Page 5 of The Anointed's Paladin

Mortimer‘s hand on my shoulder made me jump. “The magic’s not in the oath, Talon,” he said kindly. “The magic we use is like a musical note, vibrating at a certain frequency. As Paladins, we can match that frequency so completely, we can access that power. Your oath is just the tuning fork that speeds up and empowers you to find that frequency quickly.”

“I know that,” I said, slightly disappointed. It was one of the first things I’d learned.

Mortimer looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “You’re still a Paladin, Talon. You just can’t tune in to the same frequency as before. You’ll have to find a new one and a new oath to connect you to it. We don’t really like to talk about changing oaths, but you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last, to find a new path.”

I swallowed, relief washing over me.

“Best be on your way,” he said. “And I know you said you’d never darken our doorstep again, but know if you ever need anything, I’ll be here.” He looked up at me with kind eyes. “Now, this is where I’m supposed to take your Guild insignia. It’s an important item. Gets you a lot of trust and opens doors. Can’t let just anyone walk around with it.” His eyes twinkled. “Let’s just say it slipped my mind.”

“Thank you,” I said gruffly. “For everything.”

He nodded and patted my arm again. “If you’re looking for direction, I’d suggest seeking Hulm.” I managed a nod.

-

I stopped off at my room and sighed, trying to relieve some of the tension in my body. I needed to get away from here. The Guild was everywhere in this town.

I hitched a ride to the next town, where I showed my insignia to the boarding house so they’d let me rent a room and paid extra to use the bathhouse.

I stripped off my dirty clothes, put them in the basket for the staff to wash, and stepped into the shower area. I took a breath, but thankfully, it was empty. My skin was itching from the grime, and the feeling of the water hitting my skin, cleaning away the dirt, was like a little piece of heaven.

The dirt and blood from the nagai’s cave was stubborn, but with scrubbing, I managed to get myself clean again. They even had special hair soap, which I helped myself to. I watched the red and black wash away from the white of my long hair and sighed.

Then I made my way to the shared bath area. There were a couple of people in the springs, and I hovered by the entrance, the towel hugging my frame. The thought of relaxing in the hot water spurred me forwards, and I steeled myself for the stares.

I walked forward, deliberately examining the plants that decorated the edges of the water. I felt relief as I heard the others rise and exit the pool, ignoring the disgruntled mutters that were directed at me. I waited until they had left, then carefully folded my towel on the side. I waded up to my chest and took a deep breath. I let heat radiate from my skin, and the water started bubbling around me as the temperature soared. At least I still had this. Fire and light was in my blood and bones, something I’d always been able to do. I leaned back, stretching out my aching wings and enjoying the scalding water.

What should I do next?

My life had been predictable. First and foremost: gather information about monsters that needed killing, then go and kill them. Second, behave in a way fitting to a Guild Paladin. That meant no swearing, drinking, losing your temper, no sex outside of a union; basically being polite and in control all the time.

Well, fuck that.

I scratched the back of my neck. I wasn’t planning on becoming debased, but it’d be nice to not have to follow some arbitrary rules some old human dude made hundreds of years ago that never really made sense. I was going to get laid. If I could find someone who was interested. That lifted my spirits. And no more feeling ashamed about wanting that. Well, actually, I’d hold onto a bit of that shame. My mood lifted for a second, before I remembered my next step after that… Mortimer had suggested finding Hulm.

Hulm was my mentor, the closest thing I had to family, but my connection with him had been the biggest barrier to my acceptance in the Guild. I had publicly rejected him and hadn’t seen him in many years. But Mortimer was right. I owed him an apology, at least. If he didn’t hate me, he’d know what I should do next.

I knew it would take a long time to find my new oath. Finding your oath meant knowing yourself, and alothad changed for me.

I stayed in the bath until finally another person came through the entrance. I leaped to my feet, grabbing my towel and covering myself before they could properly see. My face burned.

“It’s, uh, a bit hot,” I said as I passed, getting a scowl. They yelped as they dipped a toe into the water.

3

The first offer

Kaine

The lamp above my bed flickered on, and the door unlocked with a click. My heart sank. Night must have fallen, though I couldn’t tell from within my dingy, cramped room in the basement. None of the four pallid walls around me had a window.

The door was the only way out. I often wondered what would happen should the house go up in flames. I would be trapped, suffocating or burning to death in this tiny space. Not the best way to go, but I’d take what I could get.

I lay in bed, trying to decide if I should get up or not today.

Most of the time, getting up was automatic. I would drag myself out of bed and arrive at the breakfast table as instructed. Easy. Safe.

But I was thinking, todaymightbe one of those days I would resist.

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