The Celestial Paladin

CHAPTER 5

  A PLACE OF PRIDE

  Rodregas drove the wagon with Imeralda sitting next to him; Doi’van continued his impressive show of endurance by actually jogging next to the wagon and showing no trouble keeping up. As the trail was more of a hunting path than a proper road and they were traveling on an upward incline, the wagon was struggling to make much time.

  It was not until their midday stop that the three had any real conversation. “So,” asked Imeralda, “where are we going? I assume it is not the Northern Kingdoms as you said to Audrian. For one thing that would be stupid, and for a second you seem to be climbing ever higher into the Arida Mountains and that is hardly the best way north.”

  Rodregas nodded. He hoped to make it to his hideaway by nightfall, so he decided it did not hurt to share his plan at this point.

  “You’re right; we are not going to the Northern Kingdoms. A few companions and I were hiding out in the Aridas and in one of the higher hollows I found an old farmhouse. It has been abandoned for a long time, but it is well made and there is water and lots of fruit trees and berry bushes that must be left over from an old orchard.”

  After a moment he added, “I always thought that if I ever needed a place to hide out that it was ideal. Of course it will be rough there. Outside of what we bring, there will not be much. But it will be a good place to rest and…” he said gently patting his stomach, “heal up. We should be there by nightfall.”

  “Not bad,” said Imeralda. “Sounds like a place that will be hard to find, but is this not territory infested with wild Dire beast?”

  “Yup,” Rodregas said, “another reason I think this area is usually hard to find; most people stay clear.” He continued after a pause to let them think of entering territory known to be the hunting range of feared predators, “I never saw any sign of any Dire beast in the hollows when I was there, but, of course, they probably know of the place. Still, I would rather handle a pack of Hellhounds than The Immortal Guards.” Neither looked pleased at his logic, but both nodded.

  A few hours later it was starting to get dark as Rodregas recognized the spot and turned the wagon left for the final hard assent. At this point there was no trail, and common sense would have argued against the path. It was hard work.

  The horses had to be hand-led around rocks and trees and pulled up. Doi’van and Rodregas had to manhandle the wagon around a few corners which was easier to do than it should have been, but Celestial and Hellborn strength together made short work of it.

  Then, as they finally started to level out into the small little valley of the hollow, the hair all over Rodregas’ body suddenly stood up on end and his skin shivered. Rodregas was expecting it, but was a little shocked by the strength of his reaction. All those years ago he had had to struggle to feel it. Now he almost swayed in the currents of the magic stream of energy.

  The wagon halted as Doi’van stopped pushing it up the incline. He just stood there, his wild black unkempt hair seeming to blow in an invisible wind. Imeralda looked equally surprised and caught up. That was interesting. Clearly Imeralda would have the power to sense the stream of magic, but Doi’van had seemed equally effected.

  She turned to Rodregas; her eyebrows arched high in surprise and said, “A ley line and powerful? I knew there were several going through the Aridas, but your little abandoned farm is next to a ley line?” she asked.

  “Actually,” Rodregas said, “it is right in the middle of it, and there is even a small undercurrent suggesting that another weaker one crosses at the farm point.”

  Rodregas explained, “I had been on the run when we found this place. I had been worried that those tracking me were using magic. So to keep them off my track I traveled in and out of ley lines to throw off the magic scent. This one runs underground before coming out in this small valley. I was trying to find the ley line again. That is how I found the old farmhouse.”

  Ley lines are like rivers of magic energy that encircle the world. Most major Immortalist keeps and other magic locations are located either on one, or where two of them cross. Magicians love them for all the free magical power just flowing by to use. But while there is plenty of power it is not easy to use. The power is naturally full of disturbances and chaotic energies.

  The horror stories of magicians having terrible accidents with spells gone crazy on ley lines were legend. This is why Immortalists used circles to manage the power. Raven Keep was on such a line but you could not feel it due to the powerful circles built into the tower. It was probably why Raven Town was not closer.

  “Come on,” Rodregas said. “Let’s get to shelter before dark.” As he headed into the hidden hollow the orchard became clear. He was sure that at one point it had straight rows and a pattern to it. But the orchard had been wild for a very long time. While there was a bunch of fruit trees and berry bushes, most were the descendants of the original orchard and it was hard to find anything that reassembled a straight row.

  The apples trees were in fruit and they all started grabbing a few of each to eat as they went. Rodregas was not much of a farmer and did not know what the different types were named, but he liked the small green ones with the yellow splotches; they were sweet with a wonderful tang.

  “You know,” said Doi’van, “Hiding on a ley line definitely makes sense for keeping the Immortalists off our back and these apples are delicious.”

  Rodregas stared at him as he ate. Humans ate around the core, but Doi’van was eating the whole apple as he talked. “And I love the feel of all the magic. My body was meant to live in a place that has more magic than our world does, but the lines are chaotic. It is hard to sleep on a wild line. It is going to be hard to stay here for long.” Doi’van’s deep voice had the tone of making a simple observation, not conversation.

  Rodregas nodded; he had been waiting for the comment, but he had thought it would be Imeralda who brought it up. “True,” he said, “unless you have a way of smoothing it out.” Rodregas waited for a few seconds as the three approached the main farmhouse building.

  The walls were of thick cut stone and it was built on an impressive scale for a farmhouse, though worn-looking. Of course, there were no signs of a roof, doors or windows. As they entered the yard, the feeling of the hair standing up on their bodies settled down and instead a feeling of fullness replaced it. The horses had been acting up and Rodregas hoped that with the energy smoothing out, the horses would stop fighting their lines. Though in truth the horses seemed to be getting more agitated.

  As the magic smoothed out Rodregas smiled and said, “The ley line would be as much of a problem as a help unless, of course, the farmhouse is made of Nymph stone.”

  Rodregas expected the sound of pleased surprise but instead heard alarmed in-drawn breaths from them both; he saw that they were looking to the right, where he suddenly noticed movement. Two female Dire Cats stepped out of the orchard and made their way to the farmhouse. They had a relaxed, bored look. He thought that they gave him a casual nod, but he could not actually see any movement. Rodregas simply knew that these were the two Dire Cats that he had freed from the Dungeon. “Did everyone from that dungeon follow me?” he whispered to himself.

  The three stood there fighting to keep the horses from running and watched as the Dire Cats stepped through the main door for a moment, but left after only a short wait. The Dire Cats then circled the main building and went over to the far edge of the main house and then simply disappeared.

  Rodregas said, “I think they just went into the cellar of the home. The entrance is over there. Come on, let’s get the horses over to the old barn and get them set for the night before it gets too dark.”

  “Are those the two Dire Cats from Raven Keep?” asked Imeralda. As she spoke she shook her long auburn hair behind her, something he was starting to realize was a nervous gesture.

  “Yes, I think so,” Rodregas said. “I freed them from the dungeon before I left, and then I thought I saw them
yesterday. Apparently, everyone in the dungeon is following me,” he said with a chuckle.

  “You saw them?” asked Doi’van.

  “Not exactly” he said. “I saw movement a few times. I just thought it might be them. I did not know for sure,” he explained.

  Doi’van asked Imeralda, “Did you know they were tracking us?”

  “No, I had no clue.” she said looking embarrassed. She then added, “I am not really a great tracker. I mean, our Paladin was easy enough to find but tracking Dire Cats through the forest, that would require true skill.”

  “But you did not sense them at all?” asked the Hellborn again.

  “No,” she shook her head. “Why?” she asked, her voice curious on his repeated questioning.

  “Because I am wondering if our ‘Paladin’ has a connection to the Dire Cats. I know a Celestial lion was used in the ceremony and whoever our Paladin is I assume he now has it’s essence, and those two were taken as the Celestial’s mates.” Imeralda and Doi’van looked at him, and then she slowly added, “And what was one of your first actions? You freed them from the dungeon. Dire Cats are smarter than regular lions; they might see you as an ally or part of their herd. No wait, I think with cats you call them prides. But I wonder how they see Doi’van and me?” she asked. Neither Doi’van nor Rodregas had an answer to that question.

  “Well,” Rodregas said, “we need to find shelter and if they meant us harm us they would not have shown themselves. It’s getting dark. Let’s get the horses into the barn. If they have been tracking me since I let them out, they don’t seem to want to do any great harm.”

  With that Rodregas got out of the wagon and started to pull the horses into the barn. Their noses were flaring, and he had to pull them almost to the opening. As soon as they got close they both went charging in; they sensed the barn was shelter to keep them safe from the Dire Cats.

  Like the farmhouse, the barn was also built of the same impressive large cut stone. However, while the stone was in great shape, all other materials seemed to have fallen apart. There were several small trees and bushes growing in the barn. The floor was also stone, and there was not enough dirt and debris for them to grow very large. They had to clear a path to get the wagon in. Imeralda ran her hand over the stone with a surprisingly gentle caress. “It is Nymph stone, right?” Rodregas asked.

  She nodded and said, “Yes, I am half Forest Nymph and half AElf and this is beautiful work.” All Nymphs have a specific attachment to nature such as forest, stone or water. There was a lot of variation among the Nymphs, but they could do amazing things with their element.

  A connection to stone is much sought after by mages. The stone could not store magic like the circles but it could smooth out the high level of magic available on ley lines and make it more comfortable to use, not in the big way of the magic of circles, but for using magic in small ways. And, of course, only homes made by nymphs could make living on a ley line comfortable.

  “This home truly is a find,” said Doi’van, “and now I see why the Dire Cats showed themselves to us.”

  “What do you mean?” Rodregas asked.

  “Dire Beasts seek such places to lair,” answered Doi’van. “Whether their ancestry is Celestial or Infernal, they instinctively seek a place that has a higher level of magic energy. But they find ley lines like this irritating as much as we do, unless there is some way to smooth out its turbulence. This is especially true of pregnant females. The strongest dire animals are not just those of nearest descent, but also those who come to term in high magical environments.” Rodregas nodded, he had heard bits of this but he had not really thought about it.

  Doi’van stretched his hands up and up to an impressive height, and a smile spread across his face, the first one Rodregas had seen on the Hellborn face. It was good to see, though it was also a little scary as his teeth were more pointed than Rodregas was used to seeing. His teeth had more in common with the Dire Cats than himself or Imeralda.

  “Of course, I know this first hand as it is the same for us Hellborn. We will not grow strong if we do not spend much of our childhood in a place that is rich in magic. This place feels very good. The last few years the only time I was in a place rich in magic, I was also a prisoner. It is good not to hunger for magic and be FREE!”

  Rodregas was, of course, curious about the Hellborn’s background but had been hesitant to ask. You do not want to piss off one of the Hellborn.

  Hellborn were not necessarily chaotic and sadistic beings, like actual daemons or Greater Daemons, at least unless they voluntarily chose to become one of Hell’s Chosen. Rodregas did not think even one of the Immortalists would choose to mess with one of Hell’s Chosen. Hellborn on the mortal world were welcome among the Orqui much like those of Celestial blood were among the humans and the AElves. The Orqui mated with Daemons and their offspring became its races noble house, just as the blood of Celestials flowed in the noble houses of Humans and AElves.

  Of course, here in the Eastern Realms true ruler ship was not by the demi-gods of the noble houses anymore but by the Immortalists and their Guild of the Celestial Path. Often those of Celestial blood, instead of being rulers, were prey to the Guild for their rituals.

  Rodregas decided it was now or never if he was going to ask Doi’van of his past. “So,” he said, “was your mother in a place of strong magic when she was pregnant with you?” He held his breath, worried that his question might be impolite.

  But Doi’van’s smile continued and he nodded, “Yes, my mother is a princess of the Orqui clans of the Farisa across the inland sea. There the Orqui are torn between following the Celestials and the Daemon Lords of the Infernal Realm. My family is of the Orrghirrlida tribe that follows the Celestials. Of course, the Daemon Lords love to tempt all those of Celestial blood. I was born a bastard from an illicit affair of such a temptation. While the shape my father had taken had been fair, I came out, well let’s just say my paternity was not in question.”

  “This is an old game among my people,” Doi’van continued “and while I suffered much in my own clan, they kept me in the palace and I grew to adulthood in its strong magical confines and to my full strength.”

  “So,” Imeralda broke in, “You are of both Infernal and Celestial blood?”

  Doi’van seemed hesitant to answer for a moment but after a long pause said, “Yes, but most choose not to see it that way. You are either Hellborn or not. After I grew to manhood, I decided my true place was among one of the other clans, one that follows the lordship of the Hellborn.” He spoke this very slowly each deep rumble of his tone dragged out. “I was wrong though, and quickly realized that those who follow the Lords of the Infernal Realms were even a worse fit for me than at home, though they did see me as royal blood and not tainted.”

  Doi’van added, “I eventually decided to start somewhere new and took a ship across the inland sea.” Doi’van paused at this and shook his head, his hair flying wild, as he seemed to want to shake out a memory from his massive head before he continued.

  “I am afraid I did not ask enough questions. I just wanted to get a fresh start. I was in Guild Dealer Taigas’ Menagerie to be sold within a week of my arrival.” He finished, his smile fading at the memory.

  “When was that?” Rodregas asked.

  Doi’van looked at him for a second and said, “Two years ago.”

  “But that makes no sense,” Rodregas said, his voice angry though he did not know why. “The Guild is supposed to be trying to make their Immortalists members Celestial. Why would they hold you for two years?”

  Doi’van nodded but then shook his head. “Trust me, I would like to know that answer more then you.” Doi’van’s smile was now long gone and with a shrug of his huge misshaped shoulders, he changed the subject.

  “So, Imeralda, the stone here still seems strong and like new, though clearly, it has been long after the construction of this place.”

  Sh
e was looking at Doi’van strangely and it seemed to take her a moment to shift gears and answer his question. “Yes…of course construction like this…stone enchanted to absorb the power…it makes the stone stronger with that power. Stones formed like this will last as long as the ley line does not move, which happens only rarely and over centuries. What is strange is this is not a farm designed by Nymphs. The design of the home and barn is clearly human, yet it would be strange for a simple farmer to be able to afford to have his building built of Nymph stone and way up here in this remote place,” She said.

  “Sir Paladin,” Doi’van asked, “You said you traveled here the first time with friends. Might they tell folks of this place?”

  “No,” Rodregas answered, “they were not exactly friends, and they both died long ago. Plus, they had no magic and did not even realize this place was on a ley line, and I never told them. They just saw an old farm house in bad repair.”

  “So, what now,” Doi’van asked?

  “Well,” Rodregas said, “I think we should just sleep here tonight. We can try the house in the morning. But I don’t want to disturb the Dire Cats during the night.” They both nodded. They had come to the same thought already.

  “Oh,” Rodregas said, “here.” He pulled out one of the extra short swords and its harness from where he had it stashed in the wagon and handed it to Doi’van. “If you guys promise not to stab me in the night, it makes sense for you two to be armed. Though, I do not think that harness is big enough to fit you without some work.”

  Rodregas held his last unclaimed short sword up and said, “And here is one for you, Imeralda.” She picked it up, but he could tell she did not know how to handle the weapon. Doi’van looked comfortable enough, but the handle was almost too small for his large hand and it looked more like a large dagger in his hand than a sword.

  “You don’t have a bow hidden in that wagon do you? I have no idea how to use one of these pig stickers, but I am very good with a bow,” said Imeralda. She said it clearly expecting him not to have anything.

  Rodregas did, have a bow. He had two very nice bows wrapped up in the wagon. But, while the short swords he handed them were dangerous, they were common and easy to replace. On the other hand, the Black Yew bows were rare and powerful.

  He also thought about the chain mail that he had found in Ravenhurr’s wardrobe. While it was way too small to fit him it would fit Imeralda just fine. But to give this woman he barely knew such fine armor and weapons was not something to do casually. It made a lot of sense sitting there on the foothills of the Arida Mountains, worrying about Gobelyn and Dire Cat attacks, but they were a great gift; no one had ever given him such a gift.

  “What?” she asked me “You are looking at me like I asked you for your first born child,” she stated in a surprised voice.

  “Last night you two tried to kill me, I thought I was being very generous to share my hideout and give each of you a sword. Frankly I am worried that you will both give it back to me when I am sleeping tonight.” Imeralda looked surprisingly guilty, Doi’van looked... well Rodregas could not guess what the expression on his blunt rough face meant.

  “Look,” said Imeralda once again shaking her long hair behind her, “I feel terrible about that. I told Audrian that I was not sure you were really Ravenhurr and that the spell did not go as planned. By the Infernals, if the spell had gone as planned I would have burned in creation fire and my magic would be inside of your body right now.”

  She caught him with those large amazingly green eyes and said, “I had a theory on what happened, but was not sure how to explain it so Audrian would understand. He was adamant, and I couldn’t argue with his logic, as he had said to you last night, you must be either Gerald or Ravenhurr.”

  “But you aren’t,” she continued, “And well, you actually seem pretty nice, and you can handle yourself in a fight. I was just joking about the bow. You have been really generous. I was just talking. You two can both wrestle a bear barehanded and probably win. Hell, Audrian stabbed you with a knife last night and while you are bleeding a bit, you are getting around pretty well considering you had a knife in you last night. Now you are showing us trust by giving us weapons. I am sorry,” she finished. From her expression she meant what she said, but Rodregas did not think she was happy to say it.

  Doi’van just looked at Rodregas for a moment with a thoughtful expression; he was clearly thinking it out carefully.

  “I am not sorry for my actions last night,” he said. “We did what we thought was right. You appeared to be an Immortalist Sorcerer and I have grown to hate the Immortalists. When it became clear that you were not, I stopped trying to kill you.”

  He paused at this, and then Rodregas could tell he made a decision. “You have given me a sword, if a small one, and among my people that is a powerful gesture. I will not lie to you, I have left my old life behind and the last few years I have learned to truly hate the Immortalists. I travel with you only because the others were going to go back to their homes, and I have no home to go back to,” he seemed to finish, but then added, “Last night you pointed out that the forces of the Immortalists would be after you and you would fight them. And you also proved that you can fight.”

  Once again he paused. He was clearly a man that liked to think before he spoke. “I am simply using you as bait. When they come for you, I will kill them. Fighting together we will kill some of their vaulted Immortal Guards.”

  As Doi’van finished he gave a low growl and shook his horned head, his thick mane of wild jet black hair was almost as distinctive as Imeralda’s own auburn flowing locks. But with Doi’van the gesture spoke of defiance and challenge like some great bull lowing his horns and getting ready to charge.

  Until now he had seemed very thoughtful, almost careful in the words he spoke, but when he spoke of killing and shook his head in defiance his mouth widened. To say he grinned would not be accurate; he showed his teeth.

  There was something very dangerous about this Hellborn, something that reminded you that this creature was the spawn of Greater Daemons. While he might not have chosen the side of the Infernal hells, there was a very dark and dangerous side to him. Rodregas could almost smell the fire and brimstone.

  Rodregas met Doi’van’s smile with a smile of his own. He reached out and grabbed Doi’van’s forearm and gripped it in the handshake of warriors and said, “You have spoken to me honestly. I will honor that with my own honesty. I don’t know exactly how I ended up in this body, but I do know that I killed Ravenhurr, and I killed his bastard assistant, Korin. The Immortalists are a sore on the world. Their use of others’ bodies and power and their very way of life is abhorrent.”

  Rodregas looked Doi’van in the eyes and said, “The name I was born with is Rodregas. When I decided to kill Ravenhurr, I promised the gods that if they let me survive, I would take on the duty of killing the Immortalists. It is a duty that I know will end in my death. There are hundreds of Immortalists. Some almost as powerful as gods, but it is a good death and one I have chosen.”

  Rodregas paused and looked at Doi’van’s features. They were brutish and rough by human standards, but his instincts said that this man was honest, and he added, “If for a while you wish to share my duty and fight at my side, then we walk a path bathed in the Celestial light.”

  Rodregas had spoken slowly and clearly so Doi’van would understand the depth of what he said. They stood there gripping each other’s forearms and then Doi’van nodded and replied, “Then let us walk this path together.” He was speaking in that deep voice; his statement had finality about it. It was a good moment, one of those moments when two people realize that they are going to share the path of life and possibly death.

  It did not last long for as they broke their grip Imeralda said, “All right, you two are pretty tough and all, but don’t expect me to join in this crazy crusade. Do you know how many thousands of wannabe heroes have died over the years tryin
g to stop the Immortalist’s preying on the rest of us?”

  She seemed to shiver for a second and then took a breath and said, “I won’t join you in your crusade, but I will try to help you as I can.”

  Rodregas nodded and said “Fair enough,” and then reached out to her with the same grip; the grip of one equal warrior to another. She seemed surprised at his gesture.

  Rodregas said, “Help as you can, not as a warrior, but as you see fit, and travel this way with us for a bit. If nothing else it should prove interesting.”

  She hesitated then gripped first his arm and then Doi’van’s and she said, “Ok, let’s give that a shot.”

  Rodregas then made a gut decision. He had decided to no longer live safely but to live as he wanted to live. He had never been given great gifts, but that did not mean that he should not give great gifts to others. Doi’van’s help would be priceless; he was clearly a powerful warrior. Imeralda was also going to walk this path with them, and he would never get what the armor and bow were worth on the black market so…

  Rodregas reached down first and opened the trunk and said, “Well, if you are going to be traveling with us for a while, this won’t fit either of us guys. So it makes most sense for you to have it.”

  He started handing her the Mithril chain armor. Her eyes grew bright at the sight of the silver chain and she went, “Oh, my god, you bastard! You had this in the wagon all along. Do I really get to have it?”

  Rodregas smiled and said, “As long as you are sharing the journey with us.”

  She took several moments to appreciate the armor and started to try it on; Rodregas waited, enjoying her appreciation of his stolen gift.

  Just as she started to calm down he said, “Oh, and didn’t you say something about wanting a bow? And quietly, he handed her one of the Black Yew recurves. She reached for it with a smile and as soon as she touched it she just stared at it. Her expression of wonder made his old dried up heart smile.

  He was not sure how to feel, like a pleased father giving out mid-winter gifts to children, or like a young lover giving flowers to a new crush. Rodregas was unsure which reaction was proper now, and which she would want him to feel.

  Doi’van had watched the whole show with the thoughtful expression that he was starting to believe was his normal face to the world. “And do you have a full suit of Night Bronze Plate Mail for me and a magic sword or three as well?” he asked in his careful voice.

  “I am afraid that if we want any proper armor for ourselves we are going to have to take it off some Immortal Guard’s corpse. But I do have one other Black Yew bow and a bigger sword that probably makes more sense for you to use than me, since I have used nothing but short swords for a very long time.”

  Rodregas then pulled out the two-handed great sword that he had found at the keep and handed it to Doi’van. On Doi’van it was more a hand and a half sword, but as he flourished it around a bit, Rodregas could see he was pleased.

  “The steel is simple, but the balance is good. I am starting to be very happy that I helped pull this wagon up the hill,” he said with a deep chuckle, which sounded like distant thunder.

  Rodregas nodded and said, “I am afraid other than a few items to sell everything else is food and blankets for us... and the horses and tools that I stripped out of the Raven Keep. I figured I would need the tools to fix this place up and make it livable.”

  Rodregas continued, “It is dark and late. Let’s make camp in here. In the morning we can start seeing about getting this farm in order.” With that they all worked together to get the barn organized and clean. There was no more talking, each had plenty of their own thoughts to mull over.

  Rodregas was feeling pretty good at the moment, dangerously positive. He had learned long ago that the better you felt, the harder came the emotional fall. He knew this was all too good to last, but knowing that it would not last also made it more important that he enjoy the moment.

  Rodregas was free. He was being hunted; but hunted because he had finally dealt out justice. He had killed two monsters, two who wore faces not their own, and who he could feel no remorse for killing. Rodregas had finally escaped to his quiet place in the mountains to rest and, best of all, with two companions who seemed to be good people.

  Clearly, Doi’van had a dark side and he knew little of either of his companions. But it had been a long time since he had wanted to know more about anyone that he met. Rodregas had a new strong and powerful body, and he owed a great debt of guilt for that. He had even been able to free prisoners and give them a second chance at life. How many times had he dreamed of that while the prisoners had pleaded with him? He had turned a stone face to the prisoners; he had refused to learn their names, and had just survived by doing his duty.

  Rodregas pulled out the captain’s mattress, he hesitated and walked over to where Imeralda was spreading a blanket and with a smile but no words he pulled up the blanket, and unrolled the mattress and laid the blanket on top. She just watched him. Rodregas knew she was wondering about his intentions. Did he want to share the mattress with her? He did of course, but this was a time of new beginnings. Rodregas would live and die like he had always meant to.

  He walked back to the wagon, grabbed another blanket and put it down far enough away from Imeralda to show his honorable intentions. But not too far in case there was trouble. With a big smile he laid down and slept, like he had not slept in a very long time.