Satan's Gambit (The Barrier War Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

father not the least
among them,” he said with a nod toward Garet.
    The intended
compliment, if it could be considered such, fell short as the Orange paladin
noted the grim expression on Garet’s face. In point of fact, Garet was in charge of the double jintaal itself, but he followed Garnet’s orders
without question, knowing full well the feats Shadow Company was capable of
achieving and the leadership prowess of his eldest son. Garet’s acquiescence
effectively put Garnet in command of the jintaal as well, a fact that
clearly didn’t sit well with all of their fellow paladins.
    Garnet regarded
the Orange paladin silently for a moment until the shorter man started to
fidget under the grim scrutiny. Anyone who had ever trained under Gerard
Morningham would have immediately recognized the expression on Garnet’s face,
and most of them would have turned and run away rather than come under its
stark bleakness.
    “You are, of
course correct, brother, in saying that experience is all-important in a
scenario such as this,” Garnet said calmly – another warning sign, “but you of
all people as an Orange paladin should know better than to confuse age with
experience. As such, I might point out that while the recent war was underway,
until the demons attacked the chapterhouse you were, if I’m not mistaken,
hip-deep in books in the library searching for clues in a vain attempt to gain
insight into the tactics and intentions of our foes. I, meanwhile, was up to my
armpits in the blood of our brethren trying to defend the Barrier.
    “While you
squinted to read books by torchlight, Shadow Company destroyed a powerful demon
and secured the aid of reinforcements from Merishank. While you pored over
poorly written texts for information we already knew, Shadow Company
spearheaded the defenses of the Barrier and accounted for more than ten times
the number of slain foes as any other two units combined.”
    Garnet shifted
from his deceptively polite voice to the harsh tones he used when dressing down
soldiers in Shadow Company who had just failed in their training. Even so,
given their situation, Garnet’s voice never rose above a subdued growl.
    “While you slept
on a bed at night, whimpering in terror as your nightmares made you cry out for
your mother, I stood on the wall and watched hundreds of men stand ashen-faced
before the coming horde and saw them fall, torn to shreds by demonic hands. You
had the luxury of time and the comfort of space around you. My men ,
meanwhile, fought a thousand-to-one odds and held firm with more courage,
strength, and conviction than a hundred paladins of your caliber,”
Garnet said with a sneer.
    “So from now on,
when you speak of experience, I suggest you first wipe your chin to clean off
the dried remains from that crap you just spouted. When you speak of
leadership, I must insist you first let go of your mother’s teat before you
think yourself qualified to comment on those who have proven themselves well
beyond your feeble abilities.
    “And when you
speak of the men in my command, I demand you speak of them with respect,
brother, or I will, with all due adherence to propriety and Prismatic code,
beat you to a bloody pulp and leave you quivering in a broken heap on the
doorstep of the nearest temple praying to God for His forgiveness for your
narrow-mindedness and ignorance. The Orange Facet is the reflection of
knowledge and truth, and I find your bigotry in stark contrast to the virtues
of our holy order. I suggest you reexamine your prejudices, brother, lest you
find yourself fading from Orange to a more appropriate color.”
    Garnet paused,
then smirked with a deliberate glance up and down the Orange paladin’s
comparably skinny frame. “Pink, perhaps, would be more fitting.”
    Throughout this
muffled diatribe, the Orange paladin stood pale-faced and trembling in the
glare of Garnet’s apparent anger and disdain. His hands clenched as his lips
twisted in resentment, and for a