The Paladins Stay

11

Without taking off his pack Imp left the inn with Romeo, and did as he was told. Moving bags, taking horses around back to the stable hand. Who he could smell was a monster in disguise. He was helping move some crates of wine to the kitchen the caravan had asked to be used for their meals. 

“Woah, quite strong for such a young man.” Sir Handriel noted, giving Imp a once over. 

“I’m used to heavy lifting.” Imp beamed while flexing, he was excited to talk to a paladin. “I used to help M-. . . My father carry his hunts home.” Imp looked down gripping his packs straps. 

“Used to?” The man’s tone changed to sympathetic. But before Imp could continue, Romeo called for him from the kitchen. 

“What did I tell you?” Romeo hissed, gripping Imp’s shoulders tightly out of the sight of the guests.
“Uh, to bring the wine from the carriage?” 

“No!” Romeo cradled his head. “You nitwit! I said to keep your head low and keep your mouth shut!” 

“You said to stay out of the way,” Imp corrected him. “But haven’t I been helpful?” 

Romeo cradled his head. 

“No, I mean stop talking to the humans. You’re seriously too dumb for survival.” He scolded looking tired. “If you get caught you better not expect any help. You can feel it right? Those guys are no joke. I’m sure that Handriel nob could wipe out everyone in this village by himself.” Romeo sighed, running a hand through his graying brown curls. 

“Listen you-” He sighed. “You do know not to reveal you’re an Imp right?” He whispered.

Imp nodded. “Mother warned me over and over all of the awful things that would happen if the humans found out.” 

“Good, just know she was wrong. If those humans find out, it’ll be much worse. So be careful.”

Imp nodded and the rest of the morning and afternoon, by the time he was done helping his magic was faltering. So Romeo and Lenda stowed him away in the stables where the hand could keep an eye on him. 

~~~

“Say where’d that cheerful feller go?” An older paladin asked Lenda as she served dinner. 

“Oh, he only helps in the mornings around here.” She replied meekly. 

“Shame, he’s a funny thing, be nice if he knew how to sing. Suppose he could run a few errands for us in the morning? It would be a huge help.” 

Lenda nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Is he from around here?” Sir Handriel asked. “Carries a sack with him everywhere.” 

Lenda shook her head as she set a pint of ale next to a bottle of wine. 

“He arrived only a day or two before all of you.”

“Really? By himself, in these parts? Where’d he come from?” The older paladin asked. 

“No not by himself. A small group from the West, he came to work for Father just this morning.” 

“Ah, is that how news of the Gargantuan reached you then?” Handriel wondered out loud. 

Lenda shrugged, “I’m not sure, haven’t minded such things when there’s so much to do ‘round here.” 

“Like tending to customers?” A younger paladin asked, reaching for Lenda’s rear. 

“LENDA!” A shout from the kitchens allowed her to run away without pause. 

“You dog, panting at anything with legs.” Handriel chastised him. 

“So what? It’s not like she’s human.” Rencaus scowled back at him with cloudy blue eyes. 

“They may not be human on the inside but their vessels are still sacred flesh.” The older paladin, Mattheus warned. “It’ll still stain your soul if you rape her.”

“And if she likes it?” He asked. 

“You’ll lose all respectability.” 

Rencaus scoffed and kept eating. “For not being human, the things sure do know how to cook.” 

“Demons don’t eat souls as food.” Handirel sniffed and poked at his plate. “They eat them for power.” 

“Then why do you suppose that little one hasn’t eaten the three on him?” The lithe and darker skinned Louis asked, pointing his spoon at everyone between bites. “He’s obviously young and weak. Why hasn’t he eaten them?”

Mattheus scratched his silvering goatee. “I wouldn’t call that one weak.” 

“What do you mean?” Louis asked and they all seemed to be wondering the same. 

“His magic is powerful. He wasn’t in sacred flesh, that was his own body in disguise. You could tell, couldn't you?” He asked Handriel. 

“You’re right, but I wouldn’t say that makes him strong.” 

“Given how young he is, and how long he was able to maintain it. I’d say that makes him plenty strong for an imp.” 

“That’s odd.” Handriel said after a moment to think on his elders' words. “His magic is clearly more powerful than the other demons here. But. . .” 

“Exactly, he could make a fine specimen for that new branch that opened up, don't you think?” Mattheus scratched his beard and picked up his drink. “A demon that can get stronger without eating souls. That’s something the Empire would want to know about.”

The paladins gathered all shared a look before continuing their meal. Enjoying conversations unrelated to their knowledge of the village's truth as Lenda and Romeo came out to serve them. 

And that night for the first time since the end of fall, Imp slept alone. He dared not bring out the family. Not even to tell them about his day. Though he whispered pleasantries and goodnights to them through the sack. He was sure he couldn’t bring them out, he just knew something horrible would happen if he did. He shivered despite not being cold in his nest of hay. Imp didn’t know what it was called, but that night was the first of many nights he’d fall asleep feeling homesick, and missing the pack.