A Paladin's Journey Ch. 04

He squeezed Jeira's hand one last time before he mounted Strider. He wanted to stay here and say goodbye one more time, but he hardened himself against it. "Smythe, Kedron, we ride."

Together, the two Paladins and the apprentice trotted their mounts through the columns to the wide archway that led to the nearest exit; the mountainside opening that Aran had only yesterday used to flee the storm.

He regretted having to leave the Temple again so soon, but he saw little alternative. He wanted to look back, but he made himself keep his eyes forward, and instead sent surges of love to his Meldin through the Bond. He didn't need to look at them as if it were the last time. He was coming back. He was.

*

Aran, Smythe and Kedron rode in silence as they carefully walked their horses down the shallow stone steps that descended the mountainside. The morning was somewhat overcast, but of an ordinary fashion, not like the towering thunderheads that had rolled across the plain yesterday.

"At least the ground isn't shaking," Smythe muttered as he scanned the vast plain below, looking for all the world like an eagle with that hooked nose. He rode abreast of Aran, with Kedron a few paces behind. "So, what's the plan, then?"

"The way I see it," Aran answered. "Is if they're patrolling the plain carefully enough, sooner or later they're going to find the Temple. I plan to hit their smaller patrols first, until we draw the attention of Stallen."

Smythe just listened, nodding slowly. "Then what?"

Aran saw the plan clearly in his head, hoping that it would work. "Then once we have their focus, we lead them east and south, toward the Emerin and away from the Temple, where - if everything goes to plan - a surprise will be awaiting them."

Smythe was no fool; he pieced things together quickly. "The Elves, ey? That's why Elaina's not with us?"

Aran nodded. "I sent her with Induin and Liaren to Ildernass."

"You think they can get here in time?" Smythe looked uncertain.

"We will give them the time they need," Aran said grimly, fingering Oroth's hilt. "The Heralds will feel this blow for a long time coming."

No more was said as they finished their hour-long descent and entered the lightly wooded foothills on the north side of the mountain. The sun had still not broken through the grey carpet covering the sky, but Aran didn't mind; it suited his mood. "We'll cover ground slowly, at first," he said to the other two. "We'll need to look after the horses as much as we can, so they can run hard when we need them to." Kedron and Smythe nodded. The big man looked focused, the younger man uneasy.

"Be easy, Kedron," Aran assured Kedron. "You will not be required to fight. You are here to tell us if something changes with your girl."

"But I can help!" Kedron protested. "I was taught enough to know one end of a blade from another, and I..." he trailed off at a raised eyebrow from Smythe, who turned to Aran once Kedron went quiet.

"He's nowhere near fully trained, yet," Smythe said. "But he can at least point his sword in the right direction. I gave him a few lessons on the way back from Ironshire, and he'd had a few with his father before that."

Aran nodded. "Alright. I don't like it - there aren't so many Arohin running around that I would risk you needlessly, Kedron, but three swords are better than two."

At that, Aran gently booted Strider forward, and the others followed. They spent the day roving southward across the grassy plain, and the sun never once even so much as peeked through the overcast sky. There was no wind, so the knee-high grass remained undisturbed but for the passage of three men and their horses. Not one Herald had been seen, yet, but then they were unlikely to have come this close to the mountains already.

Smythe galloped off on Thunder from time to time, scouting this way or that, and hadn't seen anything of note, which included Trolls, thank Aros. Aran hoped he didn't have to face another one of those any time soon. Camp was made as the sun dipped below the western horizon - Smythe had found a suitable hollow deep enough to hide the horses from a distant eye - and the three men settled in to a quiet meal before Smythe took first watch and Kedron began practicing his sword forms. Aran watched him for a while as the sky turned from violet to star-studded black, correcting him or offering encouragement when he got something right.

At full dark, Aran kept to his word and moved a short distance away from camp. Sitting cross-legged on the grass, he assumed a meditation and soon after appeared on the Plane of Aros, standing on fine white sand in the middle of a vast desert beneath a stunning night sky. He smiled as he looked up at the myriad stars. He hadn't consciously created this landscape, but found that he liked it very much. There was a distinct peace about it, and he wondered if there were actually places like this somewhere in the world.

"Very nice," Elaina's voice said from behind him, a bare second after he sensed her arrival. She popped into view before him, her pale nudity illuminated by the full moon above. She smiled in wonder as she studied the sky. "I wonder if we'll ever see a place like this in the real world?"

"I was just thinking that, you know." Aran told her as he took her in his arms. The feel of her soft skin against his sent pleasant tingles through him. "How goes your journey?" He asked after a tender kiss.

"Well, so far," she replied. "We're pushing hard. Induin thinks we'll be there in five days, maybe less. Liaren sent for a boat, so if it arrives soon enough it may save us some time."

"How did she send for a boat?" Aran asked.

Elaina raised an eyebrow. "Were you not paying attention during your lessons on Elves? The Eryn'elda - Wood Elves - can speak to trees, and trees can speak to each other, to some extent, if they are close enough together. Liaren used the trees to send a message to Ildernass."

Aran suddenly remembered the lesson in question; Elaina had indeed been lecturing him on the ways of the Wood Elves, but he'd been daydreaming about her body and not focusing on the teachings. He remembered enough, however, to know that the trees could only relay messages of a simple nature, two or three words perhaps, and the more complex the message, the less likely it would get to its intended recipient. If complex messages were possible, there would have been no need for Elaina and the Elves to head to Ildernass; they could have just requested aid through the trees.

Elaina must have seen the sudden understanding in his face. "Ah, now I see you remember,

"she began playfully. "Just as well, for I would hate to think I was wasting my time on you for a whole year."

"It's not my fault that you have a body like this, you know!" Aran retorted in kind. "How in Aros is a young man supposed to concentrate with a woman like you in front of him?"

Elaina's laugh tinkled gaily. "All part of your training, stud. Tell me, how are you three boys doing out there without me?"

"Nothing of note to report, yet," Aran said, caressing her lower back just above her bottom. "We're camped now, of course. Kedron is working the sword and Smythe is on watch. No Heralds have appeared, but I didn't think there would be any this close to the Karvanis yet. For all they know, these mountains are deserted."

Elaina opened her mouth to say something, but Aran lost her words as he felt something press against his mind, try to force its way into his consciousness. The ground beneath them trembled for a moment, and for a split second, the sky was filled with roiling black clouds that flickered fitfully with lightning, before returning to the peaceful blanket of stars.

The earth quieted, and Aran squeezed his eyes shut tightly. "What in the hells was that?" Elaina breathed, alternating between eyeing him with concern and glancing up at the night sky.

"He's getting stronger," Aran said, opening his eyes. "Maloth. And somehow, he's affecting the Plane. Perhaps because this is my reality, here, and he's connected to me."

"Then quickly, come with me," Elaina said. Aran offered no resistance, and they shifted away. A second later they were standing in a sunny meadow peppered with white and yellow daisies. "This is my creation," Elaina explained, stepping back a little to give him breathing room. "He shouldn't be able to touch us, here."

"That will work, for a time," came a bass voice from behind Aran. He turned with a snarl, but instead of Maloth - whom he'd expected - he found the Keeper, standing with his brawny arms folded across his broad chest. Elaina's meadow seemed to bend around him, the grass ending suddenly in a circle several feet wide. As with the last time he'd appeared, the Keeper was as naked as Aran and Elaina. "But eventually, he will find a way here, as he grows in strength."

Aran felt frustrated. "I must stop him, Aros'tirith, but I have a more immediate threat to deal with. The Heralds may have a way to find our Temple, if I don't do something to hinder them."

The Keeper studied them intently, dark eyes glittering. "You are outnumbered, Anarion, and your allies are few. I am to aid you, though my means are somewhat restricted."

Aran inclined his head respectfully. "Any help at all will be most welcome, Keeper." Elaina came up beside Aran and took his hand.

The Keeper's stony face suddenly split in a warm smile. His eyes took in Elaina's naked form. "You have grown no less beautiful, Aros'iel Vanima'nona."

Elaina blushed slightly under the Keeper's flattery, and Aran raised an eyebrow. "What?" she said defensively. "He's Aros' Keeper! I can't help if he finds me beautiful."

Aran chuckled. "What did he say? I didn't understand some of the words. Was that Elvish?"

Elaina nodded. "Anarion means 'Son of the Sun,' possibly meaning 'Son of Aros,' or 'Son of Sunblade,' and 'Aros'iel' is 'Daughter of Aros. 'Vanima'nona' means 'beautiful child,' or 'fair-born,' which is, of course, my family name."

"As the Mor'ion watches you," the Keeper began, striding out onto the grass. His legs were as muscular as the rest of him, and his prodigious member swung between his powerful thighs. Aran felt a spike of lust through the Bond from Elaina as she watched him approach. "So too may you watch him." The Keeper stopped a few feet away and then turned his back on them. "The rift is still open for a short time, so learn what you can."

A patch of blue sky suddenly darkened in a rough circle that became a window to another place. Aran watched as images whirled and flashed. A stormy sky rife with lightning. Maloth, tall and crimson, standing over seven kneeling women, all naked and collared with what looked like a black leather strip. Each woman was strikingly attractive and of a different race. There was a golden-haired Tar'elda - a High Elf - and a Dwarf he'd seen before, in a previous vision. When he saw her face, a sense of almost-recognition brushed his awareness, but was gone in a flash. There was a dusky Noroth - A Giantess - and a pale, slender Human with strange tattoos all over her body. She was bald, but that only lent her an exotic sort of beauty. A white-haired Mor'elda and a proud-looking Orc completed the picture. Every one of the kneeling women gazed up at Maloth with worship in their eyes. Black tendrils connected each of the women to Maloth, and they appeared to pulse with a dark energy, almost as if he were feeding from them.

"The rift is distorting what you see, somewhat," the Keeper said without turning. "The Plane is filtering the vision, so what you see is not what happens as we speak, but rather an interpretation of recent events."

"Those women are slaves?" Elaina asked. Aran already knew the answer to that.

"The rules do not permit me to offer clarity on what you see, Aros'iel." the Keeper said. Was that reluctance in his voice? "Only to show you."

"They are," Aran said quietly in answer to Elaina's question. "I'm not sure how I know, but somehow I do. His powers work like ours, but he dominates, controls. He leeches from them." Aran hadn't realised it, but he had grown angry, and he heard his voice grating in his ears.

The vision changed as Aran spoke. Shenla, naked and beautiful, standing over three kneeling men; a Mor'elda, another tattooed and bald Human, and a massive Orc.

"These men must be hers," Elaina murmured. "Look at the black webs joining them together."

Aran felt dark lust rising within him, but he quickly suppressed it much more easily than last time. Had he grown stronger since then? Or was it something else? If Elaina had felt anything, she gave no indication, and Aran felt it best not to bring it up. "She is like him. They seek only power, and care not what it costs others."

Once again, the vision shifted, showing Maloth and Shenla fucking on a massive bed. Laying atop her, Maloth pounded Shenla ruthlessly, and her ebony nails were raking furrows down his crimson back, leaving streaks of black blood in their wake. Aran noticed that there were also dark tendrils connecting Maloth and Shenla, though they were different, somehow.

His attention was brought away from the vision by a surge of arousal from his Meldin. He turned to see Elaina flushed in the face and chest, and her breathing was heavy. Her hand clutched his tightly while her free hand was buried in between her thighs. "Elaina!" Aran urged. "Fight back!"

A tremendous struggle ensued within her, and Aran felt every nuance of it through the Bond. He lent her what strength he could, though he could not fight the battle for her. Slowly, the darkness began to overcome her. "Close it!" He bellowed at the Keeper. "Close it now!"

The Keeper waved his hand and the portal vanished, becoming clear blue sky once again. With a gasp, Elaina sagged against Aran. He quickly gathered her in his arms and lowered her to the grass.

"Wh-what happened?" she asked breathily, her chest heaving.

"You were affected by him," Aran said grimly. "The same thing happened to me when I first saw Shenla. I was almost overcome by lust."

"I wanted him," Elaina said hoarsely, her emerald eyes wide in disbelief. "I wanted him to take me and use me as he pleases."

"That will not be your fate," Aran assured her, brushing a strand of golden hair back from her face.

"The Mor'ion gains strength with every new thrall he takes, as does the Mor'iel," the Keeper said. "Though his strength is limited, as he is yet to discover."

"Limited how?" Aran demanded, perhaps more aggressively than he should of Aros' Keeper, who shook his head in response, reminding Aran that he could not help them more than he was allowed. Aran growled in annoyance.

Suddenly the Keeper cocked his head, as if listening to something. "It is past time for me to leave," he announced. "Take a care on this Plane in the future, Eruseni. Until next time." The Keeper vanished, leaving Aran and Elaina alone in the grassy meadow.

Aran helped her to her feet. "I should go," he said gently. "I'm not sure how long it's been, and I should relieve Smythe."

While still a little shaken, Elaina seemed to have mostly recovered. She nodded agreement. "You're right, we should go, but tomorrow night I want to discuss those visions we saw. There has to be something in them of use to us."

"Agreed," Aran said, right before she seized his ears and pulled him into a hot kiss. His body responded automatically, his hands coming down to fill themselves with her plump ass and pull her against his hardening cock, which was trapped between their bodies. He wanted her, but duty was calling him, so with a groan of frustration, he left the Plane and left Elaina, at least until the next night.

***

***Berrigan Stallen, Ironshire, Ekistair***

Berrigan sat in his modest armchair and stared into the flames, the hot light of zeal in his eyes matching the intensity of the fire on the hearth. Ironshire was his, now, her people suitably cowed, her resources devoted to his cause. Soon enough, Rohim would have the young whore that had tainted Kedron with her disgusting ways. Once in hand, the strumpet would lead Berrigan to wherever Kedron was hiding.

Strange, that he no longer thought of Kedron as his son, but then, not so strange after all. What self-respecting man would allow himself to regard one of the filthy Arohim as his son? On occasion, there had been a nagging feeling in Berrigan's heart, as if it might be possible he was doing the wrong thing, but he dismissed them out of hand. There was no place for a father's soft heart in him anymore. Something in Berrigan had withered terribly when Kedron's mother passed away so long ago, and Kedron's betrayal had taken that withering and crushed it mercilessly underfoot, grinding into dry dust. Now, Berrigan was unburdened by guilt or shame or compassion. Now, there was only the cause.

A sharp rap at the door brought Berrigan's head up. "Come!" He barked.

The door came open to reveal Rohim, who saluted stiffly before flinging his other arm forward. A dirty, unwashed girl with dark hair matted and snarled tumbled to the floor before Berrigan's feet. His mouth twisted with distaste and he moved his booted feet back slightly.

"We found her, my Lord," Rohim said quickly. "She was hiding in a cellar, unbeknown to the owner of the house."

"Are you certain of this?" Berrigan asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the girl. She looked up at him fearfully, trembling. As she should.

"Yes, my Lord," Rohim answered. "We questioned the owner quite thoroughly."

"Good," Berrigan said. "And what of this filth?" He gestured toward the girl. "Has she given you anything useful?"

"We brought her straight to you, Lord Berrigan, due to the nature of the situation."

"Wise, Rohim." Berrigan looked at the young man, not noticing when Rohim started back at the wild light in his eyes. "I would not have you kill this slut out of ignorance. She is too important."

Rohim said something more, but Berrigan had already dismissed him out of mind. He studied the harlot cowering at his feet. If what Berrigan suspected was true, then she and Kedron were something called 'Meldir,' and they could find each other anywhere in the world. She would lead him right to Kedron, and the boy would pay for his crimes. They all would.

Berrigan hardly noticed as the girl began sobbing uncontrollably.

***

***END OF CHAPTER FOUR***

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Hey guys! It's been a long time between drinks, I know, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit light on the sexy bits, but I felt we needed a plot-mover. As always, please feel free to vote and comment below, as your feedback is always appreciated. Cheers!

-Anti.