Page 28 of The Anointed's Paladin

One dry summer, a spark lit a terrible fire in the forest. It burned bright and high, hungrily devouring everything in its path. It burned through the village where Thina lived, so fast, most did not get a chance to escape. Thina’s partner perished in the blaze, but she and her children emerged unharmed. Despite her own loss, the villagers blamed Thina for the inferno. They dragged her to the centre of the ruined village, intending to hang her. But as Thina’s heart pounded and hands grabbed her, the orb burned brighter and brighter until it burst. Fire flashed above Thina’s head and unleashed Mirilith’s fury within her. She tore apart the villagers with her bare hands. But the fire latched on to her, consuming her mind. She wasn’t strong enough to fight its call and transformed into a feral shell of her former self. Mirilith came too late, and all she found in the remains of the village were Thina’s two children, crying for their mother and father. She picked up the infants and took them back to Hell. But the shadow of Mirilith's fury lingered in their bloodline, a gift and a curse they could not shake.

I stopped, and Nidori looked up at me, frowning.

“That wasn’t a happy ending,” she said.

I shook my head.

“No. It isn’t meant to be. It’s a warning.”

“A warning for what? Letting your children go out exploring?”

“It’s supposed to scare off enferni from ever using their birthright,” Kaine said from above us. “Any of Mirilith’s direct descendants can choose to use her fury. Most don’t.”

“It’s not really a choice,” I snapped. “It triggers during moments of extreme peril. Life or death.”

“Settle down,” said Kaine, and I could see his foot swinging from a branch above. “It’s kind of a waste of a warning if it’s not a choice, then. What, is it supposed to make you feel bad for saving your own neck?”

“He’s got a point,” said Nidori. “Maybe it’s more of a history than a moral guide? Did your mom say?”

“She died when I was little. Never clarified.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Talon.” Nidori’s face fell.

I shrugged, not wanting her to be sad for me. “It was a long time ago,” I said gently. “Besides, I was taken in by a Paladin, Hulm. He became my new family. And I’ve spent my whole life since then trying to protect other people from what happened to me.”

She smiled at me, but the underlying sadness in her eyes remained.

“That is a noble but impossible goal,” Kaine said, hopping down from the tree to settle across from the fire. “You paladins love making goals like that.Save everyone. Fix the world. Defend against evil every day till you die.You’re kind of setting yourself up for failure, you know.”

I shrugged. “The point isn’t to meet the goal, or be perfect, but to always try.”

Nidori yawned. “That’s a bit better. Otherwise, I’d be surprised if everyone doesn’t just give up and get depressed.”

She didn’t realise how close she was to my experience last week. I was quiet, contemplating the nagai event, and then my meeting with Kaine. My eyes flicked to where he sat across the fire, leaning back, eyes closed.

“What was Hell like?” Nidori asked suddenly.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was born here, and my parents didn’t talk about it.”

“Ican tell you about it, Nidori,” said Kaine smugly. “It’s hot, dry, and quite barren. Scarred so much, nothing really grows. I remember the first time I visited here. I could taste the water in the air. Plants and food were everywhere. I took every chance I could to come over.”

He must be mucholder than he looked, if he’d seen Hell. Lydes had sealed it off just over three hundred years ago.

We sat around the fire for a bit, and Nidori got out a flute and played a tune. She kept it up until she started yawning and couldn’t stop.

“Bedtime,” she said, rubbing her eyes and jumping up from my lap, fluttering into the air.

She stopped and knelt at the base of a tree, bowing her head and murmuring what seemed like a prayer. I couldn’t make out the words, and it seemed rude to try and eavesdrop, so I set up my bedroll. It would have to get a lot colder than this before I needed a blanket.

“Good night, boys!” said Nidori, and we both returned the sentiment before she fluttered to the tree she’d hollowed out for Kaine and made herself cozy on a ledge. I heard a gentle humming coming from the nest. Kaine crossed over to his tree shelter, climbing inside.

I settled into the smooth tree root I had adopted as my seat, letting the fire burn low. It was quiet for a while, the stillness of the night settling over the clearing.

I wasn’t ready to sleep yet. What was I going to do? Nidori seemed happy… but she didn’t know the true danger she was in.

Looking over to their spot, I found Kaine’s blue eyes glittering at me from the dark. His face from earlier burst into my head—his cold, commanding eyes taking me in.

My breath caught again at his attention. He seemed to have been waiting for me to look, because he rose, stretching luxuriously. His loose shirt was half-unbuttoned, and the deep V allowed me a glimpse of his sculpted chest. I stared hungrily, lust stirring in my blood, my tail curling in response. I felt like I should look away, but I didn’t have the willpower.

---