Chaos and Order, Darkness and Light

The Knight

Erik

It was those words that changed my life forever. That was seventy-six years ago, I am now four years shy of one hundred years old. The year is two thousand and seventeen. And there have been innumerable changes to the world. I have watched empires fall, I have fought in World War II, the Korean and the Vietnam conflicts, I have seen the invention of the Telephone and the creation of the Microchip. And I have fought a war no mortal has ever felt, nor knows exists.

The Order of the Pentacle is a group of five witches. There is one for every of the five pure elements, earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. We may be killed in battle but never will we age or fall ill. When one of us falls in battle a new witch is claimed to take their place. Therefore, we attend every claiming.

Tom, the man who helped me up at my own claiming and another member, Elain, married twenty years ago, and adopted the daughter of Tom's late sister. From birth this little girl showed signs of being a powerful witch, and so when they adopted her we agreed they should take her away from other witches and train her in private. Now she is two months shy of her claiming and dark forces are mustering against us. We need all the help we can get and so here I am in New York City looking for her apartment off the New York University's campus.

I stand abruptly throwing on my black overcoat as I step out the door onto the top level of the Statue of Liberty. Looking through the gaps if the statue the wind and rain change direction blowing against me and soaking my coat.

"There isn't enough time for subtlety." I say aloud to myself. I extend my hand and from it a flame grows and takes the form of a large eagle. "Find her quickly, find Victoria!" I say and in a flash of blinding light the flaming eagle disappears. I sigh and look out at the ocean. The waves are crashing around the shorelines in dangerously large torrents. 'We don't have much time before the attacks begin. I hope the others are having better luck.' I think to myself.

Several hours later in the center of Manhattan lays an old book store that is serving as my base of operations. The store itself is a small building but the backrooms have been magically enlarged to a size that could comfortably house a hundred men. Across the chess table from me sits a stern old woman, her silver Hair pulled back into a tight bun and her half-moon spectacles hanging from a chain around her neck.

"Erik, I know you were told that you were always welcome here, but the wards you placed around my property are under constant attack. These creatures are relentless and I am beginning to fear for my safety. Unlike you I can still die." She says to me, her composure calm but her eyes betraying the fear she is holding onto.

"Sarah Beth, I know you are worried we all are. But these wards weren't just placed by me, Jody and Nathan did a lot of the work as well. Three Order members placing wards anywhere is unusual. And the locations that received such protection are all still standing, some for centuries. Besides, I can still die too." I say pushing a pawn to take her bishop.

She sighs and pushes her rook across the board taking my last knight. "I may be an old lady but you are not that much older than me Erik. And we have both come to know that this is a foe we have never seen before, no witch has."

With a sly grin I move a Rook over to the opposite end of the board in direct sight of Sarah Beth's king. "Check. And I am aware of that, however it would not the first of new threats we have faced in the last century, the orcs and skinwalkers took us by surprise but we still came out on top."

She took a brief glance at the board and moved her second rook to take my mine, cutting my king from escaping. "I know that. But the look at the signs Erik, weather distortion, blackouts, a lunar eclipse. No orc or skinwalker, could do those things, that is very old, and very powerful magic. The likes of which haven't been seen since the dark ages."