《The Elemental Knights》


 -1 Prologue

    I failed. The kingdom was saved and yet I still failed. The people whom I considered my closest friends were the cost for the kingdom''s safety.


    I had a vision depicting the way to save the most people from the Shaydes and I never should have told them about it. You see, the vision predicted that the only way to save everyone else was for my Knights to ride out and face them alone. A suicide mission despite how powerful the Knights were. Naturally, they immediately volunteered for the senseless attack. I forbade them from going but they insisted. I then placed them under house arrest in an attempt to keep them from leaving the capital. I had no real capability to hold them but I had hoped that the gesture would be enough. It was not.


    They left the capital under the cover of darkness and met the enemy in the canyon that lay outside of the city. I could see the battle from the balcony of my quarters but I was powerless to stop it. For hours the bright flashes of the Knights'' elements lit the night to something like midday. And then with one final explosion of blue light, everything was still.


    Despite my desire to discover what exactly had transpired, I had to wait until we were sure that the threat was gone before it was deemed safe for me to go to the battleground. What I found there will haunt me for the rest of my life. The entire canyon was covered in a field of frost. Shayde warriors were strewn about frozen solid. Some near the opposite entrance were still standing in their ordered columns. If I had not known that they were frozen and therefore dead, I might have thought that they would spring into action to attack us when we had gotten close.


    And at the center of all of this there were four bodies on the ground, each surrounded by mountains of fallen enemy warriors. These were the Knights of Fire, Air, Earth, and Lightning. I could tell that they had all fallen protecting the final knight who stood at the center of their circle. At first glance he seemed almost alive, but the Knight of Frost stood motionless with his eyes shut against enemy warriors that had been reaching towards him. He held his sword in his grasp that he had thrust into the stone before him. It became clear to me exactly what he had done in order to stop the oncoming enemy. He had gathered all of the magical energy within him together and compressed it. He then released it in one massive explosion that froze the entire landscape in less than a second. At the cost of killing himself along with the enemy.


    We took the bodies of the Knights to give them the burial they deserved. In order to prevent someone else from stealing their artifacts, I had them sealed and hidden away. Now the only ones who will be able to find them will be the ones who are rightfully called. I had the Knights'' armor and weapons sealed away along with the artifacts. They were crafted by the finest smiths in Decra and will surely remain pristine until they can be claimed by the rightful holders of the artifacts.


    I know that nothing I do will be able to repay them for what they have given to save us all, but maybe preserving their artifacts for the next generation of Knights will be a start.


    -- From the journal of the First Queen of Decra, written on the 21st day of the 15th year of her reign.

 1 Falling Into a New World

    Casey Bennett found himself in quite the dilemma. It started as he was climbing off of his bed having just gained the necessary motivation to face the day. Placing his feet on the floor, he had a sudden realization. There was no floor.


    "AHHH!!!"


    Casey screamed until his voice was hoarse and only then realized that through all that screaming he had yet to hit the bottom. Not that he was complaining, the longer he fell the longer he had to live and the longer he had to wonder why his bedroom floor had a hole this deep in it. Though it''s not like finding out why his floor was gone would do him any good as he could do nothing to slow his descent.


    After what seemed like hours of falling a change began to occur. The darkness around him seemed to get brighter. It didn''t allow him to see any of his surroundings, instead it was as if the darkness was changing into some sort of pristine white dimension.


    Out of nowhere a booming voice echoed over the whistling sound of the wind.


    "FINISH THE STORY IF YOU WISH TO RETURN HOME!"


    And then the pristine world burst and a landscape was revealed below. One that was surely beautiful, only Casey had no opportunity to admire the view as it was rapidly coming closer.


    He realized this was it. It was the end of the road and in a few seconds he would be flattened. His life began to flash before his eyes as he remembered the faces he would leave behind. His parents, his little sister, his asshole of a brother, and his cat named Dot. Really not a lot of faces there, few friends, no girlfriend. ''Ha I haven''t even kissed anyone, how pitiful.'' This would be his last thought before smashing onto the stone.


    Casey shut his eyes against the oncoming ground and waited for his death. And waited, and waited. At some point he noticed the wind hitting him had stopped, with that he slowly opened his eyes.


    His rapid descent had halted, and he found himself floating inches above the ground. Before he even had a chance to get his bearings, whatever was holding him up vanished and he fell face first onto the hard ground.


    Smack! The pain of hitting the ground even at that close distance caused his eyes to water. Casey slowly picked himself up while rubbing his nose and took in his surroundings.


    It was dark, the only light he had was the full moon above his head. He had landed on a stone walkway bordered by hedges on either side. The hedges towered over his head by at least four or five feet. He had no way to see over them to get an idea of where he was. Figuring it was either curl up into a ball or start moving, Casey decided to start moving. No matter how appetizing curling up into a ball felt to him, it wouldn''t solve anything so he picked a direction and started walking.


    He soon came to a fork in the path leading to the right and to the left. As he was debating which direction he began to notice an odd sensation. It was like a tingling on the back of his neck. It only occurred when he was facing the path to his left. It didn''t feel like a warning, but more like it was drawing him towards that path. With no other ideas he decided to follow that feeling.


    He came to several forks after that and at each one the sensation returned when he faced one of the paths, almost like it was leading him somewhere. It was after he had been walking for several minutes that the sensation changed. This time it was a sharp pain. He ducked to the side just in time to avoid two men walking around the corner. They carried torches and spears, and each had a sword hanging at their sides. They wore chain mail under a red and blue tunic.


    Casey held his breath as he tried to stay in the shadows, attempting to avoid the torchlight. His heart was hammering so hard in his throat that he was surprised the men didn''t hear it.


    The guards finally turned the corner and he nearly collapsed in relief at not being caught. ''Swords and spears? Just where the hell am I?'' Casey quickly collected himself and continued on his way.


    Having successfully dodged the guards, he managed to find his way to the exit of the maze. Under the light of the moon a magnificent view revealed itself. Looking around, Casey discovered that the area holding the maze was in fact a large courtyard surrounded by high stone walls on three sides. On the last side facing the exit of the maze was a dazzling palace. It seemed almost out of a fairy tale with three majestic towers reaching towards the sky. The central tower was protruding directly from the central wing and was the largest of the three. The other two, despite being smaller in size, were no less spectacular. The only sound that disturbed this scene was the babbling of a tiered fountain in the center of the courtyard. The moonlight reflecting off of the water nearly took his breath away.


    A gust of wind woke him from his wonder causing him to shiver. Feeling the chill in the air Casey began to consider where he should go from there. At this moment his foreign sense of direction decided to make itself known again pointing him towards the leftmost tower. This tower protruded from another wing of the palace and boasted a conical roof that seemed to be painted red. Growing closer to the tower he realized he was being led towards a small door almost hidden from view beneath the tower. The door seemed to be fairly old with a rusted iron handle. Carved into the stone above the door was the figure of a fox.


    Surprisingly, the door opened easily when he pushed on the handle and a corridor was revealed within. The only light in the corridor was a single burning torch hanging from the wall just inside the doorway. Fearing someone might see the light from outside, Casey hurriedly entered and shut the door. Having come inside he was faced with a choice, go right towards a lighted passageway or go left through an iron gate that was left ajar. This passageway also happened to be pitch dark. Naturally the sensation was pointing him towards the dark passageway.


    "Well I guess it''s better than having to explain to someone I happen to run into why I''m sneaking around in a palace." And with this twisted logic, Casey grabbed the torch from its wall bracket and made for the creepy iron gate.

 2 Knights Hall

    Creak!


    The gate let out a loud sound causing him to freeze in place listening for footsteps. It was only after a moment of hearing nothing but silence that Casey was able to ease up again. Being assured that no one had heard the gate he peered past the gate. What awaited him was a dark stairway leading downwards. Without attempting to close the gate Casey began making his way down the stone stairs.


    The stairway would periodically hit landings that turn the stairs in the opposite direction so that he went relatively straight down beneath the palace.


    It eventually came to an end at another corridor. This one was slowly turning towards the right. Casey continued along the corridor passing several doorways with rotting doors. The sensation didn''t direct him to any of the doors so he just kept moving forward. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dirt and dust that didn''t seem to have been disturbed for many years.


    After walking for what seemed like hours, though was probably only half an hour, the passageway opened up into a large hall. The hall was about the size of a basketball court and had a vaulted ceiling, but it was neither the size of the room nor the height of the ceiling that attracted Casey''s eye. It was the murals covering the walls that captivated him.


    Despite the years of neglect, the colors of the murals still shone brightly depicting what seemed to be a series of events.


    The first mural to his right was of what appeared to be a coronation. A man and a woman were kneeling in front of two priests who were placing crowns on their heads.


    The next mural was of a knighting ceremony of five individuals, three men and two women. This struck Casey as interesting as in traditional medieval times, cases of women being knighted were pretty rare occurrences.


    The third mural depicted these five knights leading an army in a charge against a rival army. Strangely the knights were not dressed in plate armor but were all in leather armor with various metal attachments protecting mostly their vital areas. Another oddity was that each knight was carrying a different weapon. These weapons were dual-wielded scimitars, a basket-hilted broadsword, a longspear, a large warhammer, and a bo-staff.


    The fourth mural was of a grand banquet. The King and Queen were sitting in the center of the mural in their thrones. The five knights from before were all situated in the seats closest to the rulers. They appeared to be the guests of honor. They all wore happy expressions and seemed to be celebrating something. Perhaps the victory of the battle shown in the previous mural. Upon closer inspection, Casey noticed something strange resting on the head of the knight who wielded the broadsword. Something that nearly caused him to drop the torch.


    "A fairy!?"


    There was indeed a creature that had the same appearance of fairies from fiction sitting on the knights head. She only seemed to be five or six inches in height and had four light blue wings protruding from her back. She had deep blue hair and was wearing a dress that matched her wings. She was just sitting there on his head with her feet dangling over his forehead and no one seemed to be paying her any mind.


    Deciding not to dwell too much on the implications that come with fairies actually existing here, Casey moved on to the next mural. In contrast to the joyful atmosphere in the last mural, everyone had dark expressions as they stood around a circular table with a map spread across it. Only the knight with the broadsword and the female knight with the dual swords were there along with the King and Queen and several men who seemed to be military advisors. The fairy was the only one who didn''t seem to notice the atmosphere as she sat in the same place playing with the knight''s hair.


    The map seemed to be a tactical map of their country with pieces that probably represented military forces. The pieces were only concentrated on one city with the pieces within the city painted white while the pieces surrounding the city were black. Based on their expressions it wasn''t difficult to figure out which pieces were theirs. Having come to this conclusion, Casey moved on to the next mural.


    As soon as he saw the next mural he jumped back with a yelp. The realism of the mural brought to life it''s terrifying content. It was focused on a creature that could only be described as a monster from nightmares. Far more hideous than anything he had seen in even the scariest horror movie. It was nearly pitch black and had long horns protruding from it''s head. It had a snout with a full set of sharp canines. Long claws extended from both his hands and his feet. It was standing upright but that was the only similarity it had to humans.Of all it''s features the creatures eyes were by far its worst. They were blood red, the absence of pupils made them even more disturbing.


    The most terrifying thing about this mural was what the monster was doing. It was in the middle of ransacking a village. In its claws was what had once been human. The body was so disfigured that he could barely even recognize it as human. The creature had ripped him to shreds. All around it was a scene of carnage more gruesome than Casey could have ever imagined. Blood painted the cobblestone road red and body parts were strewn all about mixing with the rubble of ruined homes and buildings. There wasn''t a single living human left in the scene.


    Casey had to fight the urge to throw up and quickly turned away from the horrible scene. He took a few minutes to regain his composure before he could bring himself to look at the last mural.


    What awaited him was a scene of a final battle. All five of the knights were surrounded by hordes of creatures exactly like the one in the previous mural. The knights had very weary expressions and their armor was practically in pieces. It looked like they had been fighting for a long time. Four of the knights seemed to be defending the final knight who had thrust his broadsword into the ground. Emanating from the sword was a bright light that painted the rest of the mural in shades of blue. The ground around the sword was covered in ice. Looking a little closer, Casey realized that aside from the monsters that were actively engaging the knights, the rest had their backs to them as if they were running away.


    As he was staring at the mural wondering why the monsters were fleeing, the sensation from earlier returned far stronger than ever before.


    His legs began moving forward on a will of their own carrying him right to the sword in the center of the mural. He had completely lost control of his body by this point as his hand reached towards the gemstone embedded into the sword''s hilt. His hand touched the stone and applied pressure. With some resistance the small section he had pressed gave way.


    A great rumble tore through the hall breaking the silence. Dust fell from the ceiling stinging his eyes. The wall in front of him began to shift adding to the dust in the air. It slowly rose up revealing another room behind it. The room was some sort of armory but whatever was driving him forward did not allow him to look closely.


    His feet brought him to a metal box in the center of the room. On the lid was an imprint of a standing fox with eyes that seemed to follow him. It was the same as the one carved into the doorway he had gone through to enter the palace.


    There was no lock on the box so he reached forward and lifted it open. Within the box were five metal clasps. He recognized them as clasps used to hold a cloak or cape from a museum of medieval history he had gone to before. Each clasp had a fox head design on them. The only difference between them was a slight discoloration that was almost imperceptible. One had a red tint, one purple, one green, one a pure silver, and the final one had blue.


    As soon as he opened the box the sensation grew even stronger focusing solely on the clasp with the blue tint. He picked up the clasp which was cool to the touch. For a moment nothing happened. Then a gust of freezing wind burst from the clasp completely enveloping him. It was as if he had been thrust into an ice bath. Frost began accumulating on the stone around him turning the surrounding room into winter.


    The wind stopped as quickly as it began taking the sensation controlling him with it. The strength in his legs left him and he fell to the floor with a thunk.


    The frost still covered the floor but somehow didn''t seem to affect him. He slowly collected himself and was able to stand up from the floor. He stared at the clasp held in his hand in confusion trying to figure out what just happened. It was then that he noticed that something inside him was different.


    There was some sort of substance moving inside him that wasn''t there before. It didn''t really seem tangible, it was more like some unknown force had taken residence in him. Somehow it didn''t feel foreign, it was almost like it had been there all of his life and he was only just now realizing it. But this didn''t make any sense, he was sure that he didn''t have anything like this inside of him before.


    His attention returned to the clasp in his hand which was the source of this new change. Wanting nothing more than to return to normal he threw the clasp across the room."What did this thing do to me?!"


    It made a loud clatter as it collided with a piece of armor. He felt himself shivering as he struggled to calm down. The feeling of the unknown force had greatly shaken him. Gradually he felt his body return to normal.


    Slowing his breathing he took in the rest of his surroundings. The room itself was not very large. There were five sets of armor and six weapons in the room. The armor and weapons matched those used by the knights depicted in the murals outside the room.


    Despite layers of dust and cobwebs covering the room, the armor and weapons never lost their splendor and sparkled in the light of the torch.


    As he was surveying the various pieces his eyes stopped on the sword depicted in the final mural, the one that hid the mechanism to open the door.


    It rested in a sheath made primarily of what looked like blue leather. A lining of silver wrapped around the edges coming to a point at the end of the sheath. The basket-hilt had a guard also made of a silvery metal. Intertwining strands of white metal connected the guard to the pommel. A gemstone that seemed to flicker from blue to white in the torchlight was embedded into the pommel.


    Having always been fascinated by medieval swords, Casey couldn''t resist holding an actual sword. He walked over to the sword and grasped the hilt.


    The hilt perfectly formed to his hand as if it was made for him. The sword felt warm to the touch and almost seemed like it was vibrating. Lifting it felt incredibly natural, to the point that he began to wonder why he who had no prior experience with swords didn''t feel awkward holding one.


    He slowly pulled the sword from its sheath revealing shimmering blade that let off a blue light as it was drawn. Despite knowing almost nothing about forging swords, when he fully unsheathed it it became clear that this sword was forged by a master.


    As he was admiring the blade, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Something about it just seemed wrong.


    He resheathed the sword and turned to a piece of plate armor that gave him a clear view of his face. Staring at his reflection he went through a mental checklist of his features. Same slightly upturned nose, same mouth, same ears that stick out slightly more than he would like, same eyes¡­ wait!


    "EYES! What''s wrong with my eyes?!" Panicking, Casey rubbed his eyes until they started to hurt, which did absolutely nothing. His eyes that had been a deep brown his whole life were suddenly bright blue. Not just bright, it was an unnatural blue. Something that reminded him of the colored contacts he''d sometimes see people wear.


    Trying very hard to keep his cool, Casey continued examining himself for any more deviations to his appearances. It didn''t take him long to find two more.


    He now had a blue streak in his otherwise black hair and his skin had gotten noticibly paler. He was always slightly paler than most but he had managed to get a pretty nice tan in the past couple months which was now all for nothing.


    Thankfully those were the only other deviations he was able to find.


    "Just what the hell is going on?"


    Before he could find an answer to his question, he heard a voice behind him causing him to freeze.


    "See Ronin, I told you we''d find him down here." It was the voice of a woman.

 3 The Knight of Fros

    At the sound of her voice Casey dropped the torch and grabbed the sword, spinning around in one fluid motion. He pulled out the sword and pointed it at the newcomers.


    What he saw in front of him were two individuals around the same age as him, somewhere into their early twenties. The woman who spoke before was a small lady with brown hair and mousey features giving her a rather cute appearance. This was offset a bit by the dress she was wearing. It was a noble''s green gown that she wore with an elegant bearing.


    To her right was a sturdy looking man who was most likely the aforementioned Ronin. He was standing with his hand resting on his sword, clearly ready to draw it if the need arose. The fact that he hadn''t already showed that he didn''t see Casey as much of a threat. He had long blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. What drew his eye was the cloak Ronin was wearing. It was a dark red color and was tied on with a similar clasp to the one Casey had just thrown away.


    "Yes your majesty, you were correct." Ronin commented.


    "Stop calling me that, I''m not a real Queen yet." The woman pouted.


    Ignoring her remark Ronin addressed Casey. "Now sir, if you would put away your sword we might have a proper conversation. We are not here to cause you any harm."


    Casey lowered the sword but did not sheath it. He still had very little reason to trust these two who had suddenly appeared.


    Narrowing his eyes he asked. "Who are you?"


    "It''s quite rude to sneak into someone else''s castle demanding to know who we are without so much as introducing yourself first." The woman replied.


    "Ah, my bad. My name''s Casey Bennett and I have no idea how I ended up in this castle so I''m sorry about that too." A little flustered by her remark as it was true, Casey hastily introduced himself.


    "Watch how you address her majesty, Foreigner." Ronin said icily as he drew his sword out of its sheath slightly. This caused Casey to shiver slightly as he tightened his grip on the sword.


    "Now, now Ronin. Why should he address me differently if he doesn''t even know who I am." The woman gave a small curtsey as she introduced herself. "My name is Sara Langley, and I am the Queen Regent of the Kingdom of Decra"


    And with that simple phrase it was if a lightning bolt had struck his head as he began muttering in a daze. "Sara Langley... Queen Regent.... Decra... Fox clasp... Ronin... Nope, this should definitely be impossible, no way this is real, must be a coincidence."


    Seeing the odd state he was in, Ronin stepped in front of the Queen Regent and took a protective stance.


    "Are you alright Mr. Bennett?" Sara asked as she was somewhat confused by his mutterings.


    Ignoring her he turned to Ronin "It''s probably nothing, but I figured I''d ask anyways. If she is Sara Langley, does that mean your name is Ronin Galand?"


    "Yes it is, but how could you possibly know that?"


    Casey fell to the ground and once again began muttering to himself. "This should not be possible, how can that book be real? And how is it that I''m here in a conversation with the protagonists?"


    "Protagonists?" With a confused face, Ronin turned to Sara who just shrugged. "Don''t look at me, I was only shown that a foreigner would come and that we would find him here tonight, nothing more than that."


    Latching on to that statement, Casey recovered slightly from his daze and blurted out. "Wait, what do you mean you were shown I would come? You knew I would end up in this world?"


    "Well I''m not sure what you mean by how you ended up in this world, but it is my abil-" "Your majesty!" Ronin tried to interrupt but was ignored. "-ity as the holder of the Queen''s Artifact to receive divinations about the future"


    "You shouldn''t go around telling people you don''t know what your ability is!" Ronin protested.


    "It''s not like it''s some big secret, the artifact has been around long enough for everyone to at least know what it does. Even the commoners know it so why should I hide it?" She smiled innocently at him. Ronin simply rolled his eyes like he was used to this.


    "Ah there was something like that in the book wasn''t there." Ignoring their quarrel Casey said to himself.


    Sara turned back to Casey, "Now that I have told you my ability, would you mind explaining how it is that you seem to know us? I do not believe we have met before".


    "Oh right well that is somewhat complicated. You see where I''m from there is a certain book called The Queen''s Riders. This book centers mostly around the two of you and your relationship, as well as the actions of the Knightly Order of the Fox, more commonly known as the Queen''s Riders. Hence the name of the book."


    With a thoughtful look he continued. "Now that I think about it, all of the fox emblems I''ve been seeing makes a lot more sense. As well as the meaning of the cloak clasp. Still no clue what this room is though"


    They just stared at him, eyes wide and with dumbfounded faces as they tried to wrap their minds around what he had said.


    The first to recover was Sara who with a red face stammered out "Wh-Wha-What do you mean a book following us, especially the part about our r-relationship!!?"


    "Ah well, you two are the main protagonists of the book so of course it would be following you guys. And a big part of the book is about how y''all are secretly in love and how bad it would be if the prince found out, who is a bit of a jerk by the way."


    Shiiiing! Drawn to the sound, Casey turned to the second dumbfounded person, to discover Ronin had drawn his sword and was emitting a very dark aura as he took a step towards him. "Sara, please allow me to get rid of this idiot before he blabbers to the nobility."


    "Damnit! I said something unnecessary." Casey slowly backed up and hid behind the podium that held the iron box. "Wait! Hold on, I promise I won''t tell anyone. In fact I''m really rooting for you guys!!"


    Distracted by the weird phrase, Ronin stopped for a moment. "What the hell does rooting for you mean?"


    "It means I''m really hoping that your relationship will work out!!" Casey yelled out as a final attempt to pacify the angry swordsman.


    "That''s enough Ronin." Sara stepped in at that moment. "Regardless of what he may or may not know, he is still the next Knight of Frost and will be needed. I''m already losing Riders left and right from external conflicts, I do not need to be losing Riders to internal conflicts too"


    "But-"


    "I said that is enough Ronin." An aura of authority leaked out as she spoke that line.


    "Yes your majesty..."


    "I already told you to stop calling me that!" And the aura of authority mysteriously vanished into thin air.


    "Uhh, I''d hate to interrupt a lover''s quarrel but what exactly do you mean by Knight of Frost?" Casey timidly asked.


    "That was not a lover''s quarrel!" The queen said with a humph.


    Ronin''s left eye began to twitch as he asked "Shouldn''t that have been in that book of yours?"


    "Ah no. I have no idea why but there was never any mention of a Knight of Frost in the book, nor was there any mention of a secret room like this or the hall full of murals outside." Casey explained


    "Was there anything actually useful in that book aside from information that might get us all killed?"


    "Well sure but nothing related to the current situation."


    "Ugh fine, I''ll explain it but first where is your clasp. It''s clear from your eye color and that streak in your hair that you''ve already awakened so you must have it somewhere."


    "Oh that? I threw that over there when I realized it did something weird to me."


    "You what?! Go get it you idiot!"


    "Fine but I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me an idiot." The idiot complained while walking over to the discarded clasp. As he picked it up he noticed that the metal felt unnaturally cold. Cooler than the metal should be when compared to the room temperature.


    "I will when you stop being one!" Ronin said crossing his arms.


    "Okay boys, that''s enough. Fighting is not going to get us anywhere." Sara cut in.


    "--Who you calling a boy!--" The boys yelled at her.


    With a sigh, she turned around and left the armory. "Oh and bring that sword with you, it''s technically yours now anyways." She called over her shoulder.


    Casey had practically forgotten that he was still holding the sword and hurriedly sheathed it before following her out. After he and Ronin had left the room, the hidden door closed on its own with a rumble.


    Sara had stopped in front of the second mural, the one depicting the knighting ceremony. She furrowed her brows and studied the mural for a moment before speaking. "If you have at least some knowledge of this kingdom than you must know about the existence of artifacts and how they call people who are worthy of their power?"


    "Of course, only those with artifacts can use any form of power and what type of artifact they hold decides what type of power they can use. In the case of those with a Fox clasp, it is generally a passive ability in the form of enhanced swordsmanship and riding skills."


    "That is partially true, the artifacts act more like keys unlocking the latent abilities of their holders. Anytime you want to use your latent ability, you need the key to unlock them. The artifacts draw people with manna matching their requirements and allow only the people they choose to wield them. Some have very lax requirements and will take anyone who even slightly matches them." She turned to him before continuing.


    "However, the most powerful ones have very strict requirements that go beyond simply having the correct mana. They search for people with the perfect mix of the correct morality and the correct mana. Sometimes these go without a wielder for years, just waiting for the perfect person to be born that matches them. The clasp you hold is an example of one such artifact.


    "That clasp has been dormant for nearly 500 years. It''s last wielder was given the title Knight of Frost due to the abilities it allowed him to use. He was able to freely manipulate the element of water." She pointed towards the knight kneeling in front of the Queen in the painting. He was the one who wielded the same broadsword that Casey held in his hand.


    "So you''re saying that I was born with this mana and that I happen to have similar values to what this thing is looking for. It brought me to this place so that I can wield it?"


    "Pretty much!" She said with a smile.


    "But that doesn''t make sense. There is no magic where I am from so how could I be born with mana, and how could this-" he held up the clasp "bring me here?"


    "Don''t ask me how you got here. Like I said, I only knew you were coming. Though artifacts, especially the powerful ones, always have some way to bring their chosen to them. Leads to some embarrassing situations sometimes." She said absentmindedly.


    "Pfft-" Ronin covered his mouth trying not to laugh after hearing that. To which Sara began hitting him harmlessly, causing him to laugh even more. It seemed like the fact that Casey already knew about their relationship was causing them to somewhat loosen their act without them realizing it.


    "Ahem, you still haven''t told me anything about the actual Knight of Frost except that I have his sword and clasp."


    Sara stopped hitting him and they quickly stepped away from each other. Ronin cleared his throat before speaking. "Right since you''re technically his inheritor you should probably know a little more about him. He was the leader of the Elemental Knights who were an elite group of five knights serving directly under the first Queen of Decra, Queen Anne Caliwell. They consisted of the five people depicted in the mural, each one wielding a different element, water, fire, earth, air, and lightning. As Sara already said, your predecessor wielded water."


    "So technically, I should be able to use the same magic as him?" Despite being so far from home, Casey was still excited at the idea of being able to use magic.


    Ronin gave him an amused look before saying. "Yes you will be able to manipulate water, but you''ll need a lot of training before you''re any good at it."


    Casey smiled at that, probably the first time he''d actually smiled since being dropped into this world. As if some sort of switch had been flipped, his shoulders drooped as a wave of exhaustion hit him.


    Noticing his state, Sara turned to Ronin. "I think that is enough for tonight. You should take him to the Riders'' Wing and find him a room to sleep in. We''ll continue this conversation tomorrow."


    "What about you? Shouldn''t I escort you back?"


    She smiled up at him before saying "If I can''t find my own way back in my own castle, I wouldn''t make a very good future Queen would I? Now shoo, before he collapses and you have to carry him back" and turned back to the mural.


    "Fine but be careful" Ronin said with a worried expression before turning to Casey. "Well come on then."


    Casey stumbled after Ronin without any protest, looking forward to sleep. He was hoping that maybe this had all just been a dream and that he''d wake up in his own bed in the morning. Lost in his weariness, the part of his psyche that wanted to stay and explore the world he had grown up reading about had gone completely unnoticed.


    Sara remained behind in the hall. Turning towards the mural showing the banquet. "Odd, he really resembles the First Knight, I wonder what she''d do if they met? No nevermind, maybe it would be better if they didn''t." Without clarifying who ''she'' was, Sara turned away from the mural and left the hall.

 4 The Knight Commander

    Bang!


    "Get up newbie! The Cap wants to see ya''."


    Casey lurched up from the bed utterly confused. The room he had been taken to the night before had just been invaded by an ape of a man kicking in the door.


    "Wha- who ar-"


    "No time, put these on. You do NOT want to keep the Cap waitin''." The man interrupted him while thrusting a bundle of clothes and a pair of boots into his arms. He then turned around and left the room. On the way out he tried to close the door only to flinch when one of the hinges broke off leaving the door hanging at an unnatural angle.


    "What in the-" Casey stammered "Wait, where am I again?" As he looked around the room, his memories of the night before slowly returned. Turned out, the night had not in fact been a dream and he did not wake up back in his bed back home. Instead, he woke up in a room barely the size of a large master closet. It was mostly bare with walls made up of stone bricks. There was a single arched window on the wall opposite the door. The only furniture in the room consisted of the bed he had been sleeping in, a chair, a desk, and a wardrobe. His sword was resting in its sheath hanging on the bedpost.


    "I guess I''m stuck here." Shaking his head to clear his thoughts before they turned dark, Casey then looked at the bundle of clothes he was holding. He set aside the boots for the moment and unwrapped the clothes. They consisted of a pair of shorts that resembled boxers, a pair of long socks, black trousers, an off-white shirt, a black vest, and a dark grey cloak. As he dressed himself, he realized that the clothes fit surprisingly well. The trousers were a little short and the shirt was a little snug around his shoulders but they were still manageable. Leaving the cloak on the bed, he went back to the boots. They were also black and were shined almost to the point that he could see his reflection. Putting them on over his trousers he found that they also fit. Again not perfect, a little large, but still surprising considering he hadn''t been measured. At least not while he was awake.


    Shivering at that thought he bent over and picked up the cloak. "I should probably try to figure out how to get the clasp to work" He reached for his clasp which he had placed on the desk beside the bed. Again he was struck by how cold it felt in his grasp.


    The clasp actually consisted of two pieces connected by a short chain made of the same bluish metal as the main pieces. The second piece wasn''t molded into the same fox head as the first one but was instead a plain disk about the size of a silver dollar. On the back of both pieces was a pin that would secure it to the cloth. Wrapping the cloak around his shoulders, Casey attached the clasp and secured the cloak.


    The man from before chose that moment to barge in again. "Come on, move it. We''re already late."


    "Hold on-" Before he could finish speaking the man grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out into the hall. He easily fended off any of Casey''s attempts at freeing himself and took off down the corridor at a brisk pace.


    "Wait! Could you at least tell me who you are before you drag me off to god knows where?"


    Glancing down at Casey with an annoyed look the man said "Gods, not god they hate being singled out. The name''s Conrad, Conrad Baro. And I told you already, I''m taking you to see the Captain who asked to see the new guy, which is you." Letting go of his collar the man continued "Hurry it up or I''ll start dragging ya'' again."


    Dusting himself off Casey followed behind him and tried to remember what the book said about this Conrad Baro. As far as physical descriptions go he stood easily five or six inches over Casey at around six-foot-eight. He had dark hair kept in a short style similar to modern military men. He had dark skin, dark eyes, and a long silver scar cut across his nose and under both eyes. He was wearing similar clothes to Casey, only his cloak was different. His was a dark crimson matching the one Ronin wore. There was also a sword hanging at his waist. According to the book, he was one of the Senior Riders in charge of training the new recruits in combat. Apparently training under him was not a pretty sight. ''Wait if I''m supposed to be a new Rider, does that mean I have to go through his training'' Thinking of this possibility caused his steps to falter slightly which earned a glare from the Senior Rider.


    His thoughts drifted to recalling what the book said about the Captain that Conrad was taking him to. He remembered that her surname was Rowan but couldn''t think of her first name. Most of the riders just called her Captain. Despite this nickname, she was not actually a captain. Her true title was the Knight Commander of the Order of the Fox. This meant that she held the highest position in the Order, second only to the Queen and, in certain circumstances, the King. She also had one of the rare fox clasp artifacts that gave her another ability beyond the base enhancements. This was the ability to see the inner character of anyone she meets. She also happened to be one of the few who knew of the affair currently taking place between Sara and Ronin. Thinking about how he so bluntly blurted out that he knew of said affair to the actual participants he flinched slightly.


    ''Weird, I feel like I''m forgetting something very important about her though'' After thinking for a moment, he just shrugged and continued walking. He''d meet her in a moment anyways.


    As he was collecting his thoughts, they came to a room that looked a bit like a reception area complete with a desk and an attendant. Behind her were two large wooden doors, presumably the commander''s office. The attendant looked up from her papers and pushed up her glasses as they walked in.


    "Ah Senior Rider Baro, I will inform the Commander that you have arrived." She got up from her desk and walked to the doors. She knocked and stuck her head in while saying something to the person inside.


    A loud shout called out from within the room. "Oh they''re finally here? Well send them in already!"


    The attendant turned to them and said. "She is ready for you."


    Conrad led Casey into the office as the attendant closed the doors behind them. The strong fragrance of tea leaves hit him as he crossed into the room. The office was very spacious with bookshelves lining the far wall. On the wall to their left was a large map that seemed to be of the country of Decra. To his right were three tall windows that looked out over the maze and fountain below. In the center of the room was a large desk and several chairs. Sitting behind the desk with her elbows resting on the wood was a stern looking woman with graying hair and blue eyes. Also in the room were Sara and Ronin who were sitting in front of the desk enjoying morning tea. In contrast to the noble ball gown she had been wearing the night before, Sara was now wearing the same uniform as the others in the room complete with a crimson cloak and fox clasp. Now that he thought about it, in the book she had been a Queen''s Rider long before she was called by the Queen''s artifact. Something that has never before happened in the history of the kingdom.


    Commander Rowan studied Casey for a moment, giving him a look that seemed to see through all of his faults. Then she turned to Conrad. "Thank you for bringing the new recruit. You may leave, I''m sure your trainees will begin to miss you if you stay gone too long." Ronin and Sara shared a bemused look, and Conrad just smiled before giving a knight''s salute and left the room.


    Seeing that Conrad had left she turned to Casey before continuing. "You must be Casey, the newest Knight of Frost. I''ve heard some interesting things about you."


    "Ah yep that''s me, though I do wonder just what interesting things you''ve heard about me?" Something seemed very off in the way she was watching him as he responded.


    "Hmm? Just that apparently you''re from another world where everything that''s happening here is recorded in one of your books. Oh and also that you knew about the actual relationship between these two." She said with a smile that went nowhere near her eyes.


    "Ha... right yeah there''s that. Uhh I''m really sorry about the whole knowing something I shouldn''t know, but I can''t really help it. I didn''t exactly expect to suddenly end up here when I read the book." Casey struggled to find some way to appease the woman who seemed far more threatening than Ronin did the night before. Even if she wasn''t currently holding a sword to his face.


    Hahahahah!!


    The woman who seemed so threatening a moment ago was now doubled over her desk howling with laughter, leaving the rest of the room dumbfounded. Including Ronin and Sara whose jaws had dropped practically to the floor.


    "Ahaha... sorry... ha... your face... was too perfect." She managed to wheeze out between laughing fits. Wiping tears from her eyes she finally calmed down enough to say. "I just love scaring newbies, maybe it comes with the job?"


    "Captain? Shouldn''t you be taking this seriously?" Ronin, who had managed to lift his jaw from the floor, asked her.


    "What you mean by that? Of course I am, you brought him to me so I can judge him didn''t you?"


    "Yes that is exactly why we brought him to you, not for you to start teasing him," Sara said.


    "Spoilsport" Commander Rowan muttered under her breath just loud enough for everyone to hear.


    "Sooo, what exactly is happening here? Am I in trouble or something...?'''' Casey said while slowly stepping back towards the door.


    Commander Rowan just ignored him "Anyways, I already judged him. Saw through his character before he even stepped into the room. Completely harmless, odd, but harmless. Besides, you didn''t really need to bring him to me anyways. You both know as well as I do that any fox clasp chooses only people with the required morality before calling them. And he doesn''t have just any random fox clasp, he has the former Knight of Frost''s fox clasp. There is no way that it would choose someone who would actually have morality issues like sending two people to their deaths over their relationship."


    The couple was left speechless after her tirade so she just turned to Casey. "No you are not in trouble Casey, I was only having a little fun"


    Relieved at no longer being threatened Casey was finally able to relax his muscles that had been tensed to flee. "Ah ok well that''s fine the- Wait... HEY! Not fun!"


    It was then that he remembered that very important detail about the Knight Commander. To the outside world she is a powerful knight with an aura of absolute command, respect, and confidence. However, when it comes to her own knights, she would stop at nothing to tease and manipulate them all to her own enjoyment. Especially the future Queen and her relationship with Ronin. Of course, if any of her knights were targeted by anyone other than her, she would also stop at nothing to protect them.


    "Ahaha. I love my job." She let a loud sigh as her facial expression grew serious. "Alright, enough of that. Casey Bennett!"


    "Yes ma''am!"


    "You do understand the position you are in and what would happen should you leak the secrets you gained from your book. Correct?"


    Casey tried to straighten his back as he answered. "Yes ma''am."


    "Good, and its yes Captain or Commander Rowan not ma''am. Now tell us exactly what transpired for you to end up here and in possession of that clasp. Know that I will be able to tell if you are lying"


    "Yes Captain!" Casey then told the story of how he fell into this world and what he was told in that white space along with the events that led him to the armory under the palace.


    When he was finished and Commander Rowan confirmed he was telling the truth, all three of them grew thoughtful as they pondered over his story. Sara looked at Commander Rowan who nodded to her before speaking "So you really did come from some other world, and there is really a book about us."


    "Yeah. I don''t blame you for not believing me at first. I would certainly have a hard time believing it myself if someone told me they were from some other world where there''s a book about me."


    "So what did it mean by finish the story if you want to go home?" Ronin asked.


    "Ah I would guess it means that however I''m supposed to get home lies at the end of the book, which in this world hasn''t happened yet."


    Hearing this Commander Rowan practically jumped out of her seat. "Hold on, when you say hasn''t happened yet, you mean that the ending of your book is supposed to be our future?"


    "Well yes that would be the current conclusion I''m thinking of. I mean the information from my book was right when it came to their-" he waved a hand towards Ronin and Sara" relationship and it''s also how I knew about the Queen''s Riders and their artifacts to begin with. So if those were accurate than I can somewhat assume the ending of the book should be accurate."


    "So then what is the ending your book is predicting?" She asked.


    Casey considered this question carefully. If he told them how the story ended, would that change the outcome? And if the outcome changes, would he still be able to go home? "Damnit! The only thing I was told was to finish the story, would it have really killed them to be a little more descriptive?"


    "Honestly, I don''t know how much I should say. For all I know, me telling you the ending of the book could completely change everything. And if the ending changes, will I be able to go home?"


    Ronin narrowed his eyes when Casey spoke. "So because you might not be able to go home, you''re refusing to tell us something that has to do with our country as well our lives?"


    "I... I don''t know. I don''t understand this whole situation. I''m stuck in a world that''s not my own and I have a family and a home I need to get back to. For all I know, my telling you the ending could result in my never going back."


    "Oh so you''re saying that our world isn''t good enough for you!? That your going home is worth possibly jeopardizing our lives?"


    "That''s not wha-"


    "Oh really? What did you mea-"


    Bang!


    Commander Rowan abruptly slammed her fist onto her desk and shouted. "That is enough Sir Galland. That is not what he is saying and you know it!" She took a breath and straightened up her desk before turning to Casey and asking. "Mr. Bennett, am I correct in assuming that you yourself are not a part of the book we are referring to?"


    Casey stared at her with wide eyes, bewildered by her question. Somehow, he didn''t even think to consider that his own presence would change the story. He''d been so focused on the fact that he was there that he didn''t stop to wonder what his being there might do to the original story.


    Taking his silence as an affirmation she continued. "Very well then, it is believable to assume that not going along with the contents of your book completely will not necessarily prevent you from being able to go home. That is if your book even can even predict what will happen in this world in the first place. Due to a lack of evidence how about I propose a compromise? I am assuming that there are various important events that happen in the book that can easily be predicted?"


    Seeing she was expecting an answer Casey replied. "Yeah sure there are. Plenty of them actually, it''s a very long novel."


    "Good. Then I propose that we postpone the interrogation on predicting the future for when we know if the book can actually predict said future."


    "So basically you want to wait to see if something else in the book actually comes true or not?" Sara asked.


    "Precisely, and once we know for sure, we can go from there."


    "Okay I''m not against that but for it to work, I need to know where we are currently in relation to the book. Let''s see, Sara, how long ago were you called by the Queen''s Artifact?"


    Sara furrowed her brows in thought. "Hmm. it hasn''t been that long, maybe a month or so? Does that tell you anything?"


    "Yes it does actually, thanks a lot. In relation to the book, it hasn''t been all that long since the start of the story since the first major thing mentioned was Sara becoming Queen Regent. If it''s been a month since then... ok the next really major event won''t be for about a month and a half so there is still a lot of time."


    "Alright fine, we can wait to see if the prediction comes true, but how will we know that you will tell the truth about what the book predicts?" Ronin asked with a suspicious glare.


    Placing her elbows back on her desk Commander Rowan cut in. "Sir Galand, do you really not trust my ability to tell if he is lying or not?"


    "No but well..." Ronin guiltily withdrew his glare at her question.


    Sara clapped her hands once and proclaimed. "Very good. Now that''s over with, we can finally decide exactly how to proceed with your training Mr. Bennett."


    "My training?"


    "Of course, you didn''t think you''d be doing nothing did you? You are after all, the next Knight of Frost and a recruit of the Queen''s Riders." Commander Rowan said with a chuckle.


    "Right, I almost forgot. I will be able to use magic right!?" Casey asked while barely containing his excitement.


    "Well that will come eventually, but we''ll have to call a teacher for you which will take some time." His excitement deflated a bit. "So in the meantime, you will be training as a regular Queen''s Rider under Sir Baro." Commander Rowan told him.


    His previous excitement completely vanished when he heard that and was instead replaced with a shiver of fear. After all, according to the book, training under Sir Baro was anything but pleasant.


    "Haha I see you are familiar with Sir Baro''s training techniques. Don''t worry I''ll tell him not to go too hard on you, can''t have our newest knight dying before he even sees the field." She said while flashing him an evil looking smile. "Speaking of training, where is that famous sword of yours?"


    Recalling the events that led to him forcefully leaving his room in a hurry he scratched the back of his head and said. "Right, Sir Baro didn''t exactly give me enough time to equip it so it is still sitting by my bed back in my room."


    "That is no good Mr. Bennett, a knight must never go anywhere without their sword." She said with a pout, it was quite clear she only wanted to take a look at it.


    "Stop pouting, you''ll get to see it eventually" Sara chided her.


    Commander Rowan brought her hand to her chest and gasped in mock offense at her comment. "Still the statement stands. Now that you are a recruit you will be required to have your weapon on you at all times. When you leave here you will return to your room and retrieve your sword before anything else." She stood up from her desk after saying that. Ronin and Sara put down their tea cups and also stood.


    "Alright, I believe we are about done here. I have a meeting to attend so I will leave you with Sir Galland who will give you a tour of the Rider''s wing. Then you will report to Sir Baro at the training ground. You are dismissed."


    Ronin and Sara placed their fists over their hearts in a knight''s salute and Casey mimicked them before turning to follow them out.


    "Oh one more thing" She called out to them. "For the moment, let''s keep the whole Knight of Frost thing under wraps. It would not be good if our enemies got wind of one of the Elemental Knights awakening."


    "Ah ok, understood." Casey said and left the room.


    As the door was closing he could''ve sworn that he heard the commander say "Gah, now I have to go to some boring meeting. I hope there''s food this time." With a smile he continued after Ronin and Sara.

 5 Decria

    Having left the commander''s office, Sara and Ronin stopped in the corridor and let Casey catch up to them.


    "Well, I''d better get back to my duties. I''m sure Maddie has torn up half the palace by now searching for me." Sara giggled and placed a hand on Ronin''s arm.


    Ronin smiled and patted her hand, "Best of luck with that, she is a terrifying lady. I do not envy you."


    She stepped back and waved at Casey. "Enjoy the tour, and don''t let Conrad scare you. He''s secretly quite the softy, you just gotta make it through his hellish training to tell."


    "That''s not exactly helpful right now you know!" He grimaced and waved back at her. She only laughed and turned down another corridor.


    Casey sent a questioning look towards Ronin "Who''s Maddie anyways?"


    "Sara''s Lady-in-Waiting. Someone you better hope you never end up on her bad side." Ronin started walking down the corridor Sir Baro brought Casey from. "Don''t fall behind, I''m not going to go searching for you if you get lost."


    Casey hurried after him as Ronin led him back to his room to retrieve the sword. Along the way he asked Ronin something he hadn''t had the chance to ask the night before.


    "I get the impression the Elemental Knights were very important individuals but I don''t actually know much about what they did. I can guess that it had something to do with those creatures in the paintings but that''s it. Speaking of those creatures, what even were they? They looked almost like they came out of a nightmare."


    Ronin sighed and gave him a look that suggested he thought of Casey as an idiot. "Those creatures were known as Shaydes, at least that''s how they are referred to in the history books. They appeared seemingly out of nowhere only a few years after Decra was founded. They swept across the land killing everything they came across.


    "Our armies were no match for them. In a final effort, the Elemental Knights disobeyed orders and confronted the Shayde army in the gorge outside the capital. At the cost of their lives they stopped the invaders. Not much is known about how they did it but after that battle, the Shaydes vanished. It was as if all of them had been killed in that single confrontation."


    Casey silently contemplated this information as he walked. In the book there was some background information about the founding of Decra, mostly detailing how the first King and Queen gathered their army and overthrew the previous warlords that ruled this part of the continent. However, there was absolutely no mention of these Shaydes that nearly destroyed the kingdom so soon after it was established. How could something so important to this world''s history be left out of the book?


    Casey looked up to find that they had made it to his room. Somehow the door which should have had a busted hinge was now good as new. He also found that the bed he had left undone was made up nicely. Saving the why for later he went to the bed and buckled his sword to his waist. "The Captain said I should keep my identity a secret, but wouldn''t this sword give me away? A sword that belonged to the former Knight of Frost is sure to be recognized right?"


    "Not necessarily. Most people have long disregarded the Elemental Knights, now their story is mostly told to children as a bedtime story. I only know the details because it''s one of the history portions covered in the Rider training". He paused, "It''s highly unlikely that someone would recognize that sword unless they''ve been down to the Knight''s Hall and seen the murals. And aside from us, no one''s been down there in centuries. The deeps are usually kept locked. You only made it down there because Sara found the key to the gate before you arrived here."


    "Wait, that seems wrong. Didn''t we just establish that they were very important to the existence of this kingdom. Why would something like that be turned into nothing more than a bedtime story?" Casey said as if speaking to himself.


    Hearing him Ronin answered, "You''d have to ask the Church that question. A few hundred years ago the Supreme Pontiff ordered any mention of Shaydes to be struck from public records, including any mention of those that defeated them, your predecessors. Once again, the only reason I was able to be told of their existence is because I''m a Queen''s Rider. Being the direct subordinates of the Queen of Decra offers some protection from the Church''s edicts.


    "However, That protection only applies to our own, attempting to spread any information to the general public will be seen as an act of inciting panic by the Church. Our position wouldn''t be able to protect us if they arrested anyone for that." Having said that Ronin turned to leave the room, "Come on, let''s get this tour over with."


    "Alright, I''m coming." Casey followed after him and muttered under his breath, "The Church huh? So they were like that."


    The Church Ronin had been talking about was called the Church of the Eight Gods. A highly organized church bearing some similarities to the medieval Roman Catholic church, especially it''s strong influence in the politics of each nation it is a part of. They were not a major force in the book, only appearing a few times, but it was implied that they favored the Crown Prince over the future Queen, Sara Langley.


    Learning about more things that weren''t in the book gave Casey a bad premonition. Just what else was left out?


    Ronin led him to a large room that seemed to be a dining hall. There were large tables that lined the hall like you would find at a school cafeteria. There were not very many people eating in the dining hall. Those that were were eating what looked like classic eggs and bacon. Seeing the food, Casey''s mouth began to water. He hadn''t eaten anything since the night before he came here. Come to think of it, wasn''t I just waking up when I got here? I hadn''t even had breakfast yet. There''s no way I was awake yesterday long enough to be as tired as I was last night.


    "This is the dining hall that also serves as the main lounge." Ronin glanced at Casey and noticed how hard he was looking at the food. "You don''t really have enough time to sit down and eat, but we can see if the cook will give you something to eat while we walk."


    Ronin went through a doorway at the back of the hall which presumably led to the kitchens. Casey followed in after him. Entering the room, he was hit with a powerful aroma of roasting meat. Standing in front of a massive spit was a portly woman barely tall enough to turn the meat. She was wearing a chef''s apron and a kerchief in her hair. The meat looked like it had once been a large boar. It completely dwarfed the small lady.


    "The cook''s in the middle of preparing for lunch and doesn''t like to be interrupted while she''s cooking anything. It would be better to ask her assistant." Ronin walked over to a young man who was quietly peeling potatoes in the corner. "Back on potato duty again are we, Declan?"


    The young man, Declan, glanced up from his peeling and said, "Yessir, dropped the wrong spices into her soup so now I''m peeling potatoes for the next week".


    Ronin chuckled at that, "Well stick with it, you''ve already lasted longer than her other apprentices. That has to count for something with her. Anyways this new haesu-casul hasn''t eaten anything so could you grab something for him?"


    "Sure, I think there are a few rolls left over from breakfast this morning." Declan glanced at Casey before grabbing a few rolls from a cooking rack.


    Casey, slightly confused about the new terminology, turned to Ronin, "Haesu-casul?"


    Without even a glance in his direction Ronin said "it''s what we call the new recruits who haven''t completed the training and earned their crimson cloaks. It means grey-cloak in an old tongue."


    "Oh, got it." He had been wondering why his cloak was different from Ronin''s but didn''t want to ask.


    Declan handed the rolls to Casey and ushered them out, "Now hurry and get out, before she notices you."


    Casey thanked him and left the kitchens continuing the tour. Munching on the stale rolls along the way.


    There wasn''t a whole lot left to see of the wing, most of it was made up of the Riders'' personal living quarters. Casey thought it was rather plain for a wing of a palace, but he figured it was probably designed to be simple. For whatever reason, the Order of the Fox was mostly made up of lesser nobles and commoners. People who tend not to care as much for fancy decorations.


    At the top of the tower was the Queen''s personal library and private study. Her actual quarters were in the central wing of the palace near the King''s, but most previous Queens prefered the tower. When he asked if the library was a part of the tour, Ronin just scoffed and continued walking.


    As Ronin was leading them through one of the halls on the top floor of the main building, Casey stopped to look out one of the windows. The view he saw outside the window was breathtaking. A magnificent city spread out across the land before him with the palace at the highest point. There were no skyscrapers with their glass walls and yet the city still seemed to sparkle. Most of the buildings near to the palace were made up of some type of whitewashed stone. These eventually turned to buildings made with wood and mortar and red roofs.


    The city was split into four tiers with the palace on the top tier, and at the center of the city. The third tier was the Noble''s district, where most of the high ranking nobility held their mansions. The second tier was mostly made up of military facilities, with the general barracks and training grounds. It also held the grand arena where all of the tournaments were held. The lowest tier, and the largest held the Commoner''s district and the Merchant''s district. Each tier was separated by large walls that served as defense and a way to keep the commonfolk and the nobles separate.


    "So this is Decria" Casey whispered aloud. Though he didn''t really approve of the obvious division of the city, he still found the city beautiful


    Without stopping Ronin called back to him, "Move it."


    "Alright alright, I''m coming"


    Soon the tour of the main Riders'' wing came to an end and it was time for Ronin to lead him to the training ground. Ronin led him down a mostly private route from the palace to the training facilities designed to allow the knights to traverse the city efficiently. It was a route only used by the soldiers, knights, or the servants to reach the lower parts of the city without hindering the nobles. In the case of a siege it could be easily blocked to prevent easy access to invaders.


    Along the way Ronin began to explain his new schedule to him. "Every day you will wake up at the sixth bell, eat breakfast, and then report to the training fields by the seventh bell. From then until the noon bell you will be doing physical training with Sir Baro.This will include swordsmanship.


    "From the thirteenth bell until the fifteenth bell you will be attending horsemanship training with Sir Kalloc. After that your academic lessons begin."


    Casey groaned, "Academic lessons?."


    Ronin just smirked, he seemed to be enjoying this, "Of course, as a knight in the service of the Queen you will be expected to have an understanding of the history, politics, geography, and culture of Decra. As well as to be capable of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Dinner will be at the nineteenth bell. After dinner is usually freetime, but when your magic trainer arrives, you will attend lessons with them until they say you are done."


    "Hah... this is more than med-school." He slumped over hearing how severe his training was going to be.


    "What was that?"


    "Nothing..."


    Ronin nodded and then continued, "We should probably give you a backstory seeing as saying you''re from another world is out of the question."


    "Probably a good idea... What do you have in mind"


    "Well, I don''t think you could pass off as a commoner from your mannerisms... well you couldn''t completely pass as a noble either, but you''re closer to a noble. No one would believe you were a commoner after seeing your hands."


    "Hey! Was that some sort of insult?!"


    "You are welcome to take that however you like. Anyways, let''s say that your from a lesser noble family serving as one of Duke William Langeleye''s retainers."


    "Ah Duke Langeleye. Probably a good idea."


    "You already knew of him?"


    "Of course, he''s Sara''s adoptive grandfather so he was talked about in the book quite a lot." Casey explained.


    Ronin frowned at the casual use of Sara''s name but didn''t say anything. "Alright, you knowing about him makes things a little easier. Just avoid any detailed answers."


    Casey nodded and turned his attention to recalling details about the Duke. In the book he was Sara''s largest ally in the court. Being a distant relative to the royal line as well as a war hero, his influence was not small. He was an eccentric man in his later years whose wife died early of childbirth along with the child. This event left him with a heavy scar preventing him from remarrying. Unlike many nobles, their marriage was not a loveless political arrangement.


    One day a baby girl was left on the ground beside the gate to his manor. No one knows why but he took a liking to this baby and adopted her into his family. Perhaps it was just the whim of a lonely noble that caused him to adopt her and give her the name Sara. Due to her not being of his blood, he could not officially give her his name so he changed hers to Langley. Despite this, he never treated her as an outsider and truly cared for her.


    In fact he cared enough that he was willing to do whatever it takes to ensure her position, and by proxy, her life. After all, Sara''s enemies want a different Queen and the only way for a new Queen to be called would be if the old one was dead. The one qualification to become Queen is to be called by the Queen''s Artifact. There have been many other low-born Queens that were killed because of their former status.


    As he was pondering about the Duke a group of three men in flashy plate armor wearing navy blue cloaks approached them. On each of their waists were swords with an identical pommel. A ram''s head with horns curving outward. Seeing them approaching, Ronin placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.


    "Well would ya look who it is, The Queen''s guard dog and little fishie!" The man in the center said with a demeaning smirk. He was a tall man with short blonde hair and green eyes. Everything about him from the way he held up his head to the way he strutted as he walked gave off a haughty and arrogant air.


    Ronin barely even spared them a glance before continuing past, his hand never left the hilt.


    Realizing he had been completely ignored, the lead man''s face turned crimson. "Where the hell you going? Back to your hedgeborn Queen?"


    At that Ronin froze in place. He began to pull his sword from its sheath. On impulse, Casey grabbed his arm preventing him from fully pulling out the sword. "Save it for the tournament!"


    Ronin''s brow went up in surprise as his eyes went from the hand holding his arm to its owner and back again. He let out a sigh and relaxed his grip on the hilt allowing his sword to slide back into its sheath. Casey, also surprised at his own actions, hastily let go of the arm.


    The three men who just witnessed that almost fell to the ground laughing."Ha, th-the great R-ronin of the Queen''s R-riders... held back by a mere fish."


    Ronin once again turned his back on the three men, "I shall see you three at the tournament." and continued on towards the training ground. Casey followed after him thinking of the tournament to come.


    The Decrian Order Tournament, the next major event that happened in the book. The one that will decide if the contents of the book can be used to predict the actual happenings of this world. A tournament between the members of the Order of the Fox, the Queen''s Riders, and the members of the Order of the Ram, the King''s Knights. Two orders that once had highly competitive yet friendly relationship. However, with recent events and the influence of the Crown Prince, that relationship has devolved into something almost hostile.The three men from before were all members of King''s Knights. The leader of the three was most likely Sir Alfred Connan, Ronin''s strongest rival and one of the Crown Prince''s closest friends.


    Ronin is the one who must win this tournament. If he loses, it will change everything. ''I have to make sure he wins. First though, I have to make it through training if I want to be able to do anything.''


    Having come to this conclusion, Casey clenched his fists and continued on to the training grounds.

 6 Learning the Sword

    ''I have to make it through training if I want to be able to do anything.''


    ''Ha as if it would be that easy.''


    Crack!


    Casey was sprawled out on the sand of the training ring, his chest heaving up and down. A large bruise forming on his left cheek and his clothes were dusty and in disarray. To his right was the wooden sword he had been using to protect himself only moments before. He hadn''t been doing a very good job of it.


    "Get up off your arse! We''re going again!" A booming voice called from the other side of the ring. This voice belonged to the man who had given him the fresh bruise, Sir Conrad Baro.


    "Alright, alright already. I''m getting up." Casey grabbed the training sword and pushed himself up, ignoring the pain emanating from his blistered hands. How many times is this already?


    It had already been five days since he had arrived here and training wasn''t exactly going smoothly. He enjoyed the riding as he had had experience with riding horses on his aunt''s ranch growing up. He also didn''t mind the academic side of the training as most of it was at the level of elementary school on Earth. He had been pleasantly surprised to discover that the common writing language here was English. When he spoke to Ronin about it he acted like it was the most natural thing in the world.


    The place where training was going anyway but smoothly was the physical and the swordsmanship training. He had thought that he kept himself in good shape before coming here. Unfortunately this was far from the truth as he discovered on the first day exactly what physical training meant to Sir Baro. For the penalty of being late, he had Casey run ten laps around the training ground. A single lap being the equivalent of running one mile.


    Finally finishing that, Sir Baro had him join in on the hand-to-hand combat training where he became a human punching bag for the other recruits. Following the hand-to-hand training was the swordsmanship training, and by that time he was exhausted to the point that he could barely even lift the training sword. Sir Baro personally took over Casey''s training citing that he was so far behind the other recruits. Casey didn''t even last one exchange before ending up on the ground.


    Though this harsh training must have been doing something for him because he could now last three or four exchanges with Sir Baro. He figured it was probably the work of his fox clasp. After all, It did have the effect of enhancing his swordsmanship and his riding abilities.


    Shaking his head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts, Casey faced Sir Baro and readied his stance. He slowed his breathing and watched Sir Baro''s movements. The first thing he had learned the hard way from his instructor was not to be impatient. Slowly circling around Sir Baro, Casey watched for any openings in his stance.


    Sir Baro took a slight step back and Casey lunged forward. Seeing this Sir Baro gave a slight smile, one that Casey didn''t notice. Casey swung his sword across Sir Baro''s body. This was easily parried and Sir Baro countered with a thrust directed at Casey''s chest. Casey quickly took a step back to avoid the sword''s point.


    Casey''s form had been broken and Sir Baro was not about to let this opportunity go. He let loose a furious flurry of strikes at Casey who was struggling just to keep his balance. Backpedaling he barely kept Sir Baro''s sword from striking any of his vital points. Realizing that if this kept on the way it was going, Casey would end up on the ground again he began desperately looking for a way out. His arms were beginning to burn with the force that Sir Baro was putting into his strikes, he wouldn''t be able to keep this up for much longer.


    That''s it! His eyes shone with new vigor as he thought of a way to escape his current predicament.


    Sir Baro slashed at Casey who swung his sword to meet it. At the same time his sword hit Sir Baro''s, he lept back using the force from Sir Baro''s blow to separate them. Breathing heavily, he used the extra time to fix his stance.


    "Not bad..." Sir Baro gave him a look that almost seemed like he approved. "Guess I should pick it up a little." Saying that, he took up a new stance. His eyes hardened and he seemed to be letting out a very threatening aura.


    Casey could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead and tightened his grip on the training sword. He knew that whatever was coming would not be good for him. Thinking that he had nothing to lose and not wanting to wait for whatever was coming, Casey lunged forward sending a flurry of strikes towards Sir Baro.


    However, Sir Baro seemed to have been expecting this. He deflected all of Casey''s blows with the ease of an accomplished swordsman. Sending one of Casey''s thrusts to the side Sir Baro stepped forward entering Casey''s guard. He flung his elbow into Casey''s nose, breaking off his momentum. Casey staggered back and tried to lift his sword to block the blow that was bound to come. Sir Baro struck the crossguard of Casey''s sword causing it to fly out of his grip. He then promptly finished Casey off with a diagonal slash that sent him back to the ground.


    "It wasn''t terrible, but you were still too hasty in your attacks." Sir Baro reached down to pull Casey back to his feet.


    Casey accepted the outstretched arm and rubbed his hurt nose. Thankfully, It didn''t seem to be broken. "Understood instructor." Climbing to his feet, he dusted off his clothes which had become filthy during the bouts.


    A bell went off in the distance signalling the 12th hour of the day. "Alright that''s enough, you are dismissed for lunch!" Sir Baro yelled out and began walking towards one of the buildings surrounding the training hall. As Casey was about to return his training sword to its rack, Sir Baro abruptly stopped and called back to the recruits, "Oh one more thing, everyone get back over here!"


    The other recruits who were about to leave the courtyard visibly flinched and hurried back, clearly worried they were about to be scolded for something.


    When everyone had gathered around the swordmaster he continued. His expression seemed almost solemn, a stark contrast to his normal glare. "There have been some strange incidents happening lately in the capital. Until further notice, no recruit is allowed to go out into the city unless accompanied by at least two others or a full rider."


    "What sort of incidents?" A young woman asked. Her name was Lia Hanes. She was the impromptu leader of the recruits as she''d been one the longest and was the closest to becoming a full-fledged rider.


    "That is none of your concern. You are all dismissed!" Without offering any other explanation Sir Baro spun around and walked away from the group. They could only exchange puzzled glances and head back to the palace for lunch.


    "What do you think is happening?" A youth with a curly red mop on his head and freckles covering most of his face asked Casey excitedly. He was the youngest of the group and had only been called into the riders a few weeks before Casey.


    "I''m sure it''s nothing Thomas, but it''s most likely best if you stay in the palace on your rest days for the next couple weeks." He had a pretty good opinion of the kid and didn''t want him to be mixed up in these so-called incidents.


    Thomas nodded and didn''t say anything more. He was probably trying to come up with ideas on what could be happening. Even though Casey had only known him for a few days he could tell that Thomas was the type who often let his curiosity get the best of him. ''I hope he doesn''t go out looking for trouble, this is not something he can deal with.''


    These incidents that Sir Baro mentioned were also a part of the book. Casey figured that he was only trying to keep the recruits from worrying but if it''s what he thought it was than these incidents were far more dangerous than what he implied. Casey believed that these incidents were actually one of the first difficulties faced by Sara and Ronin in the book, the disappearances of several Riders. Even though it is not exactly uncommon for Riders to go missing on the job, the circumstances behind these disappearances were very abnormal. Each of the people missing were between missions, meaning that they all went missing within the capital.


    Each person disappeared completely without a trace. They would go into the city for leisure and then never return to the palace. All of the leads investigated by the characters of the book were dead-ends. No one had any idea what happened to these Riders, they simply vanished.


    This was something completely unprecedented in the history of the order. A full-fledged Rider would be incredibly difficult to handle for the vast majority of people. Each one was trained to be very proficient in survival and evasion. They would have to be, most of their missions need to be carried out either individually or in pairs. Being even slightly careless would often lead to death. For any of them to be taken in their home city without any trace was difficult for the higher ups of the order to understand. Especially considering that the Riders that went missing were some of the most elite in the order.


    Not much was said as the group walked up the private street, which Casey learned was called Knight''s Lane. He was in the middle of wrapping his injured hands when a group of men cut in front of them. They wore the same armor as the knights that confronted him and Ronin on the first day. The only difference being that instead of the blue cloaks, they wore grey cloaks similar to the ones the rider recruits were wearing.


    "That''s some accomplishment you had there. Managing to eat dirt every single time you pick up a sword." One of the men, clearly a greater noble, sneered as he jabbed a finger in Casey''s direction. "Just what kind of noble are you that can''t even hold a sword?"


    Casey balled his fists but didn''t say anything. This kind of confrontation had been happening fairly often over the past few days. Apparently the conflict between the two orders had extended to the recruits.


    Lia, who had been walking to the side of Casey, stepped forward and slapped the man''s hand away, "Why don''t you lot head back to whatever hole you crawled out of?"


    To Casey''s surprise, this was echoed by the other recruits with a chorus of "Yeahs!" and "Get out of here"s.


    The lead man grasped the hand that had been slapped, it seemed like she had hit him pretty hard. "How dare you, a commoner, slap me! Do you have any idea who I am?!" His face had gone red in anger and he fixed her with a scorching glare.


    The other knight recruits were clearly taken aback by their behavior. They were all nobles of higher rank who had recently joined the Order of the Ram. It was probably the first time that they had ever been rebuked by anyone of lesser birth. Several of them had already pulled their swords from their sheaths.


    In response the other rider recruits unsheathed their own swords, as Casey just watched bewildered at the turn of events. The situation was spiraling out of control and he didn''t understand why. After all, for him it was just a minor insult, nothing worth actually exchanging blows over.


    Before he could do anything to diffuse the situation a sharp shout rang out over the two groups. "Just what is happening here?! Put away your weapons immediately!"


    Everyone froze and turned to the speaker who had appeared out of nowhere. Standing with his arms crossed and a bow slung across his back was a large man with an intimidating scar stretching from his right eye to his jawline.


    At the sight of him, the entire group sheathed their weapons and brought their fists to their chests in a salute. Casey didn''t recognize him but from the reactions of the other recruits, he was clearly an important figure. He decided to mimic the salute.


    "Sir! These low-borns insulted us," Pausing, the leader of the knight recruits thrust his finger towards Lia "and that one even had the gall to strike me."


    "I do not care what happened, you do not draw your weapons on allies." The man with the scar scolded.


    "But cap-"


    "Are you trying to talk back to me recruit?!"


    The recruit paled and stammered, "N-no S-sir!"


    "Good." Turning to the rest he continued, "I will be having a conversation with both knights in charge of your training. It seems that discipline is lacking. Now get out of my sight!"


    Fearing further punishment, both groups immediately separated.


    After the knight recruits had disappeared Casey finally spoke, "I would like to thank all of you for stepping in, but you really didn''t have to."


    One of the other recruits whom Casey knew as Garth draped an arm around his shoulders and said. "Of course we had to, they were insulting a fellow rider. Besides, I never liked that guy anyways. Even for a high noble he''s a prick."


    "He''s right, you might be new but you''re still a rider like the rest of us." Lia continued.


    Casey was shocked by this sentiment. Even on Earth, there weren''t many people who would step in like that. It wasn''t that he was a loner exactly, it''s just that most of the people he knew weren''t interested in going out of their way to help him. He''d only been in Decra for five days and yet these people were willing to face down a group of high nobles for him.


    "Ha well thanks again." Casey said while scratching his cheek "Anyways, who was that guy who stopped it from becoming a fight?"


    "Wait you don''t know who that was?!" Thomas asked, his eyes widening in bewilderment.


    "That was Sir Rodgerick. He is a member of the King''s Royal Guard, and an expert marksman." Lia answered.


    "They say he can hit a fleeing rabbit at over 600 yards!" Garth added.


    "Wha! 600 yards!? Is that even human?"


    "Haha yep. I wonder if we''ll ever be as good as him?" Thomas asked with his eyes shining.


    Garth placed his arms behind his head, trying to seem nonchalant and said. "Maybe someday, ya never know."


    "Alright we better hurry it up. If we''re not careful, we might miss lunch." Lia said prompting us to pick up our pace back towards the palace.

 7 A New Companion

    After lunch it was time for the horsemanship training with Sir Kalloc. Sir Kalloc was a slim man in his late forties. His angular features gave off a stern aura. He had retired from active duty assignments several years before and was now mostly in charge of training new recruits and watching over the horses used by the riders.


    This horsemanship training had quickly become Casey''s favorite time of the day. He had always loved riding the horses his aunt raised and spent most of his summers on her ranch. Of course there were quite a few differences between leisurely rides on his aunt''s ranch and rider training in a medieval world. After all, it''s not like he''d ever worn a sword while riding on the ranch.


    Entering the stables Casey approached the stall of the horse that he had been riding, Mika. She was a stout horse with broad shoulders and a muscular neck. Casey recalled that the official name for her coloring was a blue roan, a dark coat that gave off a blueish cast. Though her nose was mostly white she had some dark grey coloring on the sides. Her mane and tail shone with a black sheen.


    Noticing his approach, the mare nickered softly and when he came in range nuzzled him with her nose. Casey let out a small chuckle and couldn''t help thinking back to when he first met this horse.


    It had been the second day after his training started. Sir Kalloc brought him to the pasture where the horses that did not have riders grazed.


    "I don''t know how much you know about a Rider''s horse so I''ll just give you the brief summary" Sir Kalloc said as he leaned against the wooden gate before the pasture. "Due to the nature of our missions, we often spend weeks or even months traveling alone with only our horses as company. With that in mind, the earliest Riders began breeding horses to have very high endurance and to be incredibly intelligent.


    "Instead of merely being tools for transport or battle, a Rider''s horse is more of a trusted companion. The Rider protects the horse and the horse carries the Rider. With this dynamic in mind, and the already high intelligence of our horses, they tend to be very loyal and will rarely abandon their rider as some less hardy horses would."


    Sir Kalloc then unlatched the gate and beckoned Casey to follow. They entered the pasture and began to approach the herd. "Perhaps it''s due to their high loyalty, but these horses will not let just anyone ride them. If they don''t approve of you, they won''t even allow you to approach them."


    "Then how am I supposed to get close to them?"


    "Just give them some distance and wait. If one of them likes you, they''ll come to you." With that, Sir Kalloc began walking back towards the stables.


    "Wait that''s it?! Don''t I get an apple or something?"


    "Nope, you''re all on your own. Oh and don''t worry about the rest of your classes today, I already talked to the instructors so stay as long as you need. Good luck!"


    And just like that, he was gone and Casey was left in a pasture alone with a herd of horses. Said horses paid him absolutely no mind and just went about their business of grazing as if he was never there.


    Time slowly dragged on and Casey began to wonder about his own existence, after all the horses certainly didn''t see him as existing. Every now and then the herd would relocate and Casey would have to follow them across the pasture.


    After the fourth migration, the sun had begun to dip below the distant mountains. Casey made the decision that if nothing happened by the time the sun disappeared, he would call it and return the next day.


    The sun finally sank behind the mountains and Casey got up to make the long trip back to the palace. He barely made it a few steps when he heard a sound rapidly approaching from behind him.


    Clip-Clop, Clip-Clop


    Casey spun around to find himself faced with a large white nose. Above the nose were two chocolate-brown eyes and two dark grey ears.


    With a yelp Casey fell back on his butt. The horse extended its head down level with his own. It inhaled deeply and then gave a loud snort. Hitting Casey in the face with its snot.


    "What was that for?!" Slightly annoyed, Casey wiped the snot off his face with his arm.


    The horse merely whinnied and nudged him with its nose before prancing around Casey in a circle.


    "Why do I feel like you''re laughing at me?"


    The horse tossed its head back and shook its mane, seeming to understand exactly what he was saying.


    "Alright well I''m hungry so I will be leaving now... Bye." Choosing to ignore the horse''s antics, Casey started towards the gate. Once again he only made it a few steps before realizing that he was being followed.


    He turned around and glared at the horse who turned its head to look behind it as if to see if he was glaring at something else. "What? Are you going to follow me all the way back to the palace or something?"


    In answer, the horse stomped its front hoof proudly.


    "Haha! I see you have met Mika!" A familiar shout broke the staring contest between the horse and the man.


    At some point, Sir Kalloc had returned to the pasture and was leaning against a fence post. "I certainly didn''t expect to see her choose anyone, anytime soon."


    "Wait hold up, you mean that this is the horse I''ll be riding?!" Casey exclaimed.


    "Of course she is, can''t you tell? She''s taken quite a liking to you."


    "And just how should I be able to tell that?"


    "She hasn''t chased you out of her pasture yet."


    "Why do you make it seem like that is the common occurrence?"


    "Because she''s already chased out everyone else who''ve come here. Some of them didn''t make it out without a few new bruises."


    Taking a few wary steps away from Mika, Casey shouted at him "Oi! You brought me here without even so much as a warning?"


    Letting out a laugh Sir Kalloc asked "Where''s the fun in that?" He then gestured towards the horse "Besides it seems everything worked out fine in the end."


    During their conversation, Mika once again trotted up to Casey and nuzzled his arm.


    Casey finally gave in with a sigh and began scratching her nose. "Ah fine. I guess this isn''t too bad"


    Sir Kalloc smiled and pulled an apple out of the satchel at his side. "Here give her this." He said and tossed the apple to Casey.


    Casey caught it and held it out to Mika. Without any reservations she snatched up the apple making it vanish in less than a second. Casey chuckled and went back to rubbing her nose.


    "Alright well come on then, we should find her a new stall with the other rider horses. We''ll go over more advanced maintenance tomorrow so after we get her situated for the night you can head back to the palace and get something to eat."


    After that they found her an empty stall and in the next few days he learned more about proper maintenance such as brushing and cleaning the riding equipment. From his experience on the ranch there wasn''t much new for him to learn. Though he did find that the saddle the riders used were somewhat different from what he was used to. The saddles he grew up with had deeper seats but were somewhat heavier. These were shallower but much lighter and easier on the horse.


    Interrupted from his memories by a snort from Mika, Casey smiled and went about getting her ready to ride. Starting with brushing her coat thoroughly, which she always seems to enjoy. Then he placed a blanket on her back to prevent the saddle from rubbing. Finally he readied the saddle and the bit along with the reins.


    Leading her out of the stable he met up with the other recruits. Thomas greeted him but refused to go anywhere near Mika. He started rubbing a spot on his back. Apparently he was one of the people who had experienced her wrath in the form of a well placed kick.


    Mika seemed to notice his behavior and whinnied while shaking her head. Casey had come to the decision that this was her way of laughing. A very human-like action.


    "Alright now that everyone is here we can get started." Sir Kalloc entered the courtyard leading his own horse, a bay horse slightly larger than Mika. "Today will be trail riding in the forest outside of the city. We will be riding at a fast pace in order to get you accustomed to staying in the saddle regardless of the terrain."


    Hearing that they would be leaving the city, Casey struggled to conceal his excitement. It would be the first time he left the city walls. Despite his attempts at hiding his joy, Mika seemed to see right through it and nuzzled his back with her nose.


    "Mount up, we''re leaving now!" Sir Kalloc shouted before mounting his horse and riding out of the courtyard.


    The recruits mounted their horses and followed after him.


    Mika got impatient with the other horses and muscled her way to the front behind Sir Kalloc, ignoring Casey who was trying to hold her back.


    "Hey watch it!" One of the recruits who had been pushed to the side shouted.


    "Keep her under control Bennett" Sir Kalloc said.


    "I''m working on it" He replied before whispering to his horse, "Hey curb your superiority complex will you, are you trying to get me in trouble?"


    She merely flicked her ears back and forth and ignored him. He had long stopped trying to treat her as a regular horse.


    The rest of the journey through the city went without a problem except when one of the other horses got too close to Mika for her comfort. At those times she would swing her tail to slap at them, causing them to back off. It had become clear to Casey and those around him that he was the only living creature that she would allow within five feet of her. That was one thing that had not changed since he became her rider.


    Every now and then the citizens would stop and stare at them as they passed, a few of them even waving at them. The knights of both orders had become something like celebrities to the common folk of the kingdom and many would stop and greet them every time they saw one.


    Roughly ten minutes after they left the stables, they arrived at the main city gates. The gatehouse towered high over their heads. The walls were made up of some kind of white stone. A sturdy looking portcullis was suspended above them ready to be dropped at any sign of a foreign enemy.


    The gate was bustling with people, both coming into the city and leaving it. One of the guardsmen noticed their party and created a space to allow them to leave the city easily. Sir Kalloc nodded towards the guards stationed at the gate who waved them through. When they had made it a safe distance away from the large crowd he turned towards the recruits.


    "Alright, we will pick up the pace and enter the forest now." He spurred his horse forward without waiting to see if he was being followed.


    Casey quickly ordered Mika to follow after him and to match his pace. The wind slapping against his face caused a sense of exhilaration to course through him. He loved riding fast ever since he was young and it seemed like Mika shared that sentiment. He had to hold her back from going too fast and passing Sir Kalloc.


    What a beautiful day for riding. Casey commented in his mind. The weather was perfect for an afternoon ride. It was sunny but not too hot. It was the middle of spring, the golden time when the temperature was just warming up but not to the point of being too hot yet.


    They entered the forest with hardly a break in stride. Sir Kalloc led them down a hunting trail that was frequently traveled. As they rode, Casey explored their surroundings. The forest was made up of mostly large pine and spruce trees with large oak trees appearing from time to time. The chirps of birds and the calls of insects filled the forest and every now and then deer could be seen running through the trees.


    Sir Kalloc led them deeper and deeper into the forest, never breaking the pace for more than a minute. Casey was very impressed with Mika and the other horses. Despite not allowing any time to rest, they seemed no less energetic than when they had started the ride. The horses he grew up with would have already started complaining long ago.


    As they scaled a small rise, Sir Kalloc called them to an abrupt stop. In front of the group, a large oak tree had fallen over the trail. To either side of the trail was very thick undergrowth making it difficult for horses to pass.


    Sir Kalloc dismounted to take a closer look at the fallen tree. He inspected the tree''s roots and came to a conclusion, "It seems like it fell in the storm a week ago, we''ll have to report it and get a team out here to clear it away. For now we''ll backtrack and take one of the smaller trails to bypass this tree." He remounted and turned his horse around. Casey followed after and they continued the ride.


    Turning onto the side trail, Casey realized it was much narrower than the trail they had been riding on. He had to be more careful in order to avoid low hanging branches and to avoid going off the trail.


    When they had been riding on the trail for several minutes Lia commented from behind him, "Doesn''t it seem a little too quiet?"


    Breaking his focus on riding for a moment to listen to the surrounding forest Casey realized that she was right. The sounds of birds and insects had completely disappeared. The entire forest had gone completely silent.


    Mika had also seemed to sense that something was off. Her ears were flicking left and right in a very alert manner.


    Sir Kalloc called back from the front. "Good observation, you''re right. The forest is too quiet. Everyone keep a watch out!"


    They reached a small clearing in the trees and Sir Kalloc called for another stop. Casey immediately understood why, a thick smell of blood covered the entire clearing. In the center of the clearing was the body of what had once been a male deer.


    "Dismount! Bennett, Hanes, and Crenwelge with me, the rest of you set up a perimeter around the clearing!" Sir Kalloc dismounted and walked up to the corpse of the deer. Casey quickly followed with Lia and Thomas, a hand covering his nose.


    What awaited them was a very gruesome scene. The deer was barely recognizable. He could only tell that it was male because of the antlers that had been torn off and lay beside the corpse. It''s innards were strewn around the clearing, it''s underside had been completely ripped out. It''s skull was crushed beyond recognition. What was left of the pelt had large claw marks cutting through it.


    Thomas'' and Lia''s faces had gone pale at the sight and Casey felt his stomach churn in disgust.


    "I have never seen anything like this" Even Sir Kalloc seemed to have been affected by the sight. Regardless, he still observed the scene calmly "Whatever did this was either interrupted before eating its meal or didn''t kill this deer for food."


    Casey stepped forward and prodded one of the deer''s legs that had remained somewhat intact. "It hasn''t entered rigor mortis. This deer has only been dead for an hour or two."


    Sir Kalloc nodded at his observation


    "Rigor mortis?" Lia asked.


    "Sorry, it''s muscles hasn''t stiffened yet." Casey answered.


    "If it''s only been dead for a few hours, does that mean whatever killed it is still in the area?" Thomas asked while nervously tapping the hilt of his sword.


    "We don''t know that, however we should still hurry this along. Search for any tracks." Sir Kalloc said.


    They began studying the ground around the corpse. "Over here!" Lia called out and pointed to the ground at her feet.


    "Good job" Sir Kalloc said, quickly approaching her. He squatted down in order to get a better look at the tracks.


    The tracks Lia had found were unlike any Casey had seen on Earth. They were roughly the size of an average man''s foot, but there were four deep indentations in the dirt suggesting large claws. What disturbed Casey the most was that the tracks seemed to belong to something that stood upright on two feet rather than four. What the hell?


    He followed their path with his eyes. It was leading into the forest towards the North.


    "What kind of animal stands on two feet!?" Thomas gave voice to the question that was ringing out in Casey''s mind.


    Lia had taken out a notebook and seemed to be sketching the tracks.


    "I do not know, and that''s the problem. I have lived in this area my entire life, and know this forest like the back of my hand. Yet I have never seen these kind of tracks." Sir Kalloc frowned and stood up. "We are leaving! Everyone mount up! Lia when we get back to the city you will come with me to make a report."


    As they were investigating the scene, the horses were growing more and more restless. By the time everyone had remounted they seemed almost ready to bolt back to the city. Even Mika was very much on edge, stamping her feet impatiently.


    "Move out!"


    They retraced their path at a far faster pace. Branches slapped painfully against Casey''s face as he rode, but he didn''t care. The only thought on his mind was to make it back to the city safely. The heart beat in his chest drowned out the sound of their flight through the trees. A combination of what he had seen and how the horses were acting was more than enough to scare him greatly. He had never experienced this sense of danger and felt a complete loss of control. He could only spur Mika on and hope that whatever killed that deer was not coming after them.


    Even when they left the forest they did not let up their pace. It was only when the gate was behind them and they had entered the safety of the walls did they finally begin to relax. Sir Kalloc directed them to the stables and took Lia straight to the palace to report.


    As Casey was brushing Mika down, he began to really think about the events that had occurred in the forest. No matter how hard he tried to remember, he could not think of any mention in the book of a dangerous creature residing in that forest. ''What could that have been? And why wasn''t in the book?'' He could only hope that whatever it was just wasn''t important enough to be mentioned in the book.


    After coming to the conclusion that he couldn''t do anything about it, he decided to leave it to the senior riders. After all, he still had the tournament to get ready for, and soon his magic trainer would be arriving in the capital. His worry put aside for the moment, Casey finished taking care of Mika and returned to the palace.

 8 The Unknown Tracks

    Despite the excitement of the trail ride, classes still had to go on, much to Casey''s annoyance. Reading, writing, and math classes were always incredibly boring for him. He found himself almost wishing that the language wasn''t English just so that he''d have something to do in those classes. As for math, it was all at the elementary level. The only good thing to come out of these classes was the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep in the back of the classroom.


    And sleeping was exactly what he was doing when Lia returned from giving her report.


    Thump!


    Casey awoke to the loud sound of a book landing on his desk, nearly hitting him on the head. He blearily blinked up at the owner of said book, Lia. "Mmmh come on¡­ I''m trying to sleep here"


    "I''ve told you many times not to sleep in class."


    "I can''t help it. It''s too boring and I don''t get enough sleep to begin with."


    She rubbed her temples and sighed before saying, "Forget it, I''ve pretty much given up by now."


    She slumped into the seat next to him and picked up the book she''d used to wake him.


    "Anyways, how''d the reporting go?" Casey asked, resting his head on his hands.


    "Stressful, the Captain''s very intimidating."


    "Haha too bad, and definitely not what I meant. What are they going to do about it?"


    Lia narrowed her eyes, "And why should I tell you?"


    Casey gave his best attempt at puppy eyes and said, "Because I''m awesome! And besides, this class is as boring for you as it is for me so you might as well tell me so we aren''t both bored to death."


    Lia rolled her eyes, "Nice attempt at logic there, but still a no"


    "Fine, fine, how about I let you hold my sword for five minutes? Is that enough to get you to tell me?" Casey asked. He knew this tactic was sure to work on her. Ever since she first saw his sword she''d been practically begging him to let her hold it.


    "Ten minutes!"


    "Seven minutes or no deal."


    "I''ll take it!" She shouted, drawing the ire of the teacher who was in the middle of explaining addition of high numbers.


    "Fine now tell me." Casey said after she got back from the front of the room where she had to add 358 and 107.


    "They brought in the best trackers and hunters in the Order but none of them recognized the tracks." She sighed before continuing. "The Captain decided to send these riders to track down whatever creature left them, and if possible to kill it before it attacks any humans or livestock. They should be leaving the city around now."


    Nodding Casey said, "Well that''s good, I''m sure they''ll take care of whatever it was."


    She furrowed her brows and tapped her book thoughtfully but didn''t say anything.


    "Is there something else?" Casey asked.


    "I just remembered something from an old book I found in the library. I think there might have been a similar description in that book to what we found."


    "What book?"


    "I believe it was called A Complete History of the Founding of the Decran Kingdom. But I don''t want to come to any conclusions before taking another look at the book."


    Casey began to stand up and said, "Well what are we waiting for, let''s find your book."


    "What now? It''s the middle of class." She said trying to get him to sit back down.


    "Why not? The teacher''s not looking over here, let''s sneak out." He pulled her out of her seat and out the door before she could protest.


    "Fine, but I''m blaming you if we get in trouble."


    "Sure, sure whatever floats your boat."


    Rolling her eyes, she said, "Where do you even get these phrases?"


    "That''s a secret!" Casey stated fighting to keep a grin off of his face.


    They hurried towards the library in the central wing of the palace. It was in a large hall with a second landing that looked down on the first floor. Casey had to admit that it was very impressive, especially for a medieval culture where there were many people who couldn''t even write their own names.


    Entering the library, the first thing he noticed was the thick musty smell of old books. Followed by the many rows of bookshelves that filled the large hall.


    Lia led him to the very back corner of the hall and began searching one of the bookshelves. Casey noticed that all of the books on this shelf seemed especially old.


    Running her finger across the shelf she said, "Hmm, that''s weird. I can''t seem to find it. I was sure it was on this bookshelf."


    Casey began examining the books in an attempt to help search for the one they needed. "Let''s see¡­ History of the Court, The Complete Works of Sir Richard Cannon, Records of the Kingdom of Oscor. Still not seeing your book."


    "I don''t think it''s here, let''s try asking the librarian." Lia said before calling out to one of the aides that helped maintain the library. "Is the librarian available?"


    "She is, would you like me to take you to her?" He asked courteously.


    "Yes please."


    The aide led them to the large desk in the center of the room. Sitting behind the desk writing in what looked like a log was an older lady with snow white hair and dark eyes. She glanced up as they approached the desk.


    "These two would like your help with something." The aide said.


    "Very well" She said before shooing the aide away. "What do you need?"


    "We were looking for the book A Complete History of the Founding of the Decran Kingdom."


    She rubbed her chin upon hearing the title. "That one... it was one of the books that went missing a few weeks ago."


    "Missing?" Casey asked, "How''d they just go missing? Were they stolen?"


    "That is what we believe. Someone broke into the library after all of the staff left."


    "Have they discovered who took the books?" Lia asked.


    "There was nothing left behind, so no." The librarian answered flatly before going back to her log. "If that is all, I have work to do."


    Lia turned to Casey and said, "Well that''s that, shall we go back to class now?" She began walking towards the exit of the library.


    "Hold up, that''s it? Just gonna forget about it?" Casey ran after her.


    "Yep, pretty much. It''s not our problem anymore."


    "At least tell me a little more about what you remember about the description in the book."


    She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, "Argh fine! But before I say it remember that I am solely going off of memory and nothing else."


    Casey nodded and gestured for her to continue.


    "The description was of one of the Shaydes that invaded the kingdom 500 years ago. It stated that many of them had narrow feet the size of a large man with four claws."


    The memory of the Shayde from the painting flashed through his head, causing him to shiver slightly. "You can''t mean that you think that the thing that killed that deer was a Shayde?!"


    "I told you, it''s just going off of a description from my memory. Not exactly something to be taken seriously." She said before pausing. "It couldn''t actually be one¡­ Right? No one''s seen one since their defeat¡­"


    Rubbing his forehead, Casey reluctantly said. "We might be able to find out for sure if it is or not."


    "What? And how would we do that? That book held the most detailed description I''d ever seen. How are we going to find something else like it?"


    "There is one more place I know of, but we''re going to have to find Ronin to get to it."


    "Wait Sir Galand?! Her Highness Sara''s guard? How could you know him? And why would he help us?" She asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.


    Not knowing how to answer her he only said, "That''s a little complicated" and started heading back to the Rider wing.


    It turned out that their luck was very good, they found him just as he was leaving the lounge.


    "Ronin, wait up! We have to talk to you." Casey shouted after him


    Ronin''s shoulders tensed up when he heard his first name being called out. He turned around and fixed Casey with a glare. "Trainee. You address me as Sir Galand. Understood."


    Ignoring the glare Casey said, "Yeah yeah whatever. Anyways, I need to get back into the Knight''s Hall, it''s very important."


    Glancing at Lia Ronin said, "And why would you need to go back there?"


    Lia shied away from his gaze and remained silent.


    "We have to take a look at the mural with the Shayde." Casey replied.


    "Might I remind you in case you forgot, that hall and that mural especially is supposed to be confidential." Ronin put extra emphasis on the word Confidential. It was clear that his patience was running thin.


    "Oh right¡­ Well it doesn''t matter now, this is more important." Unfazed Casey continued to press him.


    Ronin stared at him for a moment, probably trying to decide how serious Casey was, before sighing and saying, "Alright, but Sara is the only one with the key so it will have to wait until tonight."


    "Okay that is fine. We can wait until then."


    Without another word, Ronin left them there in the hall.


    "What is the Knight''s Hall? And just what is your relationship to Sir Galand and the Queen Regent?" Lia asked, completely bewildered by the previous conversation.


    "You''ll find out later, and as for my relationship with them¡­ Like I said, it''s complicated." Casey laughed, "Anyways we better get back to class now. Don''t forget to bring your sketchbook tonight."

 9 An Answer and More Questions

    Casey could hardly focus through the rest of their classes. They were learning something about the Ketranan Empire to the South of Decra, but all he could think about was their future trip back to the Knight''s Hall.


    Both the classes and dinner passed very slowly but it was finally time to meet Ronin and head down to the hall.


    Casey met Lia outside of his room and headed for the gate to the deeps.


    "Wait so we''re going underground?!" Lia asked when they reached the gate. "But no one ever goes down there, I didn''t even think this thing could open."


    "It does open, though very loudly. And you''re full of questions today aren''t you?" Casey crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.


    "Well you''ve only yourself to blame there. And for the record, you''ve hardly answered any of them." Pouting, Lia fixed him with another glare.


    "Hey you two!" A soft feminine voice rang out from behind them.


    Upon turning around, Casey saw that Ronin and Sara had arrived. Ronin wore the same Rider uniform he always wore but Sara was wearing a casual blue dress.


    "Hey! I see you decided to join us as well Sara." He called back.


    "Ah yep, I got curious, so I decided to join you." She said as Ronin gave a slight nod in greeting.


    "Well works for me, shall we go?" Casey asked, ignoring Lia who was elbowing him in the side for some reason.


    Ronin grabbed a torch from the wall and gestured towards Sara. She took an old iron key out of a pouch and unlocked the gate with it. Giving the gate a strong push it swung open on its rusted hinges.


    "You weren''t kidding when you said it was loud." Lia commented.


    Casey smiled and walked through the gate.


    As they descended the long stairway that led down into the deeps, Ronin finally spoke. "So are you going to tell us why you wanted to go back there?" Glancing at Lia he continued, "And why you decided to bring someone else?"


    "Well, that''s a little hard to explain. It has to do with the tracks we found on the ride earlier." Pausing for a moment, he turned to Lia. "Would you tell them what you remembered?"


    "Sure."


    Before she could continue Ronin cut her off, "Did you leave something out of the report?"


    "Ah no, I just didn''t think of it then." Stopping to collect her thoughts, she began telling them about the description in the book.


    When she was done Sara and Ronin exchanged looks, "So you are saying that you think that you think the tracks match the description that you found?" She asked.


    "Yes."


    "You rechecked the book right?" Ronin looked at her doubtfully.


    Casey interrupted before Lia could answer. "Well that''s the problem, and the reason why we''re here instead of sleeping. When we went to look for the book, we learned that it went missing a few weeks ago. That''s why I decided we needed to see the mural again."


    "I should have guessed." Sara and Ronin abruptly stopped walking and began whispering about something that he couldn''t hear.


    "I''d hate to break up your little moment, but is there something we should know?" Casey called back to them.


    Ronin coughed and said, "Hopefully it''s nothing. Let''s just head down there and check the mural."


    "Okay then I guess." Casey began to pick up the pace, hurrying towards the hall.


    As they walked, Casey began to notice some things that he hadn''t noticed during his first trip into the deeps. The corridor wasn''t as linear as he thought. In addition to the wooden doors they passed, there were several places where the path split off. ''How did I miss these?'' He wondered


    Unable to contain his curiosity he asked aloud, "When I first came down here, I didn''t notice any of the other passages. How could I have made it to the hall as easily as I did?"


    "When you''re called by an artifact, the closer you get to it the more of an influence it has on you. Especially with the more powerful ones. You probably just followed it''s instructions without a thought." Sara answered.


    "So you''re telling me that this thing controlled me? Is it Still controlling me?" He unconsciously gripped his fox clasp, ready to tear it off if necessary.


    Sara giggled, "No, you don''t have to worry about your artifact controlling you. It can only draw you towards it when it''s not in your possession. That is all."


    "Still unnerving." Casey grumbled.


    "Hold on, are you saying that your cloak clasp was down here?!" Lia exclaimed having overheard their conversation.


    Casey paused and glanced at Sara, who nodded.


    "Yes, it was." He finally replied.


    "Why was an artifact here of all places? And don''t you dare answer with it''s complicated again." She narrowed her eyes.


    "It would probably be better to show you, we''re going there anyways. I''ll answer your questions after we finish what we came here for."


    "Fine!"


    Probably deciding to ignore him until then, she hurried and caught up with Ronin who was leading the group with the torch. Leaving Casey with Sara.


    "Well it''s good to see you are making friends." She chuckled.


    "Ha I''m not sure I''d go that far¡­"


    She glanced at him and frowned slightly. "How are you doing? We left you pretty much on your own since you arrived here."


    "As well as you might expect, being forced to leave everything I knew without so much as an explanation." He replied, avoiding her gaze. "I''ve mostly been avoiding thinking about it, trying to focus on the positive things that have happened since coming here. Like meeting you guys." The corners of his lips went up slightly at that.


    "It''s probably really weird to hear, but you and Ronin were something like my childhood heroes. I read that book over and over again growing up. It was what I went to when I wanted to escape my troubles for a little while."


    "Oh yes it is definitely weird to hear." She said with a laugh. "But I suppose it''s also pretty uplifting to find out that our existing could have a positive effect on someone else."


    Before they could finish talking, the entrance to the Knight''s Hall came into sight.


    "Ah we''re here." She turned to him with eyes showing her concern, "If you need someone to talk to, you are welcome to come up to my study. I know this has been very difficult for you, even if you don''t show it.


    "And Ronin would help as well, he might act like he dislikes you, but that''s just how he is with everyone. You get used to it." As she spoke his name she showed a smile that could light up even the darkest rooms, leaving Casey a little dumbstruck.


    Seeing that smile he couldn''t help but think. ''Hah, so that''s what love''s supposed to look like.''


    "Hey come on, let''s get this over with." Ronin called


    "Yes, yes. We''re coming!" She yelled back.


    They entered the hall to find it much the same as the last time they had been down there. Lia was particularly excited. She was running from mural to mural like a child on christmas morning.


    Being a huge history buff, it didn''t take her long to figure out who was in the murals. "These are the Elemental Knights!" She exclaimed. "I get it now! The Knight''s Hall, it''s their hall!"


    "Yes this was a hall built by the first Queen in their honor, 500 years ago." Sara affirmed.


    Turning to Casey, "And you! Your artifact came from here." Her eyes lit up in excitement. "You''re one of them aren''t you? A new holder of one of their artifacts?"


    Sara smiled, "I see she figured it out." Gesturing towards Casey she said, "I suppose I should reintroduce you. Lia, meet Sir Casey Bennet, Knight of Frost, First Rider of the Queen."


    Casey couldn''t help but turn a little red at that introduction, "What was that? Why''d you have to introduce me like that?"


    Laughing Sara said, "Why wouldn''t I? Those are your official titles as the Knight of Frost"


    Lia stared at him unspeaking, mouth open and eyes wide.


    "I think you broke her." Ronin remarked.


    Snapping out of her dumbfounded state Lia stammered, "H-hah, it''s actually an Elemental Knight, I can''t believe I''m meeting one."


    Casey poked her forehead, "Oi! It''s still me, you''ve already met me. And besides, I''m still in training. I don''t even know how to you my abilities."


    "Right, you''re right." She sighed.


    "Alright let''s get to work. It''s that mural over there." Ronin pointed to the mural with the depiction of the Shayde.


    Lia''s previously excited state abruptly halted when she reached the mural. "Wah!" She cried as she fell back slightly. "T-this is a S-Shayde!?"


    "Yes that was a Shayde" Ronin answered.


    "It''s d-definitely terrifying." She took a step towards it in order to examine it more properly.


    Pulling her sketchbook out of her bag she began comparing the Shaydes foot to the tracks they found. Casey joined her in examining the mural.


    Its red eyes still sent shivers down his spine, but he tried to ignore it focused on the creatures feet. When compared to the remains of the people in the mural, it''s foot seemed slightly larger than theirs. He focused on its sharp claws on its foot. 1, 2, 3, 4¡­ That can''t be right!. He frantically recounted hoping he missed a claw, but to no avail. There were only four claws on its foot.


    Ronin was also examining the mural. "Don''t jump to conclusions, it''s still a little difficult to tell if the tracks match just by looking at it''s foot." He tried to calm Casey who had grown very pale.


    "Look over here!." Lia pointed to a corner of the mural, an area of the road that was particularly muddy. In the middle of the mud, a clear footprint was sunk in the mud.


    The footprint was a perfect match to the tracks they had found.


    "Damn it! No matter how I look at it, it''s a perfect match!" Lia was clutching her journal so hard that her fingers had gone white.


    "Let me see your sketch." Ronin said and took the sketchbook from her hands. "There''s no mistake¡­ the print in the mural is the same as the print in the sketch."


    "What does this mean?" Casey couldn''t help but ask.


    "It means that we might have a large problem on our hands." Ronin answered gravely.


    Sara abruptly grabbed the journal and slammed it shut with a bang that echoed throughout the large hall. "Now hold on a moment! Everyone just take a breath."


    Without realizing it, Casey had been holding his own breath. When she slammed the journal shut it woke him from his stupor and he was able to breathe again.


    She spoke in a low voice, "We have yet to hear anything from the Riders we sent out to track it down. Until they return, we will not jump to any conclusions."


    "But-"


    "No buts! This is far too important for us to make any mistakes. For now we do our jobs. We are Riders, the Kingdom''s information network. If we are too hasty, panic will spread out of control."


    Ronin sighed and collected himself. "You''re right, we don''t have all of the information. We''ll wait for the trackers to return."


    "Is that enough?" Lia asked.


    "No, for now we have to find everything we can about the Shaydes and that war."Sara frowned. "But I imagine the only place where there are any records left is my study."


    "What do you mean? Surely there''s more out there." Casey said.


    "Like I told you, the Church banned most of the information about that war. And the books that mentioned it in the Royal Library all went missing." Ronin rubbed his temples in frustration.


    Suddenly his eyes lit up and he grabbed Casey''s collar. "Casey. If there was anything in your book about this¡­ You need to tell us now." His voice was low and threatening.


    "Wha-" Lia tried to stop him but was silenced by a glare. Sara also just stared at him, waiting for his answer.


    Feeling their eyes on him, Casey clenched his fists. "That''s just it! None of this was in the book! Absolutely none of it. There were no Elemental Knights. No Shaydes. No dangerous animal in the forest. I don''t understand any of this."


    Ronin released his hold with a sigh. Shaking his head he said, "I''m sorry Casey. That was unnecessary. You already told me the answer."


    "No it''s alright. I understand why you asked and I wish I had the right answer, but I don''t."


    "Alright, I think this is enough for tonight. For now let''s just go back to our rooms and get a good night''s rest. We''ll report this to the Captain tomorrow and see what she wants to do." Sara stepped in and diffused the conversation.


    "I really don''t understand what that was all about, but I think that is a good idea." Lia said, retrieving her journal from Sara.


    Ronin reached his hand out towards Casey, "Is this alright?"


    Casey shook Ronin''s outstretched hand. "No hard feelings."


    Ronin gave an inquisitive look and pulled back his hand. "Okay, then let''s leave this place."


    As they were walking back, Sara abruptly called out, "Ah right, Casey! I''d nearly forgotten. Your magic trainer has arrived. You begin magic training tomorrow."


    With a laugh that broke the heavy atmosphere Casey punched the air, "Finally! I can finally learn magic!"

 10 Magic at Las

    Casey had trouble sleeping that night. Thoughts of the Shayde mixed with his excitement for finally learning magic kept him up until the early hours of the morning. When he finally fell asleep it was anything but peaceful.


    He jolted up in his bed and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. Images of his dream flashed through his mind. Blurry scenes of him running from something he couldn''t quite see were all he could conjure up.


    A woman''s teary eyed face appeared in his head for a moment, but vanished as quickly as it appeared. ''Someone from my dream? She seemed almost familiar¡­''


    Shaking his head in to clear his mind, he climbed out of bed. The sun had already risen to the point of peeking in through his window. Its bright light cast his room in a golden hue.


    "Guess I''ll be skipping breakfast then." He said as he reached for a clean uniform hanging in the wardrobe. He wasn''t sure how but it was always clean and neatly placed in his wardrobe by the time he got up. Boots shined and everything.


    A knock at his door quickened his pace as he pulled on his uniform. "Just a moment!"


    He had just finished buckling his sword to his waist when he pulled the door open. Thomas was standing there with an odd grin plastered on his face.


    "Welcome to the land of the living." He stated, grin still present. He threw a cloth wrapped parcel at Casey. "You skipped breakfast so I thought I''d check in."


    Opening the parcel, Casey discovered a roll and some fried sausages. "Thanks. I overslept."


    "Oh I''m sure you did." He said with an exaggerated wink.


    Noticing the weird looks he was getting from Thomas, Casey raised a brow. "Alright, wipe that stupid grin off your face. What is it?"


    "Oh nothing¡­" Turning to head down the hall without looking back, he continued. "I just happened to notice you sneaking off with Lia last night. Figured you''d oversleep so I brought you breakfast."


    Pinching the bridge of his nose, Casey groaned. "And just what are you getting at?"


    Thomas threw a knowing glance back at him. "Not a thing. Absolutely nothing."


    Figuring any attempt at denial would just spur him on, Casey just took a bite out of the roll and hurried after him. "Whatever, we''re going to be late"


    They hurried towards the training grounds and managed to make it just in time for the warm-up laps. Fortunately only earning a glare from Sir Baro for nearly being late.


    The entire group got a harsh lecture for the fight that nearly broke out the day before. Sir Baro was not happy about being called out by Sir Rodgerick on the discipline of the Rider recruits. He had them run double the normal amount of laps while carrying packs weighted with stones.


    By the time they finished, nearly all of the recruits had collapsed to the ground. To his mild pleasure, Casey managed to keep his feet under where most others had collapsed.


    This was immediately squashed by Sir Baro. He forced them all to run another few laps citing that since some of them were still able to stand, they should be able to make it a few more laps.


    When they finished the extra laps, not a single one of them was capable of standing up.


    The rest of physical training consisted of similar scenes. Sir Baro had done his best to make sure they never forgot discipline again.


    Casey was too exhausted after the morning training to really pay attention to anything else that happened that day. Horsemanship training merely consisted of caring for the horses and he spent his time sleeping through most of the academic lessons.


    When the bell signalling it was time for dinner rang, Casey had fully recovered from his previous exhaustion. As he was lining up with a plate to get his meal he thought about the magic lessons he would be attending after dinner.


    He had attempted to use magic several times over the past few days with very little results. The most he had been able to do was lower the temperature of his room by a few degrees. Which, for someone who previously didn''t believe magic could exist, felt like a great achievement. Even if it wasn''t really an achievement at all.


    The book The Queen''s Riders only spoke of the magic in this world by explaining what the artifacts were and what they did. Explaining that they worked as keys unlocking the latent abilities in each human. It briefly spoke about the different types of abilities. Some being able to impact the external world, such as his own, and some being strictly internal, such as the Riders amplified swordsmanship and riding abilities. Unfortunately that was pretty much the extent of the explanations.


    The book didn''t touch on how the abilities were used except to say that most internal abilities would be automatically applied when the user had their artifact in their possession. It had reminded Casey of the passive effects in video games.


    External abilities were incredibly rare. The only character that actively appeared in the book that had one was the Crown Prince, with a telekinesis ability. However, because he had more of an antagonistic role in the story, it didn''t go into any detail on his experiences with learning how to use telekinesis.


    As he was quietly musing, Lia had decided to take advantage of his distraction to cut in front of him in the line for food.


    "Oi! What do you think you''re doing?" He exclaimed as he tried to jostle his way around her.


    Without so much as glance at him she threw her elbow, hitting him in the stomach with a loud thump.


    "What was that for?!" Stopping his attempts to get back in the right place he stepped back rubbing his stomach.


    "You weren''t paying attention." She stated matter-of-factly.


    "Fine, fine" Casey said rolling his eyes.


    "What''s got you so distracted then?"


    "Just thinking about the magic lessons after dinner."


    "Ah right, I''m sure you''re quite excited for them." She reached the front of the line as she said that and was given her meal. Which was some sort of meat stew with sliced potatoes and carrots.


    "Definitely. Though not entirely sure what to expect." He sighed and also retrieved his meat stew.


    "Well I can''t help you there. It''s not like people with your type of ability appear every day."


    Before he could continue talking about the lessons, they had already arrived at the table with the other recruits. Figuring it probably wasn''t a good idea to continue discussing his magic, they put the conversation on hold.


    The rest of dinner passed with idle chatter and complaints about the training. They also discussed what they would be doing on their day off tomorrow. A few of the recruits were going to head down to the merchants district. When they asked him if he''d like to join them, he told them he''d think about it.


    Before long everyone finished and one by one all of the dining hall emptied of people.


    Casey passed the time reading a book he had picked up earlier on the various races that resided on the continent of Elleria. There were many of the races that were common to fantasy stories on Earth. Humans, Elves, dwarves, the fae, orcs, and goblins were the most common on this continent. Each residing in their own respective communities with very little interaction.


    When most of the Riders left the hall, Ronin entered and approached Casey. "Are you ready to go?"


    "Absolutely!" Casey shut the book and bolted from his seat. "Where are we going?"


    "Since we want as few people to know of your identity as possible. The best place to hold your training is in the Knight''s Hall for now." Ronin answered as he led Casey out of the dining hall.


    "That place again?" Casey groaned.


    "Do you have some sort of a problem with that?" Ronin asked.


    "It''s not that exactly. I''m just a little on edge since last night, and I don''t particularly savor the feeling of seeing that mural again."


    Ronin nodded, "I don''t blame you for that. I don''t like the idea myself. But it is the best place."


    "Yeah probably¡­ Anyways, has there been any news from the trackers?"


    Ronin glanced at him as if debating what to say. "They have not returned. It has only been a day since they were sent out."


    Casey narrowed his eyes. "When do you think they will be back?"


    "We''re not sure. They shouldn''t be that far from the city so they should at least have sent someone to report back."


    Hearing that, he had a bad premonition. "Why would they not send anyone back to report?"


    Ronin sighed. "...I do not know"


    Forcing a smile, Casey said. "I''m sure they''re just delayed."


    Ronin remained silent and continued on towards the Knights Hall.


    The rest of the trip passed in complete silence. When they reached the hall, Casey found that it was already occupied.


    Leaning on a cane in the center of the room was a man staring blankly ahead. His skin was smooth and very pale. His white hair extended down the length of his back. His eyes were white as well, they seemed out of focus. ''Could he be blind?'' He wondered.


    Casey''s eyes widened as he noticed a certain characteristic of the man before him. His ears were long and pointed. ''An elf!'' He exclaimed in his mind.


    "I can feel your gaze on me Casey Bennet. Yes, I am blind, and I an elf." The elf stated without so much as a change in expression.


    Casey showed a troubled smile as he apologized. "Oh I''m sorry if I was being rude. I''ve never seen an elf before."


    The elf finally smiled slightly, "I do not mind, I have been made aware of your circumstances."


    "I see. Everything?"


    "Yes. I must admit, the idea that you are from another world greatly intrigues me." Lightly tapping the floor with his cane he exclaimed, "Ah I apologize, I have not introduced myself. I am Aelrindel, I will be your instructor."


    "I''m Casey Bennet." He reached out his hand for a handshake.


    "Yes, I know. Shall we begin then? Sir Galand, that will be all for tonight, you may leave." Without acknowledging Casey''s outstretched hand, Aelrindel swung his cane as if to shoo Ronin out of the hall.


    Casey hastily pulled his arm back in slight embarrassment.


    Ronin hesitated for only a moment before placing his fist on his chest in salute and turned to leave. Casey thought he looked almost disappointed.


    Noticing that Ronin had left, Aelrindel spoke. "What do you know about your abilities?"


    "Virtually nothing, I managed to lower the temperature of my room but that''s it." Casey answered truthfully.


    "Very well then, we will have to start with the basics." Aelrindel tapped his cane with his fingers thoughtfully. "To begin with, Your ability is very different from that of the rest of your race. In fact, it is far more similar to elven elemental magic.


    "The difference is that elves do not focus on a single element. They are able to use every element freely. Though this seems like a great advantage, your water manipulation ability has the potential to be far more powerful then an elf''s."


    He paused for a moment before continuing, "When all of the Elemental Knights were assembled, they were able to accomplish things that scores of Elven elementalists could not."


    Hearing mention of the other Elemental Knights, Casey interrupted him, "You talk as if you were there."


    Again smiling slightly, Aelrindel stroked his chin as if he were reminiscing about something. "I have lived a very long time, I did know your predecessors once."


    Before Casey could ask him about the knights, Aelrindel continued. "But that is a story for another time. For now I must teach you how to use your ability."


    Shoulders dropping slightly in disappointment, Casey nodded.


    Aelrindel pulled a jug of water out of a bag Casey hadn''t noticed. "Now I will explain how elemental magic works. There are no spells or incantations, you have complete control over water. In simplest terms, you must only imagine what you want the water to do and will it to do so."


    He then waved his hand over the opening of the water jug. As if on a mind of its own, the water flowed out of the jug disregarding both gravity and logic. The stream of water snaked around Aelrindel''s arm and then gathered over his hand. He opened his hand and the water suddenly froze and fell onto it.


    "Here, catch this." He threw ice to Casey.


    Dumbfounded, Casey was barely able to catch the ball of ice. The chill of the ice seeped through his gloves.


    He slowly examined the ice, half-expecting it to turn back to water.


    "Alright why don''t you give it a try?"


    "How am I supposed to do that? You''ve barely even explained it!" Casey exclaimed with wide eyes.


    Aelrindel let out a sigh, "You can feel the mana within you don''t you? Reach out to that mana with your mind and imagine you changing that ball of ice back to water."


    Grumbling at how bad a job Aelrindel was doing at teaching, Casey tried to examine the mana within him. Closing his eyes he thought of the feeling he felt when he first touched his fox clasp. The feeling of something moving within him, circulating throughout his body.


    Several minutes passed with him holding the ball of ice and his eyes shut. During that time he had sensed absolutely nothing. ''Just what am I supposed to do?!'' His frustration was building as more and more time passed.


    Unsure on how to continue he gripped the fox clasp with his free hand. As if a door had opened, suddenly a refreshing power surged through his body. It cooled his thoughts and emotions.


    Focusing, he reached towards that power with his mind. He didn''t fully understand what was happening but it was as if he could physically touch that power.


    Figuring this is what Aelrindel meant by reaching towards the mana, Casey decided to try and imagine the ball of ice changing back into liquid. He created the image of the ball turning into water in his mind and focused on the ball of ice in his hand.


    As if on cue, he felt the mana within him shift towards his right hand that held the ice. The weight of the ice in his hand suddenly dropped until it all but disappeared, and a wet sensation filled his gloved hand.


    Opening his eyes he stared at his hand. Where once there was a ball of ice now there was only a wet spot on his glove. ''I did it?''


    "I did it! I actually did it!" He shouted with glee. He couldn''t stop himself from jumping up and punching the air in excitement.


    "I take it you succeeded?" Aelrindel asked.


    "What? Oh yes! I did" Casey answered, finally calming down a bit.


    "Impressive, It takes most elves days or even weeks to accomplish what you did just now." He passed the jug of water to Casey. "Now try and turn the water in this jug into ice."


    Eagerly nodding, Casey tried to reverse what he had done to the ball of ice. He found it surprisingly easy, it only took him two or three minutes to turn the water to ice.


    Grinning he looked up at Aelrindel. There wasn''t much change in his facial expressions, but Casey thought he saw the corners of his mouth go up slightly.


    "Now turn it back to water, and repeat the process as many times as you can." Aelrindel instructed.


    "Okay." Casey focused on the water jug again with a very determined look.


    After several repetitions, Casey found that he could alter the state of the water as if turning on and off a tap.


    He had done it a little over fifteen times when Aelrindel hit his cane against the stone sending loud echoes throughout the hall.


    "That is enough!"


    "What? But why? I was almost at the point where I could change it almost instantly!"


    "You haven''t noticed?" Aelrindel placed one of his hands on Casey''s shoulder as if to steady him.


    "Noticed wha-?!"


    Suddenly an immense wave of exhaustion swept through his body, nearly causing his knees to buckle.


    Aelrindel let out a small chuckle. "Your body is reacting to the amount of mana you used today."


    "But it didn''t feel like I did much." Casey complained and sat down on the cold floor.


    "You did not, but mana consumption is much like the energy consumption used when you exercise. Use up enough of it and your body becomes very weary. And in the same way, the more you use your ability the more mana you will be able to release."


    Casey pondered his explanation for a few moments before finally sighing, "I think I get it. The more I use my ability, the more mana I will be able to use?"


    Aelrindel nodded, "That is essentially correct."


    Casey gradually regained the energy to shakily stand up. When he did Aelrindel steadied him and said, "Alright, that is enough for tonight.


    "I will not be able to do these lessons every night, so I will send for you when I am able. For the time being, it would be beneficial if you kept some water with you at all times, and practiced as much as possible. Are you able to walk on your own now?"


    Casey took a few tentative steps that grew more confident with each one. "I believe so."


    "Very well, you better head back to your room and get some sleep."


    Nodding, Casey began to walk towards the corridor, leaving Aelrindel in the hall. "Thank you for your instruction" He called over his shoulder.


    Just before he left earshot, Casey thought he heard Aelrindel whisper something.


    "May history not repeat." Were the words he could make out. When he turned back, Aelrindel had his back to the corridor. He seemed to be deep in thought.


    Those words rang through his head the entire way back to his room. ''What did he mean?'' Was his last thought before he succumbed to his exhaustion.

 12 The First Mission

    Casey spent his free day in his room, having given Thomas the standard sickness excuse when asked if he wanted to visit the merchants district. The entire day was dedicated to broadening his understanding of his own ability.


    By the end of it he had only managed to slightly alter the shape of the water when he froze it. Still more than he''d been able to do only a few days before, but not the epic ice structures he imagined in his dreams. Instead he got oddly shaped blocks and oblong balls of ice and a massive headache for his struggles. Eventually he just passed out from the strain and didn''t wake until the next morning.


    The next few days passed quickly with few differences in routine. The only notable differences during the day was the addition of several different weapons into the training regimen. Including training with the knife, quarterstaff, and the bow. He could at least handle a knife without impaling himself, but was clueless in terms of how to fight with one. The quarterstaff training went far worse. He had nearly managed to knock himself out when he tried to swing it high and smacked himself in the head with the other end.


    The bow came a bit more easily to Casey. He had owned a compound bow growing up that he would take hunting. Naturally there were quite a few differences between his old compound bow and the bow he was given to train with. He first had to get used to the draw weight. Rather than the relatively easy draw of the compound, with the shortbow he had to maintain a constant strain to hold the bowstring in place before he let loose his arrow. Then there was the obvious lack of a sighting system. He had to aim practically entirely by feel which proved to be quite difficult.


    By the end of the day, he had managed to regularly hit the target at 20 paces. His arrow groupings were all over the place though.


    His nights were spent with Aelrindel in the Knight''s Hall. For the most part the training was similar to the first lesson. Mostly just continuing to freeze and unfreeze water. "Building up muscle," Aelrindel liked to say.


    Casey did manage to pretty accurately move water in its liquid state around the room and even succeeded in making a small amount of water float up into the air. That even got a slight smile from his otherwise stoic instructor.


    The morning before the recruits day off, Commander Rowan called him to her office.


    When he arrived, Ronin was waiting in front of the door. After a curt greeting from the knight, he knocked on the door.


    After a moment of silence, Commander Rowan''s voice echoed from the room. "Come in."


    Ronan opened the door and walked through, Casey quickly followed behind him.


    Once again the strong fragrance of tea leaves struck him as they entered the room. The Captain sat behind her desk sipping her tea as Sara reclined in an armchair in front of it. Aelrindel was also


    present, standing to the side gripping his cane.


    Ronin strode to the front of the desk and gave a salute towards the Captain. Casey mimicked his actions, by this point saluting in this way had almost become second nature to him.


    With a nod, the Captain put down her cup of tea and addressed them.


    "You have been called here for two reasons. The first of which is to give you your first assignment, recruit."


    "Assignment? Isn''t it a little early for that?" Ronin cut in with a small frown.


    Sara took a sip of her tea before replying with a somewhat sheepish look in her eyes. "I asked for him. I am going to my grandfather''s estate tomorrow and I figured it would be a good time to iron out any details with his cover."


    Ronin''s frown deepened at that. To Casey it did not look like he approved.


    "Besides, it''s not like there will be any real danger. It''s a trip I''ve made hundreds of times and Sir Baro assures me that Casey is at least capable enough to not stab himself with his sword."


    Casey wasn''t quite sure how he should take that last comment, sounded more like an insult than a compliment.


    "And you approved of this, Captain? Even with everything that is going on right now?" Ronin almost glared at the Captain.


    Casey tried to make sense of Ronin''s second question. Maybe something to do with the disappearing Riders? He thought.


    "I see no problem with it. In fact I fully support him going along. I think it will do him some good to get out of the capital for a bit. And it''s not like he will be the only one guarding her. There will be a full contingent of Riders and guards going along." The Captain returned his glare, seeming to dare him to cross her.


    "Fine, but I am going as well." Ronin grunted in defeat.


    "Oh no, I have something else for you to do instead."


    "But-" He tried to interject, but was silenced by another of her glares.


    "First though, I have to ask our new recruit a question" She narrowed her eyes and focused on Casey. "I need you to be absolutely truthful¡­ Was there any mention of something strange happening in that forest in your book?"


    Casey shook his head. Despite going over his memories of the book countless times, there was nothing that even remotely resembled what they found in the woods. "No Captain. There was nothing."


    "I see... " The Captain let out a long sigh as she stared at Casey thoughtfully.


    Casey debated whether it would be proper for him to ask about what the scouts found but ultimately his curiosity got the best of him. "If I may ask¡­ What exactly did the scouts find out there in the forest?"


    As he finished his question the sound of rattling drew his attention to Sara where he found that her hands had begun to tremble. Whatever they found, Casey doubted it would be good.


    "Well they found no monster from the history books that Recruit Hanes loves to read, if that is what you are worried about." The Captain replied. The words might almost have come across as reassuring had her tone not been so chilling. "However, the scouts did find a trail of carcasses, much like the one that you and the rest of the recruits found."


    She paused and turned to point at a map hanging beside her. "They followed the trail of carcasses north into the mountains. Eventually they came across an old hunting cabin." Her voice grew even colder as she spoke and Casey felt as if the room itself had dropped in temperature. "They spoke very little of what they found in that cabin, only of the blood that covered the floors and the walls. They thought there might have been as many as three or four people but they were unable to accurately tell.


    "By the time they managed to leave the cabin and compose themselves a storm had hit them, washing away the trail they had been following. Ultimately they decided it would be best to return and report."


    Silence filled the room as Casey felt the blood drain from his face when the Captain had finished speaking. Thoughts of what they might have found in that cabin kept running through his head. Though he had not been a Rider for long, he had a strong sense of the kind of people that the Riders were. He could scarcely imagine a scene that would render one of them incapable of repeating what they had seen.


    Hell, only a few weeks ago he had been nothing but a university student from a well off family. The most blood he''d seen was from hunting deer. The mere thought of another human being mutilated like that was enough to cause his knees to want to buckle. He had to force them to lock in order to avoid falling down on the spot.


    It wasn''t only Casey that was having trouble with this new information. Sara had been forced to put down her teacup in order to avoid dropping it and even Ronin was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. Only Aelrindel seemed to be able to fully maintain his composure as he had not moved from his spot by the window.


    The Captain had been watching all of their reactions closely, her piercing eyes especially focusing on


    Casey. Again he felt as if she could see every thought that was running through his head.


    After a moment, she stood from her desk and addressed them. "Though this is a grave report, at this time it is the only report of its kind. There have been no other incidents or even rumors of another attack like the one at that cabin. As far as we can tell, this was an isolated incident."


    She turned to address Ronin directly. "You will put together a team of Riders you feel up to the task, and you will hunt this thing down. I want no more attacks." There was steel in her voice and she had a look that said that she would not tolerate any failure. The Captain who doted on her Riders and hated meetings was gone. In her place was a woman who exuded leadership and confidence in her subordinates.


    Ronin threw his fist against his chest in acknowledgment of the order.


    She then addressed Casey and the others in the room. "You will both go to the Duke''s estate as if nothing has happened. Aelrindel, I would like you to accompany them and continue teaching Recruit Bennett how to use his powers."


    Casey gave her a salute of his own as Sara nodded once. Aelrindel tapped the floor softly with his cane as if in deep thought before nodding in agreement as well.


    As he was watching this Knight Commander give out her orders, Casey felt the unease from earlier lessen. He even found that he was able to stand normally again.


    "Until we know more of what we are dealing with, we can not allow news of this attack to reach the public. It would spread undo panic." The Captain then looked at each of them intensely before giving a small wave of her hand. "That will be all for now, you are all dismissed. Except you Bennett, stay here for a moment."


    The others filed out of the room while Casey remained behind. Aelrindel paused for a moment beside him, "When you are done here, go down to the Knight''s Hall, today you will be training with me."


    Casey could only nod as he passed.


    When they had all left, the Captain sat back down in her chair and stared at him for a moment. Her eyes softened a bit while she looked at him. "Well Bennett, take a seat." She waved towards one of the chairs in front of her desk.


    He all but collapsed in the chair, finding it considerably softer than he was expecting. When he leaned back in the chair he realized just how tense he had been and that his knees ached slightly from how he had been standing.


    "How are you holding up?" The Captain asked after she saw that he had taken a seat and relaxed somewhat.


    Casey''s eyes widened slightly at that question. He hadn''t expected her to actually ask how he was doing.


    For a moment he considered lying to her and telling her that everything was fine, but he figured she wouldn''t believe him if he did. Ultimately he just sighed and told her how he really felt.


    "In all honesty? Not very well at all. The training keeps me busy and learning how to use my ability has been amazing. But when training is done and I''m lying in my room at night, it all comes rushing back at once. Everything about this place feels so alien and yet at the same time so familiar. I don''t know how that is possible but that''s how I feel.


    "Not only that but I can''t help missing my home and my old life. Everything here is so complicated to me, so many things that I can''t make any real sense of.


    "And to top it all off, there''s this situation in the forest. I don''t understand why it didn''t happen in the book and that terrifies me. It''s like the only thing that I know about this world is suddenly changing and I don''t know what to do about it or how to feel¡­ I probably shouldn''t be complaining to someone who is my superior like this but at this point I can''t really help it."


    When he had finished speaking, Casey felt himself breathing very hard. It was the first time he''d ever put what he was feeling into words and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.


    For her part, the Captain had not spoken or made any move to interrupt him throughout his entire speech. She remained silent and allowed him to let all of his thoughts out.


    For a moment she just sat there collecting her own thoughts before she finally spoke. "Even with all my years experience as a Rider and before, I can''t even come close to understanding what happened to you or why you are here. I don''t know why you know what you do about us nor do I know why things aren''t happening the way you thought they would. I can however say this, for as long as you are a Queen''s Rider, I will do my best to aid and support you as your Captain. For now that is all I can do."


    To Casey, this was exactly what he needed. He knew that she could not fix his problem but the


    knowledge that she would do whatever she could to help him was more than enough for now. He still desperately wanted to go home, but her words eased his mind quite a lot.


    "Thank you Captain for saying that."


    She smiled, "That is just a part of my job, to look out for all of my Riders."


    He almost laughed aloud when she said that. At least for the moment, the very serious Captain from before was gone and the doting Captain had returned.


    "Alright well, that''s all the time I have for playing therapist today." She began shooing him towards the door. "You should go down and get yourself something to eat before reporting to Aelrindel for training."


    Smiling again, Casey left her office and began heading off to get something to eat. He discovered that he had quite the appetite as he walked down the halls, stomach growling.