262 Gifts

The first guests arrived just after midday, a delegation of some two dozen mages from the House of Swords.

Arran recognized several of them, but even without that, their House was obvious at a glance. It was common for mages from all Houses to wear swords, but these men and women all moved as if the weapons were part of their bodies — even the adepts and novices at the back of the group.

They were led by Grandmaster Solin, and the man immediately greeted both Arran and Brightblade with joyful enthusiasm.

"Congratulations!" he said. "To both of you! To think that just a year ago, we were one of the lesser Houses, not a single Elder among us. And now, two of our own have taken such positions within the Valley!"

Arran greeted the man warmly. Even if he had spent little time in the House of Swords, it was always good to see so friendly a face. And if the Grandmaster considered him a true member of his House, that was a good first step toward gaining more allies in the Valley.