Reaching the Order of Ruthless Sundering in the aftermath was a dull affair. They moved as a train of oxcarts. The injured rode, while those who were still fit walked alongside. Most of the carts held people still recovering, while the rest held supplies, the Knights' spare gear, or the spoils of the tower. Books and papers, some singed, were stacked up in one cart, while small pieces of the ogres were preserved to be sent along to a Wizard College. Care was taken with the remains of the Ogres, with Knights on guard in case the pieces regenerated to fight once more. No one was willing to risk the creatures reviving, so regular inspections were mandated.

  The Order compound featured tall, thick curtain walls topped with bastions. Outside the gates was a town with its own wooden walls. The road through the gate town was curved, making the trip longer than it should be. The walls and meandering road were meant to slow down invaders rushing the gate while the people evacuated to the compound. Besides its own defenses, the city of West Pass was close by. If an invader came, they would have both the Knights and part of March Westpass's military to contend with.

  They passed through the town and into the compound itself. The only stone structure within the walls was a stone keep they called the Chapter House. The bailey was bisected by a deep, slender ravine enclosed in fencing on the town side. It marked the divide between the facilities the town had access to, and the Order only side of the compound. An alchemist, blacksmith, brown smith, and other artisans were in the town side of the bailey. The Order side had all the Order buildings, such as the Chapter House, a wooden barracks, the training grounds, kitchens, and row houses used for servants quarters.

  Young men sat alongside the edge of the thin ravine with their feet in the whole. Some looked to be praying, their arms out and with palms to the sky while they chanted. Others seemed meditative as they contemplated the fracture in the earth. In one part of the bailey, knights in simple gray tunics and loose pants moved together through a kata. By the kitchens a cook pot was tended to while Knights, servants, and other castle denizens took turns having a meal before moving onto other duties.

  Biyu prepared to convalesce, while Anya remained dedicated as her Healer. The woman helped when she needed to, but otherwise she remained demure and out of the way. In the few instances she had to attend to something else, she would ask Alan or one of Lady Chelsea's servants to keep an eye on her. As a convalescing guest, Biyu was granted a place in the keep. The room was small and dark on an upper floor. Light was granted by a small stone etched with a formation.

  The Enchanters and ritualists of the Order maintained and charged a number of such stones, and one of the servants' duties was to ensure each room had a single fresh light stone before dark. It was just bright enough to read by in the perpetually dark room. Anya stayed in the room with her, while an Order servant stayed in a small attached servant's room. Lady Chelsea had lifted a brow when Anya declared she would be sharing a room with Biyu, but for once she made no demands on for a chaperone when Biyu had not argued.

  The servant assisted them in getting ready in the morning. Dressing, bathing, and Anya's makeup were done up fashionably, and Anya made a point in giving Biyu some privacy despite having seen everything, including her face, in the course of her duties. Biyu noted with wry amusement that Anya had picked up the same tendency as the servants from her youth of looking at her from the periphery of her eyes. That Anya did so even while she was masked made her a little sad.

  Whereas before the ogre incident, Anya had pushed for them to get closer, now despite sharing a room she had set up a separate cot for herself. At no point did she bother Biyu when they went to or from bed. Even conversation was rare. She did insist on bathing at the same time, but she kept her eyes turned away and her hands to herself. Her explanation was that it was to save time on bathing.

  "You have been very professional," Biyu said. It was supposed to be an observation, but it felt like an accusation.

  "I'm a Healer. It's what I was trained for, Lady Biyu."

  "A servant could help me as easily, and you work for Lady Chelsea. We could just meet for my checkups. I do not need your constant attention. So, why are you still here, Miss Anya?" The tone was not what she wanted, but it had been said.

  "I've come to terms with the fact that you don't like me. You aren't going to marry me. I'd still like you to take me into your house as a retainer."

  "Why?"

  "All the things that make me an excellent choice for a wife are still true as a retainer. I would make a fine court Healer. I have training as a ritualist, and while most of my knowledge is related to healing, I do know enough to heat rooms or make glow stones." She reached over to tap the light stone, causing the light to flicker. "I want you to see how valuable I am, without getting annoyed with me. Valuable enough that my Order is trying to marry me off for," she scowled, "politics, despite their excuses. I will NOT do that." She gave her shoulders a shrug. "If I'm your retainer, you can say no on my behalf."

  Biyu was shaking her head. "I am not really a noble. My connection to my family is tenuous, and I will not become the family head. I want to be a noble as much as you want to marry a man, I think. I am sorry."

  Anya gave a sad smile. "Being a noble is a fact. That can't be stripped from you except by the Empire itself, and they make it hard to lose that distinction. However, if you are set on not being a noble, you can still take me as a retainer. An exiled Transcendent can have a retinue. May is your retainer."

  "She made a foolish Oath."

  "I will too—"

  "No! I feel guilty about it, and I assure you that you do not know why. You would be better served finding someone else. Being my wife will likely bring you more misery than safety in the future."

  "I don't— No, I understand. You can't, or won't, save me." She gave a smile. "Do you dislike me that much?"

  Biyu spoke the truth. "It is not about liking or not liking."

  Anya nodded. "I see. I'll find another room. Accept my apologies for having bothered you, Lady Biyu."

  For a moment, Biyu considered stopping her. She would be alone in this room until May returned, her only company a servant who would do nothing beyond her duty. The servant looked through her. There was nothing more but rote obligation. Biyu understood it was wrong to turn Anya down only to keep her by her side. Remembering the last time she tried to make a comfortable distance for herself, and how it ended, she felt a small pang of worry. It had to be the right thing.

  May explored the bailey. She'd used the pill she'd been given to Awaken, but she hadn't yet used the gem to learn a technique. To fix that, she was seeking out the Order's Enchanters to beg for help using the gem record she'd been given. She'd seen Anya's glum expression when she got back, and seeing the distance she kept from Biyu clued her in that she shouldn't go to her begging favors. Asking around, she learned the Order had Enchanters and where they worked. Finding the Enchanters wasn't hard, their robes were appropriately colorful and esoteric, but they were in the middle of their duties. It'd be embarrassing to get yelled at for interfering with their work, so she resolved herself to not be a nuisance.

  Watching the Enchanters, she settled herself on the ground nearby. One wore was an older man with a trimmed beard and deep wrinkles, while the other was a broad-shouldered young man scrawling chalk symbols on a large stone slab. The older man watched the younger with a grouchy expression as he worked. Her conclusion: this was an Enchanter and his apprentice. If not, they were at least ritualists.

  The apprentice made neat fancy shapes within the circle, followed by what looked like scribbles in arbitrary places. May hadn't a clue what it all meant. He was too fastidious for there not to be a reason he did it that way, but all she saw was… what was the fancy word? 'Esoteric' symbols. Besides the chalk drawing, all around the edge of the circle, were carefully place pots and a pile of a powder. In the center of the circle were laid out a set of war hammers. They were long handled, with heads that looked twice as heavy as the usual. They were not simple weapons either, with attractive engravings along the heads, four pointed hammer heads, and a nasty looking curved spike on the reverse.

  The older man watched the younger sternly. When the apprentice was done, his master pointed out several places that needed fixing. His voice was as gruff as his face was sour. The younger man listened to his master, then checked a scroll. The apprentice showed it to his master and the two of them conversed in quiet voices, comparing the scroll and the drawn ritual. The old man marked the scroll.

  The apprentice made changes, and May assumed by his nervous excitement and the master's expectant look that they were ready to activate the circle. The master lit the powder with a gesture. It sparked and burned, and May now realized it had a trail leading to each of the pots. He took a place in the circle, leaving the younger man standing by.

  May watched in surprise as the fire to the pots suddenly sped up, reaching them all at the same time. The pots shattered violently, making her flinch. The smoke from the explosions, including pieces of the pottery, stopped mid-explosion, swirled, and then were drawn into the hammers in the center. It took only moments. When the magic was done, the younger man held each of the war hammers for his master to inspect. Once the hammers, which May thought must all have passed since they were all carefully placed into a rack to the side, they spoke at length. Probably a final assessment. Once they were done, they both turned to her.

  "Alright, girl. We made you wait long enough, I reckon. What do you want with us?" asked the Enchanter. His tone was clipped, but she didn't sense any rebuke. Yet.

  "I've got a gem record I need some help with. I was hoping you might be able to help me? My name's Lily May, but you can call me May. I'm in the service of Lady Biyu." She gave a polite low bow. She never curtsied.

  The old man's brows raised with interest. "Truly? That's the woman who killed that Wizard, isn't it? Kept the boys safe? Then it is an honor to meet you, honored guest. My name is Kevin Mercy, please address me as Enchanter Kevin, and this is my apprentice Harold of a merchant family of no name." The man gave her a polite, shallow bow. "Harry, why don't you help the young woman?"

  The younger man lifted from his bow. "Master, you know I can't. I'm not Awakened yet."

  May blinked at that. "Truly?" She looked at the magic he had performed.

  The older man, apparently deciding it would sound better coming from him, explained, "As a future Wizard—Enchanter—he is expected to have mastery over the fundamentals of ritual magic. It's a fundamental base of our skills, after all. Being Awakened often makes wizards-in-training skip steps in their training, so we don't Awaken them until they reach sufficient mastery. Their first circle turns out better, and it's easier for us to refine our power as it grows. Otherwise, you end up with a mage." He spat out the word 'mage'.

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  He turned to his apprentice. "This is a challenge, and an opportunity to learn. Try to talk her through it. You know enough to do that."

  Harry smiled at his master. "I understand, Master. If Miss May would show me her gem record?"

  May gave it to him. "Just May is fine. I'm my Master's servant, and I've only been Awakened for a day."

  The apprentice and master looked intrigued. "By our Order?" asked the apprentice.

  She shook her head. "I was fortunate enough to get a favor from a god."

  That halted them both, their eyes wide. "You have met a god?" asked Enchanter Kevin with excitement.

  "My Master's master answered my prayers. She is a Sacred Beast."

  "A Sacred Beast who's a god is still a god, Miss May. Only priests talk with one regularly! What was it like?" Enchanter Kevin's creased face was red with excitement, and Harry was starting to shoot him worried looks.

  "She was easy to talk to. She called me adorable! I met her in a dream swamp that felt very real. I didn't actually go anywhere, though. Then we had a long conversation, where she asked what I wanted and why, and I told her."

  The old man snorted, giving her a look over. "You have a pretty mighty blessing on you. Your master should be thrilled you were so favored by her patron." He shrugged. "Then again, not all gods are kind, and if her affinity is poison, well…" He sighed. "Those that put a foot into the Divine are a wonder, are they not? I wish I could Step so high."

  "Want me to introduce you to Lady Chelsea? Her grandfather is a petty god."

  "Really?" asked the old man, and his face became bright with renewed excitement. She felt a little bad for him, the way his face looked so strained like that, as if it was about to peel away and show his skull.

  "She's not a bad sort. Very grounded for a… I guess she's not really a noble? I don't really get it, but she's very approachable."

  Harry cleared his throat politely. She turned her attention back to him, embarrassed. Harry inspected it a moment, then glanced at his master. "Should I make a [Wizard Eye] circle?" The Wizard waved his hand negligently as if to say 'get on with it'.

  The young man started by chalking a small circle around the gem, before putting in symbols and additional shapes. It was simpler than the previous enchantment, and the only material added was a piece of glowing quartz.

  "Maybe I should have my Master come for this. I don't think she knows anything about this kinda thing, either. Bet she'd be interested."

  "Wise," Enchanter Kevin said.

  Harry, about to activate the circle, dropped his hand to his side. "Shall I go get…"

  A small figure in attractive robes approached. The robes were blue, white, and trimmed in violets. May winced a bit. They were one of Anya's gifts, as was the veil that was embroidered with a similar color scheme using curving, paisley like patterns along the edges to add stiffness to it. Her eyes were cloudy gray, and her brow was smooth with thin brows. She used a crutch, most of her leg still missing, and a silent servant followed her.

  May introduced, "This is my Master, Lady Biyu. Lady Biyu, these are Enchanter Kevin Mercy and his apprentice Harold Merchant."

  Bows were given, then Harry activated the eye circle. "This is a spell most wizards know to see magic. It aids in identifying enchantments, and the derived technique is so small that most wizards use it as a technique instead of decomposing them into their circle." He then began an explanation on how gem records were created, the general types, and the dangers of using one from an unknown source. Traps, like mazes and nightmares, sounded terrifying. As he finished up, he pointed out the attachment point, and explained how an Awakened could activate it.

  "There is a ritual circle that those not Awakened can use with gem records, but it requires one of these." He gently tapped the piece of quartz. "Refined mana kept in a stone. A competent ritualist can make a circle to charge gems with mana, or inscribe gems to charge themselves."

  Concluding, Harry glanced over at his master, who nodded at that. "Harry, disable the circle. Then set up a user powered ritual for May here."

  The apprentice did as he was instructed. Enchanter Kevin chatted with the women, his attitude affable despite his frown lines. Biyu was her usual quiet self, but she did ask a few questions that the Enchanter was happy to answer.

  The new circle took Harry much longer to make. This one was a lot larger than the previous one, so someone could stand at the center without disturbing any of the charcoal lines. He directed May on how to enter the circle and where to stand. Once he talked her through activating it, the circle began to glow a dull blue brighter on the edges than where she stood.

  May found that she had lit up as well. Tendrils of green wriggled through her body, and at her core was a bright ball of green a bit bigger than her fist. There was a formation of deep purple attached to her core. It almost looked like a tumor, and a haze of purple could be seen suffusing the green of her aspect and her body. The purple formation had a thread that disappeared at the edge of the circle. There was another bundle of power, a knot of her own dark green and another shade that was hard to make out.

  "Is she cursed?" asked her Master as she stared.

  Harry answered, "I can see why you might assume that. Affinities have colors in [Wizard Eye]. That is the poison affinity. Your core, Lady Biyu, is probably the same color. Curses are usually, but not always, black in color. They usually don't attach this strongly, and form a kind of skein over the inflicted's mana pool. You can also see she's got at least one Oath. They show up as a person's mana bundled with another like that. There are other things to see, but you need practice and training to see them.

  "Okay, Miss May, I want you to just reach out and touch the point I showed you with your mana. It might be a little disorienting seeing your power like this. Master has told me that it feels like trying to use a mirror for the first time. You can ignore it if you need to."

  All watched as May fumbled at her power, reaching out to touch the little spot on the gem. It felt like it took a long time, but when she touched it her eyes glazed over and her mouth went foolishly slack. The onlookers watched as she began to scribe a technique into her core, the power flowing around her body thinning as she did.

  Enchanter Kevin had a horrified expression on his face, while Harold turned resolutely away. Only Biyu remained watching the technique form until the circle suddenly shuddered and collapse.

  Harold explained, "Oh, she redirected the power she was providing the circle into finishing the technique instead. I wonder if she's strong enough to use it?"

  Enchanter Kevin snorted. "Of course she is. Even if her power alone isn't enough that blessing will give her enough reserve to trigger it."

  "Master, that technique uses a lot of power in a very short amount of time. Do you think that's enough?"

  Enchanter Kevin scowled. "Look, I know we both saw it, but the polite thing to do in circumstances like this is to pretend you didn't. They know we saw it. We know they saw us see it. We all know that the two of us are going to talk about it later. However, the civil thing to do is talk about it in private. Publicly, we assuredly did NOT see it. That means don't tell others about Miss May's technique."

  He turned to bow to Biyu with Harold bowing shortly afterwards. "I apologize for my foolish apprentice. He's still learning. I beg you not strike him dead at this offense, Lady Biyu." Harold's face began to turn white.

  "I am a magnanimous Lady. I do not deign notice insults made in ignorance." Biyu posed in the way a Champion from the stories might when being righteous.

  The two men stared with baffled expressions. May stumbled back to life, glanced their way, and then her face split into a grin. "Biyu, please be kind to the poor gentlemen. They can't tell that you're joking." She gave them a bow. "Thank you again! I'll speak to Lady Chelsea!"

  Harry sat near the training ground to watch as the Knights practiced. It had been a few days since he had demonstrated the basics of the ritual arts to the two outsider Transcendents. He and his Master had taken tea the next day with a young Lady of one of the strongest Orders in the Midlands. She had regaled them with stories about her grandfather, who was one of the most well known of the petty gods dwelling in the world at present. The Order of Ruthless Sundering had a shrine dedicated to him against one of their walls, and they held worship weekly to beseech him to bless their fortress.

  Harry's Master was a minor son of a branch family of a Wizard clan. They had met when Harry was a page tasked with carrying armor for the old Enchanter. He'd been a pretty strong child, and it only took him a couple of trips to collect all the armor to be enchanted. When Enchanter Kevin had started building the ritual to enchant them, Harry had stuck around to watch. In the manner of children, he asked questions. Maybe he should have been afraid of Enchanter Kevin. The Enchanter indulged his childish questions with patience, although later he was told by his Master that he intended to bore him into leaving him alone. Harry asked if he could try. From there the man grudgingly admitted that he was rather brilliant for a page sent to serve him as a drudge, and decided to take him in as an apprentice.

  Harry had been sent to the Order by his parents to be educated, and possibly join as a Knight. Being a page had been a nominal task, because trainees in the Order were required to do some work. Schooling was a few hours each day with other children of Knights, officers, or servants of the Order. He sparred, but he was no match for his peers who grew up with swords or the Order's preferred war hammers. The closest thing to a friend he had made was a girl whose interest waned the moment he became an Enchanter's apprentice. She was into masculine men, and a Wizard was too bookish for her. Ironically, he had only filled out since then.

  Being an Enchanter for an Order was an odd Path. Enchanter Kevin held a high position and commanded respect, but he was also an outsider. Ordinary people who held high offices in the Order, brought in for their expertise in matters of logistics or law, were held at less of a remove. That was because Wizards were special.

  At the first circle they were inferior to a trained Knight. Their casting time was slow compared to the near instant invocation of a Knight's technique. When the spell was finally cast, it was often much weaker than an Initiate's unpracticed technique. That held true until one got to the third circle. Even an Enchanter could single-handedly alter a battlefield to favor their side, and Wizards who specialized in war at the fifth circle were strategic assets. They were also rare, and most avoided conscription by hiding in their 'towers' or joined their own scholarly Colleges. Some did work with an Order, but they did so under contract to keep their autonomy. Their loyalty, if they had any, was given to a College. There they exchanged theses and books in their pursuit to expand their knowledge in whatever captured their imagination.

  Harry returned from his musings. He was here to watch Miss May practicing her technique. A short step, and she was meters away in a different direction. Right now she was 'sparring' with three men in a simple game. The men had to try and tag her with a stick, while she just had to avoid them. She had requested a custom sword and cloak through her master, but it would take a few days for them to be completed. She would need them to learn her new sword technique, but she refused to be idle when she had so much to learn.

  Using her technique required her to step in the direction she wanted to go, and she would likely be stuck with that restriction until she deepened her understanding of the technique. Eventually, she would only need to take a step, and the step she took would not dictate where she would appear. After that she, would merely have to decide to take a step, and she would appear where she wanted without actually moving her body at all. However, even with this early technique form of the technique could not be called limited. She was quickly becoming proficient, and the old soldiers kept missing her.

  "She is cheating."

  He glanced over at Lady Biyu. "How is that, Lady Biyu?"

  "Just Biyu is fine. I am telling her where to step. Watch, and I will have her wave at us."

  May gave them a wave, then stepped out of a thrust to her back.

  "That communication technique of yours is really useful." He frowned. "Wait, I didn't see a technique other than that blessing…"

  "Yes. Please keep it to yourself. Her blessing comes from me."

  He started to worry. "How? Are you a petty god?"

  Lady Biyu barked a sharp laugh. "Do not ask questions if you do not want the answer." She considered. "Or when you know you should not notice there is a question to be asked."

  Harry shrunk back from the enigmatic woman, but she reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

  "May likes you. A lot. I am an honored hero. My secrets cannot be that bad. But, they are my secrets. Do not think too hard on it. I would hate to make May unhappy with me." Harold could only nod. He did feel better being reassured. Or, was that another threat? Maybe both?

  May ended her spar as her limited mana waned. As early in her Path as she was, she could step a short way only a few dozen times. That or she could take a couple of very long steps. May approached them with a smile and a sheen of sweat on her face. She glanced at her master, and he had the sense that whole dialogues passed between them in that glance, then she turned a sadder look to him.

  "Master is a nice person," she said, referencing his previous conversation with her master. The one she was not present for.

  "No discourtesy, but it's a bit creepy seeing you two do that."

  May laughed. "I know. Would you like to join me for dinner?"

  Biyu clapped him on the back, and whispered, "Say yes." Then she stood up and strolled away. Her new foot seemed to be serving her well.