The Last Paladin: Ep 2: A Lost Princess and A Witch
Act 3: Not the Hero
Miriam looked at Dinah. Light from Eve’s flaming wings flashed and flickered across Dinah’s face. The girl stared into the distance. Hollow eyes looking at nothing. Miriam placed a hand on Dinah’s shoulder. Dinah shrugged Miriam’s hand from her shoulder. And then her shoulders slumped. And she crumpled a little.
“I don’t know what to do.” Dinah said. “I don’t know what to do, if I’m not the hero.”
“What does being the hero have to do with it?” Miriam asked.
Miriam replaced her hand on the girl’s shoulder. And this time Dinah let the hand stay in place.
“You don’t understand.” Dinah said. “That’s all I’ve ever been. I’m the next hero. I’m to make up for my family’s shame. I’m the family’s redemption. And I’m not the hero. So then what?”
Miriam turned to look at Eve and Balathasar. She thought about her own fear. She was afraid that she was out of her depth. Dinah was afraid that she was unworthy. Miriam didn’t know how to help with that.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t have a family legacy. We’re pig farmers all the way down through history. The worst thing in my family history is my father. He was a snitch who spied on our neighbours for the empire. Somebody killed him in a bar fight. Nobody would say who did it.”
“That’s it exactly.” Dinah said. “Family shame. Ours is worse. But I’ve got to scrub it clean. But how can I do that if I’m not the hero? Nothing else is big enough to wipe the stain clean.”
Balthasar extended his arms to monstrous lengths. He reached for the rats and tore them apart with inky black claws. Dinah stared at Balthasar for a moment.
“Those are not holy powers.” Dinah said, calling out the Balthasar. “What are you?”
“I’m a fallen former paladin making do with what’s available.” He answered.
It wasn’t enough. He and Eve were making no headway against the onslaught of giant rats.
“He’s not going to answer you.” Miriam said. “He’s got his secrets.”
“But how can you trust him?” She asked.
Miriam could sympathize with Dinah’s skepticism. Balthasar was suspicious. He had secrets. That much was obvious. But Miriam did trust Balthasar.
Miriam shrugged. “I was about to become a virgin sacrifice. He arrived with a holy sword and saved us all. I figure he’s earned some privacy as a result.”
Miriam looked around, grasping for something she could do to help. Then she saw the pillars and had an idea. She ran to a beheaded pillar and pushed against it. It didn’t budge. A moment later, Dinah joined her, and the two girls pushed.
The pillar protested, but began to tip forward as the girls put their strength into their efforts.
“Why are you still fighting?” Dinah asked between laboured breaths as they pushed. “You’re not a warrior.”
“We have to fight,” Miriam said. “Even when there’s no hope. Keep fighting. The fight is what matters.”
“But you aren’t the hero.” Dinah said.
“The point isn’t being the hero, it’s joining the fight.” Miriam said.
Dinah didn’t answer. But the pillar found its tipping point and toppled forward. The pillar hit the next pillar in line and the ceiling rumbled. Something shifted overhead and then the next pillar toppled, and with it, half the ceiling.
Miriam and Dinah leaped back out of the way. Eve and Balthasar dodged backward as well. But the rats were caught up in the collapsing roof. Their screams tore holes in Miriam’s eardrums as they died.
“That was good.” Balthasar said. “But she can summon more. We have to beat her. And I don’t see us doing that while she’s tapped into the shrine.”
Miriam could see what Balthasar meant. The rats were already scrambling over the fallen stones. Not as many as before, but their numbers were swelling. Behind them, the witch stood untouched. What else could they do? Miriam didn’t know.
“She can summon more. But at least now we have an opening.” Dinah said. And she pushed into a run. Miriam watched as Dinah scrambled over the fallen roof. She dodged around the rats and lunged at the witch. The witch leaped backward, tearing free of the red mold coating her arms. And Dinah’s sword chopped through the witch’s spear. The red glow vanished from the witch’s body.
“Now!” Balthasar yelled. “She broke the witch’s connection to the shrine.
Eve launched forward on burning wings. The witch looked around, her head swinging left and right. And then she pointed at a pillar. Her remaining giant rats lunged. And they drove into the pillar, knocking it loose. The ceiling burst like a corpse on a hot day, and stone and dirt rained down upon Eve and the witch. Dust flew and the whole room went black with dust and dirt.
Miriam waited, watching the pile of debris.
“Is Eve alright?” Miriam asked.
“She has to be.” Dinah said.
Then, as if on cue, flaming wings rose from the rubble. And Eve pushed herself free from the pile of stone and dirt.
“I didn’t expect a witch to pull the old: I’m taking you with me trick.” Eve said as she floated back over.
“I don’t think she did.” Balthasar said. “I’m betting she has a way out of that mess. And I bet we will see her again.”
“Is it safe for me to power down? I’m running on empty here.” Eve said.
Balthasar raised his eyebrows. “That’s an odd way to put it, but yes. Change back.”
Eve dropped to her knees and a globe of fire engulfed her. And then she was back to her fifteen year old self, looking exhausted.
Dinah grabbed Eve up in a hug. “I can’t believe I met a paladin. I can’t believe you saved me. I can’t believe you’re so pretty.”
Then she seemed to catch herself and released Eve. Dinah stepped back and curtsied, despite not wearing a dress.
“We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Princess Dinah Ray. Daughter of Princess Esther Ray.”
Balthasar started and stared at Dinah. His mouth hung open, but he didn’t say anything.
Miriam dropped to one knee. Miriam had never met nobility, let alone royalty. But she knew that she was expected to take a knee. The creeping fear snuck up on Miriam and grabbed her chest once more. Were they in trouble? This was royalty. Had they done something wrong. Royalty could execute people because they became bored.
Dinah sighed.
“Please don’t do that. You saved my life. And on top of that I want to join you. I’ve been trying to become, that is, to find a paladin. And here you are.”
Eve hadn’t knelt, she took a step forward and put a hand on Dinah’s shoulder.
“With sword skills like that, we’d be happy to have you. Right Balthasar?”
Balthasar nodded. “The daughter of Esther Ray is always welcome to fight beside me.”
Dinah squirmed, but didn’t say anything. The silence stretched.
Miriam coughed. “We should introduce ourselves as well. My name is Miriam Kell. And this is my friend: Eve Soldat. She’s the paladin of the archangel Michael. Although I suspect you knew that last part. This is Balthasar Key, as we said earlier.”
Dinah looked at Eve and then back at Miriam. “What kind of friends are you?” She asked.
Miriam cocked her head. “Good friends?”
Eve smiled. ‘We met in chains. We were both chosen as virgin sacrifices. It kind of bonds you, that sort of thing.”
Dinah blanched and then nodded. “I suppose it would.”
Miriam stared at Dinah, trying to read the other girl. Dinah looked over at Miriam, and Miriam jerked her head away to stare at the wall.
Balthasar took his sword back from Eve. “So we have a new problem. We have a corrupted shrine. We need to cleanse it.”
“I thought you said that we didn’t have the resources to do that?” Miriam said.
“We don’t,” Balthasar said. “We need the blessing of a unicorn.”
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