Chapter 10
“We are being followed,” Azreth said.
Raiya looked up at him. They’d been walking for several hours and had made it to the road south of Frosthaven. The sun had risen high and started to fall again, its light gray and cold.
She glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, there was a figure in the distance, jutting up from the horizon between grassy hills. A rider.
“It could be just another traveler,” Raiya said.
Azreth jerked his chin to point at something on their right.
In the fields off the side of the road, there were two more figures. When Raiya looked around, she found yet another flanking them on the other side. They were very far away, trying not to be seen before they’d had time to surround her and Azreth. They’d succeeded.
“Ash,”Raiya cursed. They couldn’t outrun mounted pursuers.
The riders came closer, slowly but surely. They were being cautious. They rode behelgi—Uulantaavan giant elk. Raiya spotted silver armor and red cloaks.
“Paladins,” she said. “Followers of the god of justice, Paladius. They hunt demons, among other things.”
“I know what they are,” Azreth said coldly. He stopped walking, then put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her in front of him.
“What are you going to do?”
He gave her a look.
“Azreth, don’t do anything rash. Paladins fight for good. They help people. Supposedly.” Her own father had been partial to the god Paladius. She didn’t remember her father well, but what she did remember was not altogether pleasant. Paladius was not the most forgiving deity. “They are capable of seeing reason. If we can convince them you don’t mean anyone harm, they won’t hurt you. Maybe they could even help us. Don’t do anything until I say so.”
“You do not command me.”
“I’m asking you as a favor. Please don’t hurt anyone.”
He quietly watched the riders. His glamoured eyes were unnaturally steady. He never blinked.
The Paladins were careful as they approached, even though there were five of them that Raiya could see, and only one of Azreth. But the closest one smiled at her when he pulled his mount to a stop a few strides away. He had sandy hair and a pale complexion, and appeared to be the youngest among them. An Ardanian by blood, by the look of him. The symbol of Paladius, seven swords forming a septagon, was emblazoned on his cuirass and his cloak. He glanced uncertainly back at one of the older men, who gave him a swift nod.
“Well met, lady,” the young man said. The antlers on the behelgi he rode were enormous, and it made Raiya wonder whether the beasts were trained to fight for the Paladins. The man glanced up at Azreth. Azreth just stared coldly at him.
“Well met,” Raiya said quickly. “My companion is mute, but he wishes you a good afternoon as well.”
The man nodded politely. “I’m Paladin Adamus of the Temple of Paladius.”
She didn’t want to tell them her name until she knew she could trust them. Azreth looked down at her. She could feel his cool judgment as she hesitated. “Good to meet you,” she said.
Azreth shifted a fraction, merely moving his weight from one foot to the other, but the Paladins reacted instantly. Several hands darted to sword hilts. Two of them jerked their behelgi’s reins, making the animals twitch.
“Is there a problem?” Raiya asked.
Adamus was one of the ones who’d reached for his sword. He tore his gaze from Azreth to look down at her, and a crease appeared between his brows.He looked a bit younger than Raiya. She didn’t get the impression he was their leader. She wondered if the others had chosen him to speak to her because they thought she might be more agreeable toward someone close to her own age—someone more approachable than the stern-looking men who accompanied him.
“Forgive us, lady. We’ve come searching for a young woman matching your description. We think she may be in trouble. We want to help her if we can. She is said to possibly be traveling with a… strange man.”
Azreth’s hand tensed on her shoulder. He was impatient. Or, he was worried that she would take them up on their offer.
She considered it.
“I see,” she said. “I don’t know anything about that.”
The Paladins exchanged glances. “If you do see her, please let her know that we’re at her disposal,” Adamus said. “I expect she’s under duress and afraid for her safety, but we’re here to help, no matter her circumstances. Do you, uh, take my meaning, lady?”
Raiya was stunned that he was saying all this right under Azreth’s nose, as if he wouldn’t understand. But then she remembered that she’d also thought demons were dumb beasts before she’d met Azreth.
Still, the man seemed earnest. She found herself wanting to trust him.
She thought about the journey that awaited them—sneaking around in their search for a way to remove the binding, begging or stealing to obtain food and shelter, running from Paladins and city guards. They faced a lonely road.
“I do need help. I’m Lady Raiya Han-gal of Frosthaven. My husband threatened my life, so I ran from him.” Azreth made a soft sound of annoyance as she said all this, which she ignored. “My companion needs help, too. We need protection.”
Adamus raised his eyebrows, turning to his companions. He said something under his breath. Raiya could barely make it out from where she stood. “That’s not the story the lord told us…”
She felt the blood drain from her face. Nirlan had sent them? She glanced up at Azreth. He gave her a look that was mostly blank but somehow still conveyed I told you so perfectly clearly.
She hurried to go on. “If you listen to our story, I’m sure you’ll—”
Azreth spun suddenly, throwing her off balance. When she looked up, there was an arrow caught in his fist and an archer in the distance whom she hadn’t seen before. He glanced down at the arrowhead before he threw it aside. It was an unusual, rough-looking metal. Iron.
Before she could react, someone grabbed her around the waist and half shoved, half threw her across the road. She landed flat on her stomach in the dirt with the wind knocked out of her.
Across the road, Paladin Adamus leapt down from his behelgi. “Lady Han-gal, stay back! We’ll take care of this!” She tried to shout at him, but she had no air. She clenched her fists in the grass, struggling to regain her breath.
Azreth dropped the glamour. Raiya doubted it came as a surprise to any of them, but there was still a beat of hesitation when they saw him—blue skin, glowing eyes, horns and all.
A Paladin attacked Azreth from behind, attempting a jab at his back. Azreth twisted sideways, and the blade narrowly missed him just as another Paladin came at him from the other side with an iron-tipped lance. Azreth saw it in time to step aside again, grabbing the shaft of the lance and jerking it away from its wielder. Reversing its momentum, he jabbed the butt of the lance back at the Paladin’s chest, shoving him to the ground and leaving a deep dent in his armor. He spun and swung the lance into the next Paladin’s side so hard that the shaft broke in half, then he threw the pieces aside. Adamus was more cautious than the others. He stayed back, wisely keeping out of Azreth’s reach.
They were going to kill him. Or he was going to kill them. Raiya was terrified of both possible outcomes. She struggled to her feet and started toward them, but the Paladin closest to her grabbed her arm.
“Stay back,” he said to her.
She tried and failed to jerk her arm away. “Get off me!”
“Keep out of the way and don’t make trouble, girl.” His gauntleted hand was digging painfully into her.
“What is the matter with you? Let me go!” She jerked and kicked until she managed to slip out of his grasp. But before she could take two steps, he tackled her. His heavy, armored body pinned her to the dirt, scarcely allowing her to breathe. She struggled, and his arm locked around her neck, further cutting off her air. She tried to call out, but only a soft, strangled noise came out. Panic gripped her as her vision spotted.
And then, the atmosphere around them condensed. It was an invisible dark cloud. An oncoming storm. A heaviness that was more than physical. It was fury, deep and vibrant red like heated metal.
The Paladin suddenly lifted off her. She gasped for breath as she looked up. Azreth was above her, holding the Paladin by the collar of his cuirass. The air trembled with his anger.
He crushed the Paladin between his hands. Raiya heard bones shatter, and she flinched away as blood spilled from the Paladin’s armor. Azreth threw the body aside with intense contempt.
It was quiet again. All but one of the Paladins were down.
Adamus stood a dozen strides away—less, for Azreth—staring at them both, his sword drooping in his hand. Azreth moved toward him, and to the Paladin’s credit, he didn’t run, but he didn’t raise his weapon, either. He let his sword drop to the ground and held up his hands in surrender.
Azreth grabbed him by his collar, lifting him off the ground. Raiya was about to ask him to spare the man, but Azreth spoke first.
“Your archer tried to kill me. He hid like a coward and tried to shoot me while my back was turned.”
The Paladin looked surprised. Perhaps, like Raiya, he hadn’t known Azreth could speak. He kicked the air, shifting in Azreth’s grip. “Yes. It wasn’t right. And it wasn’t right for them to be so rough with a lady. I apologize on their behalf.”
Azreth glared at the man. He seemed vaguely taken aback by the apology, and it took him several seconds to decide how to react. “An apology means nothing when not accompanied by action. What will you do as a service to her?”
Raiya glanced up at him in surprise.
Adamus’s gaze snapped to Raiya. “Well… truthfully, I have little to offer. I’m not of a high rank in our organization, and I don’t have the power to stop anyone from coming for you. But I meant what I said about wanting to help. My offer stands. I’m at your service.”
Azreth looked down at Raiya. When she nodded, he slowly lowered the Paladin to the ground. Adamus straightened his armor, watching them warily.
“Are you all right, lady?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He gave a short bow. “I’m sorry you were mishandled.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, crossing her arms. “Nirlan sent you?”
He nodded. “The lord said that…” He glanced up at Azreth and lowered his voice. “He told us he interrupted you while you were attempting a ritual to bind the demon.”
Raiya scoffed. This was an audacious lie, even for Nirlan.
“Lady, many people have done desperate things to escape a cruel lover. Nothing you’ve done is unforgivable. You are not beyond saving. We can still help free you from your husband and your demon both.”
The interaction she’d just had with the Paladins had quickly soured her toward them. She didn’t want to escape one overbearing man just to run to another. “Thank you, but no.”
“Whatever the demon has told you is a lie, lady. He will turn on you. Demons always do.”
Truthfully, she feared he was correct. She was most likely a fool for allying with a demon. She looked up at Azreth. A muscle in his brow twitched.
“There are other Paladins,” Adamus said. “Many more than just us. Truly, I do not mean this as a threat, but you won’t be able to evade them forever. You should send the demon back to the hells and turn yourself in.”
“This man has nothing of value to offer us,” Azreth said. “We should kill him now. He will shoot us as soon as we turn our backs on him.”
Adamus blanched. “I won’t.”
Even Raiya doubted him.
“Paladius commands his Paladins never to fight dishonorably,” Adamus said, putting his hand over his heart. “I will not betray an opponent who has shown me mercy. You have my word.”
“Then he will return later with more Paladins,” Azreth said. “And we will have to fight him again. If we kill him now, there will be one less for us to fight later.”
Adamus looked regretful, but gave another little bow. “That, I cannot deny. I have a responsibility to protect the people of Frosthaven and beyond. But I hope this can be resolved without bloodshed.”
Azreth looked down at Raiya. He was deferring to her.
So she addressed Adamus. “I suggest you start walking the other way and don’t turn back until you reach Frosthaven. Go quickly, before anyone changes their minds.”
Adamus’s eyes widened. Then he quickly dipped into another, lower, bow. “Wise advice. I remain at your service, should you need me.”
She and Azreth watched him hurry down the road. Azreth watched him closely until they could no longer see him.
“Is this normal on your plane, to simply release enemies just because they ask for it?” he asked.
“Sometimes, if they’ve surrendered. It’s considered dishonorable to execute someone after they throw down their weapons. There are certain rules for conflict.”
He frowned. “Rules? Who makes the rules?”
“No one, I suppose. It’s about honor, like I said.”
Azreth was silent. After a few beats, one of the behelgi caught his attention. Stepping over a dead Paladin, he approached it. The behelgi raised its head, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I suppose it’s different in the hells,” Raiya said.
“In the hells, no one would bother to ask for mercy,” Azreth said, “because no one would ever grant it.” He slowly reached toward the behelgi, as if to pet it. But as soon as he came near, it sprinted away. It seemed that animals were not immune to the frightening aura he exuded.
Azreth lowered his hand and resigned himself to watching the animals from a distance—a scene which struck Raiya as quite sad. She came to stand beside him.
“Do you… like animals?” she asked, wondering whether they had any domesticated animals in the hells. Somehow, she doubted it.
He glanced down at her, then up at the behelgi again. She got the impression he was confused by the question.
“Are they in danger here without their riders?” he asked. “Will something kill them if they’re left alone?”
“Possibly.”
He watched them, frowning. All except the one he’d startled were grazing placidly, unaware of any dangers.
“You want to protect them,” Raiya guessed, surprised.
He hesitated to answer, as if he was reluctant to admit it. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“They’re peaceful.”
She gave a decisive nod. “We’ll take care of them.”
It took her some time to round up all the behelgi. While Azreth stood back, she tied them end to end and made a little train, held the reins of the one in front to guide it, and then they were on their way.
“Thank you,” she said. “For defending me.”
Azreth glanced down at her appraisingly. “We have an alliance.”