The fort of the Order of the Floral Sun watched over the sprawling vilge around it, the group arriving at the fields still at least an hour away from the fort. As they trekked along the road, they he vilgers gng their way, which was not out of the ordinary, but they he rge number of soldiers around, something which was new.

  A half dozen riders trotted their to the rge group made up of Iyrmen, Aswadians, and rge wolves. The riders were heavily armoured, carrying bdes at their sides, revealing their true nature as foot batants rather than mounted warriors. The horses were armoured too, wearing thick scaled barding which added to their already imposing stature.

  “Halt,” called a voice full of authority from the tral knight who rode upfront. She wore a breastpte which was heavily engraved with all manner of flowers across the front, carrying a banner with a hand, resting up against her shoulder, while her free hand held a rein of her horse. The banner was quite simple, white background with seven pials spiralling to form a circur flower.

  Adam gowards his panions, realising quickly he shouldn’t open his stupid mouth, feeling the intense pressure of the knights before them.

  The knight pulled up her visor, revealing an older, wizened face, her green eyes gring down at the group of newers who were all so heavily armed and armoured. “I am ander Elizabeth Grovepetal by authority of King Harold Merryweather. State your business at once!”

  Upon hearing her name, Jurot pced a hand on Adam’s shoulder, before nodding to Sir Vonda to step forward.

  The young woman removed her helmet, smiling politely at the ander, before bowing her head lightly. “I am Sir Voke of Life’s Rose.”

  The ander dismounted from her mount, stepping forward to meet with the young noblewoman, who just so happeo be a member of Life’s Rose?

  “May we speak to one side?” Sir Vonda asked, still smiling politely.

  Taking the hint, the pair of women stepped aside so Sir Vonda could expiuation in a way which would end the matter ly. Meanwhile, Adam g the five heavily armoured mounted knights, befng across to the minor fort which had beeed he vilge’s edge, full of soldiers of the new kingdom. He guessed there to be at least two hundred soldiers, each of whom were heavily armoured.

  “Adam,” Jurot called, breaking him out of his thoughts. “We must be careful.”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied. It was rare even Jurot would warn him so overtly. ‘What’s going on?’

  The ander returned with Sir Vonda, before the group were allowed to make their way to the minor fort, where they were watched with a keen eye, but left be.

  ander Elizabeth uood the awkward spot she ut in thanks to their arrival, especially sidering the fact they walked around with two demons, which wasn’t going to help the rumours of the King s with demons. However, since Sir Vonda promised to keep them within her sights, as well as the rest of the group, she releo allow them to stay nearby, uhe dition they would be overtly watched.

  Adam he way the Iyrmen were keeping an eye on some of the older soldiers, each holding the rank of captain, but were not like the captains of the other minor fort. Each soldier was heavily armoured, while many wore full pte, even those who did not hold a higher rank.

  “ander Grovepetal holds a high rank withial Grove,” Jurot said.

  “Aion to the Petalgrove family?” Adam joked.

  “Yes. ander Grovepetal is the aunt of the tess.”

  “Oh.”

  Jurot exged a look with Kitool, and even Jaygak, who found the politics of the area difficult to keep in mind, uood the severity of the situation. King Harold Merryweather was sidered to be a more than petent military general, with the previous Elder Wrath also enting how difficult it would be to deal with him, and though King Justinian was also a genius in military matters, there was ohing which set the King of Floria apart.

  While the pair of Kings had the ability to move the proper pieces into position, the difference was the diplomatic cost of such. King Justinian o deal with a great many different families over the kingdom, especially the duchal families who held simir authority to himself. However, King Harold, who was held in such reveren the south, was able to leverage his reveren such a way it would be awkward for the other o refuse, especially after how effectively, and ly, he had seized power from the Goldport family.

  He had not only moved a Peachgrove, but a Grovepetal too? To move one of the Twin Bdes of Petalgrove was difficult enough, but to wield both bdes was aremely difficult feat. It was especially telling that the King was able to move the family against the Order of the Floral Sun, with apparently no sequence from the vilgers who revered the order.

  Jurot thought about how he had e to spar with such a brilliant figure, and his entire body tingled. An impressive story he could pass down, due to no small part of his brother.

  “Do they have their own Storm Petal Knight?” Adam whispered.

  “The Bzial Knight,” Jurot replied.

  “Of course they do.”

  “She is watg us.”

  “Who? The Bzial Knight?” Adam asked.

  Jurot bowed his head, his eyes glued to an older woman in pte armour, who was eating a buttered bun as she stared at the group, before her eyes met Jurot’s. She could see the question in the young man’s eyes, the question of whether to get up a with her, or to keep out of trouble.

  Adam eyed up the woman, who seemed to look like any older woman in the Iyr, that was to say, well built and ready to fight. Her hair had been cut short, her wrinkled famarked from any scars, though her armour hid much of her body so he wasn’t certain if she wore scars elsewhere. The bde at her seemed so normal except the hilt was made of what looked to be brass.

  Jurot let out a sigh. He closed his eyes, realisioo, shouldn’t act up. Jaygak walked over to the woman, having doffed much of her armour, save her breastpte, while also carrying her bde at her side.

  “It’s my honour to meet you, Bzial Knight,” the young Iyrman said.

  The Bzial Knight bowed her head. “I greet you too, Iyrman.”

  “My grandaunt always mentioned she wished to face you when she was younger,” Jaygak said. “The previous Bzial Knight defeated my greatfather, her father, and she wished to test her mettle against you, but she was busy in Aswadasad.”

  Lady Gdys Grovepetal, who was in her sixties, narrowed her eyes slightly, bowing her head. “My mentor faced many Iyrmen, and always spoke of your people kindly.”

  “I know it’s rude to make a request, especially sidering our circumstances, but would you be willing to draw my bde?” Jaygak asked. “I would like to pass the story to my younger siblings.”

  “Very well,” the woman replied, standing and taking the on from the young Iyrman. However, upon g the bde, she paused. She could feel the magigling through her fingers. She drew the bde, noting it was well made, the bde dark, like the shadows within an alley. “Does this bde have a name?”

  “Great Moon,” Jaygak replied.

  “It is a good bde,” the older woman said.

  “It is.”

  “How did you e across this on?”

  “I work for a business by the name of United Kindom, which works alongside the Enter, who ented such a bde for me,” Jaygak said.

  “You are blessed with great fortune.” Gdys held the bde within her hand for a long moment, feeling its weight. “Is it a Greater Enhanced bde?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Gdys held it tight in hand for a long moment, before returning it back to the young woman, who held the bde by g her fingers along the bde rather than the hilt. Gdys undid her sword belt, and held her sheath up, the hilt of her bde to the young woman. “You may draw the bde.”

  Jaygak smiled. “It is my honour.” The Iyrman reached out for the bde, feeling the inteares from the nearby soldiers, but she drew the bde calmly, feeling the great magic within the bde. She could feel it was a Greater Enhanced Bde too.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Light,” Jaygak admitted, daring not to swing the bde.

  “It was a bde ented by a brass dragouries ago for a now dead Aswadian family,” Gdys expined. “It was won in quest by the first Bzial Knight, Lord Oscar.”

  “The Nadar family fell into irrelevaer losing the bde and the brass dragon in such quick succession,” Jaygak said. “The family held so much sway in the Red Desert, but no more.”

  Gdys raised her brows. “You know of the tale of this bde?”

  “Lord Oscar killed my aak, with this bde,” Jaygak said, her eyes glued to the bde. “It was a good fight.”

  I almost fot how weird the Iyrmen were...