Chapter 3
Julian
HQ was quiet when he arrived later the following morning for drills.
Once, people ate lunch out in the grassy courtyard.
They teased each other good-naturedly on the running track and while sparring.
It felt like a ghost town now. No one went to the courtyard unless there was a mandated cleansing to witness.
Training was a sullen, serious affair. Gone was the camaraderie, the companionship.
Their servitude now was solemn, even grim.
His eyes lingered on the wooden pillar in the center of the courtyard behind the administrative building. The shackles bolted to the wood were a ghastly reminder of how far they’d fallen.
After Sloan and Father Conroy had whipped all the opposing former council members and the ‘dissenters’ who had been quietly meeting to discuss Sloan’s orders, they’d released everyone back to their duties, but nothing was the same.
Julian would never forget the sound of the whip hitting skin.
They’d all received ten lashes each. Most of them had screamed.
Nicolas had stood rigid beside Julian the whole time, gripping Julian’s hand painfully tight while he watched his brother bleed.
Stepping in would only make things worse.
The only one who’d managed to stay silent during their punishment was Cyrus, his face a blank, pale mask and his knuckles white around the chains holding him in place.
The lashes had left bloody, reddened streaks on his tattooed back.
After it was over, each dissenter had been given a chance to confess and pray for forgiveness in front of everyone.
All of them did. But nothing was the same after that.
Daniel had barely spoken since it happened, and while Nicolas kept his silence on the matter, Julian could see how it weighed on him.
Gone were the days Julian would invite the squad to his house for steaks and football.
The squad had fractured from within. Most of them refused to work with Daniel for his supposed betrayal, and Nicolas struggled to keep them under control.
Julian hadn’t spoken to anyone at HQ about anything but work since it happened.
Now, he made his way to the library so he could type up his report about the stakeout last night. The cavernous library was empty but for the teenager working the desk, Whit. He gave Julian a halfhearted wave.
“How’s it going, Whit?” he asked with a gusty sigh.
His eyes skirted toward the private rooms. All of the doors had been removed, and they were being used for storage now.
That was where the dissenters had been meeting.
The library wasn’t a place for gaining knowledge anymore.
It was just a computer hub. Most people didn’t stick around any longer than they had to.
Whit gave him a tight smile. “Just fine, Paladin Heroux. Blessed and ready to serve.”
He didn’t look much like he actually felt the words, but Julian wouldn’t call him on it. He didn’t feel very blessed these days, either.
“Yeah, same,” he agreed begrudgingly, pasting on a smile. “I’m just going over there to write up my report, if that’s okay?”
“Of course, absolutely. If you need anything, let me know.”
Yeah, he needed something, Julian thought as he made his way to one of the computers. Needed to know when everything got so screwed up.
He sat down heavily and logged into the computer.
It was time to write a boring, sanitized version of the night he should have had.
He’d say nothing about the help he gave the traitors, nor his invitation into the mysterious skating rink.
If anybody found out he’d been invited beyond the wards, they would exploit it.
No matter how he felt about the demons they associated with, he wouldn’t put the humans’ lives in danger by betraying that momentary trust. He’d helped them when they needed it, and his conscience was clear.
The day promised to be a warm one as Julian made his way out to the training yard to meet with the rest of his squad.
Most of them were already there, stretching and idly swinging their wooden practice swords.
Nicolas was passing from person to person, but he kept shooting solemn looks at his brother.
Daniel stood apart from everyone else, his gaze averted.
One arm hugged his middle, clutching his elbow like he thought someone might take a swing at him, and frustration flooded Julian.
Daniel didn’t deserve to be a pariah for daring to disagree with the commander.
“Hey, guys,” Julian said cheerfully, the same way he always did.
Only a few gave halfhearted greetings back.
Once upon a time, they were boisterous, clapping each other on the back and talking about any- and everything.
They used to be his friends. His brothers.
Now he barely spoke to some of them. Half of them thought Daniel deserved the whipping he’d received.
The other half kept their opinions quiet, so he couldn’t trust them.
They’d drawn lines in the sand, and he didn’t know how to cross them.
He didn’t even know if he wanted to, because they’d drawn those lines to keep Daniel out, and Daniel was his best friend.
Julian came to a stop beside Daniel, whose honey brown eyes darted toward him and then away.
“Hey, Danny.”
He gave Julian a curt nod and then walked away without a word, going to the shaded weapons rack to pick out a practice sword.
Julian sighed.
He used to enjoy drills. Being out in the sunshine with his friends, trying to one-up each other.
Now, they took their places in silence. They formed two rows, with three in the front and four in the back.
Nicolas called out poses, and they obeyed in unison, swinging their practice swords this way and that.
Julian, in the second row, stared straight ahead at the fence on the other side of the yard, letting Nic’s commands wash over him and guide him.
And then…
“Diagonal!” Nicolas called.
Julian swung his sword in a downward arc, and at the same time, to his left, he heard a telltale whack.
Daniel grunted, his spine arching in pain. He spun around to glare at Lyle, behind him.
“Hold,” Nicolas called, and the rest of them froze with their practice swords in the ready position. Julian turned his head to watch.
Nicolas approached the fuming Daniel and unapologetic Lyle. “What happened?”
“He hit me in the back,” Daniel fumed.
Lyle shrugged. “It was an accident.”
“Why were you so close to him?” Nicolas said.
“I didn’t think I was. Guess his steps were too small on the forward moves.”
Daniel’s mouth tightened, and Nicolas glanced between them with uncertainty. Julian didn’t envy him. He couldn’t show his brother too much favoritism, but they all knew Lyle was full of crap. He hit Daniel on purpose; they just couldn’t prove it.
Daniel shook his head. “Forget it.”
Nicolas sighed, and when his gaze swept across the others, Julian jerked his head. Nicolas’s brow furrowed, so Julian did it again, more pointedly.
Nicolas licked his lips. “Danny, swap places with Julian. You’ll have more space on the back row.”
Julian nodded, breaking form to jog over and take Daniel’s place. Lyle wouldn’t hit him, or he’d give back as good as he got. Daniel couldn’t fight back without turning them against him even more, and Nicolas risked his standing as a captain if he protected Daniel too much.
The rest of their training was just as fraught with tension.
Somebody tripped Daniel during their run, causing him to fall and skin his knee and elbow.
They showed him no mercy during sparring, taking dirty shots and kicking sand in his face, ignoring all of Nicolas’s admonishments.
They didn’t care if they had to do extra push-ups or laps. It was worth it to give Daniel grief.
Julian hated it.
Daniel and Nicolas didn’t stay to shower in the locker room, so neither did Julian. He wanted to catch them before they left for the day. He emerged from the rec center to see the brothers headed toward their car and hurriedly jogged after them.
“Hey,” he said, falling into step on Nicolas’s other side, “listen, why don’t you guys come over to my place tonight? I’ve got some steaks we could grill.”
On Nicolas’s other side, Daniel grimaced, opening his mouth most likely to refuse, but Nicolas spoke first.
“Okay, yeah. That sounds good. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”
Daniel’s face settled into a complicated frown. “Nic, we shouldn’t. It’s not safe.”
Julian understood. He was afraid they would put targets on their back by spending time with him. Nicolas got an understandable pass, because they were brothers, but Daniel had been avoiding Julian for weeks. He missed his friends.
“I don’t care,” Julian said vehemently. There was no one else around, and their voices weren’t loud enough to carry.
“You were my friend long before any of that happened, and that hasn’t changed.
I think we all deserve a little break. Good food and good company might be just what we need.
And… maybe somewhere far enough away from here that we can bitch in peace. ”
Daniel’s gaze darted around them worriedly, while Nicolas’s mouth quirked in bitter amusement.
“I agree,” Nicolas said. “And I’d like nothing more than to do something normal. Hanging out at Julian’s is normal for us. Everybody knows it.” At Daniel’s unchanged expression, he added, “Come on, Danny. I think it’ll be good for all of us.”
Daniel sighed. “Okay.”
Julian wanted to clap or cheer, but he didn’t want to draw attention to them. As much as he hated it, Daniel’s fears weren’t unfounded. It was safer to keep a low profile these days. The paladins were meant to keep their heads down and follow orders.
“Great,” Julian said. “I’ll meet you guys at my place, then.”