by Montana Ash
“Just why do you sound so sure when you have never mentioned it before?” Their Captain demanded.
Darius ran a palm roughly down his face, “Because Ry, I hated chades with a single-minded devotion for decades. My rage knew no limits where they were concerned. I chose to ignore what I knew in favour of blaming those pitiful creatures. It was easier than focusing on the reason why I felt such hate. But thanks to Max and my woman here …” He picked up Diana’s hand and kissed the back of it, “I don’t have an open wound festering with infection now. I choose not to ignore what I know.”
Ryker crossed those powerful arms of his, making his coat of arms move from the flexing of his forearm and biceps. Looks like she couldn’t help appreciating how handsome Ryker was either. But she was surrounded by the top specimens of masculine beauty on the planet. She didn’t think any red-blooded female would fault her.
“And just what have you been ignoring?” Ryker asked. Everyone in the room seemed to be as equally interested in Darius’s answer given the intent focus on the air paladin.
“I know they can talk. I’ve heard them.” Darius spoke quickly as though he were afraid the words would burn his tongue. Given he had been keeping that to himself for who knew how long, Cali couldn’t blame him.
Talk about your awkward silences, Cali thought. Several pairs of paladin eyes were darting back and forth from Darius, who was now sitting stoically, to Ryker whose brown eyes were boring holes into his second in command.
“You’ve heard one talk? When? Who?” Ryker fired out the questions in quick succession.
“I have.” Darius answered assuredly. “About forty years ago and the who was my brother.” He replied.
That took a little wind out of Ryker’s sails. He was their leader and he had every right to question them whenever something was integral to their liege’s safety but he wasn’t an arsehole. Well, he wasn’t much of one anymore, Cali silently amended. He had sympathy for Darius’s plight and she knew he hated seeing his fellow soldiers and friends in pain. “Will you tell us?” Ry asked instead of demanding.
Cali watched Darius look to Diana and completely disregarding decorum for once, he pulled her right onto his lap and wrapped muscled arms around her. Diana tilted her head, skimming a kiss along his jaw and Cali knew Diana must already know the tale that was about to be told. “Should Max be here for this?” Cali queried, although she figured Max must already have a suspicion at the very least given her encouragement to enlist Darius for aid.
Darius’s smile was a little strained as he looked at her, “She already knows.”
Ryker grunted at that, “Of course she does. Damn woman.”
Darius’s grin widened in genuine mirth now, “Well she did dip into my soul, remember?”
Another grunt from Ryker but his shoulders did relax. His eyes never left their intent scrutiny of Darius and Cali found herself leaning forward a little, eager to hear more tales of chades who weren’t chades. The return of Ry’s scythe could wait for a few more minutes.
“I know I haven’t talked about my brother much and none of you have asked – a fact I very much appreciate. I also know I haven’t needed to tell you about him; you all already know the history of the Order of Magne.” Darius began and Cali found herself nodding along with the others.
Everyone knew of the great Order of Magne and the most famous and prestigious warden in all of their history. The loss of the Air Warden to the path of the chades had been a shocking and scandalous blow to their society. It had been the talk of the town for years – behind closed doors of course. Darius’s liege and brother was never mentioned again in polite society. It’s just the way it was. Once a warden turned rogue they were written off, forgotten like they had never existed. All their years of sacrifice for the world and service to their domain vanished and dishonour was wrought to their family line. Cali had always thought it to be the height of cruelty to those left behind. Darius had been carrying around the burden of that stigma for years and although the IDC had chosen not to expunge his official title of Sir Darius, there were few who bestowed the honour of calling him that anymore.
Cali had struggled enough in the public eye with the scandal of her ‘dishonourable discharge’ from her old Order. She couldn’t even imagine how hard it must have been for Darius to continue to function publicly in their world and to hold his head up and continue to act with dignity and honour. Sure, he had a bone deep rage where the chades were concerned. Cali had seen him unleash on the unsuspecting creatures countless times. It was a scary thing to witness given how put together he normally was. But overall, Cali could only applaud how he had held himself together. Many of the other paladins in his old Order had given up entirely on life and on service. She knew Ryker had played a part in tempering that hate by giving him a purpose at the Lodge and a common shoulder to lean on. Ryker’s hate had been just as fierce, she knew. But overall, it had been Darius’s innate strength and will that had allowed him to continue on. It was the same with everyone else in the household too. They were a damn good bunch of human beings.
“My brother raised me when our parents died.” Darius continued his story, “Despite the fact he was only a hundred years older than me and a warden to boot. He didn’t delay his warden responsibilities at all, he just took me with him.” Darius smiled in remembrance. “It was natural for me to pledge my allegiance to him and join his Order. A thousand years of living together, fighting together and maintaining the domain of air together wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable in the end.” His voice was sad but not hard as Diana rubbed her hands down his arms soothingly. “We were here for the Great Massacre but not on the same battlefield as Ry. We were posted where the main council chambers once stood. I was a scholar even back then and somewhat of a historian, so the council had us looking into the Warden Chronicles.”
“The entire council chambers were burnt to the ground weren’t they?” Lark asked, speaking up.
“They were.” Darius confirmed.
“Along with all the records of our history from the beginning of time, including information on custodians and the research into chades.” Lark stated. It didn’t sound like a question but Darius answered anyway;
“That’s correct. Dozens of chades attacked at the same time as the others attacked the training lodge. Anyway, we survived the attack but I think that’s when Charlie started to change. He was always a happy, easy-going sort of a guy. Very modern despite his advanced age. He insisted on moving with the times right down to the changing lingo and slang. But after the massacre he became … quiet. More reserved. He also began drawing on the Order more readily for vitality. It stayed that way for years, before …”
Cali looked away as his voice finally cracked and although she saw Diana turn and place a soft kiss to his lips, she actively didn’t listen to the words of support she murmured in his ear. Glancing around, she noted the same was true of the others. “He came to me one morning, and his eyes were black. There was no colour at all, just deep pools of tar that I could see my reflection in. But he still spoke. He said; ‘help me’. Just that. Just; ‘help me’.” Darius finished.
“What did you do?” Beyden asked quietly.
Darius looked at him with sightless eyes. No doubt he was seeing something other than the room full of paladins. He still answered though, his grip on Diana’s hand looking painful. “I stabbed him in the heart. He didn’t bleed.”
“Then what happened?” Ryker followed up immediately, though not unkindly.
Diana rubbed her hand over his forearm and he sighed, giving her a small smile in thanks for the unconditional support. “I know what I was supposed to do – what I was duty-bound to do. But I just couldn’t do it.” He looked to Ryker, his eyes pleading, “I just couldn’t take his head. I let him go. I took my scythe out of his chest and I … let him go.”
No wonder Darius had been so torn up over the chades. No wonder he had carried around a rage that rivalled even Ryker’s. He had stabbed his own
brother in the heart.
Diana’s gaze locked with hers and years of female friendship meant she didn’t need the Order’s link to be able to read her. Diana wanted a distraction so not all eyes were focused on Darius. Well, it just so happened Cali had a doozy of a distraction; “There’s something else you all might be interested in.” She said.
“Maybe now isn’t really the time …” Beyden began.
“Oh, it’s definitely the right time.” She assured him as she rose, feeling several pairs of curious eyes now on her back. It took her mere moments to walk into the hall and return with Ryker’s missing scythe.
“That’s my scythe.” Ryker yelled as he jumped from his chair.
Cali held up a hand, halting his rushed streak across the room. She barely refrained from rolling her eyes – a boy and his toys. “Yes, it’s your scythe. But I want you to wait a minute.”
Ryker stopped but frowned. It was still a little strange to see his frown pull smoothly. She had grown used to seeing the jagged scar pull tautly across his face. “Where did you get it?” He asked.
“I found it outside in the garden.”
“Outside? When?” He queried.
Cali winced, now came the tricky part. She had to explain the circumstances of the scythe and the fact that she had it in her possession for weeks and somehow not receive an arse chewing about it. She sighed, “The day after Max was attacked.”
“What? Why the hell wouldn’t you give it back sooner?” Ryker demanded.
“Yeah Cali. You know how hard it is for Ry to sleep without his binky.” Axel’s cheeky comment elicited a few chuckles which she knew was his entire aim. Trouble he most definitely was but also kind and very perceptive. He was also giving Darius time to regroup and trying to break the tension. Too bad Ryker didn’t seem to appreciate it if his scowl was anything to go by. It was time to come clean.
“Because of this.” She held the razor-sharp blade up where the light could glint off its shiny surface. Ryker took very good care of his blades. She angled it slightly to the left and heard several swift inhales of breath. They had seen the stain on the edge.
Ryker wasted no time in striding forward and practically snatching the scythe from her grip. He fingered the dried blood before asking; “Did you cut yourself on this?”
Her response was simple. “No.”
“I didn’t cut myself and it never touched Max.”
She raised her chin, “I know. It’s from the chade. You nicked it.”
“Chades don’t bleed.” Ryker’s voice was implacable.
“Up until a few minutes ago, we didn’t believe they could talk either.” She pointed out. She heard a chair scrape and saw Darius making his way over to them. Ryker angled it away slightly as if hiding it from view for a few seconds before handing it over to his second in command. Darius also fingered the obvious red stain before lifting hazel eyes to hers;
“You really believe this is from the chade?”
“Max does. She believes her vitality acted as a treatment of sorts, making it more human so it could bleed. I believe it too.” She knew her eyes were as hard as her voice now as she looked toward Ryker. “We need to find that chade.”
*****
“Cali. A word?” Ryker said before stalking from the room.
The scythe had been passed around the room at least a dozen times in the past ten minutes. Not a lot more had been said but tensions were almost non-existent now and there seemed to be some kind of non-verbal agreement that the blood could potentially be from the chade that attacked Max. Cali had no idea what they were going to do about it but she figured Ryker would be holed up with Max in their room for the rest of the day. She received a few conciliatory looks and even a pat on the arm from Axel as she followed Ryker into the main living room. He was standing by the window scrutinising his blade in the midday light. She saw him scratch his thumbnail over the dried blood and watched as the red flaked away.
“Why didn’t you come to me with this sooner?” He asked without turning.
Shit, she thought, what to tell him?
“The truth will do.” His voice was stern as he finally turned, tapping his scythe against his cargo-clad thigh.
“I was worried about the repercussions I guess.” She shrugged.
“The repercussions of what red blood from a known chade would mean to society?” He asked.
She fidgeted where she stood under the intensity of his gaze as she felt heat infuse her cheeks. This was damn embarrassing. But she wasn’t a coward so she raised her eyes enough to meet his. “No. I was worried about the repercussions to you. I didn’t think you would want to know so I didn’t tell you.”
She was unprepared for his reaction. She figured he would rant and rave about duty and trust etcetera etcetera. But instead, a rosy hue flushed from his neck to his cheeks and he suddenly found the opposite wall exceedingly interesting. And then he stuttered. Something the confident man never did.
“You ah, I mean you um … me and you …”
Just what the hell was wrong with him? He was acting like he was embarrassed or … and holy shit, Cal thought. He thought she had the hots for him! That’s what that little school boy look was all about. Oh, this was good. This was real good. Under any other circumstances she would have taken advantage of his sudden awkwardness but now probably wasn’t the time ... probably. Okay, definitely not the time she acknowledged. But she couldn’t wait to tell Diana and Max. “No Ryker. I most certainly am not harbouring unrequited lust for my commanding officer.” She assured him.
“Ah, you’re not?” His chocolate eyes glanced at her before darting away as if scared to see if she was telling the truth or not.
“Definitely not.”
His shoulders seemed to collapse in on themselves, “Thank fuck.” The relief in his voice was palpable … and a little insulting. Before she could tell him so he continued, “Then what do you mean?”
“I owe you Ryker, we all do. I know what you did for me all those years ago. I know you saved me. I figured this was something you didn’t want to hear about given your history and also what it might mean for your relationship with Max, so I just didn’t tell you.”
He scowled. “You don’t owe me shit. No-one in this house does.” And there was the anger she had been expecting all along.
“Ryker –”
But apparently he wasn’t finished because he cut her off. “I mean it Cali. I don’t want to hear that nonsense. You saved yourself by surviving all those years with that bastard and then proving yourself day in and day out at the Lodge. You’ve saved yourself by being a part of this household, this Order, this family. Hell, everybody here has had to drag themselves from the gutters of their old lives. Now I appreciate the sentiment – I really do. But it’s bullshit thinking. Got it?” His voice was stern.
She firmed her jaw and refused to allow his kind words to make their way to her tear ducts, “Yes sir. I got it.”
He nodded. “Good. And that’s the last I want to hear about checks and balances. We don’t keep score here. It’s also the last time you get to keep something from your captain and your liege. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now where is that devil woman of mine?”
TEN
The next day dawned bright and early and Cali found herself struggling with her morning coffee. Turning her nose up, she tipped the bitter brew down the sink, mourning the loss a little but knowing she was jittery enough and her nerves were already getting the better of her. Not much more had been said last evening on the topic of the chade and Max hadn’t made an appearance. Seems her liege and her captain had things to discuss. The question was; who was going to win and how were they going to solve the dilemma of the bleeding chade?
“Morning.” Max announced looking chipper and her normal self. Well, that answers the question of who won. Cali mused. Max had … naturally.
“Morning gorgeous.” Axel kissed her on the cheek as she passed, earning a dim
ple-flash from Max and a slap to the back of the head from Ryker who had entered behind Max.
“Stop kissing my woman.” He growled, stalking to the coffee machine for his own morning pick-me-up.
Axel simply smirked as he opened the milk carton and proceeded to drink half the contents down in one breath. Another slap to the back of the head – this time courtesy of Darius – had him choking on a spluttering cough.
“Stop drinking directly from the carton.” Darius warned – for about the millionth time since Axel had moved in.
Cali shook her head. This had become their morning ritual. It was pretty darn great. She caught Max’s happy smile and knew the scene of grumpy domesticity warmed her liege as well. Breakfast followed quickly but with none of the tension from the previous days. Although a sense of anticipation did hang in the air.
“Let’s all go into the living room. We have things to discuss and we might as well be comfortable.” Max announced as she began clearing the plates off the dining table.
Cali thought it was progress when nobody jumped up in outrage to snatch the dirty flatware out of the custodian’s hands. Liege’s of any description did not clear away plates, let alone a goddess, but Max had made it very clear to them all that she would not tolerate being waited on. They accepted it – to a certain degree. They allowed her particular domestic freedoms such as clearing the table and cooking. She was also still working – writing and illustrating for her graphic novels and earning an income from them. A job outside of caring for one’s domain was absolutely unheard of in warden society. Cali knew it made them all the more proud of Max but she couldn’t help snickering over the pained look on Darius’s face every time Max insisted on cleaning or cooking. His handsome face was looking quite pinched now as a matter of fact. That was, until Diana literally gave him a pinch … on his left butt cheek.
