On Blackened Wings

by James E. Wisher

  Strength flooded into her from the armor and sword. It felt like a dam holding back divine soul force had broken.

  Her body tingled as it struggled to absorb the rush of energy.

  Her opponent sensed the change as well. His grin fell away and he bared his teeth, raining blows down on her as fast as his arm could swing.

  Each parry came easier and her counterstrikes began to force him back.

  “No!” he shouted. “I will not be beaten.”

  He charged, a reckless attack with no thought given to defense. To Marie-Bell he seemed to be moving in slow motion.

  She spun out of the way and took his head as he passed.

  Her relief as his body fell from the sky didn’t last long. The moment of quiet allowed her to sense just how few of her fellow paladins remained. Fully half their force had fallen to the Binder’s warriors and only Marie-Bell had defeated an enemy. They needed to retreat and do it now.

  She gathered all her extra soul force into the sword’s blade and swung it, releasing a wave of pure divine energy. The wave passed through the paladins without harming them, but the enemy was carried away in a rush. That freed the others for a moment, but their foes wouldn’t take long to free themselves of the divine energy.

  “We need to find a defensive position!” Marie-Bell said.

  The confused and shaken paladins all looked to her for direction. All but one that was. Sir Collin glared at her. What did he expect her to do, let everyone die so he could stay in charge?

  “Where?” someone asked.

  That was an excellent question and she wished she had a good answer. All she knew for sure was that they had no hope of winning a battle in the air against such powerful enemies.

  “Maybe we can find a mountain cave,” she said.

  If they could force the chain warriors to come at them one at a time and concentrate their power, the paladins might have a chance of winning. “Might” being the operative word.

  Marie-Bell dove and angled toward the base of the mountains. Her desperate companions fell in behind her, even Sir Collin. The lowest slopes were covered with evergreens that resembled stubby pine trees.

  In the distance Marie-Bell sensed the chain warriors coming after them. She’d hoped her blast would have hurled them further away. That it didn’t showed just how strong these fighters were. Even a strong defensive position might not be enough to hold them back.

  She sensed energy gathering a moment before the first chain appeared. Her sword hacked it in half before anyone could be hurt. They must have been at the outer edge of the chain warriors’ range. It wouldn’t be long before the attacks resumed fast and furious.

  A quick scan of the slopes revealed nothing they might use for cover. Marie-Bell wanted to scream. How was she going to save everyone?

  That’s when she sensed it. Another power, different from both the paladins and chain knights, but pure and strong. With nothing to lose, Marie-Bell turned toward the energy in the hopes that it meant sanctuary.

  The next attack came in the form of a wall of chains appearing in front of them. The warriors must have sensed the power just like Marie-Bell did and didn’t want them to reach it. That made her want to get there even more.

  Charging her sword for the second time, Marie-Bell sliced through the chains and powered on. Another barrier like that would be the end of them. She was on her last legs; even the holy artifacts felt drained.

  As if out of nothing a walled, golden temple appeared before them.

  “They’re coming,” Jenkins said from the rear of the group.

  Small figures walked along the top of the wall. Beyond them an open courtyard waited.

  She dove.

  The wall grew closer by the second.

  Chains shot past them on either side and slammed into an invisible barrier protecting the temple.

  Marie-Bell turned her mount aside an instant before she would have plowed into it. Below them the wall’s gate swung open and two people in yellow-orange robes waved them in.

  She didn’t need to be invited twice.

  The paladins rushed through the opening and the heavy gates clanged shut behind them. Marie-Bell landed on the sandy ground and collapsed, utterly spent. All around her the other paladins slumped as well.

  Marie-Bell turned to see the chain warriors flying just beyond the wall. They hurled chains as well as blasts of raw soul force at the barrier, all to no effect.

  More of the robed people rushed up to the battlements, about a dozen altogether. They raised their hands and sent lances of pure golden energy at the warriors. The attack smashed through the enemy’s defenses and scattered them like maple seeds in the wind.

  A middle-aged man in a yellow robe came and bowed to them. He was bald save for a single long braid running down his back nearly to his waist.

  He straightened and smiled. “Welcome to Golden Dawn Temple. I am Abbot Feng. What brings you to us under such trying circumstances?”

  A shiver ran down her back when she heard the name of the temple. That, combined with their abilities, indicated these monks were involved with the dragon in some way.

  Marie-Bell glanced at Sir Collin, but he remained silent and shook his head as if to say, You dragged us here, you deal with them. If that’s the way he wanted it, fine.

  “I’m Marie-Bell. My companions and I are on a quest to find the dragon Golden Dawn. I don’t know how much you know about what’s happening in the world, but her power is desperately needed.”

  “You are welcome to walk the Golden Path,” he said. “But the way is difficult. I recommend food and rest before making any attempt. We have plenty of space and our afternoon meal will be ready shortly. I can show you to the dorm if you’d like.”

  In that moment nothing sounded as good to Marie-Bell as food and rest. “We would be most grateful. And thank you for saving us earlier.”

  He bowed again. “It was our honor to help those in need. This way.”

  The exhausted paladins fell in behind him. Later they would figure out the mystery of how these people were connected with the dragon. For now, all Marie-Bell wanted to do was sleep.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Damien watched as the glow faded around John Kord’s hand. His oldest friend hadn’t changed since Damien last saw him. He wore his usual tan tunic and dark pants. Hopefully they’d get a chance to talk, but given the state of things that seemed unlikely.

  The patient, John’s father and the commander of the northern army, remained just as he was when they brought him in. Not exactly the result everyone hoped for when John began his examination. Uncle Andy had returned after a long walk to calm his nerves and now stood, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. He looked far sterner than normal, not that anyone was about to point that out.

  “You couldn’t heal him?” Uncle Andy asked.

  “Not yet,” John said. “I believe I can undo the damage, but it will take hours.”

  “That’s not going to work,” the king said. “If it takes hours to heal a single person, the army will be useless for months.”

  “No, Majesty. That’s the good news and why I stopped before completing my father’s healing. The poison is breaking down on its own. In five days it will be gone and the brain should begin healing itself naturally. I’d say in a week to ten days everyone will be back to normal, though weak from the lack of food and exercise. That said, in a month at the outside everyone should be fully recovered.”

  “That’s a weird way to poison people, isn’t it?” Damien asked.

  “Very.” John shook his head. “I’ve never seen or heard of any poison that works like this. Most amazing and alarming is that it overcame the warlords’ natural healing ability. From everything we know, that should be impossible. When things have calmed down I hope to study the residue I collected. Do you wish me to heal my father, or let the poison run its course? He’s in no danger either way.”

  The king rubbed the bridge of his nose. There were no really good
options, even Damien could see that. The cultists had removed the army without killing anyone. They’d recover only to find themselves in a kingdom with a new ruler, or so the cultists no doubt hoped. Clever, though he hated to give them any credit.

  “I’ll leave it up to you,” Uncle Andy said at last. “He’s your father.”

  “Thank you.” John sighed. “I fear I haven’t given you the answers you wanted. I’m sorry for that, truly I am.”

  Uncle Andy waved off the apology. “You gave me the answers available, whether I like them or not is irrelevant. We’ll find a way through this, somehow.”

  The king rejoined the archmage by the map table. Damien gave his old friend a quick nod and went to join them.

  “I spoke to Audra,” his master said. “She claims Duke Carmichael and the rest retreated to Port Valcane to make their final stand. It makes sense considering that has always been their primary power base. According to the lists, the cultists have a few hundred members that we know about. To be safe we’d better double that. Digging them out of the city with what we have now isn’t going to be easy.”

  “We need to know what’s happening inside,” Uncle Andy said.

  “Jen served for a while in the city,” Damien said. “I could fly her and her squad to a spot maybe ten miles out and they could infiltrate. Getting information out’s going to be trickier. I can’t go with them, not if the plan is to sneak around. Imogen maybe?”

  The archmage shook her head. “She’s powerful enough to draw attention as well and Nathanial knows her soul force from their time in the legion. Don’t worry about getting a message out, I’ll handle it. Go find your sister. I’ll have it sorted by the time she’s ready.”

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Binder had barely turned for the capital when he felt the distant tingle of one of his knights attempting to make contact. He had already granted them a power boost, if this report was for anything other than total success he would be greatly displeased. A moment of mental effort established the connection.

  Well?

  Forgive us, Master. While we succeeded in eliminating half the invading force the survivors have taken shelter in a monastery. A barrier of some sort protects it and our most potent attacks made no impression. We’re maintaining a constant watch, but until they emerge, we have no hope of getting at them.

  Binder checked his temper before it could backlash against his servant. They’d already lost two of their number, he couldn’t afford to lose any more. The only force powerful enough to stop his knights was the dragon. Assuming Golden Dawn was the protector of the temple, that meant the paladins were close to completing their mission.

  He needed to destroy one of the dragons’ chosen before they gathered together. Golden Dawn’s would be the easiest to find, but attacking her chosen so close to the dragon herself would be madness. Who knew how she might react. A battle that destroyed the empire wasn’t at all in his interest. Better to cross the ocean quickly and kill one of the others.

  As soon as the new Lady Shiv collected her followers they would set out. He just needed to retrieve the throne before leaving.

  Master? What should we do?

  He’d been so wrapped up in his plans that Binder forgot his knights were still awaiting orders.

  Keep watch over the temple and if the opportunity to strike arises, take it. If you can defeat the paladins, join us across the ocean.

  And if we can’t?

  If you can’t, then I trust you will die trying.

  Binder severed the connection. While he valued his followers highly, one thing he couldn’t abide was failure, especially with his knights. It reflected badly on him. Made him appear weak. Better that they died in the effort than surviving as a constant reminder of their weakness.

  He turned west toward the capital. There was a great deal to be done and less time than he would have liked to do it.

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Jen watched as her brother flew off. Damien had dropped her and her squad about ten miles outside Port Valcane in a clearing beside the main trade route. It was an hour until midnight and they were supposed to be inside the city before first light.

  Their mission sounded simple enough, sneak in and find out what was going on. Once they’d learned all they could, she was to write it down and slide the scroll in a special case that would fly it back to the archmage. Jen had never heard of such a thing and suggested they be given to all squads on important missions. The look the archmage shot her indicated that was unlikely.

  Damien was going to be staying nearby to act as their backup. He’d given her one of those emergency summoning sticks that she only needed to break to call him. Jen hoped she didn’t have to use it. Damien would never let her hear the end of it if he had to rush to her rescue. It would also mean the mission had failed. If there was one thing she hated more than getting rescued, it was failing.

  “So what’s the plan?” Edward asked.

  Jen shook her head. “I don’t know yet. Until we get closer there’s no way to know the best path to infiltrate the city. Let’s run up and have a look then we can decide.”

  The squad took off at warlord speed. It was strange not having Al Elan with them. Jen had gotten used to his presence, not to mention his spying ability. Unfortunately, his draconic soul force made him a flare to sorcerers and they needed to keep this mission quiet. They’d have to do their spying the old-fashioned way.

  Three roads led to Port Valcane, one from each direction, while ships arrived from the west. Every direction was empty this late at night, which meant they were unlikely to be spotted, but there was no one to blend in with as they entered the city. Staying away from the main gates would be necessary. As she looked it over it became clear that the only way to sneak in was going to be wet and unpleasant.

  “We’re going to have to swim for it,” she said.

  The guys grumbled, but nothing beyond the usual good-natured complaints. If swimming was the worst thing they had to do to complete the mission, they’d be lucky indeed.

  Jen led them on a long run around the edge of the city. Didn’t look like whoever was in charge had sent out patrols. That made her life easier, but also made her question what the cultists were up to. They had to know someone would be coming for them now that they’d abandoned their other positions. Their intentions would be revealed soon enough and when they were, Jen would deal with them.

  It was a ten-minute run from the little rise overlooking Port Valcane down to the beach. They saw and heard no one.

  Jen shivered when she hit the frigid water. A little shot of extra soul force kept her muscles from spasming and she was off like a fish. The nearest jetty was only half a mile from where they entered and soon enough she crawled up the rocks, keeping low to avoid silhouetting herself against the horizon.

  Her thin uniform clung to her skin and her hair dripped into her eyes, but Jen ignored the minor annoyances, her every sense focused on anyone that might notice their entry into the city. The guys crawled along behind her and soon they left the jetty behind for the boardwalk.

  Jen had chosen this side of the city because it was a poor section of mainly fishermen and sailors. All people who would be sound asleep at this time of night. Jen slicked her hair back away from her face and jogged across the street to a boat shop. Some old, dirty canvas sat on the ground in an alley beside it. She drew her sword and dried it as best she could before passing the stiff cloth to Talon.

  As he dried his swords she noticed Alec staring. She hadn’t been fully aware of how the wet cloth clung to her, but he surely was.

  Jen glared and snapped her fingers. “Maybe instead of staring at me you should keep a lookout for guard patrols. Just because Duke Carmichael was too arrogant to send them outside doesn’t mean there aren’t any inside.”

  Alec blushed bright red in the moonlight and looked quickly away. As if Jen needed another reminder of his unhealthy infatuation. Hopefully now that she’d pointed it out he’d be able to f
ocus on the job. At least the others were keeping their minds on business.

  “Do we have a plan?” Talon asked as he handed the rag to Rhys.

  “We find somewhere to hole up and dry out. I’ve got some old friends from my brief stint in the guard. We’ll make contact at first light.”

  “Maybe you should show up dripping,” Talon said. “You’ll probably get more information.”

  “Don’t make me beat you.”

  When everyone had dried their weapons, she set out for a cheap inn she knew. It wasn’t much, but for the right price they’d keep their mouths shut and that’s what mattered now. Tomorrow their work began in earnest.

  Chapter Seventy-Four

  Sir Collin ate his food in grim silence, spooning the stew into his mouth without really tasting it. There was nothing but vegetables and broth anyway, not something to get worked up about. He preferred meat at meal time, preferably a nice fresh steak. How long had it been since he’d enjoyed a good meal prepared by his personal chef? It felt like forever, but had probably only been a few weeks.

  Across the dining hall, a simple room with rough-finished furniture, the paladins and their guide, Abbot Feng, sat eating together. The other monks, he was told, would dine later. At first Sir Collin had feared they meant to poison the group, but that made no sense and a quick examination revealed nothing beyond the fresh vegetables in the stew. If the monks had wanted them dead, they could have left them outside for the chain fighters to finish.

  He glared across the hall at Marie-Bell who was laughing with their primary healer, Cella. The other paladins, even Jenkins and Mallory, sat at her table while he was alone at another. When had she become the one they looked to and he the outcast?

  During the last battle she’d done well enough against the enemy, but then again why wouldn’t she with two artifacts supporting her? Lately his shield had become so heavy he could barely lift it even with his enhanced strength and his plain steel sword had been less than useless during the fight.