A Paladin's Journey Ch. 14

Back at her quarters, she shoved the huge, polished wooden doors open and strode into her lavishly furnished anteroom. Caeledrin was there, relaxing naked on a wide lounge and being thoroughly entertained by two chesty - and equally naked - Elf girls. One straddled his hips while the other rode his face.

Shenla had not forbidden Caeledrin from having his fun while she was otherwise busy, but in her present mood, she did not care. In a heartbeat she was at the lounge, and with two quick movements, snapped the necks of the Elf harlots and tossed their limp bodies to the other side of the room.

Caeledrin sat up immediately, his eyes wide. "My Lady!" He stammered, his powerful muscles rippling as he swung his feet around and knelt before her. "Please forgive me if I have wronged you!"

Even in her state of rage, Shenla felt the twinge of arousal that she often did when a powerful being knelt before her, worshipping her. "Enough!" She snapped. "Forget about those whores. Go and fetch Barrog, Peldin and Torvin. We have much to discuss."

***

"Begin when you are ready, Captain," Lord Andil stated in his smooth, bass voice as he regarded Tarien. While spoken politely, the Lord of Ildernass delivered his words in tones that expected obedience. The moonlight shone down on the Terrace of the Moon, shafts of silvery light filtering through the canopy above and illuminating the figures of Andil and Elessir where they sat in their throne-like chairs that seemed to grow out of the very wood of the terrace floor.

An attendant flanked each chair - a woman for Andil and a man for Elessir - both garbed in the lasselath, as were the Lord and Lady. Several more were spaced around the Terrace's edge, ready to serve any need that may arise.

Tarien stood from where he'd been kneeling, barely noticing the twinge in his thigh from the almost-healed cut he'd received from a surprisingly agile Herald. "The Heralds came for the arohim as expected," he began, shifting his weight slightly when his leg began to ache. It had been a long run back from the Chapel, and his wounds had protested all the way. "We defended the Chapel as per our orders, and the arohim fought with us."

"And the outcome of the fight?" Elessir asked, her expression unreadable. Tarien found it difficult to take his eyes from her every time he was fortunate enough to behold the Lady, and tonight was no different.

"Victory, my Lady," Tarien replied after a moment. "Four hundred Heralds assaulted the Chapel, but the Eryn'elda held them back, with no small help from the arohim."

Andil leaned forward in his chair. "The one called Elaina, she is well?"

Tarien nodded. "Yes, my Lord, though she took serious wounds, as did two of her Paladin brothers. The arohim appear to heal quickly, however, and she was hale last I saw her. The fight was a close-run thing, you see. Had the Anarion not appeared at the last moment, I believe I would not be standing here now."

"Were our losses great?" Elessir asked quietly.

"Forty-three dead, my Lady," Tarien said, his voice tight. He hated losing brothers and sisters in battle. He felt each death like a knife in the heart. "Not quite a quarter of the force."

"They will be honoured, Captain," Elessir assured him. "Know their sacrifice has not been in vain. With the return of the arohim, the world is rippling like a pond after a stone. Change comes, Captain, and the grip of the Heralds will weaken in the coming days. The Eryn'elda will stand with the arohim."

Tarien suppressed a grimace. It's not that he didn't like the arohim - from what he'd seen, they were noble of character and fierce warriors - but Tarien was a soldier, and armies did not win just because they had the right of things morally. Could the arohim defeat the Heralds with such low numbers? Even if Ildernass threw all its might behind Sunblade - even as impressive as the man was - Tarien doubted it would be enough.

"As you say, your Highnesses," was Tarien's response. He was careful to eliminate all doubt from his voice before speaking. It was not wise to question the Lord and Lady.

Andil and Elessir exchanged a wordless glance. "This Sunblade," Andil began. "What was your impression of him, Captain Tarien?"

"He is... intriguing, my Lord," Tarien replied carefully. "He is young - far younger than I expected - but he seems graced with wisdom and poise beyond his years. On the battlefield, I saw him fell two hundred Heralds with nothing more than a shout. Forgive me if I sound mad, but that is what I saw."

Tarien had played that memory over in his mind a hundred times since that day. Never had he felt such a presence, even from the Lord and Lady. Perhaps Sunblade really could defeat the Heralds.

"Be easy, Captain," Andil said. "I believe you, and so does Lady Elessir, I would think." A nod from his wife confirmed Andil's statement. "As for the other matter at hand - the Heralds of Dawn - our retribution will be swift. It is time the legions of Ildernass marched again."

Tarien was both uplifted and dismayed at the same time. The deaths of his kin would be avenged, but Andil's announcement surely meant war. A worm of dread writhed in his middle. How many more Eryn'elda would fall before peace was found again?

***

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END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN

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