Page 109 of The Anointed's Paladin

“Can someone please call Cirae?” he said, freeing his hand and sticking it towards us.

Nidori pulled out her dagger and made a small nick on his palm. The baby stopped trying to eat Kaine’s face and started sucking on his scarf instead. It was staring at him with its large eyes.

“That’s better.” Kaine wagged his finger at it. “We don’t eat people. That’s a good lesson to learn early.”

The baby beamed at him with a mouthful of scarf.

A cold breeze blew into the room, and dark mist formed in front of Kaine, growing and shifting into a tall, dark figure.

The baby stared at the new arrival, expressionless. Cirae had snakelike eyes and long, pointed ears. Their features shifted, blurring, constantly changing. They looked at me and blinked- sideways- before turning to Kaine. Well, I wasn’t one to judge people for the way they looked.

Kaine lifted the infant, pulling his scarf out of its mouth.

“Bye bye, little one,” said Nidori, coming and planting a kiss on its cheek.

Cirae took it, resting the baby on their shoulder like I had seen mothers do. The baby snuggled in, closing its eyes and letting out a small sigh.

My limbs were feeling heavy, and my heart was fluttering in my chest.

“Thank you,” said Cirae. “It seems my trust in you was well-founded… I’m afraid I must confess, I can’t say the same.”

“What do you mean?” Kaine asked, and I felt a spike of panic. “If you can’t break my bond—”

“No. I cannot break it. I already destroyed it two weeks ago,” they said mildly.

The baby giggled. Kaine gaped at him. Nidori jumped to her feet, grabbing his hand.

“Hey!” she said. “What the fox?!”

“Yeah. What the fuck?!” Kaine stepped right up to Cirae. “You’re telling me I’ve been free this wholefuckingtime?”

Cirae nodded, blinking their eyelids sideways. I felt sick. Perhaps, if we’d known this…but no. There was no question that freeing the baby was the right thing to do.

“You would not have come if I told you,” they said.

Nidori harrumphed.

“You bastard,” Kaine said, fuming. “What was the point of helping you, then?”

“I shall anoint you.” They held out their hand, palm glowing a vibrant gold.

“Oh. Right.” Kaine glanced at us, hesitating. I gave him a reassuring smile, and he took Cirae’s hand.

A golden glow enveloped him, shimmering as he stood before us. The glow faded, and Kaine looked at his hands. His eyes had changed from blue to a magnificent gold, marking him as anointed.

“I don’t feel much different. What kind of power will this give me?”

“Even I don’t fully know what exactly will manifest when I grant you this. We’ll have to see. Rest assured, it will be extremely powerful, indeed.”

“But I can walk in the sun again?” he asked.

Cirae nodded. “Yes. But that is not my doing. Freeing this child will undo Lydes’ curse. Andthatis only the beginning.”

“Wait,” I said. They turned to look at me. Questions burned in my mind, and I wasn’t sure which one to ask. “What happens now?” I managed to say. “Who is the baby?”

They gave us a smile. “She is someone very important.”

Without another word, they turned and disappeared back into a cloud of mist, taking the baby with them.

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