Now that I know what the Merlins truly are, all I can see is Sel’s arrogance, and through him, the arrogance of the Merlin before him. I see the man who stole my memories. The soldier who may have taken my mother from me.

I should follow Nick’s rules. I should be afraid. Instead, I lift my chin from where I kneel. Let defiance shine from my eyes. Even these tiny gestures are blood in the water, but I don’t care.

Sel cares. A muscle ticks in his jaw and aether flares at his fingertips—but when Lord Davis frowns his way, Sel douses the flames inside tightly curled fists. His lips curl at my satisfied smirk.

“The Southern Chapter is fortunate to call Selwyn Kane our Kingsmage. Merlins are the first of many revelations only privy to Oathed members of the Order.”

On cue, Sel stalks to the far end of the altar and stands at parade rest.

Davis’s legato voice flows over us like a preacher leading his congregation. “Tonight you will echo the ancient vows sworn by warriors of the medieval. In those days, men committed themselves to higher powers and greater missions, and left behind the petty concerns of earthly pursuits. Likewise, our Order is fashioned after the body politic.

“Our Vassal friends and their contemporary fiefdoms are the Order’s lower limbs. Without them, we would not have walked through fifteen centuries of this war, would not have advanced from the Middle Ages to modernity. Pages are the left hand: once Oathed, you will be granted Sight in order to hold the shield while we fight in the shadows. Merlins are the right hand, the sword and fists of the Order. Our guardians and weapons against the darkness. The Legendborn Scions and Squires are the heart. The holy text of their Lines has fueled our mission from the beginning. The Regents are the spine, directing our eyes and energies to the urgent matters at hand.”

Davis pauses, letting the image of his metaphor settle in our minds.

“And, when he is Awakened, our king is the head and the crown itself, leading us to victory by divine right.”

A whisper rises in the night. Shh-shh-shh-shh. The sound comes from the other Pages and the Legendborn standing behind Davis. They’ve raised their hands to chest level, all of them, and are brushing their thumbs over their fingers in steady rhythmic circles. Approval.

When Davis raises a hand, the sound stops.