The Paladin Archives Book Two The Withering Falseblade

by Jason Psilopoulos

  “No amount of self-head slapping is going to change what happened. You still saved her life. That counts, right?" Marcus shrugged.

  “Doesn’t make me feel any better about it,” he said with a shake of his head. “With everything that’s been going on, you’d think I would’ve seen through Darius and his facade. It’s Meridian City all over again.” Ian watched Marcus as he rubbed his face. “Am I just incapable of seeing trouble before it’s at my throat?” He didn’t make a move.

  “I think you’re doing fine Marcus.” Marcus looked up at him, thankful for an encouraging word. “Life’s just hard sometimes. We've all had a really, really long week.” With that, Ian walked out, leaving Marcus with his thoughts and feelings. Marcus sat for a long moment, trying not to blame himself. He knelt down and gave a small prayer, making sure to say a thank you for his pupil.

  After a sustained solo exercise, Marcus grabbed a shower and headed back to the hospital for his nightly vigil. It wasn’t the most fun thing he did. But he was going to stay by Rebekah’s side. He wanted to be the first thing she saw when she awoke.

  The business of life for Marcus was becoming a little more burdensome of late. He'd been rolling through the last two days like a zombie, almost unconscious of it all. His class was becoming harder to concentrate on, and his attempt to reason out what the next move by the Innova would be was suffering. Darius’s attack on Rebekah made no sense. They needed her alive. And since Darius wasn’t talking, it was all Marcus could do not to resort to wild speculation.

  He’d been very careful to keep Darius’s capture quiet. With all the press on campus, the word that a Dread Paladin attacking Rebekah and then being held in the detention center would certainly incite a lot of questions and debate over the man’s rights. Darius had assaulted them all. But Marcus had very little proof. Sage had mentioned that he could handle the evidence and a whole lot more, but Marcus refused. Sage needed to focus on what he was doing. Besides, he wasn't inclined to trust Sage's help just yet. Sage had insisted on looking over some of the evidence they had. He was scheduled to give him a report in a few days.

  Marcus just couldn’t see what he knew was right in front of his face. And that frustrated him. Darius was obviously meant to attack Rebekah. And the Silent Knife operative was obviously sent to secure both the Falseblade and Ian. Moves were being made that Marcus could not seem to place. Whatever the Dreads were doing, it was starting to take a brazen turn. The lack of subtlety in these actions was frightening.

  Just the idea that Manticores were on the campus without notice was disturbing. And if they, being the bearers of the different sorceries of Althea, could pass a thousand paladins without notice, then even the lowliest of them could walk the streets of the campus with impunity. It was terrifying.

  Marcus left the elevator and headed without a word to Rebekah’s room. The orderlies and nurses paid him little attention this time. He’d been coming for a few days regularly, so his presence wasn’t a surprise. Marcus weaved through a few knots of people in the hallway and opened the door without any hesitation.

  “Marcus?” a voice asked. Marcus stepped inside, not immediately recognizing the person. He pulled back the curtain and saw Jennifer sitting in the chair that he had frequented. She didn’t look very chipper today. In fact, she seemed a little drawn out.

  “Come to smother my girlfriend?” Marcus said coldly. Jennifer’s face looked shocked.

  “Why would I do something like that?” she asked with a little bit of a growl. Marcus folded his arms slowly.

  “It’s been a long few days and I’m having trust issues lately Jen. No one seems to be what they say they are. Now what are you doing here?” Jennifer didn’t seem all that deterred by Marcus’s blunt speech. She looked back at Rebekah in glum silence for a moment. She almost didn't want to speak.

  “I had a follow-up with the doctors after the attack on the beach. Thought I’d pay my respects.” Marcus nodded, but didn’t move any further into the room. That old nostalgia began to surface again. He didn’t want that feeling to reassert itself. Instead, he grew very still.

  “Thanks,” Marcus said dryly. Jennifer remained seated, leaning back a little.

  “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Marcus made no move to say anything. Jennifer took that to mean she still had the floor. “I’m actually relieved you showed up. I wanted to tell you something.” Marcus held firm where he was.

  “Go ahead,” he droned.

  “This is partly my fault,” she began. “I sent my PR team out to Norik to find some dirt on Rebekah. They found out about her trainer and I had them feed that information to Mister March. He used it to get her off the campus. I didn’t think she’d end up like this.” Jennifer grew very quiet, looking at Rebekah with a strange calm that Marcus had not seen between them. “I just wanted to get her away so you and I could have some time. I just wanted her to leave.” Marcus felt his muscles relax a little. He stayed in his stiff posture, but he felt his anger slip away.

  "March killed Highmaster Troius. It’s not your fault Jen. You just played into his hands." Jennifer looked surprised for a moment, but said nothing. "This is the danger of doing the right thing.” Jennifer looked up with a questioning eye.

  “Then why do it at all?” Marcus grimaced.

  “I think you know the answer to that already Jen.” Jennifer shrunk in the chair, and then stood, not looking away from Rebekah’s face.

  "Sleep well, my friend." She leaned down, kissed the Norik princess on the forehead and headed for the door.

  “I’m sorry Marcus. I’ll leave you two alone.” Jennifer didn’t wait for a response. The door closed quietly, and Marcus let his guard drop. He set himself in the chair and took Rebekah’s hand gingerly.

  “Hey Trouble. Sorry I’m late.” The room was quiet, almost thunderous in its silence. Marcus sat very still for a long time, feeling the pulse in Rebekah’s fingers. Her steady, simple heartbeat.

  “I’m not sure what to say right now,” Marcus said finally, taking in a long, stiff breath. Rebekah did not stir. “Seems to be a problem of mine. I just can’t seem to find a way to say what I really want to. So, I end up saying something wrong, or standing there like a dummy with my mouth hanging open.” Marcus shook his head. “Maybe I’m just too cautious. Trying to protect myself instead of doing what I know is right.” A chuckle escaped his lips. “It’s funny. I don’t have any problem doing the right thing when it helps others. But it’s like I have a block of some kind when it comes to being happy. I’m afraid to choose my own happiness. I’m actually afraid to be happy.” It was a long moment as Marcus mulled that over. Afraid to be happy.

  “You know what’s strange about all this? I’m actually more at ease when things are awful. Like I’m comfortable with trials and tribulations. Isn’t that strange? Like being happy is so alien that it’s almost painful.” Another long moment went by as Marcus listened to the droning sound of the heart monitor again. “I want to say it to you, and I want you to hear it. But I guess this will have to do again.” He paused for a breath. “Back when we were sixteen, when we fell asleep in the archive room together, I woke up at one point in the night. I could smell your hair. It was a sweet smell.” Marcus stopped again and frowned. “I said I loved you that night. You didn’t hear it. Then suddenly you were leaving and everything was crazy. I watched you ride that old horse of yours back to Norik. All the time I was thinking I should get on Peracles and chase you down. I imagined it like one of those old films, with a symphony and all that. I actually started packing a bag when Jacob caught me. We had an argument and I hit him.” The moment had gotten very serious. Marcus cleared his throat softly.

  “Jake just nodded and looked me in the eyes. He lowered his voice and said something I’ve never forgotten. He said ‘Marcus, someday, this will be okay. When you can say it, you will mean it.’ I do mean it. I love you. And I will always.” Marcus didn’t say another word after that. He leaned in and kissed Rebekah’s hand, setting his he
ad down on the bed. He was tired. He needed a bit of rest. He needed some time down.

  He slept.

  Uther opened the door to Rebekah’s room and saw Marcus sleeping there. He was careful not to disturb him as he closed the entrance. The room was dark, and the monitors droned on a dull beep, keeping every vital reading they could measure stored in their memory cells. Uther understood why nobody liked hospitals.

  He’d come with intentions of visiting Rebekah privately. Uther hadn’t had the chance to, and he thought that maybe his abilities as an empath could help bring Rebekah back to consciousness. The last time he’d been here, Mary, Jack and Ellis were with him. There hadn’t been an opportunity then. And there still wasn’t. With Marcus in the room, it would be too difficult to do privately. Marcus wouldn’t allow that kind of use of his gifts. He would call it reckless.

  Uther wasn’t certain, but there was a danger to him in this. His empathic powers were extensive, but they took their toll at times. He felt everything that others felt. He knew their pain and experienced every bit of anguish and agony. It was possible that Uther could be in real danger physical trying to help Rebekah. The damage to her body was severe. Uther could feel her struggling with the pain, even in her comatose state.

  But Uther could feel something else in the room. Something about the sleeping mind of his teacher was interesting. He could see just a little bit of a struggle in Marcus’s face as he dreamed. It was the first time he’d seen Marcus unconscious. As he watched him, Uther remembered the vision they shared.

  Uther made a decision. He sat himself on the floor and prepared. He hadn’t ever done anything like this. But he could feel it inside that it was possible. The elders in his tribe spoke of the connections all people shared in dreams. He had theorized in his studies that he could insert himself into a dream if the need arose. That he could make himself into a passive observer within the dream. The elders of the Un’Hok Tol had been adamant that doing so was a violation of the sacred nature of dreams, but Uther was not about to let that stop him. This was too important.

  It wasn't that Uther needed to see Marcus’s dreams at the moment. It was curiosity that sat upon him. He wasn’t intending to be intrusive, but his own meditations had yielded very little of late. He needed a fresh look. He needed to see what Marcus saw. Uther knew that Marcus had a new perspective on the dream that he would have to see eventually. Now seemed as good a time as any. But how to do it. He needed to focus. He needed to concentrate.

  Uther’s breathing slowed, until he could barely feel his body moving at all. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, slower and slower, but louder as he began to reach outward, grasping gently at the impressions he was getting from the young paladin. Uther could feel the world around him warp and twist, the substance of reality giving way to the world of thought. He did not open his eyes, yet he could see and feel everything around him. The thunder of his heart slowed and dimmed until he could hear nothing at all. It was dark, without even the faintest wisp light or sound for several moments. The entire of reality was gone now, replaced with emptiness. It made Uther wonder if he’d arrived at the end of the dream rather than at the beginning. He wasn’t sure how this all worked. Were dreams linear? Did they move in timetables, like a passing train?

  A ribbon of red light streaked past Uther, followed by a stream of blue. Each color rattled the foundations of Uther’s mind. It wasn’t painful, but he could feel the sudden presence of another with him. Marcus's extremely formidable will was very much in evidence. Uther knew now that he was within a corridor between himself and Marcus. That the emptiness was the space between their minds. The colors came faster and harder, until there was nothing but a rush of white light and sound. The world shuddered and shook until sound opened up finally with a thunderous snap. The world grew dark again, and Uther saw flashes in the distance.

  He walked across the mind-scape for what felt like an eternity. He looked back behind him, only to find the ground hadn’t changed. He had walked for a few scant meters. There was a sudden rush of movement, as though the world had shifted abruptly on its axis. When he looked forward again, the flashes were all around him. He blinked at their brightness, stunned by how intense they were.

  “This isn’t your place,” Marcus said next to Uther. He wasn’t looking at him. Uther wasn’t sure if he was actually speaking to him, or if this was a part of the dream. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  Uther looked at his surroundings. Marcus was beside him, with Rebekah nearby. In front of Marcus was Jennifer Burton, that winning smile on her face. Uther walked around the scene as it unfolded. He had seen this at a distance, when it had happened, but he had not understood it. Rebekah was here, but her face seemed to twitch and fizzle, like a bad monitor transmission. Marcus was here, his entire body frozen in confusion. But both of them were here solidly. Jennifer Burton was different. Her words were not what her lips said. She seemed out of sync.

  "I will take advantage Marcus. Be on your guard." Marcus looked straight ahead as Jennifer spoke. Uther stepped around beside them. He blinked a few times to make sure what he was seeing was correctly. The front of Jennifer Burton, all the parts that Marcus could see were all vivid and bright. But the rest of her was missing. She had a full head of hair it seemed, but not a full head. Behind her was a void of darkness, without form or feeling. There wasn’t even a back to the front she had. All of it was null space. An open hole in reality that needed filling.

  In a snap of raw sound, the scene was changed. Uther turned and found himself standing in a great stone corridor, with a thousand voices all crying out at once. It was deafening. Uther felt himself cover his ears, but the sound did not change. The walls shook with the intensity of the din as a thousand men charged forward, their weapons raised into the air. Marcus looked panicked as the corridor began to darken.

  Everyone that Marcus knew was there. All of them were in full form this time, including Jennifer. Marching up before them was the shadow of an army, unyielding and cold, the sound of their footfalls reverberating off the high stone walls. Marcus turned to Ian, who was beside Aiko. Ian blurted out a dozen gibberish numbers.

  The army arrived almost as suddenly as they’d been conceived. Ian and Aiko both fought, only to disappear a moment later. Donavan was struck down by a hail of his own ammunition. Sage fell in cries of terror as a Dread Paladin grabbed him by the face and began to squeeze the life from him. The elven engineer withered to dust and blew away on the wind.

  Jennifer was carried off without so much as a fight. Her skin blackened and cracked, great fountains of light peaking from beneath the darkened flesh. She made no sound, and could only stare blankly as the world collapsed into chaos. In the dying light, Uther could have sworn he saw her sprouting dark, leathery wings.

  Jacob Raven fell after a thousand fatal wounds were laid in him. But not before tens of thousands of Innova were felled by his blade. Jack and Mary were lost in all the insanity, running in circles until Uther could no longer see them. Mary kept crying and screaming, the only evidence left that she was still there. And Ellis kept pulling off his right hand, tossing the extremity aside before reaching down and grabbing another one. His hand kept coming back. He was frantically trying to get rid of that hand, finally disappearing into a mountain of hands.

  The last to fall was Rebekah. A Dread paladin blade landed in her midsection. Marcus turned in what Uther knew must be horror as the blade pulled through her. She fell in pieces to the earth, unmoving. Uther looked about. He didn't see himself anywhere. The horror of the battle was so complete, and yet, he was not a part of it. That’s when everything suddenly came to a halt. The only things moving now were Marcus, frantically trying to make his legs work, and the towering figure in the blackest armor, advancing on him with painful deliberateness.

  “So little time Marcus.” Marcus fought to pull his blade from the scabbard, but it seemed almost welded in place. “It’ll all be over soon.” Uther watched the armored man raise his blad
e in preparation to strike. Marcus’s face froze with fear.

  “I don’t have the answer yet. I need help,” Marcus’s voice cried out from everywhere. The armored man held his blade high above his head, the remaining light twinkling off the tip.

  “Trust the boy.” Marcus looked around and Uther followed his gaze. In the corner of the room, inside a column of light and air was Uther, standing tall and straight, holding desperately to something. Uther was surprised to see it in such detail. His hair was disheveled, blowing about in some unfelt wind. His face was set with determination, as though whatever he was doing was the only thing he would ever do again. Uther watched ever so carefully, hoping for something more.

  “Do not worry,” the dream Uther said softly. “I have changed everything.” The room exploded into white light, and Uther felt his eyes open. He looked around, slightly in a daze. Marcus was in front of him, both hands on the boy’s shoulders.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?” Marcus asked, his voice icy. Uther gave him a grave stare, but said nothing. Now wasn’t the time to explain. They had other things to talk about.

  Chapter 27

  Wedding Weekend Fever

  The next two days seemed like a blur to Ian. He was working on the single craziest thing he’d ever considered in his life. And it was taking a truckload of hassle to make it all happen. But he knew it was right. And he knew it was worth every single stress and strain he was muddling through. Aiko was worth his every second of struggle.

  Right now, Ian was standing at attention on the Littlefield Drydock, watching a small transport landing. Aiko stood beside him, not in her normal samurai attire. Rather, she was dressed to the hilt with fine silks in a traditional Erikan woman's robe. She looked nervous, but Ian could tell she was doing her best to hold it all together.

  "Relax," Ian whispered through the side of his mouth. Aiko reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze before placing her hands behind her back. Ian gave the collar of his dress finery a tug and cleared his throat. He couldn't pretend he wasn't nervous either. It wasn't every day that you met your fiancé’s father the day before the wedding.