Paladin (Book Two of the Elemental Paladins series)

by Montana Ash

  Looking around, Diana saw that the others had noticed the amazing display too. They were watching the metamorphosis with awed eyes and shaking heads. It was a powerful display of a guardian of nature at work … and Max wasn’t even trying. In fact, Diana would bet that she didn’t even know what was happening. When they had first met her, she had been leaking out energy like this from her very pores, so maybe she was used to such things. And although she was definitely filtering out power at the moment, this was somehow different. Diana didn’t sense a drain in her vitality like she was losing it. It was more of a sharing she supposed. Even among their most powerful wardens, Diana had never seen such beauty created with such ease.

  “They’re not going to believe us – the IDC, I mean.” Axel said.

  Diana grunted and looked him in the eye, “I’m more worried that they will.”

  Axel frowned but before he could question her, a sudden chill in the air had them spinning to eye the trees surrounding the park. The park backed onto a large nature reserve and was rather remote, a little off the main highway between the city and their camp, about forty minutes from home. Max abruptly stopped swinging, jumping off when she was high in the air. She landed gracefully and said one word;

  “Phantoms.”

  “Chades.” Darius corrected automatically before processing what the one word meant. When he did however, Diana saw his whole demeanour change. He went from a courteous gentleman of old, to a battle-hardened warrior. The only time Diana ever saw Darius show even a modicum of loss of control was during battle with the chades. Oh, he was never unprofessional and always aware of his surroundings and fellow paladins, but he always seemed to … unleash when he fought the ghastly spectres. Back in the Crusades, he hadn’t been that way, but now he had a personal vendetta to reconcile – one that was impossible to do – and Diana was worried the hatred was eating him alive. If only she could talk to him, like really talk to him. Unfortunately, such an act was impossible, given the attraction between them and the fact that they both desperately fought to ignore it. They were friends of a sort and comrades in arms, but confidants they were not. Which was a real shame, for she wanted nothing more than to help soothe his fears and ease his pain. And if that led to the soothing and easing of other things, then more the better, Diana thought. But alas, that was not likely given her vow to herself and his strict adherence to the rules. And now was surely not the time to be contemplating such things given the beautiful sunset was fading to a bleak grey and the wind was now biting in its intensity.

  Inky black fingers stretched outward from the tree line and Diana shivered in the moment where shadows became pale imitations of men. The transformation from shadow to solid always perplexed Diana. Because of her affiliation with the element of death, she could easily sense death or those near the brink. The chades weren’t dead but they didn’t feel alive either. In fact, they didn’t really feel like anything – other than creepy of course. It was almost as if they were a void or an abyss. They just felt like … nothing. They were neither spirit nor man which meant she had no idea where they resided when they weren’t attacking and no idea how they managed to transform from nothing to something. She knew such answers had alluded their leaders for centuries also.

  As four skinny, pale chades with stringy black hair began to inch their way toward them in an almost graceful glide, Ryker ordered grimly; “Max! Stay with Cali and Beyden. The rest of you – standard offensive positions.”

  “I can fight!” Max stated, her tanto sword already in her hand.

  Ryker spared her a glance, “Do as I say, Max. Please. There is a reason why paladins and their lieges are not supposed to form an intimate relationship. It’s a distraction. Please don’t distract me.”

  Diana saw that Max was torn. The woman had been taking care of herself for years and had fought the chades – and won – on many occasions. It also wasn’t in her nature to be idle when a threat was imminent. But she clearly didn’t want to upset her partner and Diana was relieved when she bobbed her head, allowing Cali and Beyden to box her in protectively.

  When Diana glanced back, she saw that the advancing chades had covered a lot of ground and were almost in striking range. But they didn’t attack, instead they were eyeing Max with their cold, dead eyes like she was the main course at a banquet. Darius was the first to break ranks, launching his sickle at the closest one. His aim was true and the steel lodged with a dull thunk in the pitiful creature’s chest. It stumbled back a step but didn’t go down. It didn’t bleed or scream or yell or do anything that showed it could feel pain. Somehow though, its eyes took on a sheen of hurt and disappointment and its mouth gaped open unnaturally wide as it suddenly charged forward, sickle still in place. Diana took a precious second to watch as Darius’s lips quirked in satisfaction and his eyes shined, fevered for the fight to come.

  The charging chade seemed to awaken some emotion in the others for they all advanced swiftly, one of them pinning accusing eyes on Diana.

  They don’t feel, Diana assured herself; they don’t feel, they don’t bleed, they don’t stop, and they chose to lose their humanity, she repeated to herself, swinging the sickle in her left arm while blocking a blow with her right. No matter how many times she fought them, she could never quite lose the small spark of pity she felt. A triumphant whoop accompanied by a whoosh of flame demonstrated that Darius had no such reservations. He had dispatched his chade, who had clearly once been a Fire Warden. Hearing a rush of air, Diana ducked just in time to avoid a swipe with those poison-tipped nails of theirs. Going low, she made two deep cuts in quick succession along the creature’s upper thighs. It wobbled but didn’t go down and Diana saw Lark move quickly, his blade slashing in a downward arc, effectively removing the head. She couldn’t help cringing as the chade appeared to disintegrate before her very eyes, dissolving into millions of droplets of water, spattering the earth with wetness. This pathetic being had once been a Water Warden, she thought.

  Moving quickly, she saw Ryker and Axel had another well in hand and it would be dispatched within moments. That only left one. It had stayed back somewhat, eyeing the spectacle impassively but as she watched, Diana saw it lift its head and sniff the air. She shuddered; it was just creepy, especially because she knew it was sniffing out Max like she was game.

  “No bloody way.” She muttered, bringing up her sickle once more in order to launch it as the thing started to move.

  “No!” Max yelled, “Not that one!” The command in her voice was so strident, Diana felt her sickle falter and point uselessly to the ground. The chade kept moving forward, eyes locked on Max, but Diana’s hand felt frozen and she couldn’t raise her sickle to stop the chades progression. She could hear yelling and knew the others were warning her, trying to get her to move. Pounding feet accompanied the arrival of Darius. His shirt was partially singed and a lot holey now and she knew he must have been damn close to the chade when it had erupted into flames. The burnt shirt was sticking to his heavy chest, outlining every hard muscle on his torso. Despite the dire circumstances, she couldn’t help the way her heart jumped and her adrenal glands chimed in with an extra little push of adrenaline. The man was so damn fine.

  Raising his sickle aggressively, she watched as the remaining light glinted off the metal. The chade didn’t seem to notice, its black eyes focused purely on Max behind her, like it was determined to reach her. No way was that happening, no matter what the hell Max was thinking, freezing her like she was. As Darius swung, Max shouted again;

  “I said, no!” This time, the force of her voice was echoed by the force in her power and Diana watched in shock as Darius found himself flung backwards, landing heavily on the hard ground.

  “Max! What the fuck?!” Ryker’s voice was a mixture of bewilderment and anger as he also began to run in their direction.

  Completely ignoring everyone, Max moved quickly to Diana’s side. So quickly, in fact, it didn’t look like she had even moved her feet. She looked directly at the cha
de and said one word;

  “Go.”

  Diana felt a burst of hysterical laughter bubble up. Max was treating the chade like it was a mischievous puppy … and she was going to get herself killed. “Go, now.” Max repeated quietly, in direct contrast with the mayhem around her.

  And then Diana witnessed something she never could have imagined. The chade stopped and tilted its head as if it were listening. It’s dull, onyx eyes never changed but it did close its misshapen, elongated mouth. It then seemed to crumple in on itself, before whisking away within the trees, apparently being absorbed by the dense shadows. And just like that, the meagre sun was resurrected again and the wind stopped its mad whipping. Max let out a sigh and suddenly Diana could raise her hand again. She was very tempted to use it to tan Max’s hide.

  What the hell was that all about?

  SEVEN

  Back at the camp, Darius didn’t bother wasting time on pleasantries; “You had better tell us what you were doing back there, Max. You’re bleeding heart has no place on the battlefield!” He knew his voice portrayed exactly how angry he was. She had knocked him on his butt! With no more than a thought, Max had laid him out flat, his arse still hurt and he wouldn’t be surprised if his tail bone was bruised clear to the marrow. Not only had she flung him aside, which had the added benefit of bruising his ego, but she had placed herself and the rest of the Order in mortal jeopardy. Unacceptable.

  “Be careful how you speak to me, Darius.” Her voice was chilling – the ice queen was making an appearance. “You had better tell me more about the chades. What exactly are they? They’re not just a balancing presence in the world like you told me six weeks ago.” It wasn’t an accusation or a question, but a statement; she knew there was more to it. Well, Darius didn’t rightly care at the moment. She had chosen one of those foul creatures over him. Okay, perhaps that was a slight over-exaggeration, but right now he felt as though Max had hurt him in order to save a chade – his personal nemesis.

  “Now is not the time for a tutorial. What you did was unacceptable! It was reckless and stupid and naïve and everything else you can think of.” He spouted. “Fuck! What the hell, Max?!” He knew all eyes were on him, and given that he never cursed, he was sure they were all enjoying the show. Well, let them enjoy it. Darius was beyond caring.

  “Watch it, Darius.” Ryker rumbled,

  “You can’t possibly be okay with this?! Ryker, she just let a chade go! She put herself and everyone else in jeopardy over a chade!”

  Ryker scowled fiercely and if his scar would have still been present, Darius knew it would have been pulling taut. “I am most definitely not okay with the situation. But watch your mouth.” His brown-eyed stare pinned him in place before he turned that look on Max. “What the fuck was that, Max?”

  Max didn’t even have the decency to look contrite, nor did she make any attempt to answer the Captain of her Order. “They are Wardens, aren’t they?” She asked instead.

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Diana answered in the affirmative at the same moment as his vehement denial. He glared in her direction. “No.” He repeated, more firmly.

  “I can see a lie, Darius – taste it too. And you taste very bitter right now, doesn’t he Ryker?” Max turned to Ryker. Not only should Ryker be able to feel what Max was feeling through the bond, he was also quite empathic himself, given he was a paladin of life. He looked torn, wanting to discipline Max but also obey her at the same time. But in the end, Max was his liege and lover; Darius didn’t stand a chance.

  “Yes. They were once wardens. But Max, you –” He managed to grind out before Max interrupted.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? Why would you deliberately keep this from me?” She interrupted, her words lashing hotly in the air.

  Ryker was pacing, tugging futilely on the long strands of his messy hair. “I wasn’t deliberately keeping this from you. I didn’t want to overwhelm you when you first arrived. Your powers were so unstable and I was worried how you would react if you knew what happened to wardens who can’t control their powers.” He explained.

  “And I suppose there has been no opportunity since then to fix this oversight?” She questioned, archly.

  “Max …” Ryker looked pained but also frustrated with Max’s attitude.

  The lady of the house waved her hand impatiently in the air. “Forget about that for now.” She turned to Beyden of all people, “They were once like normal wardens but something went wrong with their powers?” She asked.

  Beyden looked startled that she would single him out regarding such an important question, but he rallied and answered her promptly, “Yes. The allure of power can be too much for some and they begin to take too much vitality from their paladins. The more they take, the more they need to sustain all that extra power. In the end, no amount of energy sustains them anymore and they become chades.”

  “They then seek out and hunt down wardens, draining them of their vitality and leaving them nothing more than wizened shells.” Darius pointed out, furiously, not wanting the conversation to get side-tracked.

  “But they don’t seek out paladins? The original and natural source of energy for wardens. Why wardens and not paladins?” Max questioned Beyden again, seemingly more interested in asking irrelevant questions rather than accepting any responsibility for her earlier actions.

  “They are evil, Max; disloyal, traitorous and vile. They choose power over their birthright, over their blooded duty and responsibilities. They no longer care about the Earth, about nature or their domains. They choose to exploit what the Great Mother gifted to them. Who the fuck knows why they do what they do!” He shouted into the obnoxiously quiet room. Darius felt like the skin on his head was shrinking – his brain felt far too tight, like it was going to explode. Why was no-one else taking this situation seriously?

  *****

  Wow. Diana thought. Two fucks in as many minutes when she hadn’t heard him use that word once in twenty years. If that wasn’t telling enough, Darius’s voice was low and filled with hate. There was no hiding his personal animosity towards the most shameful aspect of their society.

  “Although, what Darius said is all true,” Beyden began, casting a concerned look at his fellow knights, “there is more to it than that. They seek out and hunt for what is lacking in them; vitality. Wardens are charged with that special energy, even though they can’t produce it. They are the biggest energy source around, hence, the chades are drawn to them.” Beyden explained patiently. Max had intuitively chosen the only other paladin in the room other than Darius who was the most knowledgeable in the area, given that his sister was a Ranger.

  “They suck the life out of their fellow wardens, Max. They poison paladins with their noxious claws, incapacitating them so they can’t defend their liege. Then suck their wardens dry. They are abominations.” Darius’s jaw was clenched so tightly Diana was afraid he would grind his teeth to sawdust.

  Max roved her eyes between Ryker and herself and Diana felt a query through the bond for the first time. Sure, there was almost a constant flow of sensations since Max had branded her with her Heraldry, but it was very inconsistent and non-specific. This was a clear question and although she couldn’t make out actual words, Diana understood what she was asking. Why was Darius so bitter? Diana and Ryker had every reason to despise the chades – they had lost their liege’s in the Great Massacre to the chades and Ryker had lost his entire Order, but they weren’t as hate-filled as Darius. Six weeks ago Ryker probably would have been spouting the same disgust and abuse, but they all knew Max had healed more than just their Captain’s face. Maybe she could help Darius too. Diana hoped so. It was hard to see her strong, noble warrior so consumed with anger – even if he did have his reasons.

  “So they stop being able to recharge their vitality … they must be starving!” Max muttered, almost to herself, rubbing her arms.

  “What nonsense!” Darius spat, and Diana felt the ripple of unease
work its way through the bonded paladins. Cali straightened in her chair, Lark actually lifted his lip in a silent snarl and Ryker seemed to grow larger, placing both hands on Max’s shoulders, his glare formidable. Even she found herself fighting the need to bitch-slap him. Max was her bonded liege and Darius was being aggressive. “What were you thinking? You let that animal go! And now it’s out there doing who knows what – likely killing wardens and paladins! It’s what they do!”

  Max was oddly calm, apparently not responding to Darius’s anger and accusations. She was frowning in a contemplative way, obviously mulling over the revelations and Darius’s reactions. When she spoke, it was in a calm, reasonable tone;

  “They’re not animals, Darius. They are Wardens.”

  The quiet words landed in the room with the impact of an atomic bomb – like all the air was sucked out. Diana felt the bottom of her stomach drop out, like when you went down the big dip on a rollercoaster. She felt the sensation sweep through their Order, even to Axel, Beyden and Darius, who were not yet bound. Surely Max wasn’t implying that they were good? That they were anything but the scourge of society? She was grossly misguided and her interpretation of what they had just explained to her was way off course! But then, what was with the dippy feeling in their stomachs? Like a veritable truth had hit too close to home.

  “They are not wardens, Max.” This time it was Ryker who responded, and although his tone was even, it was also very firm, brooking no argument.

  Max raised an eyebrow, “Of course they are. You just said so. Not a normal warden, sure. But a warden nonetheless.”