Fallen Paladin (The Paladin's Curse Book 2)

by Kristell Carnie

Instantly Karadese releases my hands, spinning on her heels, her crimson cloak billowing out around her as she rushes to the other side of the room. When she lifts a blanket from a pile in the corner I realise that she’s been planning this moment for a while.

  “Karadese, what exactly is it that you want me to do?”

  She lifts two bags, the weapons inside clanging together as she hands one to me. I don’t like where this is heading and the crazy feverish look embedded in her eyes does nothing to diminish the unease growing inside my stomach.

  “We are going to Zantron,” her voice is matter-of-fact, no fear or hesitation sneaking through. She’s thought about the next step a lot, and that fact alone has me worried.

  “You can’t be serious.” I hold the bag limply in one hand, the weight suddenly so much heavier with the burden of my promise having already been given.

  “I certainly am.”

  I stare at her, my lips opening and closing as I struggle to find something to say that will convince her that she’s lost her mind.

  “You cannot go to Zantron, that’s impossible. Even with all your guards and warriors protecting you, Veridom and Garvien will both be out for your head.”

  Karadese takes no notice of me, it’s as if the truth to my words mean nothing. She’s on a mission, one that will be incredibly difficult to dissuade her from.

  Then she goes and says something so utterly ridiculous I’m struck dumb.

  “My guards and warriors will not be assisting us on this journey.” She finally comes to a standstill, raising her head to stare down at me, authority leaching from her every pore. “You and I will be going alone.”

  It takes a few moments for her words to sink in; seconds where my heart slows down, making me live each dismaying moment of realisation in slow motion. Cold sweat forms across my skin, and my stomach threatens to heave my measly dinner across the smooth stone floor, as her words twist around inside my uncomprehending brain.

  “You’re joking,” I finally say, even though I know from looking at her taut lips and steely eyes that she means every word.

  “I am most certainly not.”

  She makes her point by disrobing her cloak, revealing leather armour strapped to every inch of her body. She picks up her bag of weapons and starts jamming them into their sheaths, and instantly she transforms from elegant, poised royalty, to bad arse, weapon wielding warrior.

  “How is this even going to work? You know that the last rescue effort failed. So many lives were lost, Calasis was badly hurt. How can you honestly believe that you and I alone will be able to sneak onto Zantron and somehow miraculously stumble upon Blay’s hidden location?”

  As she slides her last dagger into its sheath she reaches for her hair, wrapping the long braid clock-wise and ties it into a sturdy bun.

  “We will not be sneaking.” The coldness to her voice spikes my heart.

  “What do you mean?” I enunciate each word clearly, the full extent of my uncertainty ringing through.

  Karadese sighs, her shoulders rising dramatically, obviously she thought I’d be easier to convince than this.

  “There will be no sneaking onto Zantron for us, Rayna, because I have no intention of hiding from Veridom or Garvien. Our efforts have proven futile in isolating Blay’s location, all we are doing is wasting more time, time that Blay no longer has.”

  I’m shaking my head, refusing to accept what she’s trying to get across.

  “Please tell me you’re not contemplating doing what I think you are.”

  “I will do whatever it takes to ensure my son’s safe return to Prytora. This is not my warrior’s fight. It shall end the way it was started, by me and me alone.”

  “So, you’re just going to waltz on into the Zantron base and hand yourself over? That’s not a plan, that’s a death penalty, for both of us!”

  She stops abruptly, true fear finally breaking through her mask of composure.

  “No, absolutely not. Now listen to me Rayna, and make sure to remember your promise to me. This is not your fight, this is mine and mine alone. All I ask of you is that you create the portal, it’s something I can’t do. It’s been too long for me to precisely picture their base; the connection won’t be strong enough and the portal will be insufficient which can be catastrophic.

  Without a clear understanding of where I am going then I could get lost in limbo. This is why I need you, you can create a portal and once we are on the other side I want you to hide, keep yourself out of sight until I negotiate Blay’s release, in which turn you must transport him back here.”

  “That’s crazy! It will never work.” Can’t she see how absurd this plan is? How dangerous it is for not just her, or me, but Blay too. Once they lock her in their sights there’s no way they will let her or Blay go, she’ll be willingly giving herself up for nothing in return. How can she not see that?

  “It has to work, Rayna!” she snaps, desperation making her angry. “It’s the only hope I have left.”

  I can’t go through with this, no matter what I’ve promised her. This is a death sentence. A plan she can’t possibly pull off. Even if Veridom or Garvien agreed to release Blay in exchange for Karadese, it wouldn’t matter, they are rogues, their word is worth nothing.

  I can feel her desperation, she wants this plan to work so badly that she’s willing to give up her own life, but I can’t be a part of that, nor would Blay want me to. He is a man of honour, he would never want his mother to sacrifice herself for him, I just know he wouldn’t.

  I must stop her, I have no other choice, her plan is not even an option. Slowly I take a step back, edging towards the door. All I have to do is warn someone, anyone, and they will sound some kind of an alarm I’m sure. There will be reinforcements here in a second, Araton, Calasis, hell even Zaneth will hold her down, trap her until she comes to her senses.

  As I turn, reaching for the door handle, the air beside my cheek wafts as a dagger narrowly misses slicing my face just before it embeds into the wooden door, millimetres from my hand.

  Whirling around I see Karadese still standing with her arm outstretched, her body balanced faultlessly in knife throwing position. I can’t believe it, she threw a dagger at my head, maybe it was only a warning but still, it was a risky shot which could have ended badly for me.

  She meets my dumbstruck gaze, her expression unrelenting.

  “If you try to leave this room I will stop you in whatever way I deem necessary.”

  One look at Karadese’s strained muscles, her eyes scanning my face, calculating my next move, one hundred percent ready to take me down if I so much as flinch the wrong way and I know I’m never going to be able to convince her to stop this madness. And if I can’t stop her, then I need to come up with a different plan. One that won’t get any of us killed.

  My mind works on overtime, dumping out useless ideas which only increases my panic. I need to do something that the Prytorian warriors haven’t done before, I must find a way in and out of Zantron without being discovered and without leaving Karadese or Blay behind. Their sacrifices are not an option.

  Suddenly it comes to me, like a blow to the head. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a shot.

  “Alright, I won’t leave.” I step away from the door, aware that Karadese’s hand rests on the hilt of another dagger. “But you have to hear me out, listen to what I have to say before you shut me down and do something stupid.”

  She narrows her eyes, not ready to trust that I won’t take off and alert everyone of what she’s up to. For a sensible woman, she sure is acting idiotic.

  To defuse her wariness, I open the bag of weapons she’s packed for me and see some leather armour of my own. I start the lengthy process of strapping them onto my body, where we are going, I’m certainly going to need them, and keeping my voice level, I blurt out my own plan, one that’s no less stupid, but might just have a chance of working out.

  “I’ve made you a promise, Karadese, an oath to help you, but you and I
both know that your plan is ludicrous. Veridom and Garvien will never make that deal and stick to it, you know that as well as I do. Once they have you both captive you would have basically handed them the only weapon they need to grant them access onto Prytora,” I pause, watching frustration creep onto her face. She knows I’m right, she’s just too stubborn to admit it.

  “Araton, Calasis, Ellestra and all the people of Prytora will open the Realms borders, willingly let those monsters invade your lands to ensure your safety. They will do exactly what you are trying to do now, only it will be a thousand times worse.”

  “I can find no other way to get Blay back,” she interrupts, sadness filling her voice.

  “What if there is another option? It’s a long shot, but it might just work.”

  She sighs heavily, still unwilling to let her plan go, yet she nods, at least willing to hear me out.

  “From everything I’ve learned about doing a planet jump, all you have to do is visualise the location you want to go. We might not have to know exactly where Blay is, but look at that vision.” I point to the floating mirage still clearly showing Blay’s lifeless body hanging, shackled to the very rocks which cut into his skin.

  “Why can’t we use that image, visualise what we can already see, and hope that it’s enough.”

  Karadese stands unwavering, her eyes scouring the image of Blay while her mind works out the kinks in my theory. She folds her arms across her chest and shakes her head.

  “I highly doubt that it will work. Yes, we can see some of where Blay is being kept, but the details are minuscule, it won’t be enough to open a portal.”

  “We’ve both been on Zantron for far longer than either of us would like. All that’s there is rocks, dust and death. If we use the Eyes image as our main focus and allow the rest to be more of what we know, then it might work.”

  “Rayna, that’s delusional and it’s certainly not safe.”

  “None of this is safe. This is all stupid and beyond our control, but other than me walking out of here and getting guards to stop you, this is the only option I’m willing to take, because I’m sure as hell not going to transport you anywhere just so you can hand yourself over on a silver platter. Kill me if you have to, but if you want my help, this is it.”

  Karadese’s eyes travel across my face, taking in every ounce of determination that is mirrored in her own. Slowly she nods, still not happy with my deal, yet knowing she has no other choice.

  “Alright. We will do it your way. Finish gearing up, where we are going, you will certainly need every weapon you can carry.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “It’s not working,” she huffs behind me, her frustration increasing my anxiety, making it even harder for me to concentrate.

  “Just give me time. I’ve only done a planet jump once before, it’s harder than the Realm teleportation, and with you breathing down my neck it’s certainly not making it any easier.”

  Karadese clicks her tongue, a universal warning that I’ve overstepped my place.

  “Remember who you are speaking to, Rayna.”

  I retort with an exaggerated huff of my own, before once again closing my eyes, letting Blay’s dungeon fill my mind, putting in every little detail I have seen via the vision and filling the rest up with my own memories of Zantron.

  It’s hard to conjure up a deep and lasting image. The pressure of how important that I get this right keeps building up my anxiety and with every detail I add I seem to focus more on Blay’s injuries, which only trickles in the fear that we might already be too late.

  Sweat lines my brow and I angrily wipe it away, trying, once again, to focus through the fear of failure. When I open my eyes I see a portal, though even I know just by looking at the grey shadow in front of us which is nearly transparent, that it’s not safe, it hasn’t connected to Blay’s location.

  When Karadese puts her hand on my shoulder I realise she’s given up.

  “It has the potential to work. It was a good idea, Rayna, but let’s be honest, that portal will not hold up under the pressure of teleportation. If we enter without a secure bond we will both be lost forever.”

  I sigh deeply, not wanting what she says to be true.

  “Now visualise the Zantron base and do it quickly.”

  I spin around, nearly knocking her over in my haste.

  “You still want to go through with your plan? That’s suicide!”

  “It’s my only option, I will do what I must.”

  “No!” I turn back to look at Blay, wanting more than anything for him to give me a sign that he’s still alive, to show me any indication that he is still holding on to the fight inside of himself.

  When his shoulders twitch, moving his head to the side, his eyes opening up to stare into thin air, seeing nothing, but still knowing we are here watching him, my heart soars and an idea springs to life.

  He somehow knows we are here watching him, for some reason I’m unaware of, he can sense us, and if he can sense us, then maybe I can sense him. It’s a long shot, but it’s all I’ve got.

  I close my eyes, no longer needing the visual image to serve its purpose. I imagine Blay, his body clinging to life, his mind holding on, never letting Garvien break him. Every obsidian stone, each rock with its razor-like edge, become crystal clear in my mind and I sink further into the image, breathing in deeply, allowing the scent of sulphur to fill my nose, bringing back each memory and joining it with my connection to Blay.

  With one slow breath, I blow another handful of the teleportation powder into the air, while using every sense I have to colour the bond I’m creating, drawing on all the times I have felt Blay’s presence, had the fear of his Zantronian blood calling to me, the internal warning rushing over me from him being so close. I grab onto that feeling as if it’s a physical entity.

  “Whatever you are doing, keep doing it,” the queen whispers.

  My eyes fly open, expecting to see a fully formed portal, my heart crashes when it’s still not quite complete.

  My energy is being zapped, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, connecting to Blay is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated and if I use up too much more of the teleportation powder there won’t be enough left to make a portal back to Prytora again.

  A stirring inside my chest lets me know I’ve connected to something else, someone else. The sense is so much stronger than what I have with Blay, and even though I don’t want to admit it, I know what I must do to make this work.

  I turn my back on the shadowy portal, my hands shaking so badly I pin them under my armpits. As soon as Karadese sees my solemn expression she knows I’m about to say something she’s not ready to hear.

  “I think…...no I know I can make this portal. I promise I will get you to Blay, but you have to promise me something first.”

  Her face twists with concern, unsure of what I will demand and whether she can accept my stipulation. Ultimately she makes her decision.

  “Whatever you desire, I will grant Rayna, as long as you get me to my son.”

  My shoulders tighten and I swallow forcefully, trying to steady my voice before the truth spills out.

  “There’s no time to explain what’s about to happen, all that you need to know is that I’m about to change into something that is not me. I will do everything in my power to control it. I will try,” my voice falters and I lower my head so she can’t see just how scared I really am.

  She gives me a few moments to collect my thoughts, her hands fluttering in front of her, wanting to hug me to her chest, yet restraining herself, knowing this is her only shot at getting what she so desperately wants.

  Finally, I meet her eye, needing to see that she will keep her promise.

  “I will get you there, Karadese, I promise you that. But once we are there, if I go too far, if I can’t control myself and I become something else entirely, I need you to promise me that you will end it. Take my life. Don’t hesitate. Get Blay out, but please, kill
me quickly and whatever you do, don’t leave me there for Veridom or Garvien.”

  Every fibre of Karadese’s being is shouting out to deny me. To call me ridiculous. To scold me for ever making such dire requests. But something in my expression tells her just how serious I am.

  She doesn’t want to agree, I can see it in her eyes, how they fill with equal amounts of sorrow and acceptance. In the end, the love for her son wins out against any desires to protect me. She nods her head and that’s all I need.

  I smile, a soft, kind twitch of my lips and for a fleeting moment, joy warms my insides. Soon this will all be over. This whole devastating experience will be behind me. I no longer have to dread what tomorrow will bring, as tomorrow may not even come for me anymore, and I’m surprisingly okay with that. If my sacrifice helps save Blay, then that’s worth dying for.

  I glance around the room once more, not finding what it is I need. With my mind full of resolve, I tell Karadese to divide up the last of the powder while I take out my dagger, making my way to the Eidolon Eye activation point.

  I promised that I wouldn’t seek out the guards to inform them of Karadese’s plans, but now things have changed. She will need help from this side if I lose my clutch on reality, and I know Zaneth will get my message.

  He will see the words I now write on the wall, using my own blood as ink. He will do whatever is necessary to get both Karadese and Blay back to Prytora in one piece, and when Karadese ultimately refuses to euthanise me, as I know she will do, then Zaneth will be there to do the job for me. He’s good like that.

  I feel the book digging into my back, firmly trapped under the armour. I’ve run out of time to tell her the truth and I have nowhere to hide it, the last thing I want is for it to fall into the wrong hands. If something happens to me, I’m sure Karadese will find it on my body, and I hope that will be enough for her to realise its importance.

  The wound on my palm has nearly healed when I come to stand beside Karadese once again. She passes me the powder which I tip onto my palm, staring at its magnificent colour as I say one last thing.