idea what he was talking about.”
I attempted a socially appropriate smile and shrugged. “You got that right. The only facts I know is that Paladin is now my job title as well as my name. I can’t leave town without clearing the Norse trolls out. Oh, and from now on, I can’t lie or have sex outside of marriage without throwing up.”
He sighed and his smile completely disappeared. “That’s not much, to be sure. It’s what I was told in the briefing, but I still have a hard time believing a man with the surname of Paladin would know so little. When you have time, you should read this.” Aidan handed me a small, leather bound notebook. “Tis the journal of the last Salt Lake City paladin. I don’t know if you’ve ever kept a work log before, but from now on you will. You will need to work on it every night. The minute you write it down, the information goes upstairs. Paul Swenson, the previous paladin, was traditional. He liked pen and paper. So do I, but a digital text file works just as well.
“Victor, there is so much I could tell you. Time is short. I need to prioritize and tell you what you need to know right now.” He smiled ruefully to himself, tugging at his hair as he got lost in his thoughts. He now looked like a miniature, fat Einstein. “I guess the best job description for you is a frontier-style sheriff. You’ll keep the peace and if necessary, kill the bad guys. The Redcaps Tim was talking about are a type of fairy who wears a wool cap soaked in human blood. If the blood ever dries, the Redcap dies. They need a constant supply of human blood.”
When I heard I had to fight fucking fairies, I wanted to scream. My world had been interesting enough as it was. I hadn’t needed to read fantasy or believe in fairy tales to spice up my life. I had been content in my world of science, facts, and numbers. I couldn’t believe the idiots with blogs decorated with unicorns had been closer to the truth than me.
Aidan noticed I’d stopped paying attention. He calmly made eye contact. I was struck by how much dignity this tiny man exuded. He should have been cute and funny; he wasn’t. When he had my attention, he leaned forward toward me, his voice intent. “There is a band of twenty or so of them holed up under the sewers near Pioneer Park. They’re smart. For the last couple of months they have been killing the homeless—people who are not likely to be missed. We finally noticed and we need to take them out quickly. Every time they kill someone, they gain enough power from the sacrifice to pull another Redcap through the veil. You have come at a perfect time. We were planning on going into the sewers this afternoon. I was not looking forward to it; I have been around for awhile and have picked up a few combat skills, but I have never been what you would call a warrior. Of the other four, Tim is probably the most competent in a fight.” Cahill smiled sheepishly, “Despite his appearance, Tim is actually highly skilled.”
My eyes widened at the thought of Tim behind me in a firefight. In the few seconds I’d been with him, I felt like I knew him. If he was one of the best they had, I was better off solo.
“The odds were not looking so good until we found out you were in town. I have to tell you, Victor—seeing how little you know, I don’t know if we are any better off. You are powerful. I could sense you from a couple blocks away, but you have to know how to wield your power for it to be of any use.”
I’ve always been good at reading people. Aidan and Tim had both been ecstatic to see me. Aidan now looked like his dog just died. The expression on his face seemed wrong. Santa Claus wasn’t supposed to frown. “So, why do you and Tim have to be heroes? There has to be more than a million people in the Greater Salt Lake Region. Why can’t you recruit more people?”
“To answer that, I’m going to have to give some background. I don’t know how well you know the Holy Bible. If you
I attempted a socially appropriate smile and shrugged. “You got that right. The only facts I know is that Paladin is now my job title as well as my name. I can’t leave town without clearing the Norse trolls out. Oh, and from now on, I can’t lie or have sex outside of marriage without throwing up.”
He sighed and his smile completely disappeared. “That’s not much, to be sure. It’s what I was told in the briefing, but I still have a hard time believing a man with the surname of Paladin would know so little. When you have time, you should read this.” Aidan handed me a small, leather bound notebook. “Tis the journal of the last Salt Lake City paladin. I don’t know if you’ve ever kept a work log before, but from now on you will. You will need to work on it every night. The minute you write it down, the information goes upstairs. Paul Swenson, the previous paladin, was traditional. He liked pen and paper. So do I, but a digital text file works just as well.
“Victor, there is so much I could tell you. Time is short. I need to prioritize and tell you what you need to know right now.” He smiled ruefully to himself, tugging at his hair as he got lost in his thoughts. He now looked like a miniature, fat Einstein. “I guess the best job description for you is a frontier-style sheriff. You’ll keep the peace and if necessary, kill the bad guys. The Redcaps Tim was talking about are a type of fairy who wears a wool cap soaked in human blood. If the blood ever dries, the Redcap dies. They need a constant supply of human blood.”
When I heard I had to fight fucking fairies, I wanted to scream. My world had been interesting enough as it was. I hadn’t needed to read fantasy or believe in fairy tales to spice up my life. I had been content in my world of science, facts, and numbers. I couldn’t believe the idiots with blogs decorated with unicorns had been closer to the truth than me.
Aidan noticed I’d stopped paying attention. He calmly made eye contact. I was struck by how much dignity this tiny man exuded. He should have been cute and funny; he wasn’t. When he had my attention, he leaned forward toward me, his voice intent. “There is a band of twenty or so of them holed up under the sewers near Pioneer Park. They’re smart. For the last couple of months they have been killing the homeless—people who are not likely to be missed. We finally noticed and we need to take them out quickly. Every time they kill someone, they gain enough power from the sacrifice to pull another Redcap through the veil. You have come at a perfect time. We were planning on going into the sewers this afternoon. I was not looking forward to it; I have been around for awhile and have picked up a few combat skills, but I have never been what you would call a warrior. Of the other four, Tim is probably the most competent in a fight.” Cahill smiled sheepishly, “Despite his appearance, Tim is actually highly skilled.”
My eyes widened at the thought of Tim behind me in a firefight. In the few seconds I’d been with him, I felt like I knew him. If he was one of the best they had, I was better off solo.
“The odds were not looking so good until we found out you were in town. I have to tell you, Victor—seeing how little you know, I don’t know if we are any better off. You are powerful. I could sense you from a couple blocks away, but you have to know how to wield your power for it to be of any use.”
I’ve always been good at reading people. Aidan and Tim had both been ecstatic to see me. Aidan now looked like his dog just died. The expression on his face seemed wrong. Santa Claus wasn’t supposed to frown. “So, why do you and Tim have to be heroes? There has to be more than a million people in the Greater Salt Lake Region. Why can’t you recruit more people?”
“To answer that, I’m going to have to give some background. I don’t know how well you know the Holy Bible. If you
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