SIXTEEN

He tried the Lodge first. Given it was a Sunday, there was nothing formal going on but many paladins still hung out in the large recreation room. Especially the trainees and the unbound paladins. It was also a popular place for wardens and the local council, given it was the council meeting place as well. Leaning over, he sighed a little as he stowed his scythe under the seat. Rules were rules and there were no weapons allowed in the common areas of the training centre. It was something even the most rebellious paladins adhered to; Ryker’s rules were not to be messed with. Although, he knew Max took her tanto sword everywhere. Some habits were hard to break.

Catching his reflection in the mirror, he forced himself to wipe the subconscious smile from his lips and dim the sparkle of warmth in his eyes. He was still feeling all glowy-like from Ivy’s offer to watch his back. The look on her face when all eyes turned to her was priceless. Oh, he knew most people wouldn’t have noticed but he had her number now. He was confident the woman had had a whole bunch of: what the hell did I just say? rolling around in her thick skull. She may have regretted it as soon as the words had left her pretty mouth. But the automatic offer spoke volumes to him. He now found himself eager to set out with the lovely, pixie-faced ranger so he could see what else he could coax out of her. But first; work.

One glance was all it took to satisfy him that he would not have to make another stop. The training lodge was filled with no less than fifteen people and he was glad to see there was a good mixture of pleasant and unpleasant individuals present. Some he knew had been outspoken against Max in the past and had apparently changed their tunes since her Custodian status had been proven and accepted by the IDC. Some had been kind and supportive all along, and there was a good number of pricks who he already knew had issues with Max. In fact, his job was going to be easier than he anticipated because he could make out a familiar broad back by the pool tables.

Ignoring him for the moment, he made his way around the room, stopping to nod respectfully to the few members present from the Local Warden Council, including Lake, Hades, Ray, and Fawn. He knew Lake and Hades had been less than polite to Max at their first meeting and their attitudes had scarcely improved since then. Although, Lake really was just a glory chaser, he also thrived on gossip and Lark’s initial instincts told him the man was a douche but hardly an evil mastermind. There was no secret where Fawn’s support lay – she had always been kind to Max and she was a good friend of Beyden’s. Lark trusted his friend’s judgment implicitly. If Bey said the Beast Warden was cool, then she was cool. Ray, one of two fire wardens seated on the local council, was a soft-spoken, older man and had likewise always shown respect for Max. Lark was confident the man and his paladins would also prove to be allies.

He made a show of unlocking and stepping into the office so he could pretend he was there for something work-related rather than Max-related. He rearranged Ryker’s desk draws, his pens, and even changed the password on the man’s computer. Ry was very protective of his office. Unfortunately for him, Lark and his fellow paladins received great joy from constantly pranking the man. Lark made sure to set the password to: #AxelRulz! His fellow knight would get the blame and Lark will have killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Satisfied with his ten minutes worth of work, he stepped back int0 the common area. Catching the eye of Caspian, he nodded his hello and thanks for the back-up. Three sets of identical faces also drew his attention and he waved at Kai, Kellan, and Kane. The three air paladins waved back and Lark decided to go and talk to them as he waited for his presence to have the desired effect. He really liked the three men. They were a little older than him at seventy-five and had been very young men during the Great Massacre fifty years ago. He knew they were the current Lotharios of their society but Lark knew most of the tales were likely just that – tales. Nobody could make their way through that many women, could they? Although, if you divided the number by three, it was more realistic …

“On your own today, boy?”

Lark came to an abrupt halt and gritted his teeth at the tone as much as the content of the question. This was why Lark knew it wouldn’t be hard to stir things up; Carlos was here. The fire paladin was directly associated with one of the most powerful and respected families in their society. The family he was referring to had always been a bag of arseholes but they had certainly upped their game since Max came on the scene. Cinder was the family matriarch and a member of the IDC. Her daughter, Magda, was the head of the local council. And her grandson, Ignatius, had recently gone off the reservation and had been given chade-status. Regardless of the fact that Max had assured everyone Ignatius was not turning into a chade and was ‘merely’ a sociopath. But the council did not recognise mental illness and had imprisoned the fire warden in one of the chade encampments.

Months ago, Ignatius had taken it upon himself to try to kill Caspian and his two paladins because of who they loved. Homosexual relationships were likewise not recognised in their narrow-minded society. But Max and his own Order had stepped in and they had all barely made it out with their lives. Ignatius had abused his powers over his domain and had turned the element into something twisted. Darius had damn-near been fried alive and Max had turned into a cold, vengeful Goddess, rather than the warm, fun woman they had all grown accustomed to. If Diana hadn’t been able to talk Max down, he was sure Ignatius and his paladins would have been nothing more than piles of goo on the ground.

And that’s where Carlos came on the scene. His brother, Marco, had been the potentate of the Order of Vulcan and had likewise been sentenced to prison with his liege. Needless to say, Carlos now hated anything and everything to do with Max and her Order. Not that he didn’t have issues with them all before – it seemed to be hereditary. Marco had always gained a perverse enjoyment in picking on Lark. Lark could only speculate it was because of his shitty reputation as a paladin – thanks to the failed trials. But then again, bullies rarely needed an excuse. In fact, it was Marco who had ordered his fellow knights to hold him still as he had used him as a punching bag when Max had first arrived.

Lark shook his head; Yep, the whole bunch of them are arseholes.

“What’s the matter? No pithy comeback today? That lame excuse for an Order of yours always seems to have something ridiculous to say,” Carlos griped, obviously not liking being ignored.

Lark saw the triplets frowning as they began to weave in and out of the crowd that was already gathering for the show. Perfect, Lark thought, this is almost too easy. He gave his helpers a small shake of his head, indicating they should stay back. Kane dipped his head minutely but his frown stayed firmly in place.

“Carlos,” Lark began, jovially, “always such a pleasure. Tell me, what about my Order and my liege is ridiculous?”

Carlos scoffed, as did at least handful of other paladins, “You’re kidding, right? Everyone knows the whole thing is a farce.”

Lark allowed his features to morph into cluelessness, “A farce? I have no idea what you mean.”

“Bullshit! You really think we all believe the most pathetic paladins in history are now a part of some special Order? You’re all a bunch of rejects; no wardens, dead wardens … take your pick!”

Lark didn’t allow himself to react to the slight against Ryker’s and Diana’s deceased lieges. Instead, he answered calmly, wanting to appear to be the victim in the scenario; “We’re not rejects anymore. Now, if you’ll excuse me …” Trying to step around Carlos was fruitless when the bigger man stepped in his path.

“No, I won’t excuse you. Do you think we’re all stupid? That the council is stupid? Your liege had better watch herself.”

The tension in the room was steadily rising as Carlos began to show his true colours. Now to see how many others held the same beliefs; “Is that a threat?” he asked for clarification.

Carlos puffed out his chest, “You’re damn right it is! You think I’m the only one who’s suspicious? A woman shows up with all this power, insisting she’s the daughter of a goddess, and just expects us all to blindly follow her?”

As calmly as possible, he responded; “Max is not some kind of mad usurper. She has no ulterior motive other than to help maintain the balance between the domains. She was simply lost and now she’s been found. That is all, I assure you.”

“Oh, well then. Because you assure us, that’s fine then.”

Carlos’s sarcasm was not lost on him but Lark smiled innocuously nonetheless, “Excellent. I’m glad we got that all sorted.” He made to walk around the idiotic paladin but a tight grip to his forearm halted his forward motion.

“You think you’re safe now? You think that midget bitch is gonna protect you? Everyone knows what you are – a pathetic failure as a son and as a warrior. You’re a miserable excuse for a male, let alone a knight,” Carlos hissed, loud enough for the entire room to hear.

Lark took a deep breath, feeling his anger rise. It wasn’t the slurs that bothered him – such defamations were old school to him. It was the way he spoke about his liege that had his blood boiling and his hand itching with the urge to uppercut the pig. But he was supposed to be a coward, so he merely locked eyes with the piece of shit in front of him, “Let go of me.”

Carlos smirked, “Or what? Is the itty-bitty paladin gonna hit me?” he laughed.

Lark heard the accompanying snickers from other paladins in the room and raised his head to make eye contact with each and every person who deemed this scenario okay. Many immediately lowered their eyes, shifting uncomfortably, while others seemed to be thriving on the supressed violence. He was relieved to see at least a handful of people looking upset by the display – even if they were too chicken shit to stand up and put a stop to it. Caspian was watching him avidly and he saw a small pocket of who he assumed were supporters all congregated around the water warden; Fawn and her four paladins, the triplets, Ray and his three paladins, and two new trainees.

Lark dipped his head at the group, subtly asking them with his eyes not to move. To his surprise, Fawn nodded back, touching her upper left arm briefly. He didn’t react outwardly but he knew what the pretty, golden Warden of the Beasts was telling him; she carried Max’s loyalty brand.

“What’s the matter, Larky-boy? Cat got your tongue?” Carlos taunted, eliciting another round of laughter.

Now Lark was seriously contemplating if it would be worth the ensuing chaos to wipe the self-satisfied smirk off Carlos’s face. He had the information they needed; names and faces of over a dozen likely combatants, as well as some newly marked friends. He had just managed to talk himself out of it when he heard a voice in his head;

‘You totally have my permission. I love chaos just as much as I hate smirkers.’

Lark grinned – his liege had decided to chime in.

‘Break his nose. I wanna see some blood.’

The voice belonged to Cali and he chuckled silently; pregnancy was making her even more bloodthirsty than usual.

‘No, go for the throat. I’m sick of hearing this guy talk,’ Axel added his two cents.

‘Pfft! The throat? The balls – go for the balls!’

Lark shuddered over Diana’s recommendation; the females in his life were damn vicious.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” Carlos demanded, giving him a small shake.

“My Order seems to think you need to be taken down a peg,” he felt satisfied when the arsehat in front of him paled a little, looking quickly around the room. The jerk may refer to them all as pathetic when they weren’t around but everyone knew their team was a force to be reckoned with.

“Uh huh, nice try. I know you’re here alone. And the Order link doesn’t reach that far.”

Well, he was finally right about one thing. The mental links within Orders were strong between wardens and their paladins over short distances only. It was never really a problem, given paladins were rarely far from their lieges. Those that did venture away from their wardens were from those Orders where the warden was very powerful. The greater the power, the stronger the link with their knights. Given he was a good forty kilometres away from his liege, Carlos was right in assuming the mental connection couldn’t reach this far – if he was in a normal Order, that was. Unluckily for Carlos, Lark wasn’t a part of a normal Order.

Deciding to fuck with the man in front of him a little, he made another attempt to free his arm as he spoke, “Maybe your inferior Order link doesn’t reach that far but I assure you, my superior one does. And I gotta say, Carly, the females in the gang are rather unimpressed with you.” Heat infused Carlos’s cheeks as snickers now became directed at him.

“It’s bullshit, man. Don’t let the twerp get to you,” Lance decided to join the party. He was in the same Order as Carlos.

‘Twerp?’ he questioned silently, ‘Do you guys think I’m a twerp?’

‘Twerp is so eighties. I would have gone with nerd,’ his very own Captain suggested, making him sputter his amusement via the link. Not many people knew Ryker actually had a wicked sense of humour. Most people just figured he was nothing but a stoic arsehole.

‘You know I can still hear you right?’ his Captain enquired, dryly.

‘Stop wasting your time with them, Lark. We have a better idea of who is against Max and who might be behind those rumours. Just get back here.’ The voice of reason belonged to Darius.

He would be more than happy to but Carlos still had a hold of his arm, “Do you want a date or something?” he enquired, pleasantly.

Carlos looked confused, “What?”

“My arm,” Lark clarified, “You’ve been holding it for at least five minutes now. Didn’t know you swung that way dude.”

Carlos snarled and practically flung Lark’s arm back at him. “I ain’t no filthy homo.”

Lark narrowed his eyes now, “Watch your mouth, Carlos. It’s going to get you into trouble just like your brother.”

Carlos snarled at the reminder, “The perfect example of how dangerous that woman is,” he said, turning to the room. “A well respected, noble paladin from an honourable family line … now imprisoned like an animal thanks to that fake bitch Lark is harbouring.”

Lark shook his head, Darius was right; he was wasting his time here. There was no talking to people like Carlos. Their minds were closed and no amount of logic would expand their beliefs. “Whatever, man. You will all bear witness to the truth in time,” he spoke softly but knew his voice could be heard in the tense stillness of the room.

When no-one said anything, he just sighed and turned to walk away. When Carlos began talking again, he had every intention to keep walking. But as Carlos’s vile words registered, he felt an unnatural stillness and rage building over the calm veneer he had honed over the years. He was across the room and on top of Carlos in less than a second. A swift right hook to the jaw floored the man and Lark had Carlos’s arms pulled high behind his back as he pushed all his weight into the back of his neck, smashing his face into the floorboards;

“You just made a very big mistake. You think I’m a twerp huh? A miserable excuse for a soldier who let his father down by failing the Paladin Trials? Let me enlighten you; I flunked that test on purpose, you fucker,” he hissed the words into Carlos’s ear as he thrashed ineffectively in his steely hold, “Newsflash; I let your brother and his goons beat me up that time on purpose. Everything I do is deliberate and calculated. You know why?” Lark pulled roughly at the hair at the man’s nape, ensuring he had his full attention, “Because if I don’t think before I act, everyone gets dead. I was trained by the best – and the worst. I was my father’s best student. Do you know what that means, arsehole? It means I can hurt you in ways you’ve never dreamed of. When I stop thinking, I make Max look like a fucking kitten. Don’t threaten my family again, or I’m going to introduce you to Isaac’s son.”

He released the hair he was holding, gaining immense pleasure when Carlos’s nose made harsh contact with the floor. He stood up, dusting off his hands, glaring coldly at the stunned occupants in the room. Cowardly bastards, Lark thought.

Lark could still feel his temper seething as members of Carlos’s Order rushed to help the jackass to his feet. Looking down he found his fists still tightly clenched, wishing for nothing more than to slam them repeatedly into Carlos’s face. Making eye contact with Caspian across the room, the warden gave a small shake of his head. Taking a deep breath, Lark forced his tense muscles to relax. He nodded to Caspian, acknowledging his superiority and also thanking him as well. Caspian was right – now was not the time and he had well and truly achieved what they had set out to do. Time to leave before he killed the fucker.