On Blackened Wings

by James E. Wisher

  He flew above fallow fields with saplings sprouting in them, up the road, until the village was out of sight. Moments later he spotted a sprawling, walled compound with dozens of small huts dotting the grounds. A single, larger building stood in the center of the yard. Nothing about the place seemed especially menacing.

  Binder landed and let his spell lapse. He sensed people in the big building and headed that way. Up close, the building resembled a fortress. The main doors were thick wood and banded with iron. Two steps led to a landing. At the top Binder raised his hand to knock. Before he could, the faint sound of screams reached him. Someone was being tortured in there.

  Instead of knocking he sent a burst of divine soul force into the door, blowing it off its hinges. The shattered pieces of wood clattered to the floor in an open room. All around the perimeter men and women were chained with their arms above their heads. Glowing lines of soul force ran from the back of their skulls to glass bottles resting on wooden stands beside them.

  A woman in black, her core filled to the brim with corrupt soul force, looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “That was an expensive door. If you wished to purchase a vial of liquid pain all you needed to do was ask.”

  Of all the possibilities Binder had considered, this polite, reasoned comment wasn’t one of them. The warlock made no effort to attack or even raise a shield. She simply stared at him with amused, brown eyes and waited.

  Everything in him screamed to kill the corrupt monster, but curiosity stayed his hand. “Liquid pain?”

  “Indeed. I collect it from the locals, concentrate it, then sell it upriver at Tang Men. There’s a surprising number of masochists among the rich and powerful. Many of them prefer a tonic to the whip or prod. Rest assured I pay my donors well for their discomfort.”

  “They volunteer for this?” Binder couldn’t believe it.

  “Certainly. Have you seen this part of the canton? They haven’t a ton of other options. Surely it’s better for everyone that I provide them with a living rather than forcing them to take up a life of banditry.”

  Binder shook his head at the pointlessness of it all. “I advise you to find another place to live. Somewhere far from anyone. A time is coming when there will be no place in the empire for warlocks.”

  She smiled. “I admire your ambition, Fallen One, but I’ll believe in the empire’s recovery when I see it. Is there anything else?”

  “You’ve been warned. There won’t be a second.”

  Binder stepped back and took to the sky, his wings appearing as he did. He’d seen enough. The empire’s corruption ran deeper than his worst fears. Perhaps two generations wouldn’t be enough to scour it clean, but he refused to accept that it was impossible. In his experience, you could fix anything with enough blood.

  Chapter Eight

  Jen’s mind raced nearly as fast as the chariot. They’d left the little clearing with the dead sorcerer far behind and were now better than halfway back to the eastern army’s camp. The sun sat low on the horizon, coloring the plains red and gold. Beside her Uncle Andy held himself rigid, the knuckles of his fist white where he gripped the chariot’s rail.

  She understood his anger. If Damien were ever in the sort of danger Karrie and Audra were now, she would have been going out of her mind. Of course, Damien was a little different than the queen and princess. Her brother excelled at extracting himself from trouble.

  What Jen couldn’t understand was how so many Binder cultists had found their way into the government and military. Surely someone must have vetted them for that sort of thing. It wasn’t like they would let a demon worshipper in.

  Near the edge of the plains, the chariot slowed and Damien lowered them to the ground.

  “Why are we stopping?” Uncle Andy asked.

  “I don’t want to fly into another ambush,” Damien said. “The rogue sorcerers will sense my soul force if I get much closer. Better if we find out what we’re getting into before we make our move.”

  The muscles at the corner of Uncle Andy’s jaw bunched, but he nodded. That Jen hadn’t even considered a scouting mission showed how distracted she was. She needed to get her head on straight before she made a serious mistake.

  They settled behind a dense clump of cedar and everyone climbed out of the chariot before Damien made it vanish.

  “Probably best if Uncle Andy and I wait here,” Damien said. “Are you good looking around on your own?”

  Jen favored him with her best are-you-kidding-me look. He grinned and they both turned to Uncle Andy.

  The king sighed. “Much as it pains me to admit it, Damien’s right. I’m of no use to anyone as a prisoner. Find out what you can, but take no unnecessary chances. The main thing we need to know is if they have Lidia.”

  “Got it. I’ll be back soon.”

  Jen jogged off to the south at normal speed. She didn’t want to do anything that might draw attention.

  Running at the pace of a normal person seemed painfully slow to Jen as she skirted the woods bordering the plains. How did anyone get anywhere at this pace? With all her senses fully enhanced, she heard every rustle of every leaf and saw the tiniest bugs crawling in the dirt.

  What she didn’t see or hear was any people. The renegades must have some guards set. It was beyond stupid to count on just the sorcerers to detect someone approaching. Not that she’d complain if they did something that stupid.

  The stench of the battlefield reached her half a mile before it became visible. The bodies had begun decaying. At least it wasn’t midsummer. Hopefully the cool autumn air would slow the process a little.

  She froze at the edge of the battlefield. Something was moving out there. Jen squinted and when her vision focused, the source of the movement became clear. It was birds, hundreds upon hundreds of birds. Crows and ravens fought with vultures and jays for the choicest bits.

  Lucky she wasn’t the squeamish type. It would be awfully easy to lose your dinner.

  Satisfied that the only eyes on her were avian, Jen continued to move closer to camp. At the opposite side of the battlefield, a screen of trees separated it from the tents. If there were any guards, they’d be hiding amongst the trees.

  She dropped to the grass and crawled closer. Twilight shadows confused everything, but she heard no heartbeats.

  At the forest’s edge she stopped and held her breath.

  Still nothing.

  Scrambling to her feet she moved from shadow to shadow, silent as the wind. Jen reached the far side of the screen and peered out between the trunks at the partially deconstructed camp. Not much movement.

  After five minutes she spotted only six pairs of guards walking the perimeter. A first-year rookie could have slipped through the gaps in their security. Getting into the camp should be easy enough, but everyone knew Jen. She was less famous than her brother, but not much. Better to wait until the sun had fully set before making her move.

  An hour later she slipped out of the tree line and dashed between one of the gaps between patrols. There had to be a trap. Nothing else explained security this sloppy.

  Jen reached the first tent without issue. She listened hard, but heard no one inside. Halfway around, the murmur of voices reached her. Jen froze and held her breath.

  Two sorcerers in the uniforms of the northern army marched by. They were so deep in conversation they didn’t seem to sense Jen, thank heaven. Once the sorcerers moved past, she snuck deeper into camp.

  Keeping to the shadows of the tents she made it a third of the way into the clearing. So far so good, but she hadn’t actually learned anything other than that the rebels were lousy at security. Risky or not, she needed to find more people.

  Jen had barely taken a step when someone shouted.

  She froze.

  It didn’t seem like a warning, but she couldn’t make out the words. The voices came from her left. She darted to the shadows of the next tent, paused, and repeated the process.

  Closer now, she heard the voices loud and clear.
“How could you have lost her?” a male voice asked.

  “She’s not the archmage because she’s stupid or weak. At first light we’ll search again. With the wound we gave her she can’t have gotten far,” a woman’s voice said.

  Jen didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved. They hadn’t captured the archmage, but she’d gotten wounded. Jen needed to get back and tell Uncle Andy. Maybe they could find her first.

  She was about to fall retreat when the man asked, “Has anyone seen the dragon-chosen?”

  Jen stopped and spun around Looked like they didn’t have Al Elan either. No surprise there. Capturing someone that powerful wouldn’t be easy.

  A second man said, “I have someone tracking him. Last report put his location north of the main camp. The boy seems content to keep his distance.”

  “Good enough,” the first man said. “Until we’ve consolidated things in the kingdom, I don’t want to make a move against the chosen. It will take all of our combined strength to suppress just one of them.”

  “Speaking of consolidation,” the woman said. “Have you heard anything from Nathanial? Is the king dead?”

  Jen’s fist clenched. They had been planning to kill Uncle Andy. Probably figured Karrie would be easier to control. How little did they know.

  “No word yet,” the first man said. He seemed to be in charge of this group. “If he didn’t get a chance to strike on the journey, he would have kept up appearances until they reached the capital and he had help.”

  There were some softer mutters, but Jen figured she’d heard all she needed to know. Time to get out of there before her luck ran out.

  Jen dashed away from the meeting, every sense alert for signs that she’d been spotted. The crunch of a boot on grass alerted her to an approaching guard.

  She darted off the path and tensed, hand on the hilt of her sword. She’d have an instant to silence the guard before he sounded the alarm.

  A figure passed her and continued on without hesitating.

  When he’d gone she let out a breath. That had been too close.

  Two more near misses later she cleared the camp and turned north. Getting back into the forest helped her relax. The cover made it easier to disappear if necessary. Though it seemed unlikely to be necessary given the lack of patrols.

  Jen strode past a huge pine. A faint sound was the only warning she got before someone grabbed her and clamped a hand over her mouth. She struggled, but even her enhanced strength wasn’t enough to break free.

  “Relax,” Al Elan said.

  Jen stopped struggling and he removed his hand. “What are you doing? I might have killed you.”

  His smile flashed in the dark. “I mean no disrespect to your considerable abilities, but since Dreamer gifted me his power I have discovered a strength I never imagined. I do not believe I would lose to you in a fight.”

  Considering how easily he subdued her, there was probably some truth to that. “Why’d you grab me?”

  “I didn’t want you to blunder into the priest they have watching me. He keeps his distance, but never strays far.”

  Jen’s stomach twisted at the thought of running into a sorcerer in the dark. “Thanks. What are you doing out here?”

  “Waiting. Don’t ask me what for,” he added before Jen could ask. “The Binder’s followers are trying to work up the nerve to attempt killing me. In the meantime they keep their distance. I considered attacking, but didn’t wish to risk hurting their prisoners. When I sensed you approaching I hoped you could provide some direction.”

  Jen grimaced. What was she supposed to say? She only had a fraction of the picture and couldn’t make the decision in any case. “Why don’t I take you back to the king? I’m sure he’ll have some ideas.”

  “That may not be wise. My new power is like a beacon. The priest will follow us straight back to him.”

  “If they’re afraid to attack you on your own, do you think taking on you and Damien at the same time will tempt them? No, if we keep the two of you together, there’s no way they’ll approach. That will keep the king safer than anything else I might do.”

  Al Elan nodded. “I see your point. Very well, lead the way.”

  Chapter Nine

  Damien wavered between wanting to pace and wanting to blow something up. Unfortunately, the little clearing they’d landed in was too small and he had no good targets. Instead he just sat on a log beside Uncle Andy, about as useful as a mushroom.

  It had grown pitch black but he didn’t want to conjure a light for fear of attracting attention. Jen had been gone for over an hour, but that didn’t worry him. Her sword was still moving around which argued that she hadn’t gotten captured. Hopefully she’d return before the half moon rose and gave anyone looking for her extra light.

  He glanced at the king. “Is this what it’s like for you all the time, waiting in the capital to find out what’s going on? If so you have my most sincere sympathy.”

  “I had a harder time with it when I was young.” Damien heard the smile in his voice. “Not that I’m all that good at waiting now. It’s more a matter of having gotten used to it.”

  “So you do get used to it?”

  “More or less.”

  Damien chuckled and forced himself to relax. Jen would return when she returned. Him worrying wouldn’t speed things up. “Do you suppose the archmage got caught?”

  “Not a chance. Lidia’s too clever by half, though how she let so many Binder worshippers get into positions of power I don’t know. She—”

  “Shh! Someone’s coming.”

  “Jennifer?” Uncle Andy asked.

  Damien reached for Lizzy. He’d barely touched her hilt when he relaxed again. “No, Imogen. I’m glad she’s okay. Lucky she was on patrol when everything went to hell.”

  He let his power flare just enough to make sure Imogen noticed. When he sensed her shift course he shielded his core as much as he could. If a sorcerer got close they’d notice him, but at least he wasn’t glowing like a torch in the night.

  A few seconds later she landed in the center of the clearing and hugged him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” they both said at the same time.

  Uncle Andy cleared his throat and Imogen let Damien go. “We need to go rescue the archmage,” Imogen said. “Five sorcerers attacked her. She escaped but took a serious wound. I healed it, but she’s still weak.”

  Damien winced in sympathy for his master. Imogen was better at healing than him, but not by much.

  She’s not with the Binder cult, but she’s afraid of something.

  Damien sent a mental thanks to Lizzy. He’d been pretty sure about Imogen. In their time together she’d never shown signs of following any of the archangels.

  “We can’t leave until Jen gets back,” Damien said. “She’s scouting the camp. If we leave without her she’ll be surrounded by enemy forces and alone.”

  “The archmage is safe for the moment, but hardly secure. The longer we wait, the greater the risk.”

  “I’m not leaving without my sister.”

  “But—”

  “There’s no point in rescuing Lidia only to have to come searching for Jennifer,” Uncle Andy said. “We stick together. Now more than ever we can’t risk getting separated. Besides, no one’s going to go searching in the middle of the night.”

  Imogen blew out a sigh. “I know you’re right, Majesty. It’s just I’ve never seen the archmage like that before.”

  “Like what?” Damien asked.

  “Weak. She’s always seemed like this invincible figure, her will propelling the legion along her desired course. To see her bleeding and shivering like a drowned rat shook me. It’s like there’s nothing I can count on anymore.”

  Damien reached out, found her hand, and squeezed. “We’ll make it through this. Things could always be worse. At least you’re not bound to a crystal wall having your soul force drained.”

  She squeezed back. “Thanks. So why has everybody gone crazy?”

&nbs
p; “Long story,” Damien said. “It involves archangels, dragons, and the universe only knows what else. I’ll tell you more when we’ve got my master. Jen’s coming and she’s got company.”

  Uncle Andy leapt to his feet. “Trouble?”

  “No, Al Elan.” Damien cocked his head. “I take that back. Someone’s following them. You guys stay here. I’ll deal with him.”

  He took to the air and flew in a wide loop around where he sensed Jen and Al Elan’s pursuer. There was no way he wouldn’t notice Damien coming if he was paying attention, but Al Elan gave off so much power now, Damien hoped it might disguise his approach.

  Maybe you should capture him.

  Damien considered it, but they had a lot to do and no one to spare to watch a sorcerer. Better to eliminate the threat than risk having him escaping at an inopportune moment. If Uncle Andy wanted a prisoner later, it looked like they’d have their pick. Damien hoped to run into Nathanial again.

  We’re getting close.

  Damien focused back on the task at hand. He’d made it all the way behind the pursuing sorcerer. The enemy didn’t have much soul force, but Damien never took anyone for granted.

  Power flowed as he drew from his core. A golden aura blazed to life around him, lighting up the night sky.

  The dark-robed sorcerer floating below him finally realized he was in trouble.

  Not soon enough.

  Damien slashed with Lizzy, sending a blade of soul force arcing in toward his target. The gray-gold blade sliced through the sorcerer’s hastily erected barrier like it was made of silk and cut him in half.

  He shook his head and sheathed Lizzy. Talk about unsatisfying. That poor excuse for a sorcerer didn’t even put up a fight. Even if they had captured him, someone that pitiful wouldn’t know anything useful anyway.

  Damien hung in the sky for a moment and scanned the area. No other threats presented themselves and Jen had reached the clearing. Looked like they were done here.

  “I take it you dealt with my stalker?” Al Elan asked when Damien arrived at the clearing.