The First Paladin (The New Earth Chronicles Book 1)

by J. J. Thompson

  She wiped off the sword blade with a scrap of cloth and sheathed it.

  It was a shame that such a magical gift didn't come with a book of instructions, she thought with sudden amusement. But she'd learn; somehow she would learn.

  The evening was warm enough that she didn't have to risk a fire as darkness fell; she didn't want to risk attracting any hostile attention from men or beasts.

  Liliana used her pack as a pillow, covered herself with her jacket and kept the sword close to hand as she drifted off to sleep.

  It felt like she had just closed her eyes when she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a field. Above her the sky was clear and filled with stars that blazed so brightly that she could easily see her surroundings.

  The field was filled with the nodding heads of innumerable flowers. A gentle breeze sweet with their scent wafted past her nostrils and she breathed deeply of their fragrance. It was almost intoxicating and made her light-headed.

  She turned in a slow circle and realized that she was not in the same place that she had fallen asleep. The flowers went on and on in all directions as far as the eye could see, with no signs of trees or hills anywhere. As she watched in awe, a crescent moon ascended above the horizon, its pure white light adding a rainbow of color to the multitude of flowers.

  It was magical and thrilling but it also made Liliana realize that this was all just a dream. She almost wept in disappointment.

  Why could not the world be this beautiful, she wondered sadly.

  “Ah, but it is,” a voice replied to her unspoken question.

  She spun around and stared in surprise. A woman was approaching, walking through the thick flowers, which seemed to bend and twist out of her path to allow her feet to tread on solid ground.

  Liliana gasped as she saw that the woman, as tall as she was and powerfully built, was wearing armor. Not the heavy, crude iron plate that Sir Rafael's remains had been clad in, but smooth silver armor that reflected and intensified the moonlight that shone down upon it.

  The stranger stopped a dozen feet from Liliana and stared at her, a gentle smile on her lips. Her green eyes, sparkling like emeralds, held a knowledge and wisdom that was as deep and as old as the world itself, and the young paladin knew that she was in the presence of someone who was not human.

  She bowed clumsily and the woman nodded.

  “The world is filled with beauty, my dear,” the woman said, her voice as sweet as honey. “Even now, as it is undergoing the ravages of the dark lords, its loveliness cannot easily be destroyed. All things not wholly evil have beauty, if one knows how to see it. Even you, though you do not believe it, are wondrous and special in your own way.”

  Startled, Liliana could not help but laugh derisively.

  “Forgive me, lady,” she said hurriedly, afraid that she had offended the woman. “But whether back in my old body or in this new one, one thing that I have never been told is that I am wondrous or beautiful. I am serviceable. I believe that was what my former husband told me once. I think he thought that it was a compliment.”

  She frowned at the memory.

  “Perhaps it was,” she added. “Fortunately my daughters actually were beautiful. But that beauty could not save them from the destructive attacks of the dragons, could it? So what good did it do them in the end?”

  Liliana knew that she sounded bitter, but she seemed to have no control over her tongue in front of this woman and was spewing out nonsense. She closed her mouth with a snap, afraid to say more.

  For her part, the stranger listened intently and smiled when Liliana forced herself into silence.

  “You speak the truth as you see it, and I appreciate truthfulness. But truth is not always in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes it just is. However, that debate must wait for another day. I have very little time. Even now my cousins batter at my defenses, seeking to keep me from communicating with you. So, let us proceed. Do you know where you are, my dear?”

  “Where I am?”

  Liliana took a quick look around and shrugged.

  “In a dream. You may argue, lady, but a place this beautiful does not exist on Earth.”

  “No. No, it does not. But it does not exist in a dream either. We are, let us say, in between. We are holding fast to that moment between waking and sleeping when all things are possible. It is a magical moment, a special time when the human mind drifts toward the Infinite for an instant before sleep pulls it back. And in this moment, we can speak freely.”

  “I don't understand. Are you saying that this is real? That you are real?”

  “Oh yes, my dear,” the woman replied, her voice hinting at laughter. “It is all real, and yet unreal at the same time. Do not dwell on that aspect of our visit. Instead, I wish to guide you somewhat, if I may. It will be your choice to either take my guidance to heart and follow it, or not. Your will is your own and you must make your own decisions.”

  “Um, thank you.”

  Liliana was confused by the woman's speech. She was trying to work out exactly what she was saying, but somehow the meaning of it all escaped her. She decided to concentrate on something more immediate.

  “Lady, if I may ask; who are you? Why are you here, wherever here is?”

  The woman looked at Liliana fondly.

  “Ah, simple questions. I admire simplicity. Unfortunately, only one of your questions has an easy answer. As I said, I am here to offer you some advice. You are the first paladin to walk the Earth in over ten thousand years. And it would be impolite for your patron to send you out into the world without giving you some direction, would it not?”

  “Patron? You...are my patron?”

  “Indeed.”

  Liliana felt a rush of awe wash over her.

  “Then that means...that you are a god?”

  The woman frowned for the first time, a tiny lowering of her eyebrows.

  “Labels. Humans always try to label things, don't they? What is a god, after all? A supernatural being? A mythical figure? We, my siblings and I, do not consider ourselves gods, my dear, although many of your kind have done so. Let us say rather that I am someone who wields a certain amount of power, and that power is used in the service of the Light. We value Order over Chaos. Our cousins, on the other hand, seek only domination and serve only Darkness. It is they who resurrected the dragons and set them on their destructive path. After untold ages of battling each other in the Void, they have gained the upper hand on us and are now trying to force their way into your universe and take it for themselves.”

  “Your cousins? Evil gods, or whatever I should call them, are responsible for destroying my family? My city?”

  Liliana's anger overwhelmed her awe of the mysterious woman and she glowered at her.

  “Gods or not, why didn't you stop them, if you are so good and just?”

  “We could not,” the woman replied sadly. “Does that not prove that we are not gods? The dark ones used guile and trickery to defeat us, for a time. And while we were forced to retreat to recover our power, they struck against you and your world. We are still weak, even now, but we are helping as we can. For my part, I have never been one to bring attention to myself. I prefer subtly to brute strength. That is why I have chosen you to take on the mantle of paladin. The pure soul that you met, Rafael Cheryazova, was not one of mine; our power has been absent from this world for ages. But he was as close as an ordinary human could have been to a true paladin and I have chosen to honor his prayer and accept you as my champion.”

  Awe once again replaced anger and Liliana trembled.

  “Is that what a paladin is, lady? The champion of a god?”

  The woman shook a finger at her, but smiled at the same time.

  “If that is what you choose to call us, then yes, you could say that. A paladin fights for justice and protects the innocent. I have only blessed a handful of champions in my time and I expect them to follow the path that I set for them without deviation. Can you do that?”

  “I..
.”

  Liliana hesitated, feeling a weight descend upon her that she hadn't before.

  This is it, she thought as the woman watched her with her shining eyes. This is the brink of the precipice. If I say yes, I will have no choice but to spend the rest of my life living up to the moral standards of a god. She may call herself whatever she wants to, but that is what she is to me.

  “Lady, what do you truly expect of me?” Liliana asked anxiously. “I cannot follow anyone blindly, not even you.”

  The woman's smile widened.

  “Honesty. You see? Already you are half a paladin. What I expect is that you will stay true to your own ideals. You do not lie. You wish to do good for others. You want to strike back at the Darkness. Stay on that path and you will live up to my expectations. And I in turn will lend you my aid when I can. I will strengthen you and give you the ability to battle evil. I will give you the gift of healing to bring comfort to others. And I will never, ever desert you. So, just continue to be yourself, my dear, and that will be enough. Can you do that? Will you?”

  Liliana had listened with relief to the woman's terms. If all she had to do was stay true to herself, then that was something she could do. And having the chance to help others? That was all she truly wanted to do with her life, especially now that her people were in danger of being exterminated.

  “Yes, lady,” she replied. “I can do that. I want to help people and I want to stand against the evil that has done this to us. If you are satisfied with that, then I will fight for you.”

  “Then the pact is made and sealed,” the woman said gravely. “Kneel, Liliana Travnikov.”

  Liliana knelt down, a sense of wonderment raising goosebumps on her skin.

  The woman stepped forward and laid a hand gently on her head.

  “Receive my blessing and go forth as my champion. Protect the innocent, defend the Light and lead the fight against evil.”

  Liliana looked up at the woman, who suddenly seemed to stretch across the sky, her eyes enormous and filled with stars.

  “Go now and take up your sword, my paladin. May your deeds be mighty and may they make the Darkness tremble.”

  There was a flash of pure white light and then Liliana found herself sitting in shadows, staring around in confusion.

  She was back in her camp, under the shelter of a tree. The sun was just peeking above the horizon and the birds were beginning to sing.

  She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched. She yawned as she stood up and shivered in the early morning chill.

  What just happened, Liliana wondered. Was I dreaming? Or was I actually visited by that woman? Whether she claimed godhood or not, that was a divine creature. But was it real? That was the question.

  She drank some water, answered the call of nature behind some bushes, and then got ready to head out. She hoped that she'd find some food soon; she would be running on empty until then.

  As she fastened the sword belt around her waist, Liliana drew the weapon and stared at it speculatively. It shimmered in the sunlight and she turned it this way and that curiously.

  If what I dreamed last night was real, does it mean that I can now use the sword more effectively?

  She snorted in disgust at the thought. The blade still felt awkward and unbalanced in her hand and, when she swung it a few times, there was still no skill or smoothness in her movements.

  No, just a dream.

  She sighed, disappointed, and sheathed the sword again.

  Oh well, I'm no worse off than I was before. Now, it's time to go.

  All that morning Liliana trudged south. At around noon, she came over the rise of a hill and looked below. There was a small group of buildings set in a rough circle at the bottom of the slope and she squatted down and inspected them carefully.

  From their blocky, utilitarian construction, she thought that it was probably the site of some sort of business. Construction maybe, or perhaps a storage depot. A road entered from the trees to the south and made a circle in front of each building. Yes, some sort of industrial site. Well, whatever it was, she was hopeful that there might be some food in one of the buildings.

  Liliana was about to stand up when a flutter of motion made her crouch even lower in the tall grass. She narrowed her eyes and looked between two of the buildings. Something moved again. What was it?

  She gasped as she saw someone crawl out into the open yard in the middle of the buildings. It was hard to tell, but it looked like a man. His clothes were shredded and he was only creeping along a few inches at a time. She could see a line of blood trailing behind him.

  He's been attacked, Liliana thought. I have to help him.

  She stood up and began to move down the hill, still proceeding cautiously. Something had injured the man, but what? And was it still in the area?

  She stopped abruptly and crouched again as a wailing cry shivered through the air.

  I know that sound, she thought with a lump in her throat. It's a drake. But where did the sound come from?

  Her question was answered almost immediately. There was a crash from a large building to the right of the injured man and a scaled monster smashed through a wall and leaped at him. The man had time for a single, weak scream before the drake slammed into him and ripped his head off.

  Liliana's vision turned as red as the blood that spurted from the man's neck. The monster swallowed once, wailed again with obvious pleasure and began tearing into the remains of its victim.

  Without thinking about the consequences, without making a plan of any kind, Liliana dropped her pack, drew her sword and ran directly down the hill. She howled in rage, weeks of pent-up fury blinding her to the insane risk that she was taking.

  The drake spun towards her, snarling and baring its blood-stained fangs. Its yellow, cat-like eyes burned into hers and, as Liliana reached level ground, it leaped at her, the same way that it had pounced on the injured man.

  But unlike its previous victim, the paladin was far from helpless. Acting instinctively, she dropped to the ground and slashed upward as the drake flew over her head.

  Thick, greenish blood that stank of rot splashed across her face as her attack sliced open the monster's belly. It landed with a howl of pain and rage and tried to turn and attack her again. Instead it became tangled up in its own guts as its belly tore open. It screamed one last time and collapsed in a heap of steaming blood and intestines.

  Liliana stood up, wiping sticky gore from her eyes and face. She spat several times to clear the acrid taste of it from her mouth and then stared at the dead drake in amazement.

  I killed one, she thought, stunned. I actually killed one of them. And I didn't even think about it.

  She raised the sword and stared at it. It was pristine; there wasn't a drop of blood on it.

  “But I've had to wipe it off before,” she muttered. “Why is it clean now?”

  Something to think about later, she told herself as she sheathed the weapon.

  Steeling herself to the horrific sight of the gutted corpse, Liliana walked over to the drake. She had never seen one close up before and wanted to examine it while she had the chance.

  The creature was covered in hundreds of overlapping scales that were the color of rusted metal. She touched one and found that it was quite thick and that its edges were sharp enough to cut flesh. It fangs were over an inch long and there were two rows of teeth inside of its pointed snout. Its paws were tipped with talons as sharp as razors.

  The entire thing is a weapon, she thought. It's as if it was designed just to kill. And maybe it was.

  She glanced once at the drake's victim and turned away again. The man, whoever he had been, was almost unrecognizable as a human being.

  Liliana wiped off her face again with her sleeve and walked back up the hill to retrieve her pack. Where there was one drake there were usually others in the vicinity. If she wanted to search the buildings for supplies, she had better do it quickly.

  Inside the main building were sev
eral offices. A quick look at a few scattered papers identified the place as a construction supply company. The offices were messy but the place did not appear to have been ransacked. It had probably been deserted months before when the electrical grid had gone down for the final time.

  In one room she found tables and chairs scattered about. A refrigerator, dusty and empty, and an old microwave identified it as a lunch room and she opened all of the cupboards looking for anything that the employees might have left behind.

  She was in luck. There were several small cans of ravioli, a package of dry noodles and a container of instant coffee. She also found a small tin pan and cup.

  Maybe the next time I make a fire, I can try making coffee, she thought. That would be a nice change.

  There were also packets of artificial sweeteners and three bottles of water. She stuffed all of it into her backpack and slung it across her shoulders. There might be more food in the other buildings, but she was getting nervous. She'd been in the same place for too long and if there were other drakes in the area, they might appear at any moment. It was time to go.

  Flies were swarming over the remains of the man and the drake and Liliana stoically turned away from them and resumed her southern march. She was sorry for the stranger and wished that she had arrived in time to save him, but all she could do was add that to the list of regrets she carried with her that seemed to grow longer every day.

  She traveled south for another two days until she reached a broad, swift river. Never a strong swimmer, Liliana stopped on the riverbank in late afternoon, took off her pack and sat down to rest. She stared across the water at the far bank.

  Trees lined the river's edge on both sides. She wished that she knew more geography because she had no idea what river it was.

  If I knew its name, then I would be able to calculate how far from Moscow I've traveled, she thought. Surely it's been a hundred miles at least.