Page 2 of The Anointed's Paladin

Then I had thought acceptance in the Guild would be the missing piece.

It hadn’t changed anything.

I would always be a monster. Never able to be anything beyond that.

And that was it. The end of my story.

Listen, listen, listen:the tale of the enferni Paladin, who gave everything to everyone else, who followed every strict Guild rule, who fought in dungeons and sewers and swamps, and died alone in the broken basement of an abandoned shack. The end.

My eyes stung from the rage that built in my heart. My whole body was trembling now, and I swallowed again, fighting the urge to throw up.

What an idiot. What a waste.

Please, I prayed. I wasn’t sure who to; I didn’t have a patron God. But I felt I should try.Please give me another chance. I don’t want this to be the end. I need to try something different.

I leaned back, the whole world spinning.

A breeze stirred in through the broken floor above me, and a golden light appeared, a ribbon that passed through my body. I felt a thrumming of energy, warm and comforting, fill me.

And then…the nausea left me, and my vision cleared. My muscles steadied, and the pain drained from my body. I blinked, sitting forward. The gash on my arm had healed, my skin back to its normal dusky blue.

No, that wasn’t quite true. I squinted, pulling at the skin.

A black mark had appeared where the gash had been, like a tattoo.

Evidence that it hadn’t all been a mad dream.

I breathed the damp air deeply, a wild laugh escaping my lips. Tears streamed down my face.

It was all right. I had another chance. My life could mean something now.

***

In a dark room, Ajax stopped the vision. The unfortunate enferni should not have survived. Yet a connection had formed, magic reaching across miles and miles to pluck him from the clutches of death. He drummed his fingers on the smooth side of his chair, causing the man kneeling before him to pause in his work.

“He did not command you to stop.” Snarled the woman at his side, but Ajax raised his hand in peace.

“Leave me. All of you.” He commanded. The man at his feet hesitated, and that was all it took before he was swept backwards. The woman’s sharp reprimands cut through the stone chamber until the door closed behind them.

Ajax stood, adjusting his waistband and re-fastening his belt buckle. It was unfortunate timing, but he couldn’t put it off any longer. He walked behind his throne, pushing aside the curtain and walking towards the large table stationed back here.

Ajax sat down heavily, his many necklaces and bracelets settling a moment after he did. He tapped a particularly thick ring on the table.

The magic he’d seen had been too bright, too powerful to be overlooked. Every interested deity would have noticed, and that meant trouble. With a sigh, he took off one of his necklaces and laid it on the table. Three plain golden rings were strung to it. He rubbed his forehead, then stretched out his hand. The rings glowed as they activated.

Pollux was ready first. He always was. Ajax wondered if he even did anything nowadays, except sleep and wait for Ajax’s call. Rat was next, and Ajax sighed again as he waited for Ilyana.

Finally, her ring pulsed, too, indicating they could talk without interruptions.

Ajax opened the connections fully.

“This better be good, Ajax. I’m in the middle of a purge,” came Ilyana’s irritated voice through the ring.

“I’m sure the slaughtering of the helpless can wait for another time, angel,” said Ajax. She didn’t rise to the barb.

“So, what is it?” asked Rat, her reedy voice coming through even thinner than normal.

“Do you remember the little secret that was tucked away after the last turnover?”

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