New Charge

A week went by without incident. Zaida was not discovered, the demons did not put anything in motion, and life went on. Tivra and Edie avoided discussing Zaida's rumour. They may not have properly believed her, but there was no denying that they were entertaining the notion. They could not help but watch Dyna and Ralli more closely. They inadvertently scrutinized every misspoken word, every quirk, every errant action performed by their superiors. The paranoia took root in their minds. They were asking themselves questions they never would have bothered with before. Why was Dyna always, always, always wearing that pendant? Why did Ralli spend so much time alone? Was it only those two that they needed to worry about, or was the entire order suspect? It was not healthy to think like this, but in their refusal to talk or seek resolution, they allowed the mentality to fester.

As for Zaida, while the others grew more suspicious, she herself was almost lulled into a sense of ease. She never truly dropped her guard, but she was able to put her responsibilities as a knight first. After all, the presence of other demons in the city meant it was in even greater need of protectors. Since that day, she had been posted to guard just about every point of interest in Merridian, she had been called upon to assist in exercises for the trainees, and she had gotten enough chores to blur the line between knight and custodian in her own mind.

On this day, a week after making her discovery, Zaida sat in the knights' dining hall, taking her supper with most of the corps. She was by herself until Tivra and Edie set their bowls down on the opposite side of the table. Tivra put down a binder beside her food.

"We need to ask something of you," Edie opened.

Zaida looked at both of them. There was something off about them. It was not nearly as bad as Tivra had been the other day, but there was definitely something there; like they had something they just could not get off their minds. "Such as...?" She hoped they had come around on her allegations on the order.

Edie elbowed Tivra, who had apparently been staring off into space while drumming her fingers at a hyper pace. "Are you still set against the corps' initiative?"

Zaida tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Tivra opened the binder revealing its contents of notes, documents, and dossiers. She drew three rectangular pieces slightly bigger than playing cards. Each had a different hand-drawn portrait of a woman on them. They were all attractive, but Zaida was confident she had never seen them before.

"Any of these look familiar?" Tivra asked.

"Not at all."

Neither of the other women looked happy with Zaida's answer. "These three are influential women in Merridian," Edie explained. "Each is in charge of some important component of the community."

"Schooling. Waterways. Postage." Tivra pointed to each of the drawings as she listed their respective stations. Zaida knew she would not remember who was whom, but nodded like she was absorbing the information.

"And they just so happen to be close friends," Edie stated.

"Okay," Zaida acknowledged, still uncertain as to what the point was.

"Word is that they've taken notice of you."

Zaida's blood ran cold. She was suddenly much more invested in the exchange. "Oh? H-how so?"

"We can't be totally certain, but..." Tivra looked to Edie for support. "We were asked to ask you to... talk to them... get to know them... maybe you find out where one of them likes to go on dates..."

Zaida's fear was dashed and replaced with indignity. "Hold on. Did you two came here because you want me to seduce one of these ladies?"

"Pretty muc-" Edie was cut off by Tivra's hand clasped over her mouth.

"AS YOU MAy recall, the point of this strategy is to bolster the influence of the knights' order, not just its numbers. And that means that - beyond recruitment - we also need to win over every working- and owning-class citizen we can. Plenty of nobles are already in the church's pocket-"

"Because powerful institutions exercise reciprocity in recognition of their collective interests to maintain the social order that sustains them," Edie pulled down Tivra's hand to interject.

"-So that leaves us with the citizens whose authority is less official."

Zaida propped her head on one hand, her visage disappointed. "Give it to me straight: what are you asking me to do?"

Tivra withdrew her hand from Edie's mouth, allowing her to speak. "Go flirt with these milfs until they like you enough to be loyal to the knights over the church."

"Wasn't expecting something quite that brusque..." Tivra muttered unappreciatively.

Much like the night they first met, they awaited Zaida's answer regarding her consent to an unorthodox undertaking. She looked at the illustrations. If they were anything to go by, this was not a bad-looking bunch of ladies - but that was not really the point. Zaida was yet indecisive on where she stood with personally being a honeypot for the order's ends. Learning of those that lurked within said order only compounded her reservations.

"I'll keep an eye out for them," she ultimately conceded. It was better than a full commitment.

Tivra and Edie high-fived like coming to Zaida had been an absolute long shot.

Zaida accepted the portraits and was standing to leave when a thought gave her pause. She looked at Edie. "Aren't the knights a 'powerful institution' too? Don't we 'maintain the social order'?"

"Yeah, but as the arm of the law, we decide what's right, not the church."

Midmorning the following day, Zaida could be found aiding with an exercise in the knights' training grounds. Sergeant Puhipi had needed a capable knight to demonstrate with, and to help guide the trainees. Zaida had decided she was comfortable with this when she smelled no trace of demon on the man, but now, after letting him knock her on her rear for the eighth time, she felt that that may have been a mistake on her part.

"Remember," he addressed his pupils, "trap with your forward foot, but don't put too much weight on either. If you're not careful, you'll put yourself off balance, and wind up on the ground instead of your opponent. Take turns practicing on your partners." As the trainees turned their attention to one another, the sergeant leaned down and extended a hand for Zaida. "Come on up with you."

Marama was a big man made bigger by his muscular physique. He had the look to him of someone sturdier than a palisade; as if trying to tackle him would only get one's neck broken. Tattoos decorated his breast and arm, and his black hair was cut close to his head. His skin and eyes were brown, and he wore a contagious grin as often as not.

Zaida let him pull her up, which was to say she was put on her feet with little to no effort on her own part. He struck her as a good sort - when he was not flooring her, anyway. She had spent much of her time that morning convinced that the only reason she was needed was because training dummies lacked legs that could be tripped.

"I appreciate your help with this," he said. "I imagine that getting beat up before a bunch of kids probably wasn't the reason you signed on, but we've got to take the good with the bad, eh?"

The lot of them carried on with the exercise until Zaida and Marama noticed an approaching figure. They came alone, but walked with all the certainty of someone with an army at their back. A regal purple cape flowed in the breeze and silver armour caught the sun in glimmering brilliance. They were making a beeline for the trainees, but their stride carried the impression that few things in this world were worth their time.

"Who's that?" Zaida asked the sergeant.

"Royal knight from the capital - real important type. I don't rightly remember her name. Isabel or something like that. She arrived in town with a small band a couple days back."

"From the capital? What brings her here?" The spark of an idea flashed in Zaida's head. She just had to foster the flame.

Marama shrugged, standing akimbo. "Don't know. Not even sure we knew she was coming." His grin returned, but with a glint of mischief that was not typically there. "I'll tell you what though: I heard that on the day she arrived, she challenged a class of trainees to a little tournament. The prize being whatever the defeated had on them; and when I say whatever the defeated had on them, I mean-"

"Hearken, faithful knights!" the visitor declared. She stood in the field on the opposite side of the trainees from Zaida and Marama. Clearly she was there for the pupils rather than the actual soldiers. "I am Isolt, Lord Herald and Captain of the Royal Knights. I have ventured here from the capital as news has reached us of the impressive capacity of Merridian's warriors. Yes, so commendable are this city's sentinels that talk of their feats grace the lips of royal knights with pride. It is for this reason that I have the honour of extending to you all the offer to reenlist under the banner of the capital's finest."

Zaida thought she may have heard some hesitation at the word 'honour', but she could not be certain. Having heard the Lord Herald's proposition, chatter broke among the prospective knights. Most of it was excited, but there was some confusion too.

Less than delighted with his read of the situation, Marama exited his stance and made his way through the class. He stopped between them and the royal knight, where the pupils would have a visible reminder that the captain was not the only figure of authority on that field.

"Well-met, captain. I'm Sergeant Puhipi of Merridian's knight corps. Allow me to preface with my most humble thanks for your praise. We understand the significance of being worthy of visitation from the Herald of the royal knights. However, I am perplexed as to why you aim to recruit my students. I am certain that it would not be above the office of one such as yourself to approach fully fledged knights first." Marama was certain that if she had begun with mature knights, as would have been appropriate, he would have heard about it.

Isolt's eyes flickered with admiration at the sight of his chiseled bulwark of a torso. "A reasonable question, my good sergeant; but one above your station, I'm afraid. Even so, if you find that you need some explanation to put your mind to rest, then understand that we in the capital have an interest in learning what royal knight training could do for Merridian stock."

"Stock?" Marama lifted one eyebrow. "Captain, surely a servicewoman as decorated as yourself understands that warriors are not bred; they are forged."

"Then think what could be made of these promising aspiring guardians if they were handed to royal smiths."

"Were you not speaking so highly of our own instructors only a moment ago?"

"Yes, well..." Isolt gave a sigh that sounded remorseful, but not genuinely so. "In light of recent developments in Merridian, that once-exemplary reputation has sullied somewhat." The trainees did not appear to understand, but by the look of Marama, he had some idea. "Oh, have you all not heard? I would have expected a demon breaching your city's defenses to be the talk of the town."

Again, excited talk emerged within the ranks of the students, but whereas the last one had been marked by welcoming anticipation, this was anxious and uncertain. The sergeant did his best to conceal his scowl. Just as with most of the knights, he knew about the reports from last week. He had thought it best not to go spreading the word, and had counted it a blessing that none in his class seemed to have been told. So much for that.

Zaida watched the events unfold from the back of the group. As someone who had only recently joined human society, there was still much that did not come as quickly to her as it did for others. However, it was plain to her that this Lord Herald was not here in good faith. Even without familiarity of protocol, she found it strange that anyone would hunt for learners where veterans were available.

Regardless, the arrival of this royal knight presented an opportunity for her. Many of those among the Order of Dyna could not be trusted, if not for being a demon, then for the risk of confiding in one. The Lord Herald and her affiliates though, they were an outside element. Even better, there were numbers to them. She had no hope of stopping Dyna by herself, but if she could get the royal knights on her side...

"Those reports have yet to be substantiated," Marama said loud enough for his class to hear. "But, as unlikely a hypothetical as it is, no demon would last long in Merridian."

Isolt seemed to sneer even wider at that. "Of course. Certainly not with the royal knights here. Anyway... thank you all for your time. Should any of you wish to accept my offer, you may find one of my people in the tavern at Boner's Square." With all the grace and authority she had come with, the Lord Herald turned and left.