The Boon of Alon

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

For something as solemn and binding as I imagine the rider's oath to be, there isn't a lot of ceremony around it. Compared to the festival dedications I've had to sit through, anyway. We all gather for dinner like usual, except that the riders set down their plates and stay standing behind their chairs, waiting. At the far end of the room from the door, Molla holds a thick leather-bound book in one hand and a pen and ink in the other.

When everyone is at their tables, and the riders on kitchen duty have come out to stand along the wall, Rev walks up to meet Molla. Molla is grinning like a loon; I haven't spoken to her much, but she struck me as enthusiastic before, and now she's got her mentee to be proud of.

"Nereves!" Molla announces, sobering, or at least trying to. "Will you be a dragon rider?"

"I will," says Rev. She stands solidly, but I can see her fingers flexing slightly at her sides.

"Then speak the oath, and join us," says Molla.

Rev takes a deep breath. "I, Nereves of Sket," she starts, "dedicate my life and my arm to the defense of the helpless against all oppressors, and the mediation of conflict, large and small, in the service of justice in the sight of Hrat."

Molla beams. "Welcome, Nereves of the dragon riders." She holds the book open; Rev takes the pen and signs her name in it. As soon as she steps back, the riders start applauding.

"Yes, Rev!" Lemi shouts. Someone whoops. Rev turns back and grins at us.

"Okay, okay, eat!" says Molla, and there's a great scraping of chairs as everyone takes a seat. Tonight, Rev sits with Molla at a table full of riders. We recruits are left behind.

I don't think she can never eat with us again—I had dinner with Chama just the other night, and everyone has a preferred table but no one's ever insisted any are off-limits to recruits—but I guess it won't be as regular as it used to be.

"Is that it?" Suthi asks as we dig in. "That's the whole oath?"

"That's it," says Lemi. "The complicated part is pulling it off."

Suthi glances at me, but talks to her plate. "The oath I took for the Knights went on for paragraphs. And they did all of us on the same day, one by one, in the middle of summer. Gods, I thought I was going to melt out of my armor."

Jeddin snorts. "What the hell did they make you swear?"

Suthi purses her lips and starts counting off on her fingers. "Unquestioning obedience to the king. Unquestioning obedience to my superior officers. Lightly questioning obedience to nobility and other dignitaries. And also to protect people, but only if it didn't contradict anything we were ordered to do."

"Gods have mercy," Lemi says, wide-eyed, while Jeddin sputters. Suthi looks at me again and I give her a thumbs up; she smiles.

Next morning, Iamon's back at the lakeside. So is Yrite, and I nudge Suthi at the top of the stairs.

"You wanna try talking to Yrite again?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath and starts down. "I guess I could."

Not exactly enthusiastic, but it's not a no. "He's nice, I promise." I head down after her.

"No he isn't," calls Jeddin, ahead of us both. "Yrite more like Y-spite, gods, he didn't like me at all."

"You're not helping."

He snickers. "Wasn't trying to."

"He is nice, if you don't bullshit him," I retort. "Just remember to tell him the truth, Suthi."