Warden (Elemental Paladins Book 1) Read online

  “Which Order are you from? I don’t recognise you.” The designated speaker asked. The more he talked, the more confused she became. What the hell was he talking about? Excellent question ninety nine!

  “What the hell are you talking about?” More with the frowning and the covert looks. “Really? Again with the silent communication? Whatever. Listen, it’s been a long day already and as fun as this was … I’m out.” A tanned hand on hers halted her attempt to retrieve her bag. In addition to the solid warmth his hand provided she also felt a distinct zap, almost like a tiny electric shock. She could have sworn she felt the earth rumble minutely beneath her feet and she raised her startled eyes to meet the green ones of the so-far silent man with the reddish hair.

  “We’re not wrong here, Darius. She’s definitely a Warden.” He said.

  “But what is a warden doing out here alone? Maybe she’s gone off the reservation?” She had no clue what that meant, but the way blue eyes said it made her think it wasn’t a good thing.

  A rustle in the trees caused them all to glance to the left. She watched in rising trepidation as three sets of hands reached swiftly behind their backs. She swallowed hard; they were all armed which meant this shit was gettin’ real. Confident in her butt-kicking abilities she might be, but stupid she was not. No way did she want to pit herself against these men. More rustling preceded a set of soft brown eyes and leathery wings from the top limbs of the Eucalypt tree. The fruit bat clutched half a pear in its tiny claws as it chewed determinedly. She felt more than saw the men around her relax but couldn’t herself. It was a little late for the flying mammal to be out, and was that a chill on the breeze she could feel? The men seemed more interested in puzzling out the conundrum that was her than to notice such nuances but she had learned to listen when the world spoke – no matter how indirect. Fingers rudely snapping in front of her face redirected her focus.

  “You really have no idea what we’re talking about do you?”

  She shook her head, “Nope, I really don’t. And I really don’t care either. I have enough crazy in my life. Trust me!” As if her own words had conjured them, the shadows beneath the trees started lengthening, reaching out with dark fingers to obscure the land. Clouds rushed overhead, blocking out the sun in a seemingly freak storm as the wind blew a gale. It was freaky all right, but it wasn’t a storm.

  It was them.

  They were here.

  She reached into her boot for her Joy. Her blade was the one thing she never left in her pack. It was with her always. She even took it into the shower and to bed at night. Joy had saved her life more times than she could count. She was readying herself with an explanation as to why she would be carrying an eight inch dagger in her knee-high boots but found herself blocked into a tight triangle of three broad backs instead. Were they protecting her? They couldn’t be. There was no way they could possibly understand what was coming. Nobody else could see her stalkers. She had never been able to figure out why most people didn’t see them, she just knew they didn’t. Hence, her numerous trips to the aforementioned mental institutes. They always rolled in with an unnatural storm and people were always more fascinated by the abrupt display from Mother Nature than they were by the pale spectres hiding in their midst.

  “Stay behind us.” The order was bellowed over a vast shoulder, all his attention seemingly focused on the ivory figure slowly creeping forward.

  She was incredulous, “You can see them?”

  Mr Stoic gave one sharp nod of his head, “I can see them,” he flicked a glance in her direction before barking the command once again, “Stay behind us.”

  Usually she didn’t tolerate orders well, but given that this order involved a front row ticket to perhaps the best arse in history, she decided to heed the command. As the three men in front of her took up various practiced fighting positions, she tilted her head to the side and watched three sets of arse cheeks flex and clench. Fuck yeah, she’d stay behind them! And with that happy thought, the phantoms descended.

  THREE

  They were like a flock of morbid seagulls, circling and swooping on the men with their noxious claws, jaws stretched wide in an awful parody of a grin. They were silent, always so silent, in their lethality and for some reason that always creeped her out the most. The open gaping mouths combined with the determined lifeless eyes and the deadly precision of their attacks spoke of a purpose and a kind of horrific glee. Yet they never uttered a sound; no taunts, no laughter, no screams. They never responded when she tried to reason with them nor did they appear to feel pain when she kicked their butts! Well, almost never, she admitted to herself, but now certainly wasn’t the time for those convoluted thoughts. No, these strange creatures that she had dubbed ‘phantoms’ because, hey, what else could they be? They stalked, attacked and vanished in distressing silence just as quickly as they appeared, with no rhyme or reason that she had ever been able to identify. She only knew they hunted her no matter how far she ran or how long she hid. Her whole life had been reduced to dodging, hiding and fighting. She had no time for friends or relationships. She had so needed this little slice of paradise from her youth, but it was clearly not meant to be. There would be no time for fun or time for work and she had desperately needed to work. In fact, that twenty she parted with back at the bar had been one of her last.

  With no time to stop and write or draw, she hadn’t been able to get a novel out in over a year and she knew even her most loyal of fans were beginning to give up on her. Not that it really mattered, she thought bitterly. She was too scared to access her savings account for the royalties anyway just in case the phantoms were somehow tracking her that way. She had no clue how that could be possible, it’s not like they could stroll into a bank or anything, but she wasn’t willing to take the risk. She had lost many a good friend over the years as well as many innocent strangers and her conscience was about to buckle under the guilt. In fact, she wasn’t sure what she would do if any of these hunks were hurt because of her. Although, they did seem to have the situation well in hand, she admitted, refocusing all her attention where it should be. The strange men were obviously highly skilled as she had suspected and it seemed as if this wasn’t their first rodeo with the phantoms either. She eyed them appraisingly and couldn’t help but appreciate their technique. She knew just how much discipline it took to hone one’s body into a weapon. And weapons they obviously were. They were like poetry in motion. The lethal grace with which they wielded their own strangely shaped blades was almost hypnotising. They were clearly a team of some sort going by the way they seemed to anticipate each other’s actions. When one feinted to the left, one would strike from the right; one would defend low while the other attacked high. They were confident and assured of their abilities and clearly trusted each other. They fought back to back, and she noticed they were always careful to keep her solidly between two muscled rears at all times. That was at least until one of the grotesque creatures suddenly sniffed the air like a hound catching a scent and turned it’s roiling black eyes her way.

  She shuddered under the hungry gaze, knowing what would come next if it were to actually make contact with her. These things fought viciously and would battle to the death with a seemingly endless supply of stamina – but only after they were engaged first. They never delivered the first blow but a clash was always inevitable because she would never let them come in peace. As much as she loathed to partake in the nightmarish violence, the thought of what they would do to her otherwise was even more sickening.

  Past experience had taught her to strike fast and to strike hard without mercy. Gripping the well-worn hilt of her perfectly balanced tanto sword she went for expediency over decency and let her shoulders and knees go lax as she executed a smooth roll, coming up behind the advancing spectre. She slashed quickly in two even lines aiming directly behind the knee caps. The phantom went down hard and although it made no sound, its mouth widened in a silent scream and its eyes glared mute accusations. She always found t
he whole experience deafening. Swallowing back bile, she swung efficiently again and severed the head with one blow. It should have been near impossible to cut through muscle and bone like that – especially for a woman of her height and stature – but as expected the pale head detached easily from the skeletal body. It then shattered into a shower of ash, forcing her to retreat hastily or risk becoming covered in the grisly soot. She had no idea why but they always turned into something different before being picked up by the wind and disappearing into the atmosphere. She could feel the shudder of the earth beneath her feet, the trembling from the desecration of the kill even as the last of the smoky particles floated away. They were joined by fragments of leaves, droplets of water, and even small insects and she knew the Buff Brigade had successfully dispatched the remainder of the phantoms. Not sure what to expect, she kept her grip on Joy tight and her muscles relaxed as she turned to face the music.

  It appeared her worries were unnecessary. They weren’t poised to pounce or attack. The three of them were, well gawking, with identical expressions of stunned disbelief. They looked like they had never seen a girl kick arse before! Typical macho men. Probably thought women spent all day picking out tampons or something! Although she was in a great position to rectify such misguided beliefs, perhaps now was the perfect time to amscray.

  “Well, this has been super fun! But I need to be on my way now.” Keeping her eyes on the stunned mullets, she retrieved her bag and maintained her grip on her blade. That seemed to snap them out of their dazed bemusement.

  “You’re coming with us.” The decree was all drill sergeant and the tone brooked no argument. She hated it.

  “Oh am I now? And why would I do that?” She asked sweetly, “No, let me guess. It’s because you said it in that deep, serious baritone isn’t it?” She fluttered her lashes. That finally brought out a genuine reaction as three sets of sensuous lips curved into grins of varying degrees. The one with the blondy-brown hair even barked out a quick laugh.

  “I like you.” He stated, then turned to his companions before stating again, “I like her.”

  “Yeah, well. Like her in the car. We need to get out of here. And you are coming with us.”

  She shook her head, “Ah, no thanks. Not really into the whole orgy thing.” Although I’m seriously tempted!

  “Look, we don’t have time for this. More will be on their way.” Looks like Mr Serious was back. Well, she didn’t need him to tell her what she already knew.

  “Yeah, no shit Sherlock. There’s always more of them. They’re like fucking cockroaches.”

  His eyes narrowed but it was the red head that spoke up this time, “Sounds like this is a common thing for you.”

  She snorted, “You could say that.”

  “Well, as you just saw it’s not exactly new to us either. So why don’t you let us help you out? Come with us and we’ll talk. Seems like you could use some information.” His sympathetic green eyes softened further as they looked down at her from his impressive height. “And some help.”

  She could tell the offer was genuine and she found herself having to swallow past the lump in her throat. Hadn’t she just been wishing for someone to help her? Did she dare trust these men? Her body chose that moment to spasm ever so minutely and she knew the decision had been made for her. She couldn’t continue on as she had been and these men obviously had answers. Maybe she could finally begin to understand. Praying she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life, she relented.

  FOUR

  The atmosphere in the Dodge was extremely awkward, Darius thought as he kept a watchful eye on their unexpected guest. The air was thick with tension, confusion and distrust and it wasn’t all stemming from the little warden either. Darius could sense the same whirlwind of emotions from his fellow comrades as well. It seemed they were all on the same page, and that page was FUBAR to put it kindly. He and the boys had been heading back to camp after a particularly maddening day at the Lodge when he had felt a slight disturbance in the air. It was nothing major and didn’t have the taste of danger that usually accompanied trouble, but it was odd nonetheless. Because he had long ago learned to trust his instincts they had pulled into Dave’s to investigate. At first, nothing seemed amiss but then the wind had greeted the solo female occupant at the bar like an old friend and he had begun to understand. Well, sort of understand, he amended silently. The woman was slight in frame and in stature – her feet hadn’t even touched the bottom rungs of the bar stool she was perched on. She had dark hair, which he had mistaken as brown or even black, but when she had stepped into the fading light he had seen it was actually red. A deep, rich burgundy that fell in wild waves around her heart-shaped face. And those eyes! In all his years, Darius had never seen eyes like that before. If all that wasn’t compelling enough, she was also pumping out Vitality in waves. It was a completely rooky and extremely dangerous thing to do. The distinct energy she had been emitting was like a beacon not only to paladins like himself but also to some truly wretched creatures. She was like a walking magnet and he had zero doubt that she was a warden. But where were her knights?

  That seemed to be the question of the day. He hadn’t felt any other paladins in the vicinity which should have been impossible. A warden was never without a paladin. The level of bizarre had increased exponentially as he watched in a kind of fascinated disbelief when the tiny warden crippled and decapitated their enemy. Darius had never seen anything like it from a warden in all his years. She had been confident and exacting in her skills, clearly having engaged in battle with the chades before. She knew just where to strike in order to dispatch her opponent with a smooth economy that would have half his brethren envious. She was clearly very well trained. The question was why. Why would a guardian of nature need, or want, to engage in any form of violence? It was absolutely unheard of. Wardens were passive, sacred beings and were protected at all times, at any cost. Hence, the existence of the paladins.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe with us.” Lark’s voice was soft and friendly. He was obviously trying to put the odd little warden at ease. Apparently, it wasn’t working for she gave a rather undignified snort of disbelief and clutched that damn sword of hers tighter.

  “It’s true. No one here would ever hurt you.” He nodded towards the well-kept blade. “You don’t need that.” Her eyes never stopped their constant wandering, taking in the sites. He was positive she was cataloguing everything and committing it all to memory. She also didn’t let up on her weapon as she replied sardonically;

  “Like I haven’t heard that before!” Those peculiar eyes of hers focused on each of them briefly before she muttered, “But somehow I almost believe you. Why do I believe you?”

  “It’s instinctual. The relationship between wardens and paladins is built into their DNA. You recognise us, just as we recognised you back at the bar.” Darius explained.

  She shook her head, sending all that thick red hair flying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen you before in my life. And what do you mean warden? I’ve never worked in a jail.”

  Axel raised his eyebrows in a classic ‘what the fuck?’ gesture. What the fuck indeed, Darius thought.

  “How about we leave all the explanations for when we get back to camp?” Darius knew the others were there and he had a feeling they were going to need all of them to get to the bottom of this. He only wished he could predict how Ry was going to react. Despite his high paladin status, he really wasn’t a fan of wardens in general.

  “Camp?” She still sounded unsure.

  Axel spoke up, “Yeah, camp. It’s what we call our base – where we live and sleep when we’re not needed at the Lodge.”

  She looked sceptical, “Um, camp? Base? Do you actually mean home? Because that’s what it sounds like. You live and sleep at home.”

  Yes, it did sound a lot like home, but it wasn’t really – not for any of them. It was a temporary place to stay where they could rest and relax and figure out what
the hell they were going to do with their lives. They were lucky Ry was so generous.

  Lark chuckled and answered in direct opposition to Darius’s thoughts, “Yes. He means home.” He winked. “But He-men like us aren’t really big on flowery prose.”

  That made her smile even as her shoulders relaxed another degree. Thank heavens for Lark, Darius thought.

  “I’m Lark by the way. This is Axel and our fearless driver here is Darius.”

  Darius groaned and slapped his own forehead internally where no one could see his stupidity. They had practically kidnapped this poor woman who was somehow ignorant of her own society and were driving her into the depths of the Australian bush … and he hadn’t even introduced himself. He was a moron. No wonder she was so nervous and still gripping that freaking short sword like a life line. Again, thank heavens for Lark!

  “I wish I could say it was nice to meet you …” she paused, “… but I don’t know if it is.” Her eyes lit up with mischief and her slightly rounded cheeks dimpled as she smiled. Had Darius been a weaker man, he’d be half in love with her by now. She spun to face the road, giving them her shoulder and back in the beginnings of trust, and stated simply;

  “I’m Max.”

  FIVE

  Max stood open-mouthed and gaping up at the ‘camp’. Their ‘camp’ was a barn, Max thought, and not at all what she had been expecting. They had been driving for approximately thirty minutes, following the coastline south when Darius – as she had finally learned – had turned onto a well-used gravel road. At first Max thought that maybe they were taking her into the wilderness to use and abuse her in dirty and despicable ways. She was only half tempted to jump from the moving vehicle and make a run for it. The other half of her figured it wasn’t such a bad way to go, so she had observed and memorised the journey and was confident she could retrace the route with her eyes closed if need be. She didn’t exactly have a photographic memory but she was pretty darn observant and had a great sense of direction.