"But I'm not a true Knight," Tarrin protested. "That's a sticking point, my Lord General."

Darvon drew his sword. "Kneel!" he said in a thundering voice, a voice that made Tarrin instantly and unthinkingly go down on one knee. "By the power vested in my by Karas, god of Law, god of Duty, patron god of Sulasia, as is my right as the Lord General of the Holy Militant Order of the Knights of Karas, I decree that Tarrin Kael has proven his worth to Sulasia, to the Knights, and to Karas. I knight thee, Sir Tarrin Kael, Baron of Aldreth, keeper of the codes of the Covenant, Knight of the Order, defender of the faith, and hammer of Karas." The sword touched him on each shoulder. "Rise, and know that you are One Under Karas."

Tarrin stood up slowly, staring at Darvon in shock.

"And keep in mind that I never made you swear any oaths of obedience," Darvon winked. "You're officially a Knight, but remember that you can break our rules any time you see fit. I think I'll give you a new title. I think your official position will be as Knight Champion, a lone Knight who serves nobody but the Lord General. And as Lord General, I hereby order you to do whatever you want."

Tarrin gaped at Darvon. Faalken got up off the ground, brushing sand out of his mail shirt, his merry eyes literally dancing with mirth. "Well, let me be the first to welcome you, brother Tarrin," Faalken grinned. "Does this mean he outranks me?" he asked of Darvon.

"Yes!" Darvon replied vehemently.

"Well, you don't have to get snippy," Faalken teased his superior.

"Bring that she-devil here, Tarrin," Darvon said. "Let's make her a Knight Champion as well. She's already one of us, so let's make it an official title."

"Yes, my Lord General," Tarrin said woodenly, rushing off to do his bidding.

Knight Champion. When Tarrin was back home, before the festival, all he ever dreamed of was becoming a Knight. Of enduring the grueling training, of showing he was worth the title, of proving that he could be one of the elite, the best of the best. The standards of promotion to the spurs weren't about piety, or even about theological ground. The Knights were warriors, and their prime requirement was fighting ability. Only the best fighters in Sulasia, or the ones with the most potential, lasted long enough to reach the point where they could be considered, and not all of them won spurs. Because of this, the Order looked the other way when it came to which god the Knight worshipped. The Knights were a militant arm of the church of Karas, but their decreed position as defenders of the katzh-dashi made it a less pious order than other militant arms of the church. They had services and went through the motions of being a holy order of Karas, but over half of the Knights never showed up for services. And this was allowed. Being a Knight only meant that if Karas ordered them to go somewhere, they had to obey, no matter which god they truly worshipped, because Karas was the sponsor of the order. And that was it.

Tarrin was a Knight. The dream that had occupied so many of his afternoons, teased him in his dreams, caused his mind to drift from the daily chores on the farm, it had come true. Not in the way he thought it would but had come to pass. Tarrin had knelt before the Lord General, and had been touched by the sword. Darvon had named him Baron of Aldreth, and that was expected. All Knights were instantly given titles of aristocracy. Tarrin was a Baron, a noble, the instant Darvon decreed it to be so. Darvon had that power, usually a power only available to the King. But Tarrin's title brought with it no land, no revenues. It was a title in title only. That was the tradeoff for Darvon's ability to grant titles, he could grant no land and no money. Tarrin's name would be entered into the rolls of the Knights, and would thus be officially recognized as aristocracy. The only advantage that would give him would be that he was exempt from taxes. He would never have to pay a brass bit in taxes in the kingdom of Sulasia. It was a dream come true, a dream he had all but forgotten in the chaos that had become his life after leaving Aldreth. Knight. He was a Knight. He was what he had always wanted to be, and for some strange reason, despite his situation, he found tremendous comfort and a sense of accomplishment in it.

Despite everything, he had finally realized his most deep-seated dream. He was a Knight.

In a bit of a euphoric daze, Tarrin wandered around the North Tower until he found his sister, who was en route from her class in the main Tower. He said nothing, only grabbed her by the arm with a big smile on his face, then dragged her to the training field over her strenuous objections.

"Brother, you're making me angry!" Allia warned in the common tongue. "What are you doing?"

"He's bringing you to me," Darvon told her as he pulled her closer.

"Lord General, what do you need of me?" she asked politely as she reached him.

Darvon drew his sword. "Kneel!" he barked in that voice of command, and Allia found herself kneeling before him before she knew what she was doing. "By the power vested in my by Karas, god of Law, god of Duty, patron god of Sulasia, as is my right as the Lord General of the Holy Militant Order of the Knights of Karas, I decree that Allia of the Selani has proven her worth to Sulasia, to the Knights, and to Karas. I knight thee, Lady Allia, Baroness of the Desert of Swirling Sands, keeper of the codes of the Covenant, Knight of the Order, defender of the faith, and hammer of Karas." The sword touched her on each shoulder. "Rise, and know that you are One Under Karas."

She stared at him in disbelief, rising to her feet. "That title is only in name, Allia, but you are one of us," he told her. "There will be no oaths of obediance or any demands on you. You are a Knight, but you are free to do as you will. Your official title is Knight Champion, a Knight who answers only to me. And I officially order you to do whatever you want to do."

She stared at him for a moment longer, a stern look on her face. "No demands upon me? I will not be bound under Karas?"

"No," he assured her. "I'm certain that Karas knows that you're already spoken for, Allia. You were given a title and an official place among us, but not any duties that we would have to perform."

"Then why do it at all?"

"Let's just say it's insurance that the Tower treats you with the respect you deserve," Darvon said seriously. "We don't take kindly to one of our own suffering from mistreatment."

Allia looked directly at Tarrin, and then she nodded in understanding. "I will accept your title," she said calmly. "I would find great honor in being considered among the esteemed ranks of the Knights of Karas."

"You are One Under Karas, sister Allia," Darvon told her bluntly. "Your trials are ours, and your happiness is ours. And it is we who are honored to have such an outstanding woman listed among our own unworthy names."

"You have been practicing your flattery, Darvon," Allia said sweetly, which made Darvon blush slightly.

"You're deserving of flattery, sister Allia," Darvon grinned. "Now, I'm sure that Tarrin dragged you from something important, so you should be on your way. I have a little visit to pay to the Council," he said grimly. "Faalken, Ulgen, make sure it's made official. Now, if you'll excuse me."

They all bowed as the Lord General of the Knights departed, stomping towards the main Tower like a man about to do war.

Faalken and Ulgen quietly took their leave to go do the Lord General's bidding, leaving Tarrin and Allia to walk back to the North Tower. "What was that about?" she asked him in Selani.

"I told the Lord General why I was on strike," he replied, still trying to suppress the elation he was feeling. "He said that since they consider us Knights, he'd put a hand in on our behalf. If they don't give me what I deserve as an Initiate, the Knights will stop serving the Sorcerers until they do."