Temple Knight

And so it begins…

Suddenly, a Sister Knight staggered out of the building and fell to the ground, blood pouring from an arm wound. A large man, easily topping the knight by a head or more, followed her out, his bloodied axe raised for a death blow.

Charlaine acted instinctively, drawing her weapon and rushing forward while the others simply looked on in horror, frozen by the spectacle that was unfolding before them.

The axe came down, but instead of sinking deeply into the flesh of the knight, it scraped along a sword blade, deflected at the last moment. Its wielder turned on Charlaine in shock and annoyance, the rage upon his face now directed solely at her.

She backed up slightly, giving herself some room to effectively wield her sword. As he lifted his axe for another strike, she stabbed forward with the point of her blade, a clean, efficient stroke that punctured his thigh. Her attacker cried out in pain as he continued his attack, but she easily avoided the blow as he stumbled. Charlaine immediately struck again, this time sinking the tip of her blade into his stomach.

Her opponent smashed into her ribs with his elbow, trying to rush past, but she reacted quickly and extended her leg to trip him. He fell to the ground with an audible grunt. Charlaine moved in, placing the tip of her blade against the back of his neck.

“Cease in the name of Saint Agnes,” she ordered, “or I shall be forced to kill you.”

The axeman went still, releasing the grip on his weapon.

Moments later, two armour-clad knights appeared, grabbing his arms and hauling him to his feet. One of them looked at Charlaine. “Good work, Initiate. Do you know who this is?”

Charlaine stared back. “No, Sister, I was only doing my duty.”

“That is Taren Ghul, a notorious slaver. We’ve been hunting him for years. He was the whole reason for this raid.”

“I"m glad to be of service.”

“What’s your name?” demanded the knight.

“Charlaine deShandria, Initiate of Saint Agnes.”

“Well, congratulations, Charlaine. I shall be sure to mention this to your superiors.”