Warden (Elemental Paladins Book 1)

by Montana Ash

  “So a Life Warden encompasses every domain?” Shit, Max thought, maybe she was totally badass!

  “Not really. The element of life refers more specifically to humans rather than all things that are alive. It is an element of the body and the spirit. Life Wardens are very empathic. They can see auras, feel pain, and identify illness and weakness. They are renowned healers and are all about balance at their core. Their job is to absorb the pain of the people of the world and to give comfort in return. It is the heaviest burden of all the wardens, which is why they are regarded with such high esteem. It is also why they are the most powerful in their abilities.” Ryker explained, looking serious.

  “What about Bert?” She asked. “He’s not human.”

  Darius frowned, “Who’s Bert?”

  Ryker’s lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile. Boy, he would be even more lethal when he smiled, Max bet. “Bert is a slater bug. That’s the overlap Cali was referring to. He’s not human but he is alive and he does have an aura. As an empathic Life Warden you can’t help but be drawn to him as well. But your influence on him would be nowhere near the calibre of what you could do with a human.”

  Max nodded, feeling conflicted. It made sense but once again she was struck with that feeling of unease, like she was missing something. But she was empathic, they certainly had that right. Looks like she was a Warden of Life. She let herself sink into the soft cushions once again. Finally having a name for what she was after all these years was very liberating. The next step would be to figure out a way to control her abilities so she didn’t feel like warmed up shit all the time and to figure out a way to stop the phantoms from trying to suck out her soul. Maybe she could even get a decent night’s sleep!

  “So what does this all mean?” She asked the room at large, not really sure what to do now. They all seemed on board with her re-education, even Ryker, who had seemed the most suspicious the night before.

  “It means you’re about to be very popular.” Axel enthused, “When the LWC learns who you are, they will be all over you like a rash and unbound paladins will be tripping over their feet to be in your Order.”

  “I assume the term ‘Order’ refers to a group of paladins and a warden?”

  “Yes, an Order is a fellowship of paladins who have been bound to a liege – their warden. They are often as tight-knit as a family. They live together and work together.” Darius continued.

  “So if you’re all an Order, where is your Warden?” Her question was met forcefully with negative shakes of the head and grumbled ‘no’s’. Axel set the record straight by saying;

  “None of us have a warden. We’re all rejects. That’s why we’re all here mooching off Ryker.” He jabbed his thumb in the direction of their designated, but apparently, unofficial leader.

  Cali swung the leg she had crossed over her knee, kicking bad boy Axel in the shin. “Speak for yourself, loser.” She stuck out her tongue to show she was only joking. “We are trainers down at the Lodge. That’s what we call our local recruitment centre. Someone has to teach the newbies.”

  “And the fact that nobody would have any of us in their precious Orders had absolutely nothing to do with it. What is it they say? ‘Those that can’t do, teach’.” Axel clearly wasn’t interested in letting them all off the hook. The words were sarcastic and tinged with resignation. Perhaps this was a common point of contention between them and others in their society.

  Max didn’t care what their reputations were. To her they were heroes, finding her, offering her information and shelter. And to top it all off, they were serious eye candy. She knew Ryker had said that he would teach her earlier that morning, so she figured she had until the end of the day to gather as much information as she could. Now that she knew she responded to all the people out there in the world, she could begin to reconcile why she was so sensitive to pain and fear. It also explained why she always had so many bad dreams – it was her job to heal people from their pain by feeling and taking it into herself. But by the sounds of it she was supposed to replace it with something better. She didn’t know if she had been doing that. Maybe she needed a paladin or two to help her.

  “So I have to make a mini family with some paladins. How do I do that?”

  Lark perched on the arm of her chair, “Usually a warden has a visceral reaction to a paladin, an immediate connection. Their paladin’s presence should comfort, their touch should soothe, and their vitality should replenish. A connection can be manufactured through the bonding process but those Orders are not as cohesive as those with a natural kinship.”

  Max thought back to when she had first seen Lark, Axel and Darius the day before. She had thought they felt familiar to her but she couldn’t figure out why. She also felt like she could trust them and when any of them touched her, including Ryker, she felt a soothing warmth. Was that what they were referring to? If so, why didn’t they feel the connection as well?

  “Usually a warden will form a bond with paladins of their own element, although an Order cannot be made up exclusively of one domain; they must be balanced. But a warden can recharge more efficiently and draw more power from a paladin who shares the same element.” Darius explained unaware of her internal dialogue.

  “Paladins are allied, as you say, to their own element too then?”

  “That’s right.”

  “So what is your element?” She asked Darius.

  He leaned forward and spread his hands out in front of him. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  Max frowned, “Is this a test?”

  “No … well not really. But if you are a Life Warden like we all suspect then you should be able to see our auras and therefore should be able to link us to our elements.”

  “See your auras?”

  “Do you see colours radiating around people or animals or anything living really? Probably around their head or their heart?” The question came from Ryker.

  Max frowned. She saw colours radiating from people almost like a shadow of themselves, full length and human in shape. The colourful doppelganger had threads escaping in hundreds of directions and hundreds of different hues tethering people to other people, places and things. She always assumed it was the connections people made, the energy left behind from their actions as they moved from place to place and formed different relationships. The spectrum of colours she could see far bypassed the normal band of colours that were present in the real world. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that each person had their own unique and identifying colours and that emotions and actions often dictated the variances in the shades she observed. She was pretty adept at reading them now but she didn’t choose to see them all the time – they gave her a migraine and made her go cross-eyed! In fact, she had kept that switch firmly off since she had met the paladins, only peeking at them all once last night to ensure they weren’t chainsaw wielding murderers. She could only assume that was what Ryker was calling auras so she nodded and answered guardedly;

  “I can see colours.”

  “Do you know how to interpret them?” He asked.

  Max shrugged, feeling inexplicably shy. “I guess.”

  “Why don’t you tell us what you see?” Darius invited.

  Max kept her eyes on her fidgeting hands in her lap. “Don’t wanna.”

  “Why not? It doesn’t hurt does it?” Cali asked.

  “No. I just … It just seems rude is all.” A chorus of chuckles met her response and she glared at all of them. The only person to not find her comment amusing was Ryker oddly enough. He was watching her carefully and if she wasn’t mistaken there was now a spark of respect in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. It was almost like he understood where she was coming from. She hated to invade people’s privacy. It just didn’t seem fair that she could peek into a stranger’s body and perhaps see their secrets. It was bad enough that she couldn’t always turn off her empath abilities which meant she could feel their emotions. It was definitely rude.

  “I know it
seems invasive but Darius has given you his permission. Please, tell us your impression.” Ryker bade.

  Max looked at Darius carefully, which really wasn’t a hardship, the man was gorgeous! His hazel eyes were kind and open and he was smiling. She slowly flipped her internal switch and watched as his colourful shadow emerged next to him, it was translucent and Max could see through it to the bookcase beyond but it also had enough form that she could make out its features. They were a mirror to the man himself. Strands of colours threaded their way around the room, connecting him to the other paladins and one very bright golden thread streaked out the window to disappear in the distance over the ocean. His particular shades of threads were mostly muted blues, greys and silver and moved softly in the air as if in a breeze.

  “You’re Air.” She stated simply and with certainty.

  The man grinned like a proud papa and Max couldn’t help but notice how much younger and carefree he looked when his eyes lit up with enthusiasm like that. She had the feeling that he was too often the serious one.

  “What about me?” Cali asked, her head tilted to the side so that her straight golden hair fell like a waterfall off to the side. Sighing, Max focused her eyes. The woman’s strands were a mixture of cool tones – hues of baby blues darkening through to navy. Her shadow-self seemed to float and move as if under water, light and buoyant. The woman also had a swimmer’s physique with long, lean toned limbs and her skin was tanned to an even summer glow.

  “Water.”

  “Two for two.” Cali smiled. ‘Your domain is definitely life. Your connection is to people.”

  Lark jumped up and raised his hand, “Do me, do me!”

  “That’s what he said.” Max was startled when she and Cali spoke at the exact same time. They grinned at each other and Max couldn’t help but feel that sense of familiarity again. Odd. Very odd.

  “What about me? Huh, Max?” Lark was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, the man seemed to have a boundless supply of energy. And he was always happy. It sort of creeped her out because she thought perpetual happiness was just unnatural but he was too charming and nice to be creepy. Max peered into his green eyes for a moment and swore she could almost feel the floor undulate beneath her feet. He was all greens, browns and tans and his ghostly visage pulsed like a heartbeat. Like the heartbeat of the earth perhaps? He certainly came across as easy going and down to earth … and he smelled good, like fresh green grass.

  “Earth.”

  Lark clapped, “Now do Beyden.”

  “My pleasure.” She purred at the broad shouldered man with the tawny eyes. He blushed and Max wanted to put him in her back pocket and keep him. His threads reached far and wide and were thinner than the others. They were yellow and orange and pink and made her think of a tequila sunrise. The impression she got from him was more noise than smell or sense. It was like she could see a constant hum of sound surrounding his double and it flickered quickly in and out like humming bird wings. His domain must be a busy one, she thought, lots of creatures big and small. He was associated with the beasts.

  “Dr Dolittle.” He laughed and Max was glad she hadn’t offended the gentle giant.

  Axel was ranged in the armchair across from her, seemingly bored with the game but he did raise his eyebrows in silent challenge. His grin was wicked and he blew her a kiss. Oh, he was so naughty, this one was. Max opened her senses once more and was immediately struck by a wall of heat. It wasn’t scalding but was a little too warm to be comfortable for long. As expected he was red and orange and even black here and there. His form shifted and danced like a flame caught in a draught. No wonder he was so hot blooded, Max thought, he was fire.

  She decided to blow a kiss back, “You’re hot stuff!” Axel saluted her in appreciation. Now for the proverbial elephant in the room. Was Max supposed to ask Ryker if she could read him too or were they all just supposed to pretend he wasn’t there? She was very surprised when he broke the awkward silence by saying gruffly;

  “Go ahead.”

  She would have been lying if she said she wasn’t curious so she opened herself up one last time … and was glad she was sitting down. He was absolutely beautiful. He was all light and bright – lilacs, purples and whites. The colours radiated out from him luminously in total disregard of any semblance to order. It was like they just couldn’t be contained, like they were too joyous to be confined and they would do as they pleased. His doppelganger stood just as tall and just as straight as the man but where the flesh and blood version was stoic and cold, the translucent version felt festive and warm and it’s energy practically leaped toward her in delight. You could have knocked her over with a feather. Not in a million years would she have associated the dour hard-arse with life itself, death maybe, but not life.

  “Something wrong?” He looked smug, conceited and superior all at once. He loved that she was flabbergasted, well she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

  “Life calls to you.” She stated and shrugged negligently, “I’m not surprised, it really suits you. You’re so warm and compassionate and mild mannered. From the moment I met you I thought ‘now here is a man who visits nursing homes and cuddles new born babies’. I always trust my instincts.”

  This produced a round of ribbing and jibes from the peanut gallery, Ryker’s trademark scowl still firmly in place. Max cast her eyes around the room once more. “Earth, air, fire, water, humans and animals. Where’s Death? Still sleeping?” She asked jokingly.

  “Diana isn’t here at the moment. Although she’s a trainer like us, she also has other duties so she comes and goes as she pleases.” Beyden replied casually.

  “Oh, I was only joking. There really is a paladin allied to death living here too?” She received numerous nods. “So you are all from different domains. Is that normal? Seems like a fairly big coincidence …”

  “It’s not common, no. But we are not a normal group of paladins.”

  She opened her mouth to delve into that subject deeper only to be cut off by Darius as he continued, “I think that’s enough for the moment. We don’t want to overload you. Why don’t you take a break, maybe eat some lunch and we can talk more later, hmm?”

  “But I have so many more questions! And breakfast was like half an hour ago.” Max pointed out.

  “Yes. I also have so many more questions.” Ryker eyed Darius austerely.

  Darius paid him no heed and Max realised they must be very used to each other and had likely been friends for a long time. Darius persisted, “They can wait. We’re not going anywhere and neither are you. Besides, breakfast was almost three hours ago.”

  Max’s stomach chose that moment to growl as if siding with the brown haired soldier. She hadn’t really eaten much given she had been too busy being insulted. Still, she wasn’t that faint from hunger that she hadn’t caught what Darius had said, “What do you mean I’m not going anywhere? I said one night. It’s been one night. I’m grateful for the information and maybe you could introduce me to some others like me? But I really need to be moving on.”

  “Consider our minds changed. You will stay here as our guest.” Ryker commanded. Before she could object, rather vocally, Ryker strode over until he stood in front of her. “You need to learn control. You need to learn to shield yourself from your natural enemies. And you need to learn how to renew your energy the way you were born to. We can help you … if you let us.”

  Max really, really wanted to let them but she was still scared to stay in the one place for too long. On the other hand, they were knights so who better to protect her if the phantoms did find her? A few days, maybe even a week and she could rest and be fully rejuvenated, armed with all the knowledge she would need. Perhaps she could even access her bank accounts and buy some new clothes, some new supplies. She might even be able to get some writing and drawing in. It was all so tempting.

  “Max? Remember those instincts?” Cali coaxed.

  Max nodded and the room seemed to exhale in relief. �
�Do you have any chocolate?” She asked.

  TWELVE

  Ryker didn’t bother wrapping a towel around himself after he finished his cold shower. He was trying to use negative reinforcement to teach his stupid dick not to respond every time Max was in his vicinity. The chilly water had the desired effect and he was now hunting up a clean pair of khakis to wear to the Lodge. He hadn’t been there in three days due to their guest and he really needed to spend some time there today to catch up on things. He had put everyone on a rotation so at least two of them were here at the same time rather than all of them being at the Lodge.

  The past two weeks had been a trial in patience and fortitude for Ryker. The warden was proving to be a fun, sexy, delightful addition to the camp and he knew he wasn’t the only one who thought so. He had watched as the others grew more and more attached to the woman; she and Cali were practically inseparable, with Cali offering her clothes and scented lotions and all other kinds of girly crap that made a woman look and smell amazing. Max had been incredulous when Cali had first offered her the use of her wardrobe, ‘I’ll look like a kid playing dress ups!’ she had exclaimed. Ryker chuckled at the memory – she had been absolutely correct. The clothes of the tall knight had to be rolled and tied in order for the short warden to even walk successfully, but damn if she didn’t pull the look off.

  Lark was in geek-book-buddy heaven! Turned out Max was a published author of a popular graphic novel series. Something to do with demons and an angel assassin or something. She had asked about borrowing a computer to access her bank accounts, get in contact with her publisher and maybe order in some supplies so she could do some work. She had explained that she was a graphic novelist but hadn’t been able to work for months thanks to the chades. Thankfully Darius had been the one to make the mistake of responding; ‘you write comic books?’ Her light eyes had darkened in a death glare that should have flayed the skin from his bones, ‘They are not comic books. They are graphic novels!’ Apparently there was a big difference.