Page 43 of Custodian

“Aw, they aren’t creepy. They’re like excited puppies in a pet shop waiting to be adopted.”

The masculine voice came from behind them and had them all spinning and palming their weapons. Even though the heavy door remained closed and locked, a man stood inside the room. He was wearing a pristine suit of dark charcoal, his long black hair tied back neatly at the nape of his neck, and shiny black dress shoes. Dex didn’t need to see the ornate gold ring on the man’s pointer finger to recognise him for who he was.

Emmanuel.

Somehow, Garrett’s son was standing in front of him looking as if he just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. He looked exactly as Dex remembered him – other than the eyes. Those were nothing but black holes.

Emmanuel laughed, the sound normal and pleasant, nothing like the horrendous grating sound Nikolai had described from the past; “Look at you all; struck stupid. Surely you have something to say. No?” Emmanuel pinned his dark gaze on Nikolai, “Not even you, Nik? Mytorturer. And they say I’m the evil one,” Emmanuel tsked.

Nikolai didn’t so much as blink even though Dex knew the words would have struck a nerve. Nikolai had often expressed how certain duties had pained him in the past. Unfortunately, duty didn’t allow for personal feelings and Nikolai had carried out his orders as best as he could.

Emmanuel looked at Dex, “Charlemagne! It’s been too long. I must say, I was excited to learn you were like me.”

Dex felt his stomach roil, for though Emmanuel had the veneer of a gentleman, Dex could feel the putrid stench of evil rolling off him in waves. There was nothing civilised about the thing standing in front of him. And definitely nothing human. “I’m nothing like you,” he assured the chade.

Emmanuel nodded sadly and sighed, “Alas, I’m afraid that is true. You are tainted withlight.” He spat the word out, his face suddenly elongating horrifyingly and his mouth yawning open. The grotesque dysmorphia of his face made him look every inch the devil. “It’s disgusting! I had such high hopes for you when father told me you were a chade. But I see I’m too late to save you. You’ve been re-infected with your soul. You’re ugly now,” Emmanuel shook his head, his face returning back to normal.

“Pretty sure he’s not the ugly one. Have you tried looking in the mirror lately?” Lark’s voice sounded from behind him.

Emmanuel’s soulless eyes pinned the earth paladin and Dex had to give Lark credit for his balls – he didn’t so much as blink under the oppressing stare. “Let me guess; you’re the comic relief?” Emmanuel inquired, pleasantly.

Lark snorted, “Hardly. That position is reserved for a certain fire paladin. But don’t worry, I’m still more than capable of kicking your butt.”

Emmanuel’s black gaze bored into Lark for a moment before he grinned, waving a finger at him as if he were a naughty child, “Oh, you paladins. Always so cocky. It’s that ridiculously deep sense of duty you have. My paladins were the same. They thought they could talk to me. They thought they couldsaveme. Even when I was suffocating the soul out of their bodies, they still believed they could help me.”

“You killed your own knights?” Darius’s voice was horrified and Dex knew why. Even when Dex was at his worst, he had never laid a hand on his paladins. Instead, he had fled into exile just to ensure their safety from him.

“Killed? No, not at all. Where did you get such a silly idea? I took them into me – consumed them. They are a part of me now and always will be. Not a big deal, really. They did pledge their lives to me anyway. All those other wardens and paladins though …” Emmanuel trailed off, shaking his head.

Dex spared a glance at the others and knew they were trying to process what Emmanuel was saying just as he was. He seemed to be implying that when he drained wardens, and even paladins, of their vitality they were somehow being housed in his body.

“They are, Charlemagne,” Emmanuel answered Dex’s unspoken thoughts. “That’s what we do. Don’t you recall what it was like to take a warden’s vitality? That rush of power? That blast of pure adrenalin? Why, it’s like a drug. Addictive to be sure. Tell me, did you ever take a life? Drain that vitality until there was nothing left but a hollowed-out shell?”

Dex shook his head, taking an unconscious step backward. Emmanuel’s words were bringing back all kinds of terrible memories. His body no longer craved the vitality of his fellow wardens but the nightmares of that time still haunted him and he often felt the phantom hunger and cold when he was lost in his own thoughts. Luckily, that was less and less, because he had a generous fiancé, a loving brother, and a group of warriors constantly reminding him who he was. Despite all the shameful acts he had committed as a chade, he could say with absolute certainty that he had never killed anyone. He had never drained anyone to the death.

“Ah, I see. You’re still a soul-virgin,” Emmanuel laughed. “Well, I suppose that explains it.”

“Explains what?” Dex spat out.

“Why she was able to cure you. Why you were able to hold onto some of that ugly, ugly light you have. Well, no matter. There are plenty more out there who have fully embraced their true selves. That’s why I’m here – to save my poor, imprisoned brothers.”

“Yeah, that won’t be happening,” Nikolai informed Emmanuel.

“Oh? And who’s going to stop me? You? Your army of redeemed chades?” Emmanuel asked. “That’s right, I know all about your pitifulchadensresiding in that hovel. I will be paying them a visit sometime in the future too. Those who won’t fight beside me, will join me – eternally.” He shuddered, delicately, “The thought of all those powers becoming mine. They will be a lovely appetiser to the main course; that cute little redhead you have running around your house.”

Lark and Darius took a dangerous step forward, unable to help themselves upon hearing a threat to their liege. “You won’t ever put your filthy hands on her!” Darius snarled.

Emmanuel tsked, “Like I said before – so cocky. Shall I show you how I am going to do it? Would you like a little taste, pretty paladin?”

Emmanuel’s jaw unhinged and Dex saw his brother clutch at his chest and stagger. Lark and Ivy grabbed an arm each to keep him steady and Dex felt rage burn through his body when Darius turned pale and started to gasp. He stepped in front of his brother unthinkingly, and raised his sword. Now that he had Joyuese back, he carried the blade everywhere. Emmanuel seemed amused by Dex, his attention now off Darius, and Dex could hear his brother’s breaths returning to normal. But before Dex could strike at his enemy’s neck, Emmanuel turned his open mouth upon him. Dex braced himself, expecting to feel the long-past but never forgotten tugging sensation of having his vitality drained. But it never came. In fact, he felt nothing at all as Emmanuel seemed to gather himself and try again.

“How is that possible?!” Emmanuel yelled, looking pissed and put-out.

Dex was just as stupefied as Emmanuel was. The chade couldn’t harm him. What the actual fuck? But then he remembered why he was standing here, whole and free in the first place, and he felt himself grin despite the dire circumstances.Max, he thought. Somehow, Max curing him had also made him immune to having his vitality drained. If it was the case with all the other chadens Max had healed, then they might just have a chance of beating Emmanuel and his followers after all.

Dex lowered his blade, allowing it to point harmlessly to the floor, and shared his little secret with the room; “Max,” was all he said.

The three-letter word made his four companions smile but it had the exact opposite effect on the chade in front of him. It was like waving a red flag at a bull. Emmanuel threw his head back and screamed the most horrendous sound Dex had ever heard. He was even forced to raise his hands and block his ears but the sound could still be heard echoing inside his head. The sound of metal scraping on metal caught his attention and he turned to the monitors just in time to see every single cell door swing open. The freed chades didn’t hesitate as they charged from their tiny prisons and flooded the hallways. Dex knew with absolute certainty that they were all heading in their direction.

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