List of The Dresden Files Groups - Knights of The Cross

Knights of The Cross

Also known as the Knights of the Sword, the Knights are people chosen to wield one of three holy swords that God sent to Earth. Much like the legendary Excalibur (actually Amoracchius), the swords serve the righteous for a just cause. Each is reputed to bear a nail from Christ's crucifixion inside the hilt. They cannot be touched by "unclean" beings, although this protection can be disabled if the bearer attempts to use them in a dishonorable or evil way; the only known way to destroy a Sword is to use it to kill a truly innocent being, or alternatively, in an act that goes against its nature (Faith, Hope, and Love).

The three swords, whose Latin names represent the three prominent Christian virtues, are:

• Amoracchius (Love), a broadsword, currently possessed by Harry Dresden after the events of Small Favor left Michael Carpenter too wounded to wield the sword anymore. In Proven Guilty, Michael states in a conversation with Harry that the original Merlin was briefly a custodian for Amoracchius, and speculates that the sword may actually be Excalibur, as it has never actually been altered like the other two have. As a result of the events of Small Favor the sword was given to Harry for safekeeping, making him the steward of both Amoracchius and Fidelacchius. However, it is unclear whether or not Michael can still wield the sword. In one of Butcher's short stories, a newly swordless Michael wields a baseball bat and a decidedly less loving attitude. The sword can be unmade if it is used to kill an innocent. The Sword of Love is used by Susan, despite her being a half-vampire, during Changes, as she wields it for the love of her daughter. It is confirmed as Excalibur in "Ghost Story".

• Fidelacchius (Faith), Also known as Kusanagi, a katana with a water-patterned steel blade and a wooden-cane scabbard, formerly possessed by Shiro Yoshimo, the Knight who trained Michael. It is now in the temporary care of Harry Dresden, following the death of Shiro at the hands of the Order of the Blackened Denarius in Death Masks. According to Michael, Harry is the only member of the White Council to hold a sword in care since the original Merlin. Harry has not been inducted as an official Knight, and is expected to pass the sword on to a worthy individual who will reveal himself. Michael has asked Harry to do this as quickly as possible. Karrin Murphy briefly wielded it in Small Favor and was given what Harry called a "job offer" but turned it down. It can be unmade if it is used in an act of treachery. In Changes, Karrin Murphy takes up the sword, and as she has been eliminated from the Chicago police, may take it up as a Knight of the Cross. However, in Aftermath, one of the short stories in the collection Side Jobs, she deliberately chooses not to use the sword, reasoning both that it could much too easily become a crutch, and that without her hand to wield it, the sword is nothing but a sharpened piece of steel, thus making the HAND the important thing... and she already has two of those with her. It is not known what happened to the swords between the shooting of Harry at the end of Changes, and the events on Demonreach at the end of Cold Days, but Karrin Murphy states that, since she does not know how the Winter Knight Mantle will affect him, she has removed them from his reach for safekeeping.

• Esperacchius (Hope), Also known as Durendal, the sword of Roland gifted by Charlemagne (in legend, called Durendal) is a heavy saber, currently possessed by a Knight known only as Sanya, a young Russian man of African descent with a bleak personal history with the Order of the Blackened Denarius as he was once possessed by a Denarian himself. He has claimed that the archangel Michael himself gave him his sword; despite this encounter, he claims to be agnostic. He is currently the only Knight left. It is unknown what circumstance can unmake the Sword of Hope, but presumably it would be an act of despair, one that goes against that fundamental nature of Hope (e.g. suicide).

The Knights are endowed with the power of Faith. Their swords act as foci for their faith, and seem able to harm any supernatural being, including those whose respective mythological vein runs parallel to Christian mythos. The Swords are shown to inflict pain on faeries, though this may be a vulnerability to cold steel more than anything else. The Knights are also frequent beneficiaries of seemingly coincidental events that either aid their cause or lead them to places where their assistance is required (such as Father Forthill's coincidental appearances at the Carpenter household in Grave Peril when someone is needed to look after Michael's children in his absence). Very little information is given on the Knights, though Shiro was revealed to be a descendant of Shō Tai, the last king of Okinawa. The only Knight to be featured prominently in the series is Michael. It is revealed in Small Favor that both Michael and Sanya are also descendants of kings much like Shiro was, Michael a descendant of Charlemagne and Sanya counting Saladin amongst his ancestors. This has led Harry to believe that the swords should be given to someone who has descended from royalty, as kings were thought to be spiritual and physical protectors of their people. However, Harry has stated that this is only a theory.

The original founding purpose of the Knights was to battle The Order of the Blackened Denarius (see below) and redeem those humans corrupted into serving the Fallen.

The archangels who gift the swords also watch over the wielders, and as a result, the Knights of the Cross can bring almost unstoppable power to bear if their guardian spirits choose to manifest (as happens in Changes).