Page 20 of The Anointed's Paladin

I snorted. Absolutely not.

“How am I supposed to protect you if you are outside and something happens?”

The thought was horrible. If someone came during the day, I’d be helpless to do anything. It was better that she stayed right next to me.

Nidori’s face had gone pink.

“I suppose I could make one here,” She waved her hand and a orb formed on the inside of the dome, near my head. Perfect.

She flew over and snuggled in.

“Thanks for protecting me. I promise I’ll take care of you.” She whispered in the dark.

The warmth from earlier came back into my chest. Her breathing slowed as she fell asleep, but I lay awake. It was far too early for me to settle down, and my mind was buzzing with thoughts.

I hadn’t used compulsion on her tonight, and I was so glad I hadn’t. It would have ruined this whole evening and every sweet word that had come out of Nidori’s mouth. I turned and let my fingers rest against her little orb nest as I decided two things.

I liked this. This feeling that I was someone who was worth her time and attention. I was going to keep up this illusion that I wasn’t a monster for as long as possible, and that meant not using compulsion. Yet.

The second thing I decided was that I was never ever going to let her go. And I was sure that would be when I would use compulsion, because once the illusion was shattered, there was no way in hell she’d want to stay with me.

***

Nidori

I slept a long time, but the sun was still up when I woke. Kaine was stretched out, chest rising and falling gently as he slept, his hand resting on the top of my orb protectively. I watched him for a while before shifting forward and making myself a careful path out of theshelter. I was boredandantsy, wanting to go explore. I’d only be gone for a bit. I’d be back before he woke up.

We had left the outskirts some time ago and were well into the Witherwood now. It was one thing to hear tales about the great royalwood trees of the south, but it was another to look up at them and feel so tiny. They stretched so high, I couldn’t make out the tops, and each trunk was almost as thick as a house. Even though the sun was still up, not much light made it through to the forest floor.

I decided to look around, flying up and darting through the trees. I enjoyed the smell of the ferns and leaves down below. I could hear crickets chirping and feel the winds stirring through the trees. A bright light nearby caught my attention, drawing me closer for a better look. I froze as I saw what it was.

A huge figure was making his way through the woods.

He had dark blue skin, horns, and massive wings that rose up from his back. He carried a sword and shield, and I couldn’t decide what description he matched from my books. He had a handsome face and was dressed like a knight, but only monsters and demons in the stories I read had horns and a sharp tail like he did. The light that had caught my eye was floating in front of him, guiding his way.

I flew closer, trying to figure it out. Knight or monster?

Hmm. He looked massive and kind of scary, but also very tired.

I wanted to go and ask him, but I figured I should probably be a bit careful after what happened last time. Especially if I didn’t want anyone dying. I’d have to get Kaine to tell me how to make people fall asleep.

The figure was making his way around a mass of thick roots when I struck, summoning a tangle of vines and sweeping him upside down.

He growled and tried to cut through them with his sword. I wrapped him more securely before I approached. There. That should do it.

“Hello?” I said, landing above him. He looked funny upside down, his white hair dangling down in sleek waves, and I giggled and hung upside down as well. Oh. My dress had fallen to cover my face. I pushed it back up. Perhaps that’s why sprites didn’t usually wear things like that.

Up close, he was very interesting to look at. He had dark blue-grey skin and long, wavy, white hair. It looked different than Kaine’s; it looked smooth rather than soft. His eyes flicked to me; they were black where they should be white and an iridescent blue in the iris. Wow. They were gorgeous, large, and almost glowing. His face was long and strong, but he didn’t look angry, just surprised.

He hadn’t replied yet but had stopped struggling when he saw me.

“Hello?”I repeated, flipping the right way again and frowning. Maybe he was a monster, after all. They didn’t usually talk.

“Hello?” he replied in a low voice. I nodded, satisfied that he had passed one test. But there was still a problem.

“Now," I tapped my chin. “Kaine said that if I saw anyone else, I should stab them.” I frowned. I stabbed the air to test out how it would feel. It felt nice, so I did it again. There was a problem with following Kaine’s directions, though. “…but I don’t have a knife.”

“I really don’t want to be stabbed,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

---