Page 38 of Paladin's Hope

Galen’s eyes snapped open. Dark green stared into brown without a trace of recognition.

“Galen, you’re having a nightm—”

He did not finish the word, because the world suddenly rolled upside down as the paladin threw him across the room.

Oh hmm, thought Piper, which was not a terribly useful thought to be having. Then he hit the ground, landed badly, and his shoulder exploded into pain. The world went from rolling to turning gray at the edges.

When it settled again, he sat up and felt for his arm. Not out of the socket. That’s lucky. Right. Don’t touch Galen when he’s having a nightmare. I should definitely have listened to Earstripe.

Earstripe was, in fact, standing over him. The gnole’s back was to Piper and he was hunkered down, his fur in spikes along his back. A low growl rumbled out of his throat.

“It’s fine,” said Piper, in pain but also deeply embarrassed. Galen was going to feel horribly guilty in a moment. People always did when they accidentally smacked someone else during a fit, or wandered somewhere unfortunate while sleepwalking. The important thing was to reassure them that you knew it wasn’t their fault. “Really, I’m fine.”

Earstripe’s growl dropped even lower. His ears were flat back against his head.

The sound of a sword being drawn rang through the ivory room.

Galen had risen to his feet. His eyes were unfocused and his hands were full of naked steel.

“Galen?” said Piper.

The paladin screamed.

Earstripe, far stronger than Piper had ever guessed, wrenched the doctor upright and snarled, “Run!” Piper didn’t need to be told twice. Galen’s scream had not sounded human. It was a long wailing cry, like some animal Piper had never seen and didn’t want to.

They ran.

* * *

Of course, you fool, the Saint of Steel’s paladins were berserkers, that was what they did, you knew that was what they did, why were you so stupid?

He’d been stupid because he knew the paladins. He’d met them. He’d never seen one of their legendary berserker rages and he’d never had to fit the reality in with the gentle, dutiful men he knew.

More than that, he was a doctor and of course that meant he knew better than anyone who wasn’t. Of course it had to be superstition that Earstripe was worried about, not, say, a screaming berserker in the middle of a nightmare. But you knew so much better, didn’t you?

“Did you kill him?” asked Galen, his voice slurring.

“Door!” gasped Earstripe. “Now!”

“But the traps—”

“Open a door, maybe we die!”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Whatever nightmare Galen was caught in, it wasn’t letting him go. Piper slapped the door switch and lunged through it, praying the next room wasn’t filled with poison gas, hoping that Galen’s slow advance would not reach the door in the thirty seconds until it closed.

For a few long breaths, he thought they would make it. Surely twenty-eight minutes would be enough for Galen to snap out of the rage and all he and Earstripe had to do was figure out where the blade would fall or the spikes would drop and live through it and then they could come out and everything would be normal again and…

Galen filled the doorway. He was not a large man, not compared to most of his brothers, but the air around him seemed to vibrate. His eyes still had that terrible unfocused look, as if he had not yet woken up from the dream.

“Galen,” said Piper, backing away. “Galen, wake up. Please wake up. You’re having a nightmare. It’s us. Piper and Earstripe. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not really there.”

The paladin stepped forward, his head moving back and forth, eyes traveling between human and gnole. Piper could almost see him deciding which one to attack first, not that it would matter one way or the other, because Galen had a sword and all Earstripe had was teeth and claws and all Piper had was a nauseating sense of guilt that wasn’t going to do fuck-all against a yard of steel.

Click. The door closed behind him.

Galen spun around at the sound, smashing the pommel of his sword against the door twice, before he seemed to realize that it was only a door. He turned back toward them, taking another step forward. Piper and Earstripe retreated as one.

Another step forward. Another step back. “Are we halfway?” whispered Piper. “Are we about to set it off?”

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