Arthur yawned loudly, stretching his arms out above his head. The horse's cadence didn't alter, but the animal snorted irritably, clearly annoyed with Arthur's repeated yawning.

  "I almost regret parting with the lord-squire and the mage," he grumbled, more to himself than his companions. "At least they were sporting company. You lot are corpses by comparison."

  "My order teaches us to limit idle chatter," Diana replied cheerily. "Unless it is to venerate the Lady, of course!"

  "At least you've a topic I know about, boring as it may be." Arthur rolled his eyes at Praetorus, who walked ahead of his and Diana's mounts. "Sir Grumpy here insists on being as silent as the grave."

  The afternoon sun had lost its apex position and was beginning to sink in the sky, casting a long light on their faces. They had set out at sunrise that morning, but their journey to the Mountain would take them until evening at the earliest. According to Diana, Henry and Rebecca had left a few hours before they had, and had likely reached the town of Winterfrost by now; however, Arthur and his companions aim to bypass the town completely, shooting straight for the base of the Mountain and making camp there for the night.

  "Very well. I shall engage in conversation, then." Praetorus finally broke his silence, perking Arthur's ears up. "Tell me about this 'Lady' of yours. Is she a deity of some kind?"

  "Oh no, don't indulge her," Arthur groaned.

  Diana laughed and clapped her hands, clearly only too eager to speak about her faith. "You're not too far off! The Lady was our founder and first ruler of this realm, our patron saint, and the guiding light of all within these lands!"

  Arthur sighed, resigned to his fate. He sank back in his saddle, hands folded over his chest in exasperation as Diana continued.

  "Centuries ago, when these lands were still wild and untamed, the Lady emerged from one of the many warbands in the area and resolved to build a kingdom of order! She claimed to have guidance from the Light, which showed her everything she needed to know in establishing her rule; it took her decades, but she united the warbands into the Regency, and quelled the majority of wild beasts and horrors within these borders!"

  "Clearly not all of them," Arthur muttered. "How else would we be able to test our mettle as knights?"

  "You're right! The Lady left some beasts alive, either out of gratitude for aiding her quest, or as tests for future knights." Diana looked at him proudly. "Well done, Arthur!"

  Arthur threw his hands up in mock celebration as Praetorus looked back at Diana, puzzled. "So this Lady... she was a mighty warrior?"

  "Indeed she was! But she was different from many of the other warriors of her time." Diana closed her eyes and clasped her hands in prayer. "'Where many would kill without hesitation, She stayed her hand. Where many would abandon the weak and wounded, She tended to. Where many would give in to despair, She would hope and endure.'"

  "I see." Praetorus nodded and turned his head back to the front. "So she was a warrior and a philosopher?"

  "Yes, yes!" Diana smiled, seemingly radiating warmth even in the chilly air. "She developed the code that would become the Codex as we know it today! Knights like Arthur here follow her teachings in their own way, as do we in the Order of the White Rose."

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  "So you are zealots?" Arthur couldn't help but guffaw at Praetorus' inquiry.

  "It would depend on whom you ask! Arthur's interpretation is more lenient than ours when it comes to venerating Her, electing to follow her teachings through the Codex. My order and many others follow Her word much more closely, and believe that She will return someday, after we find all the relics she encountered in her life." Diana opened her eyes, still wearing her smile. "The Hallowed Chalice of Life is one of them! It is said to have powers of healing beyond our wildest dreams, with the Lady having drunk from it herself! One sip is enough to bring one back from death, or so the legend says."

  "And you're so confident it's in the Mountain?" Arthur snorted.

  "It is said to be buried in the tomb of Sir Radogriz, one of her students," Diana replied. "My order believes his tomb must be somewhere beneath the Mountain! Were we not called on the Crusades so often, we would search for it in the Mountain ourselves!"

  "I understand now. Thank you." Praetorus' stride had noticeably slowed, as he seemed to be digesting Diana's words. "Your Lady sounds similar to our god, Kronur."

  "Kronur?" Diana cocked her head. "I've not heard of this god."

  "Our religion is small, a few clans at most." Praetorus' tone had changed from monotone to reverent. "It is an old religion, older than your Lady. But I believe they follow the same principles."

  "Alright, I'll bite," Arthur said. "What's this Kronur of yours stand for?"

  "He is the god of strength, might, and combat." The archer's stride slowed further as he spoke. "'Show power before him, and he will reward you justly. Cower, and he will laugh before striking you from this plane.'"

  "Sounds like a swell fellow," Arthur muttered to himself. If Praetorus heard, he didn't react as he went on.

  "That is not to say he rewards strength in all forms. Kronur frowns on dishonor, deceit, and treason. To call on him for acts that are such will invoke his wrath."

  "I wonder how he'd feel about your earlier stunt, then," Arthur remarked.

  Praetorus turned to him, and then did something that made Arthur's blood run cold: he smiled. The archer reached into his shirt and produced a small figurine around his neck, a wooden effigy no larger than his thumb.

  "Then it is good that I do not call him my patron god. I have the blessing of Lofir, his brother. He is the god of cunning, trickery, and the Hunt."

  "'The Hunt?' Is that why you're after this dragon, then?"

  Praetorus nodded and put the effigy back in his shirt. "Indeed. Every worshiper of Lofir must undertake the Hunt for a ferocious beast when they come of age. The more ferocious the beast, the greater Lofir's blessing."

  "What, the wyvern wasn't enough for you?"

  "The wyvern was but a taste for Lofir. I intend to hunt a dragon in his name." The archer looked at Arthur with his purple irises. "And once the beast is slain, I will make an offering to Lofir that will make me worthy of his blessing."

  Arthur grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, good for you. Leave enough of it for me, and you can offer the whole carcass for all I care."

  Diana pointed ahead. "We're almost there!"

  Sure enough, the Mountain loomed before them, seeming to stretch into the heavens themselves. The peak was shrouded by clouds, but fortunately, their destination was not its peak, but beneath it; the Mountain of the Dead was, as the name suggested, a labyrinth of countless ancient tombs, catacombs, and other crypts lost to time. While the Mountain was only part of a greater range of mountains, its stature as the largest peak among them made it stand out like a sore thumb; Arthur surmised the Mines, where Henry and Rebecca were headed, was part of the same mountain range, only located a half-day's ride further down its length.

  He felt a sting within, a faint pang of regret; he secretly wished the two were here with him as well, to brave the dark mountain alongside the others. Moreover, he felt shame; he hated to admit it again, but Henry was right. He was meant to be overseeing the squire's simple quest of gathering ore for his Trial, yet here he was, hunting a potential dragon alongside veritable strangers. He had only spent a few days beside Henry and Rebecca, but they felt like old friends compared to his current companions.

  He shook his head, clearing away the doubts. No, he was here of his own accord, to slay a dragon that would threaten to harm others. He was fulfilling his oath as a knight-apprentice, he was doing it for the Regency; wouldn't any other knight in his place do the same? Sir Paulus would understand, once he explained it to him, and so would Henry...

  Arthur looked up at the dark mountain towering over him. A familiar sensation of dread and terror tugged at his heart, but he ignored it.

  "Alright, let's rest for the night. Tomorrow, we slay a dragon."