the Third Order perhaps?”

“No.” His face fell slightly and he sank a bit deeper into the warm waters. “Mistress Roselyn believes I might be the last of my Order at the moment and definitely the only one here in Kanlin. I’ve only been bonded a short time, a month before the Grand March happened, so I haven’t really been anywhere outside northern Phechios on missions or anything. I have no idea what I’m doing here really, other than to gain some control over my powers.”

Thalia nudged Hestia. “Maybe he could join us?” She asked hopefully.

“I don’t know if the others would approve.” Hestia hummed thoughtfully. “Perhaps we’ll make introductions in the morning.”

“Join what, exactly?” Eadric asked.

“Well, you see, with the Orders all… indisposed, someone still needs to take care of the occasional pack of monsters or the rather large number of bandits around.” Hestia explained. “So Mistress Roselyn posts bounties. Everyone, well, nearly everyone groups together in squads to better work together. Roselyn also forbade us from all grouping with the same Order, said it was important we learn to fight with varying powers around us.”

“Some switch often, but we like to work with the same group.” Thalia piped up. “There’s Miles and Zium and sometimes we even convince Aella to join us.”

“I’m sure you’ll get along with them, but Aella and Miles tend to be cautious about new faces.” Hestia added. “I’ve only been here about a month myself and it took them a while to get used to me.”

Eadric nodded thoughtfully. “It would be nice to work with others. It’s been too long.” He glanced outside the windows again where the sunlight was almost completely faded, only lamps now lighting the inside of the large bathing room. “I should be going now, I’m starved.” He scratched the back of his head. “Ah, where do I get something to eat around here?”

“There’s the mess where the guards eat.” Thalia said. “Or the kitchens directly if you don’t feel like being around others. Plus lots of nice places to grab a meal in the city itself, if you’ve got the coin.”

“My thanks.” Eadric flashed them a thankful grin. “I’ll see you two around.”

He got out of the water and wrapped the towel around his waist to hide himself from the two Panthlassian girls. He gave them another shallow bow, went and found the extra clothes the servant had promised him (in the men’s changing rooms as it happened. He finally spotted the small, easily missed signs indicating which was which.) and went out into the city.

Time to get to know his new home.