The sun was peaking through the wooden shutters, Aliza lay on her bed, slowly falling a sleep after a long ass night of work. Guarding the temple of Volaris was an honor, but she rather be in bed during the night hours, than standing guard in the sleeping quarters of the priests. Especially when they have overnight visitors. Her father Priel li Shay, the Goddess blesses his soul, had made her simple breakfast before she got home and went to work himself inside the Chain Cloths Co. A small business that he uses as a front for his secret assassin's guild the Manus Cultri. She turned towards her left side, away from the window. Hoping that Hodes, the God of Sleep, would take her to the Realm of Dreams soon. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, in the hope that it would speed up the process. She started to drift away, when the door of her bedroom was kicked in. Two men in black and golden armor entered the room.

"Aliza li Shay, you have being summoned by the Voice of Volaris." one of the men said, Shovi Aran. He is, like her, a member of the Paladins.

"Good morning to you too, Paladin Shovi. I will be right there, give me some time to get dressed." She replied, pushing herself from the bed. Both of the men looked a bit confused. "What does the Voice of Volaris want to see me in my sleeping clothes?" They shook their heads. "Well, then step outside the room, so that I can change. Or is there a reason why you are not able to do that?" Shovi bopped his head, so there was a reason. "I am not going to run, I swear this upon the Goddess of Strenght and Honor." Which was a vow that shouldn't be taken lightly, especially by members of their order. "And if that still makes you uncomfortable, you can leave the door slightly ajar. But no peaking," this seemed to put the men at ease. The left the room, but didn't close the door completely. She started to get changed, her armor and the clothes she wore during the night shift were still in her room. She put it on and quickly brushed some knots out of her soft spice brown hair. Her two swords, which were the common weapons inside her order, were placed in their special scabbards on her back. It was strange being lifted off her bed like this, there better be a very good reason behind it. But knowing Dorian Eldar, there was a very good reason, and she might not like that reason one bit. Because right now, she was treated like a criminal. Not even allowed getting dressed unsupervised, meaning that there went something down last night. Something shady and she had nothing to do with it, besides the fact that she was on duty that night. She pulled open the door and stepped outside. "Alright, let's get this over with." she said with a sigh. The two men flanked her as they walked out of the house. There were standing three horses ready for departure, she climbed in the saddle of one of them. "Well, I will see you snails at the temple!" And she drove off.

"Paladin Aliza wait!" Shovi screamed, but she shook her head. She loved to ride this fast on horse back, the wind that rushed through her hair. The sound of the hooves in sink with the beat of her own heart. She didn't slow down, when she arrived in the park filled with trees that had gray bark and leaves. The temple was like a beacon that called out to her, she considered it to be her home ever since her mother passed away. She was only ten at the time, her father brought her to the temple for a reason unknown to her and there she met her best friend in the whole world Harel Eldar, Dorian Eldar's son. After that, she went to the temple every single day to play, and talk. When they became older, she joined him when he trained with swords, and learned how to ride a horse. It surprised no one that she joined the church as a Paladin as soon as she turned eighteen, although Harel was no longer living at the temple. He had moved to the Eldar Manor to live with his grandfather. She halted the horse when she reached the giant double doors of the temple, and climbed off its back. A stable boy, a child of one of the priests, rushed towards it and grabbed the reigns. She handed the kid a silver coin, while she remembered that she was once in his shoes. Taking care of the Paladin's horses, feeding them, helping inside the stables.

"Thank you," the boy said with a large grin edged upon his face. "When I grow up, I want to be a Paladin, just like you." It was the boy who said those words, but in her mind she heard her own voice.

"Then you need to work real hard, becoming one is not an easy journey. And being one is even harder, but if you stay true. Not only towards the Goddess but also to yourself, you will have a change." she replied, while wishing that one of the Paladin's gave her the same advice. The boy nodded and took the horse away.

"That was so nice of you, Liz." she smiled, there was only one person in the world who called her Liz. And that was her childhood friend, Harel.

"It is the truth, demon boy." she answered, while turning towards him. He was a man grown, with night sky blue hair and blood-red eyes. Both of those features were signs of his demon blood. He smiled at her, and nodded. 

"True enough," he said, and his gaze darkened slightly. "Let's get inside, before your guards have a chance to report you rushing off to my father." She rolled with her eyes, his father probably already knows what she did. He was the one who taught her, and he knew the way she rids.

"Do you know what is going on?" she asked, while they entered the temple, and he nodded. "And are you going to share that with me?"

"The map to Silora has being stolen out of the vaults, during the night shift. All the Paladins who were on duty are being brought in for questioning. My father and some priests know that you have nothing to do with it, but they can't afford to make an exception for you." he explained, and before she was going to ask if he knew who did it, he hissed. She knew that his all to well, he was having a vision. Harel was a seeër, he was able to see in someone's past, present and possible future.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"May, I ask?" she started. He shook his head, meaning that he saw something involving her. And they have agreed that he never shares something when it comes to her. "Alright, but tell me at least that you know who stole the map."

"No, I do not know. Which means that I never met the thief, or if I did, he or she is already dead." Which was a blind spot in his gift, other than that he can't see stuff that involves him. "I only know that it is not you," so he hasn't seen who committed the crime, but knows because of who she is that she is not the thief. They walked past the large statue of Volaris the Goddess of Strenght and Honor. Behind her would be the hall where she would face, every Priest and Paladin that served the Goddess other than those of her unit. Aliza looked up towards the stone face of the deity.

"As the Goddess as my witness, I will face this test with both honor and strenght. I will speak only the truth, and if I committed any crime, let the Goddess punish me in any way she sees fit!" she said it loud enough so that all the members inside were able to hear it. Proving beforehand that she has nothing to hide, and was willing to corporate. She gave Harel a brief smile before entering the hall.

*******

"Paladin Aliza li Shay," Dorian Eldar said, he was sitting on a chair that was higher than the others. He was the younger brother of the Emperor and Harel's adoptive father. Aliza held her held head high as she walked towards him. "I do not see your escort with you, what happened?" She smiled. 

"Oh, they fall behind. You know how I am, when I climb on a horse's back, Father Dorian." she replied, and he nodded with a smile. As she predicted, he already knew. "But let us not dwell upon matters irrelevant to the matter, Father. I am here because an artifact has being stolen out of the fault. And now you all want my account, I arrived at the temple a half hour before duty, which is around eight o clock in the evening. I reported to my commander, Paladin Tara Wood. I was given the hallway in the east wing, which is in the same hallway in which your bedroom is placed, Father Dorian." 

"I know where my bedroom and office are placed, Paladin Aliza." he replied. "Have you being there all that time?" She shook her head.

"I took some bathroom breaks, Father Dorian. Which is just around the corner, I also have enough priests that saw me in that hallway on their way to that same bathroom. Or when they went on their nightly visits." she replied, she was not going to give more information. Does inside the room knew what she meant by that, and that was more than enough. Dorian nodded again.

"Thank you, Paladin Aliza. You..."

"Are lying," screamed one of the Priest. Father Haim Ilia, that was his name. He joined the church around the same time she did, and he has given his opinion about her being a Paladin more than once. Women shouldn't be allowed to become Paladin's, she wanted to roll with her eyes. She even heard someone chuff, but she turned to Father Haim Ilia and smiled.

"But Father Haim, even if you never left your room. You two lady friends, did, and now that I think about it, I even wonder if they know that you have two of them?" she said, he jumped up to say something. "Do I need to remind all that are present here, that those heavy doors that are closing the room are not soundproof, and that the Paladin inside the hallway can hear just enough to know what is going on there. Or do I need to supply the names of the various Priests I have seen throughout the night, which I am happy to do." 

"That really is not needed, Paladin Aliza. You have being at this temple..." Father Dorian started.

"What does that matter," Father Haim interrupted him. "She joined the church three years ago, just like the other Paladins of her order."

"Actually, I came to the temple on a daily basic after my mother's passing. Father Haim, I was ten. I joined the Paladins when I turned eighteen. Now do your math again." she said. He folded his arms and grumbled something under his breath, she knew that she won that battle, which Dorian set up for her. She didn't know why he did it, maybe the Goddess told him to do it. But it didn't matter, she had won and that was the end of it.

"Again thank you, the rest of the Church will bow over this matter. And I know you, so I know that you are not going to like this. But you and the rest of your unit are being suspended. You need to leave your armor and swords at the temple until this matter is resolved." Father Dorian said, and he was right she didn't like it one bit. It felt that she was being punished for a crime she didn't comitte.

"Because I know also know myself and the lack of sleep, that I something about this it would be seen as an insult. So I will leave this room and then explode. Have a nice day." she said, turned around and walked out of the door. There she grabbed her two swords out their scabbards and threw them towards Paladin Shovi. Who was waiting for her outside the room.

"Liz?" Harel sounded conserned. "What is going on?"

"I am not ready to talk right now," she snapped, which he didn't deserve. She walked towards the dressing room, where she had left some tunic's just in case and started to take off her armor. Tears of anger streamed down her cheeks, this was so  fucking unfair. But there was nothing she could do or say to change it. This was an order from the Voice of Volaris, maybe from the Goddess herself and she was a faithful servent. She put on her clean tunic, walked out of the room. "The armor is inside, Paladin Shovi. Please take good care of it, I need all of it back. Once this shit show is over." Shovi could only nod, which was a wise decision on his part. She did not want to talk, she wanted to hit something or someone and she rather did that on the training grounds. Which she couldn't use, so there was only one place were she could release this anger in a somewhat healthy way.

"Liz where are you going?" Harel asked as she left the temple. 

"To the wolfpack training grounds," she replied in other words his home.