Free Dark Company by Natale Ghent Page A

first thing that popped into her head but she liked it already. “From now on, my name is Skylark. I won’t answer unless you call me this.”
    “If you insist. It makes no difference to me.”
    Skylark fell silent, rolling the sound of her new name around in her head as she glided with the other Warriors. At last the flag bearer planted its banner in the ground. The pewter being stood at the head of the ranks.
    “This is one of the most important ceremonies a Warrior will experience,” it said. “The Weapons Ceremony represents the final stage in the galvanization of your frequency. Warriors are known for their dedication, bravery and capability. While there are no favourites in the Light, your role in the Unfolding is of utmost importance.”
    The recruits listened intently, lions at their feet. The mouse was tickling the hairs on Skylark’s neck again. It was distracting.
    “What’s the Unfolding?” she asked.
    The mouse twitched his nose. “Well … the Unfolding is the evolution of the universe … which is only possible through the Light. The purpose of the Light is to create, and to allow everything within it to create, thereby allowing the universe to evolve and expand, and everything within it evolves and expands accordingly.”
    He sounded just like the silver being. “Is something trying to prevent the universe from evolving?”
    The mouse scratched behind his ear with one foot. “Yes. The Dark. It hates the Light and everything in it. It wants to destroy the Light.”
    “Why?”
    “To gain power.”
    “So, how are things supposed to evolve without the Light?”
    “They don’t,” the mouse said. “That’s the point. The Dark desires stasis, not growth. It wants to keep things frozen for all eternity.”
    “Oh, of course.” She thought she had it. “So, Warriors fight the Dark to prevent it from gaining power?”
    “Yes!” the mouse said. “But the Warriors only fight the Dark in this dimension … though any victory we experience here helps secure the Light on the earth plane.”
    Skylark sighed. It was getting complicated again. “You mean, if we lose the battle here, the Dark can take control of the earth?”
    “Kind of. It is up to us to control the Dark here, and for people on earth to control the Dark there. What happens here affects them there. What happens there affects us here.”
    “What if they don’t control the Dark on earth?” Skylark asked. “What if people just give up?”
    The mouse pondered her question. “Then it makes our job much more difficult. We really need to work together to help each other.”
    The pewter being glided by, glowering at Skylark. She straightened herself and pretended to pay attention. As soon as it passed, she picked up where she left off with the mouse. “Why is everything so confusing here?”
    “Don’t let it bother you,” the mouse said. “All you need to know is that the Dark is bad. The Light is good. You fight the Dark. Get it?”
    Skylark made a face. “Yeah, thanks.”
    The pewter being gave her another biting look before continuing its address. “The weapon of the Warrior is the sword and shield. Today, as you received your totem, so shall you receive your weapon. It will become an extension of you. It will bond with you as you bond with your totems and each other. It is a manifestation of your intention and an expression of the Light’s will.”
    The being moved to one side to reveal endless rows of swords, scabbards, belts and shields, all bearing the lion insignia. “Recruitswith weapons stand to the left and wait until the others are finished the ceremony.”
    The recruits lined up to receive their weapons, one after the other. They moved quickly, and once outfitted, gathered in a group to the left of the field.
    “I don’t think there’s a shield with a mouse on it,” Skylark joked as she waited for her turn. She tried to peek over the shoulder of the recruit in front of her but it was too tall. When she