Knight Spirits

"Left!"

Laughter followed the utterance of the one-word joke as it had before while the group trudged along the dirt road. Unlike the times before when the strange word caused others in the group to shout it back until everyone's side was aching from their mirth, the group's joyfulness fell silent, as if a wave had washed over the group from its head to the farthermost person at the back. Far ahead, their destination had finally come into view though it remained a mere speck. It wouldn't be long until they felt certain that they'd learn the truth instead of the tall tales containing unimaginable foreign words told to them by those who left their destination in defeat.

* * *

Kaither caught sight of the imposing, outer castle wall of black granite as he rounded the last bend in the road. The castle had been in sight for hours, except for brief intervals when other hills blocked his view. When he could see it before, the castle seemed smaller. Now that he was almost up to it, there was a marked difference in his perception. Now it loomed like a giant.

Though his travels had been long, he'd not been entirely alone. When he started his journey, he fell in with two men who had already walked many miles. Others later joined the group as he had, gradually adding some color to it as their robes were no longer just the color of a single kingdom. Now fully a dozen others around him walked the same path to Castle High Crag.

Generations ago, High Crag was a bleak, foreboding wayside best not visited in any season. The castle's only virtue had been its impenetrable defenses bolstered by the high coastal cliff it perched upon. Now it was the most visited location on Caerna, though the countryside remained bleak because of its barren cliffs and a predominance of rocky soil. Each year, thousands flocked to its gates seeking membership among the Knights of the Star, a small Order established a mere century earlier by Sir Private Malidor.

Like the others walking with him Kaither had tried on one of the stiff leather suits molded to the same exact size as the black armor worn by the Knights of the Star. Each copy traveled from village to village, carefully protected from the elements by proctors belonging to the Order of the Star, one of the major religions within the Allied Kingdoms. Kaither had been judged by others in his village as a good fit. More importantly, his friends and neighbors had urged him to seek knighthood. Only those considered pure of heart and fully worthy ever gained the permission of a patron knight spirit, regardless of their own religious beliefs. Certainly, it spoke well of Kaither that his neighbors had convinced him to journey and try. After all, he could accomplish much for them and others if he succeeded.