Chapter 99

The man closely examined the mark on Arran’s wrist, seeming to study every detail at length . Arran was already beginning to worry that something was wrong when the man finally nodded .

“From this day forth,” the man said in a serious tone, “you will be unable to teach the True Path to those outside the Society, who haven’t taken the Oath . “

“But I don’t even know what the True Path is,” Arran replied . “What if I talk about it unintentionally?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” the man said, a practiced smile on his face . “The Oath will prevent you from discussing anything related to the True Path with outsiders, whether you intend to or not . “

Arran frowned . “What happens if I try to do it anyway?”

“You will find that you are unable to do so,” the man replied . “Even Archmages are unable to break the Oath . “

“So that’s it? I’m free to discuss other Society matters with whomever I choose?”

“Of course not,” the man said . “Carelessly sharing the Society’s other secrets and techniques with outsiders will be punished, possibly with death . “

“Then why not include those things in the Oath?” Arran asked . If the Society had a way to create a binding Oath, he thought, it made little sense to use it only for a single thing .

“The Oath is intended to protect only the Society’s most treasured secret, not to take away your freedom to choose,” the man said .

“But what about—”

“The novice who recruited you will answer any further questions you have,” the man interrupted Arran .

Before Arran could object, the man ushered him into the hallway, then guided him back to the entrance hall .

“All done?” Snowcloud asked when she saw them return .

The man nodded, then added, “But I think your recruit has more questions to ask . “

“He’ll just have to be patient,” she replied .

She appeared to be in a hurry as she led Arran out of the building, curtly dismissing any questions he tried to ask . They arrived at a small inn not long after .

“You will stay here until I come back,” she said . “Once I return, there will be plenty of time to discuss things . “

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Arran asked . After the weeks they had spent traveling, a few hours spent answering his most pressing questions hardly seemed like too much to ask .

“I have private matters to attend to,” she replied . “Urgent ones . “

Arran sighed in frustration, but the look in her eyes made it clear that she would not reveal more . Not right now, at any rate .

“When will you return?” he asked .

“I should be back in a few days,” she said . “Until then, you can explore the city . Once I return, we will head to the border, and you can ask all the questions you want . “

With that, she departed, leaving Arran behind at the inn .

He spent the first few days wandering around the city, but although there was much to see, he had little interest in the sights the city had to offer . Perhaps someone with an interest in architecture or history would have been intrigued by so old a city, but to Arran, after the first dozen ancient buildings, those that followed just looked like more of the same .

More interesting were the people . Even this side of the city held plenty of Shadowflame initiates and novices, and although few of them were willing to speak more than a few words to a mere recruit, just observing them granted Arran some insights .

From what he could tell, many initiates and all novices appeared to be Body Refiners . How strong they were exactly he could not tell, but just the fact that he could recognize them as Body Refiners meant they would not be weak .

He also spent some afternoons observing the building where he had taken the Oath, curious about the other recruits and the novices leading them .

With some regularity, he saw novices leading small groups of recruits into the building, then emerging some time later . Unlike Snowcloud, however, these novices did not leave their recruits behind in the city . Instead, they left the city almost immediately, traveling further west — to the border, Arran assumed .

These weren’t the only people to enter the building, however . Almost as often as he saw novices with groups of recruits, he saw what looked to be parents taking youths inside .

Remembering Darkfire’s history, Arran suspected that these youths were born within the Sixth Valley . As he recalled, that would allow them to join the Shadowflame Society the moment they opened a Realm, without first having to spend a year across the border .

Seeing the youths, Arran could not help but feel some envy . While he would have to spend a year proving himself, Society membership was simply handed to them, with no requirements other than opening a Realm and taking the Oath .

Still, Arran knew that complaining about how unfair it was would not help him, and he quickly decided not to linger on the matter — the only thing it would do was cause him frustration .

Finally, he spent much of his time exploring the city’s many stores, in hopes of finding some useful spells, artifacts, or whatever else might catch his eye .

Unfortunately, the stores proved to be a disappointment . Although there were some that sold magical items like body strengthening potions and Realm Scrolls, none of the goods were of much use to him . Nor, for that matter, were they worth the exorbitant prices the shopkeepers charged .

When Arran inquired if there were better goods to be had, he was told that more potent magical items were only sold in the other half of the city — the half that he wasn’t yet allowed to enter .

Discouraged but not dissuaded, he nevertheless diligently searched many of the city’s stores in hopes of finding at least something worth buying . But after several days of fruitlessly browsing dozens of stores, he was finally forced to accept defeat .

By then, it had been nearly a week since Snowcloud left, and he was beginning to feel worried . What if she didn’t return for weeks or months — or worse, not at all?

The thought of being left stranded in the Sixth Valley by himself wasn’t an appealing one, and having to find a new novice to follow would be even worse .

Yet these worries were only replaced with new ones when Snowcloud returned .

He was awakened in the dead of night by a series of loud knocks on his door . When he got up and opened the door, he saw that it was Snowcloud, with a tense look on her face .

“Get your things,” she said . “We’re leaving right now . ”