Paladin (Book Two of the Elemental Paladins series)

by Montana Ash

  Damn, Darius thought, he’s going to give me a run for my money when he gets older. Axel of the surfer boy good looks and the brash manner could one day quite easily become, ‘Sir Axel’.

  “Thank you.” He replied, dipping his head slightly in gratitude.

  Axel returned the nod, “You are most welcome. Now come on, before they get cold.”

  *****

  His arrival heralded no real spark of interest other than the habitual ‘good mornings’ thrown his way. He sat down and Axel placed a plate in front of him, overflowing with a huge omelette complete with all his favourite fixings. A mug of black tea was added next and he looked up to see Cali smiling at him as she added his usual two spoons of sugar. They were spoiling him and it made him feel even worse. But not bad enough to ignore the generous offerings, so he dug into his food and drank his drink, listening to the casual banter of the voices around him. Diana was at the opposite side of the table and her eyes were the only ones he had yet to meet. A wake up call and a fresh outlook he may have. But his balls? They were still growing back.

  A low growl and insistent tugging on his cargos had him glancing down. Looks like the pup had survived the night in his new home. “Hey buddy. You’re still here I see.”

  “Yes. He is.” Ryker’s words were low. “He slept on the bed all night.”

  Max laughed, reaching over to scratch the mutt behind the ears. “He’s just cranky because he didn’t get any this morning. He thinks the dog was watching him.”

  “He was!” Ryker yelled. “Watching me with his weird eyes, judging me for defiling his new mother.”

  Everybody laughed, including Max – although it was a bit evil on her part. “Zombie just needs a little time to get used to you. In time, I’m sure he’ll realise that you’re not trying to hurt me with that thing swinging between your legs.”

  “Max …” Ry blushed but Max just laughed again.

  Darius cleared his throat, “Um … did you just call the pup, Zombie?”

  “Yep! That’s his name. Cool huh?”

  Darius peered around the table – all eyes were on him. No doubt they were waiting for him to put his foot in his mouth again. Well, no dice. Today was a new day and he was his old self; sophisticated, wise, controlled and logical. “It’s unique. How did you come up with it?”

  Max shrugged, watching indulgently as the dog attempted to chew his thumb off. “It just suits him. Besides, he chose it himself. You should have seen him sitting on my drawings for my graphic novels. He was completely fixated on Gage, the hero zombie in book number nine.”

  “So why didn’t you call him Gage then?”

  “Because that’s Gage’s name.” She looked at him with wide eyes as if that answer was obvious. And to her, he supposed it was.

  “Okay. So Zombie, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  Zombie apparently already knew his new moniker for he yipped happily at the name, demanding to be put down and loping clumsily around the room like a lunatic; he was going to be a handful. He didn’t dare look at Ryker in case the man was shooting him a death stare for introducing the dog into the house.

  “I’m glad you’re up and looking so fresh this morning, Darius.” Max said, presently, “As much as I don’t want to rock the boat, I need to tell you something.” She added, looking him in the eye.

  Damn! She sounded serious again, like this was something he wasn’t going to like hearing. “Oh?” He responded, keeping his voice light.

  “Ivy will be arriving soon and I expect everyone to be here and welcome her.” Max stated.

  Darius was a little confused, a lot surprised, and very alarmed. What was a Ranger coming here for? Had Max and Ryker changed their minds and decided to dole out a punishment in the old ways? “Why is a Ranger coming here?”

  Max’s clear eyes remained steady on his as she answered, “As a Ranger she is likely the most knowledgeable person in regards to chades that we can talk to. She deals with them every day and it is my understanding that she is very good at her job. I’m hoping she’ll be able to answer some of my questions.”

  Darius sucked in a breath; Max was very clearly never going to give up on her notion that something could be done about the chades. Yesterday, any mention of those creatures would have sent him flying off the handle. His wound where they were concerned was an open, seeping mess of pain and infection. But now, he was able to react more rationally and on the off chance that Max was actually onto something? Well, he owed her the chance to prove or disprove her theory.

  He felt the stillness of the room around him and realised everyone was essentially holding their breath, awaiting his reaction. Like he was a bloody ticking time bomb or something! The thought mortified him and made him thankful once again that Max had performed her little voodoo and he was able to think and react like a true knight once more.

  “That is a smart idea. Other than the members of the IDC, I believe a Ranger would be the best person to talk to. And as Beyden’s sister, I’m sure we can trust her.” He answered steadily, deciding to keep cutting into his omelette casually. Nothing to see here – nope – nothing to see, he thought.

  The tension immediately seemed to dissipate because of his casualness and everyone returned to their own breakfasts. The mention of chades had left a bad taste in his mouth but he was willing to follow Max’s lead in the matter. He owed her that much at least. Unfortunately, it now meant the rest of his day would be spent mentally preparing for the arrival of a Ranger into their midst, rather than the pathetic grovelling to a certain grey-eyed paladin of death.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Darius had been in better spirits that morning and the new light in his eyes gave Diana hope that perhaps they had a chance at some kind of future. Unfortunately, he had retreated to his room, no doubt to consider all the recent changes and prepare for the arrival of Ivy, who was due any moment now. The doorbell ringing had Diana thinking of that old saying; speak of the devil. The Rangers were the boogeymen of their society, after all.

  “I’ll get it.” Beyden yelled as he made his way to the door.

  Diana followed closely and watched as Bey enveloped a tiny woman in his huge arms until she almost disappeared completely. The Ranger was probably only a couple of inches taller than Max and her straight black hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes reflected her Asian heritage. She couldn’t look any more different to Beyden if she tried! The two murmured lowly to each other for a moment before Beyden spun her around and introduced her to the Order who had accumulated in the hallway to greet their guest.

  Max stepped forward and offered her hand. “Hi. I’m Max. Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate it.”

  Ivy eyed Max’s hand for a moment before gripping it and replying, “Hello. It’s not a problem. It’s nice to be able to see Beyden.”

  “Oh, of course it would be! Feel free to come over whenever you want. Right, Ry?”

  Ryker cleared his throat. “Of course.” He sounded a little strained. Max clearly thought so too because she peered up at him critically for a moment before shrugging it off and ushering everyone into the kitchen. She offered Ivy a seat and watched as everybody else sat at the table. Everyone except Ryker, that is.

  “What is wrong with you? You’re acting very strange,” Max pointed out as Ryker continued to stay over the other side of the room.

  Diana could not believe he hadn’t told Max he and Ivy shared a past. Max’s eyes continued to rove back and forth between Ryker and Ivy and it wasn’t long before Max clued onto what type of tension was in the air;

  “You two had sex!”

  Ryker winced and Ivy’s face became even more remote, apparently expecting a bad reaction from Max. This was why Ryker had been hesitant to allow Bey to call his sister.

  “It was a long time ago …” Ryker began, obviously trying to placate his woman.

  “Only last year – not that long ago.” Ivy pointed out unhelpfully. What was wrong with the woman? Was she trying to force a wedge be
tween the two lovebirds? Diana didn’t know her well, but she knew she was an honourable soldier.

  “It seems like a long time ago to me!” Ryker snapped at Ivy. “And I don’t even remember it. I was drunk out of my mind.”

  Diana scowled darkly in Darius’s direction at that. There was another individual in this room that conveniently seemed to think alcohol was a satisfactory excuse for not remembering orgasms. Darius squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and avoided eye contact. Men!

  Max’s eyes narrowed dangerously, as she asked for clarification, “You don’t remember having sex with her?”

  “Not at all.” Ryker was quick to assure her. Ivy’s expressionless face was yet to change but Diana could tell she was watching the proceedings carefully.

  Max gasped in outrage; “That is so fucking insulting! Apologise to Ivy this instant!”

  Ryker managed to look confused, shocked and strained at the same time, “What?”

  Max jammed her hands on her hips, “Apologise to Ivy for not remembering having sex with her.”

  “You want me to apologise to another woman because I don’t recall being intimate with her?” Ryker’s voice was incredulous.

  “Yes, Ryker, I do. And it had better be sincere!” Max warned.

  Diana was careful to hide her amusement from her Captain as he sputtered in disbelief. She noticed that the other occupants of the room were in various states of amusement – all except for Beyden of course – nobody wanted to be reminded that their best friend had slept with their sister in a drunken haze. Max’s eyes began to take on a luminous hue and Ryker must have realised she was serious for he turned to Ivy;

  “I apologise for not remembering our brief encounter. I am sure my behaviour was not ideal and I am sorry for insulting you just now.” He bowed his head briefly before quickly looking to Max for her reaction.

  Max nodded her head. “Good. Ivy, do you accept his apology?”

  Diana thought she saw the Ranger’s lips twitch for a moment before she replied, “I do. Thank you, Ryker.”

  Beyden let out a strangled sound, “Can we please not discuss this anymore? And also, like, never again?!”

  “Dammit, Bey. I apologise. I didn’t mean any disrespect. I –”

  “It’s fine. We covered this a long time ago.” He assured his Captain

  “Why exactly are you apologising to him? He has no say about who I do and do not sleep with!” Ivy pointed out indignantly.

  “I’m your brother!” Beyden yelled.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Max asked, causing Ivy’s lips to twitch again.

  Beyden’s cheeks began to turn red as he looked from one woman to the other. “Why am I suddenly in trouble here? I haven’t done anything.”

  Cali patted his hand, “You’re not in trouble, sweetie. You just happen to have the wrong equipment for this conversation.”

  “Well, now that is settled, maybe we should move on?” Max suggested, seating herself across from Ivy at the table.

  “Thank the Goddess.” Beyden muttered, wiping his hand across his sweaty forehead. Diana noticed he pointedly ignored the snickering from Lark and Axel.

  Ryker finally joined her, picking up her hand and nipping the back of it. “You are hell on my ego, woman.”

  Diana smirked. No doubt he had been expecting fireworks in the form of jealousy – which of course, would pander to his inflated male self-esteem. Max’s easy going nature was damn good for him, Diana believed.

  “Chades; how many of them talk?” Max asked without preamble.

  “Chades don’t talk.” Ivy’s voice was unequivocal.

  Max sighed, “And here I thought we were going to be friends.”

  Ivy’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t have friends.”

  Diana winced. That was the wrong thing to say to a woman who collected strays. Sure enough, Max responded as predicted;

  “Well, now you do. Zombie likes you and everybody knows dogs have great instincts.” She pointed to the new pup who was sprawled at Ivy’s feet, contentedly chewing on the ears of his new stuffed bunny. He had barely left the Ranger’s side since she walked in. It would seem that Zombie did in fact like Ivy.

  Ivy’s face didn’t change but her eyes did flick down to the offending beast. “I suppose you can see a lie?” She asked Max.

  “Yep. And I take exception to it, so don’t bother.”

  Ivy leaned back in her chair, “I wasn’t lying – exactly. Chades do not talk. But –” She held up a slender hand to forestall Max’s arguments, “But, I believe there are different types of chades, different levels if you will. Some that are not as far gone as their brethren. And those? Yes, they talk.”

  Diana saw the way Darius stiffened upon hearing those words. His fingers gripped the edge of the table so tightly, she could hear his knuckles crack. She felt some pity work its way through her. Although Max had healed that horrible open wound inside of him, this must still be hell for him.

  “There are no different levels of chades. You either choose to become one, or you don’t.” His voice held authority and it was indeed what they had always been told. Diana herself, had certainly never encountered a chade that hadn’t been trying to kill her or a warden. And never one that could talk. They were wholly voiceless. But those eyes … she shivered. They always looked so accusing, like they were blaming her for not understanding.

  Ivy flicked her dark gaze Darius’s way. “I’m not prepared to argue with you. You asked for information; I’m giving it to you. Wardens don’t just wake up one day and are suddenly chades. It’s a process – a fast process for most, but a gradual process for some.”

  “And those who convert much slower, they retain their human sides longer? Like their ability to communicate?” Max asked.

  “That’s correct.”

  “How does the IDC not know about this?” Ryker asked, incredulous.

  Ivy’s look was direct, “They do know. They have always known.”

  Darius stood up and began to pace and Diana was worried he was going to blow a gasket again. Max shook her head at her, indicating she should remain in her seat. “They know?” Darius asked.

  Ivy nodded. “Yes. How could they not? It’s why us Rangers are needed so much. So we can detect and stop the ones who are in the process of turning.”

  “Why is this a secret, Ivy?” Beyden asked his sister.

  Her eyes softened somewhat when she looked at her brother, “It’s not really. We’re are all told in basic training and it is discussed openly at every meeting we ever have with the IDC. They don’t disseminate the information because they are afraid people would panic and anyone showing any signs of aberrant behaviour would be targeted – whether affected or not.”

  “So they’re just keeping important information from everyone?” Darius demanded, angrily.

  “How important is it?” Ivy asked. “What difference does it make? The ones that change slowly, still change and become creatures of darkness, bastardising their natural gifts. There is no stopping it. Their course is set. I haven’t said anything here that changes anything.” She sat back in her chair and addressed Max once again, “What’s with all the questions anyway?”

  Max shrugged, seemingly negligent. “Some of them have spoken to me but I understand that isn’t normal. I just wanted to learn more.”

  Ivy’s eyes sharpened. “Some have spoken to you? Where? When?”

  “Oh, all over the place really and a long time ago. What causes them to change?”

  “We don’t really know. We know certain wardens start requiring more vitality to recharge and start abusing their powers. One day they just … change. They don’t feel anymore, eat, sleep, talk. They cease being guardians of nature and instead choose to hunt their own kind, draining them of their vitality and killing them. They are soulless.”

  “You think it’s a choice?” Max tilted her head to the side.

  “Of course. What else would it be?”

  “A sickness
; a disease.” Beyden’s voice was soft as he answered on Max’s behalf. Diana found it very interesting that Ivy didn’t act surprised by the theory. She just continued to regard them all with those dark, exotic eyes of hers in silence.

  “Besides,” Max added, “why would someone choose to lose their soul? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Darius finally halted his incessant pacing. “Max. You are too sweet, too good to understand what true evil is really like. For many, being evil is its own reward.”

  Max eyed him speculatively as she gripped Ryker’s hand tightly. Diana saw Ivy note the action with little to no interest, “I used to have sex for money when I was sixteen years old. Do you know the type of humans that would offer a child of sixteen payment for the use of their body? Don’t patronise me, Darius. I know what true evil is; I’ve seen it, touched it. Don’t think me ignorant or innocent just because I ask questions.”

  Diana felt the blood drain from her face and saw most of the others pale at the thought of their liege selling her body when she was so young. Max still didn’t talk much about all those years she was alone but every now and then she would dole out these little snippets – like she spent time in a mental institution, or had undergone physical abuse, or prostituted herself – as though it were nothing. It made her feel sick to her stomach and also extremely sad that Max didn’t seem too bothered by those facts. She also found it nothing short of a miracle that Max had turned into a generous, kind, compassionate and affectionate woman. The Order link was suspiciously quiet and she knew Max must have dialled it back. Ryker was running his thumb back and forth over Max’s hand; he seemed unsurprised by the information. Apparently, Max didn’t keep secrets from the love of her life.

  “Max, I –”

  But she held up a quieting hand to Darius, instead focusing on their guest again. “Is it possible that they are going after Wardens because they are starving and sick and they are just trying to recharge? To cure themselves by attaining vitality?”