“Yes my lord,” he replied. The earnestness in his face almost caused me to lose my train of thought. I had spent some time adapting the ceremony to include what Moira had taught me the night before. I had also re-written the lines I would say. Hopefully I could remember them properly.
“Sir Dorian, please come stand beside me,” I said, gesturing to my friend where he stood behind Harold. He came closer, till he stood next to me on the dais.
“Dorian you shall henceforth serve as the grandmaster of the Order of Stone. Do you accept this duty?” I asked.
“I do, my lord,” he answered.
“The young man in front of me has come to my attention as being worthy to join our new order. Do you feel that he is acceptable in mind and body?”
“He is, my lord,” Dorian replied.
“Give me the sword Sir Dorian,” I commanded. This part of the accolade was fairly standard so he was already holding a scabbarded long sword. He held it toward me with the hilt free for my hand and I drew it smoothly from its sheath. I lifted the naked steel to point upward with the hilt even with my eyes. “Throughout history the knight’s sword has been a symbol of his faith and trust, to both his liege and to the gods. The Knights of the Stone are granted their power by the earth itself, rather than any heavenly agency. You will give fealty to me and pledge to protect humanity itself, even against the gods if necessary. Will you swear to this Sir Dorian?”
Dorian’s face was a study of warring emotions. I thought for a moment he might faint at the words I had chosen, but then I saw his jaw clench and color returned to his cheeks. At last he answered, “I so swear, I will uphold these vows, and even though the gods themselves may curse me I will not fail in my duty.”
I looked down on Harold and his blond hair almost seemed to glow in the candlelight. “Will you swear to this Harold?”
He never hesitated. “I swear it.”
“Then by the power I hold in trust as Lord of Cameron and the power granted me by the earth itself I dub thee knight,” I intoned, bringing the sword down to lightly touch each of his shoulders once. “Rise Sir Harold and take up your sword.” The young warrior in front of me stood and as I handed him the naked blade I saw there were tears in his eyes.
Dorian stepped behind him and knelt down. I wasn’t sure what he was doing for a moment, till I saw him buckling the spurs onto Harold’s boots. I always forget that part, I chided myself. Then Dorian stood and buckled the scabbard and belt around Harold’s waist so our new knight could sheath his sword. When he had finished he struck Harold hard between the shoulder blades, almost sending him to his knees. Even the blow was traditional, a welcoming ‘buffet’ given by a senior knight to a new peer. “Welcome brother knight,” he said and then he embraced him.
“There is yet one thing left undone,” I told them. Both of them looked at me with questioning eyes, traditionally the ceremony was already done. “The Order of the Stone is more than just a name. Now that you have sworn your oaths I may invest you with a small part of the earth’s strength. This does not come without some risk however, and someday you will be forced to relinquish this power lest you become part of the earth itself. Are you both willing?”
After a short pause they both nodded and responded with ‘ayes’.
“I must speak with the earth. When I am ready I will hold out my hands silently, each of you take one and respond with these words: ‘I accept this gift freely and freely will I return it when my time is done.’ Do you understand?” I asked. Again they both nodded.
I sat as Moira had shown me, so as to avoid falling when my mind was too far gone to steady my balance, and then I opened my mind. Moira watch over me, I called mentally. For this she would serve as my miellte. She flowed upward from the stone floor beside us, this time she was composed utterly of grey granite. I sensed more than saw the two men in front of me flinch in surprise, but they held their ground.
“You may proceed,” she said aloud.
The deep thrumming of the earth grew louder as I focused upon it, until it seemed to drown out every other sound. As I listened it seemed as if I could almost understand it, though it was unlike any human voice. My mind expanded and I struggled to maintain my balance, to do as she had taught me. “Keep your center,” she had told me last night. “Include as much of it within yourself as you can, but do not let yourself be included within it.”
And so I did, until it seemed I was composed of nothing more than a giant stone heart, beating in time to some ancient cosmic rhythm. When my thoughts began to disintegrate, to fade into its vastness I stopped… somehow… and I held back. Now to prepare the gift, I thought. Mentally I divided my earthly vastness into three portions, two very small ones and a vast remainder. Their portions must be small or they will not last. Once I was ready I extended those two smaller parts, upward and outward, into a world I could see but barely understand. Lifting my ‘arms,’ I held them out toward the two beings that would become my companions… at least for a time.
They reached out and grasped me with soft appendages, while making sounds I could not comprehend, yet I could feel their acceptance. With an inward ‘click’ I felt the bonds form as a small portion of me was given into their care. It was finished. Using what seemed like alien eyes I studied the strange space I was in, wondering at its purpose. Now that my goal was accomplished I struggled to remember what I should do. Then another mind touched mine, Mordecai, it is over, you must return to yourself. Leave the earth behind and return to the world of men.
The sound of my name resonated with something within me and everything began to make sense again. With a dizzying sensation the world seemed to ‘snap’ back into place. I studied my hands for a moment, for everything seemed smaller. Finally I tugged on them a bit, to remind Dorian and Harold they could let go. They both seemed to be dazed and it took them a moment to release me.
I glanced at Moira. I’m fine now, thank you, I told her mentally. With a nod she sank downward into the stone floor. I looked back to my two companions. Now that I had released my connection with the earth I was no longer connected to them but I could see that they were both connected to something. I could feel an almost subliminal power radiating from them.
“Mort…,” said Dorian, staring at me. He couldn’t seem to find the words he was looking for. Harold didn’t even try.
“Take it easy. Your bodies will feel different and it will take a while for you to get used to it,” I told them. I assumed that much from what Penny had gone through when she had formed her bond with me.
“I feel different,” said Harold.
“You are. You are stronger than before, possibly faster as well. You also possess extra reserves of energy, so you will not tire quickly. In times of need you can draw upon the earth itself to increase your strength even more but it is unwise to do so. The more you use, beyond what you have now, the faster you will change,” I replied.
“Change?” he asked.
“Into stone,” I answered. “The strength you have now you can use safely, for decades at least. Eventually you will start to notice changes, when that happens it will be time to retire and give up your extra power. I will help you release the bond then.”
Dorian grinned, “So we’re like Penny was?” He was clenching and unclenching his fist slowly as he spoke. I could almost see him trying to decide what to test his newfound strength upon first.
“Not exactly,” I said. “You are not bound directly to me for one thing, which means that if one of us dies it isn’t a death sentence for the other. You are bound to the earth. The power you gain from it will probably be similar to what Penny gained from me, but I think there will be differences. Not the least of which is the risk that if you draw upon extra strength too often you may begin to turn into stone yourself.”