The Paladin Archives Book Two The Withering Falseblade

by Jason Psilopoulos

  “I don't care what Mordred says! You die today!" The woman made a mad rush for Marcus, her blade held high. Marcus shifted his weight and caught the plummeting blade in his fist, snapping it in one clean motion. The woman looked at the broken end in shock. Marcus turned her around and wrapped her up in a choke hold. She struggled, but it didn't matter. After a short moment, her eyes rolled up into her head and she slumped in Marcus's arms. Marcus let her down easily. The Former Miss Burton lay unconscious on the stage.

  Mary wasn't getting anywhere. Everywhere she went, Mordred seemed to be in front of her. She turned left and he was there. She swung around, and he was there too. She was starting to run out of room to move anywhere. Mordred seemed to be all over.

  "Give me the Falseblade," he droned from a thousand different directions. Mary shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Mordred was focusing on her alone, keeping his attention locked on one thing. He closed in. But Mary couldn't tell which Mordred was the real one. He could be any one of them.

  "Mary run!" Jack called out, jumping on Mordred's back, punching him in the skull, doing his best to distract him. Mary had her mind again, looking around for an escape. Ellis came out of nowhere, grabbing her hand and running away. Uther reached out and tackled Mordred, teaming up with Jack to pin him down.

  "Get off me! Don't touch me!" Mordred swung out his fist, catching Uther on the jaw. The boy flipped once and skid toward the edge of the stage. Jack looked over at his friend, who lay unmoving some thirty feet away.

  "Uther!" Mordred redoubled his efforts, grabbing Jack and flinging him over in Uther’s direction. Jack shook himself, trying to clear the cobwebs. He pulled Uther up to a sitting position and checked him over. Uther was conscious but dazed.

  "You crazy jerk!" Jack said admiringly. "How'd you know about Jennifer Burton?" Uther touched his own head and winced.

  "I am a touch telepath. When I touched her arm, I read her mind. She is not Jennifer Burton. She is- Look out!" Jack shifted and missed getting cleaved in half by a fraction of an inch. He wasn't carrying a weapon again. He balled his fists, ready to defend himself and his friend.

  "Duck," a voice said forcefully. Jack obeyed and knelt down. Captain Dirk raised his pistols and opened fire, perforating the armor of the Absolute until it couldn't hold its form.

  "Good shooting," Jack said simply. Donavan whipped up his nightstick and nodded.

  "Stay out of the way." Jack grabbed Uther by the arms and began to drag him aside. They needed to get to the edge of the stage.

  Mordred turned his attention toward Ellis and Mary, who were looking for a way out. He made a move to follow, taking only the barest of steps before someone tapped him on his shoulder.

  "Hey!" Mordred turned and only saw Cole Remec's zweihander swinging toward him. The club-like blade caught him in the chest, lifting him off his feet and sending him tumbling through the air. Mordred completed three full rotations before smashing into the orchestra pit with a cacophony of discordant sound. He rose from the smashed instruments and music stands. The zweihander came down hard, driving him into the floor.

  "Drop!" Cole roared. Mordred exploded back out of the floor, sending a shower of wood and concrete into the air. Cole fell backward, stunned. A dozen Absolutes dove on him, attempting to keep him pinned down.

  "Get back here you coward!" he roared, kicking and fighting as he fell into the orchestra pit with the Absolutes.

  "Perilisk! Retrieve the Falseblade!" Mordred bellowed. Darius twisted a piece of railing across the lock to the entrance and pounced after Mary and Ellis. He landed on the stage with a crash, his feet gouging into the floor. Mary gasped in surprise.

  "Hand it over!" Darius stretched out his hand and waited.

  "Yeah. Not happening Baldy!" Ellis sneered, trying to drag Mary away, but Darius had snagged her other hand.

  "I'll tear her arm off and beat you to pieces with it. I swear. Now give me the blade!" Mary tried her best to yank free, but Darius's grip was like a vise. He reeled her in close, smiling cruelly at her face. "Then we'll have a little . . . fun, before you bleed to death." Mary nearly choked on his hot breath. Darius sniffed her and began to pull. "Well, fun for me anyway." Darius began to pull harder, attempting to separate Mary from her limb. She cried out in pain, feeling her shoulder pop out of joint.

  "Hey Darius!" Darius turned at the sound of Marcus's voice. "Catch!" The paladin blade hit him square in the chest, knocking him back onto his heels. In his surprise, Darius lost his grip on Mary. She broke into a run despite the pain, escaping his reach. Darius growled his disapproval. Marcus grabbed the hilt of his blade and tore it free. The puncture bubbled back and Darius started to laugh.

  "What is it with you and younger women?" Marcus jibed, sheathing his blade. Darius only shrugged.

  "You know, the last time I wasn't really trying." Darius cracked his knuckles as he started for Marcus. Marcus tightened his fists. Darius made a move, and Marcus countered it, clubbing the larger man on the jaw. The tattooed man staggered back, his eyes glazing for a second. Marcus set his feet and smirked.

  "You know something? Neither was I." Darius looked up in surprise as Marcus began at him. Marcus's fists seemed to be everywhere, landing punches on Darius with astounding frequency. "Go for the exit Ellis!" Marcus pulled his blade again and swept the behemoth's feet out from under him. Darius landed with a crash and Marcus was on top of him, raining punches on his face. He wasn't trying to kill Darius. That would take more strength than he could muster at the moment. But if he could keep him busy, he could buy Ellis and Mary some time to escape.

  Ellis didn't waste any time, going straight for the door. Mordred was heading right for him, intent on catching him and Mary long before they got there. Mary looked back and saw Mordred knocking anyone who stood between them into the air with amazing force. Somehow, Mordred had found the focus Marcus had warned them about.

  "Mary! Give me the Falseblade!" Ellis pleaded. Mary looked around and saw Ellis standing by the door. Darius had twisted a piece of railing around the handles. Ellis was going to use the Falseblade as a lever and try to pry the door open.

  "But it wanted you!" Ellis shook his head, a pleading face looking back at her.

  "I'll deal with that. Now come on. Give me the blade!" Mary turned and saw Mordred there, floating only inches from her face. She wanted to scream, but the sound died in her throat.

  "Give ME the Falseblade Mary!" Mordred said hollowly. "He can't handle it." His voice was inside her mind, beckoning to her. She couldn't hear anything else. Mordred stroked her cheek with his gloved hand, sending a cold charge through her spine.

  "Mary, come on!" Ellis cried out. He must've been a thousand miles away. His voice had no weight at all.

  "It's not like you to be so indecisive. Just give me the blade. I promise. It'll be all right once it's done." Mary felt her arm tremble as she fought to keep from giving it to him. The blade started to rise like it had a mind all its own.

  "Mary, don't!" Ellis didn't seem any closer. Mary didn't turn to look. Her eyes were locked on Mordred's face. She gritted her teeth, fighting his every suggestion. Mordred tilted his head a little, his posture quiet and calming. Mary’s head tilted in kind. She couldn't see the horror in him anymore. Her fear was gone. He could save them. She could feel it.

  "Just let go Mary. They'll understand. You'll save all their lives. And you'll save his life. Ellis needs you to save him. Just give me the blade." Mary bit her lip, trying anything to bring herself around. But she couldn't think. “You do love him enough to save him, don’t you? Let your love for him show. Love him. Save him.” Her entire being cried out negatives. And yet, her arm still began to rise.

  "MARY!" Ellis started for her, but he was moving so slowly. He would take years to reach her.

  "This isn't a job for you. They can do this work. You don't have to. You've been around the blade too long. It's changed you. It's tainted you." Mary's arm began to rise faster. She started to hand the blade over, only
to feel a tug on her arm. "Go back to your books. Just let it go. You can save yourself." She turned and saw Ellis there, pulling on the blade. She looked at him, confused.

  "I have to give it to him. I love you Ellis." Ellis pulled harder, trying to wrench the Falseblade free. Mary pulled back, not wanting to let go. "Let me go Ellis! Let me save you!"

  "Mary! Don't!"

  "I have to give him the blade! It'll save us! It'll save ME!" Ellis pulled as hard as he could, but Mary's grip was firm. "I'm trying to love you Ellis! Let me GO!" Mordred was closing, within a step or two. He reached out and grabbed Ellis by the shirtfront.

  "Get your hands off my blade!" He tossed, and Ellis flew onto the center of the stage. Mary's grip on the Falseblade slipped, and the weapon flipped into the air along with the boy. Ellis landed on his back, half-conscious from the impact. He looked up and saw the blade tumbling at him. He raised his hands to shield his face. The phantom gauntlet slipped almost purposefully onto Ellis's outstretched fingers. He came to his feet, screaming out in horror as the weapon cinched itself onto him.

  "NO! NO! GET IT OFF ME!" Ellis began to pull on the glove, trying his best to tear it loose. But the glove would not be moved. Ellis banged it frantically on the stage, trying with everything he had to rip the weapon free. But the phantom gauntlet held firm on him.

  "Ellis!" Marcus cried out, throwing Darius off him. The mammoth tottered for a moment as Marcus drove a punch under his chin, sending him flipping backwards into the third row. The paladin made a mad dash toward Ellis, ready to try and rip the weapon free. Mary got there first and grabbed hold of the edges of the gauntlet, pulling with all her might. Ellis started whipping his arm about, hoping against hope that the sudden jarring would break it free. Even having his arm fall off would've been preferable.

  "It won't come off! Somebody help me! HELP!" Marcus was ready to act, until Darius tackled him halfway to Ellis, driving a fist into his back. Marcus howled in pain.

  "The High Prelate is chosen Marcus! Witness and despair in your failure!" Darius grabbed Marcus's hair and drove his face into the stage, nearly breaking his nose. Marcus shook himself, doing his best to stay conscious.

  "Ian!" Marcus gritted, rolling over and punching Darius in the face. Ian started for Ellis, but a wall of Absolutes blocked his path. Aiko, Tetsuo, Jack, Uther, Hikaru. No one could render any assistance. Even Cole was occupied. No one but Mary could get to Ellis.

  "I don't want it! Somebody tear it off!" Ellis banged the gauntlet on the ground, doing everything he could think of to knock it loose. Mary kept pulling, her face filled with tears and anguish.

  "I've got it boy!" A roar and a crash filled the air as Cole Remec swung out with his zweihander and launched six suits of armor into the air. Cole rushed up from the orchestra pit, raising his sword above his head. Ellis knew what was about to happen. He knew it had to.

  "Defend the weak, right?” Cole muttered. “Say goodbye to that hand!" The gauntlet seemed to tighten and the sword swung upward. The zweihander stalled, and before the surprise on Cole's face registered, the blade slashed across his middle, severing armor and flesh. Cole stood rod still for a moment, his entire form blackening as the life seemed to leech from him. Remec didn't make a sound, his person frozen like a statue, his life bleeding out into the ether. Ellis watched in horror as the mountain of a man turned to ash and crumbled where he stood. Even his mighty zweihander rusted and broke. All that remained was a pile of dust and a shattered sword.

  "NO!" Ellis cried, his heart torn with anguish. The sword had defended him, killing an innocent man. At least, he thought it had. He couldn't think straight. Had he asked it to defend him? Ellis pulled harder. It had to come off. The sword was making him into a murderer. It was reacting to his thoughts. "GET IT OFF!" Ian bulled his way past the Absolutes, tossing a knife toward the pair as they fought with the Gauntlet. Mary looked down at the blade and shook her head.

  "Remec was right! ELLIS! MARY! CUT IT OFF!" Ian yelled, fighting back another wave of phantom armor. Mary shook her head.

  "Cut it Mary! Please!" Mary dropped to her knees, a shadow of horror on her face. She couldn't think of it. She refused to imagine it. She had vowed never to harm anyone. It was Ellis's hand. She couldn't cut off his hand.

  "I can't! I can't do it! It'll kill me!" Her eyes met Ellis's, pleading with him for another solution. Ellis's eyes looked back at her, begging for a release.

  "Please! You have to." Mary picked up the blade and raised it. "PLEASE!" She closed her eyes, not wanting to see. "DO IT! DO IT NOW! PLEASE!" A silent prayer entered her mind and she began to swing the blade. The blade pulled from her hand. Mary looked around, startled as Mordred crushed the short sword into a warped chunk of metal.

  "I'd just assume you didn't." Ellis brandished the sword, ready to defend Mary with whatever he had.

  "I'm sorry Ellis!" she cried, her face soaking with tears. "I'm so sorry!"

  "I'll cut you to ribbons if you touch her!" A face of rage fell across Ellis. Mordred looked at him, pleased with what he witnessed.

  "No Ellis! Don't use it!" Marcus roared, wrenching his arm free and driving it into Darius's middle. Ellis's face became a menagerie of anger and confusion. He held the blade like an expert swordsman one moment, and the next tried to tear the phantom hand free. He screamed in agony as a world of temptation swirled around. Mordred moved toward him, and Ellis brandished the blade again, swinging it wildly. His eyes went wide, tears pouring down his face. He seemed to have no control of his faculties.

  "I will not be evil! I don't want it!" Ellis threw himself on the floor and cried.

  "The Falseblade has made its choice. You ARE darkness and fear. The chosen conveyer. The High Prelate." Mordred bellowed. Marcus watched helplessly as a pair of Absolutes grabbed Ellis and carried him off.

  "No! NO!" Ellis cried out, kicking and clawing as they went. In less than a breath, he disappeared. Mordred whirled around to face the rest of the audience, his posture smug.

  "That is better than I had hoped, but I believe that's enough for one afternoon." The entire room turned its attention to him. "I'll be back for the Avatars. And as I said, this place should be ashes." Marcus punched Darius again, knocking the behemoth off him once more. He grabbed Darius by the throat and whipped him in a circle.

  "This isn't over," Darius croaked. Marcus let Darius go, the man's momentum carrying him into the tenth row. He landed among the seats with a thunderous crash, benches and handrails warping beneath his massive frame.

  "Yes. It is." Marcus turned and surveyed the scene. A dozen people he called friends on the stage. A mixed melee happening in the stands. A hundred people trying to pry open the door. Uther was regaining his bearings. Jack was on his feet beside him, flattening any Absolute that came near him with a few well-placed fist falls. Ian, Aiko and her family seemed to have things under control. Donavan was still firing with everything he had, but none of his shots seemed to be making any difference. Mary was backing away from Mordred, her face full of terror and tears. Marcus was twenty feet away from it all.

  "One withering glance is all." Mordred muttered, raising his hand to remove the mask. He was going to level this place. It would only take a second. Marcus started to sprint for it, hoping he could stop Mordred in time. He found himself slowing up as a second person came up behind the Sustainer.

  "Uther wait!" Jack called, realizing he'd moved. A pair of hands grabbed Mordred by the face, pulling him down to his knees. Marcus looked up and saw Uther standing behind Mordred, his face pinched with determination. Mordred roared in sudden shock as Uther's healing power funneled into him. The room darkened, a pillar of light filling the center of the stage, the blinding column pouring from Uther's hands. Uther closed his eyes, focusing his concentration on Mordred. The edges of his fingers wavered and rippled as he reached deeper. Light fixtures exploded all around, sparks showering all over the Holodrome. The air began to circle and roar about, drowning out any other sound.

  "I will n
ot allow you to hurt anyone else!" Uther managed, his words struggling through his clenched jaw. "You will calm yourself Mandrake Lenguard. Or I will calm you." Mordred cried out again, louder this time. The air in the Holodrome started to whistle, spinning nearly out of control as the power of the Mask of Sorrows fought against the healing touch of the Un'Hok Tol. Marcus covered his eyes, not able to see clearly what was happening.

  "This won't stop me!" Mordred managed. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Uther pressed deeper, digging into Mordred as far as he could go. "You cannot destroy me like this!"

  "I am not trying to destroy you Mandrake. I am breaking Mordred Landoro." Uther didn't scream or cry out. Tears started down his cheeks as he reached what he was looking for. Mordred screamed again, his voice now one of terror and sadness.

  "Don't make me see! I don't want to remember!" Uther pressed harder, his fur rippling as he forced his way deeper and deeper into Mordred's mind. The memory would come forward. Uther would bring it forward. He knew his part in the plan now. He knew the sacrifice. He just had to hold on.

  "Everything you are, everything you should be, I return to you Mandrake." Uther’s jaw quivered from the strain. He was pushing beyond himself. Beyond even the teachings that the Elders had given him. He was holding nothing back.

  "Uther stop!" Mary cried, her vision blurred by her tears. "Please! No more!" Uther glanced at Mary with a warm smile. She was entranced at that moment.

  “It will be all right Mary. You will need to see from now on.” Mary felt a wave of energy pass through her as he said it. The wind knocked her back onto her haunches as she felt the tears in her eyes fade. Uther nodded with a grin. “You will see.”