Three hundred leagues to the north, Taeryn stood in the central courtyard of Brynghar High, the knight school of the empire.
The children from across the lands come here to seek guidance from the masters and become knights. After they were knighted, they were picked by the witches as their guardians, companions, and bodyguards, or whatever the witches called them.
It was their duty to oblige the witches.
The tradition dates back hundreds of years.
Taeryn had also come here for the same purpose. After knowing that Jaenor was no more, he grieved the death of his friend and was in a dark place. Then came Darian, who said that his path had started, and he needed to be stronger to move forward.
Darian drilled sense into Taeryn, who wanted nothing but to drink away the rest of his life. He told him that Rena and Baren were training, and the next time they met, they would become stronger. If he doesn't want to be left behind, he needs to get stronger.
Taeryn then decided to train.
