Trynne stared at the Wizr, her heart near to bursting at his words. She felt the magic of the Fountain surrounding them, felt its power behind the words he had used. He was speaking on behalf of the Fountain, inviting her to become what she had always dreamed.
She wanted to say yes. But she felt completely overwhelmed. “Will I be able to tell my parents?” she asked.
Myrddin stared at her, pausing a moment, as if listening.
“No,” he answered curtly.
The answer hurt as if he had stabbed her, and she winced. It would be a painful decision. “Is there no one I can tell?” she said in anguish.
Myrddin stared at her, his lips pursed in a frown. He released her elbow and settled his meaty hand on her shoulder. “The queen. She must know that you are to be her husband’s protector. The Fountain also bids me to let you tell Captain Staeli. He is loyal to you, little sister. You will learn how much before your journey is over.”
Trynne felt a surge of relief and a prick of apprehension at the same time. What did that mean? From the look in Myrddin’s eyes, she dared not ask.
“Will you accept this?” he asked her forcefully.
“I will,” she answered, and as she did, she felt the grating feeling of stone again, a feeling of destiny that was accompanied by the determination to succeed. In her heart, she experienced the swelling of the Fountain’s approval. It was such a powerful feeling that it made her eyes well with tears.
“Kneel once more, little sister,” the Wizr said. “And prepare to receive your oaths. There will be five. If you honor them, then someday you will receive four more. After you have proven yourself a true Oath Maid.”
She dropped down to one knee. “What is it like, Myrddin? How will I feel?”
He smiled again with that knowing smile. “You will never be the same again.”
When Trynne awoke in her own bed well before sunrise, she wondered if it had all been a dream. The sheets had their familiar smell, and the pillows were just the right softness. She blinked into the shadows and gloom, full of memories of what had transpired with Myrddin. Had it only been a flight of fancy?
“My lady, are you awake?”
It was Captain Staeli’s voice coming from the shadows. It was time to head out to the training yard.
“I am. I’ll be down shortly.”
“Very well, my lady.”
Trynne pushed herself up in bed, her stomach tingling with apprehension. How could she know whether it had truly happened? And then she felt it rising up inside her, an awareness not just of the distant calls of songbirds or the muted rumble of the surf. No, it was an awareness of the lives of countless others who had shared her calling. As she closed her eyes and bowed her head, she could almost hear the screams and ringing steel of ancient battlefields. Myrddin had called it the “wellspring,” the source of the Fountain that had collected all the lives and experiences of others, which she could tap into and drink from. She no longer felt like a girl of fifteen. She carried with her the wisdom of ages past. Oath Maidens had once protected Leoneyis. And they had all been destroyed by a king who’d forsaken his oaths. After he had murdered the last one, the Deep Fathoms had drowned his entire kingdom.
Then she remembered the oaths—the promises she had sworn over a handful of small stones. Five oaths in all, though she would ultimately be asked to take four more. They were the origins of the code of Virtus, the symbol of true knights. Oath Maidens were the defenders of the kingdom. Their strength came from protecting others, not from seeking to harm. Each of the five oaths whispered into her mind. If she failed in any of them, there would be dire consequences.
Never slay a man with a spear or arrow. In return, she could not be slain by such herself. Never take a life unawares or out of revenge. Never hearken to greed or take a bribe. Never swear an oath falsely. Never refuse to serve when the Fountain calls—even at the peril of life and loved ones.
The memory of the oaths made her breath come quickly. She hastily stole away from the inviting sheets and put on her training garb, her mind whirling with the snatches of memory from lives of women she didn’t know, but who were suddenly a part of her. Her fingers tightened the lacings of her leather tunic, and she wrapped the girdle around her waist and cinched the buckles. Her leather bracers were on the floor and she stooped down and strapped them on next, then tied her hair back with a band. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to master the churning tide of images that came and went with each breath. Myrddin had said that it would take time to grow accustomed to the insights and flashes sent to her by the Fountain. Patting her stomach to quell her nerves, she marched away from the changing screen and joined Captain Staeli in the hall.