“More trouble. The Binder in Chains is on his way. We could really use your help in the coming battle.”
Dahlmis’s smile vanished. “My people have had their fill of fighting. We seek only peace.”
“As do we all,” Damien said. “But when he’s finished subjugating the kingdom, I doubt the archangel will be content to leave you and yours alone. Better to work together, don’t you think?”
“I will not ask it of them,” Dahlmis said. “But if you wish my help, I offer it gladly.”
“Never doubted you for a minute. What we really need is help building up the defenses at the docks. With your people’s shaping skills you could make quick work of it. We don’t want you to fight, though if anyone was willing I wouldn’t say no.”
The Builder’s smile returned. “Shaping we are happy to do. When do you wish to begin?”
“As soon as you can. We need a wall just above the high-tide line and any sort of barriers you can make to stop ships from entering the port.”
“Do you want them stopped or destroyed?” Dahlmis asked.
“Either would be great,” Damien said. “What did you have in mind?”
“We could raise jagged stones and leave them just below the water’s surface. Any ship hitting them would be gutted.”
“That sounds perfect,” Imogen said. She’d been so quiet Damien had forgotten about her for a moment.
Dahlmis cocked his head. “Is this the sister you mentioned?”
“No, this is Imogen, my partner. I can introduce you to Jen another time.”
“I look forward to it.” Dahlmis held out his hand and Damien shook it. “We will begin within the hour.”
“Thank you.” With the Builders’ help maybe they’d hold out until Marie-Bell finally showed up.
Chapter Eighty-Three
Somehow Damien focused through the pressure of the approaching dragon-chosen and completed the final details of the defensive positions he wanted Dahlmis to shape. But it wasn’t easy. Whatever the Ice Queen and Fire King had done to Sig and the Voice had pumped their power level through the roof. Hopefully the Ice Queen put a tight leash on Sig since Damien really didn’t want to fight him now.
He and Imogen retraced their path through the tunnel and out the mansion door before turning toward Watch headquarters.
Imogen reached up and rubbed her temples. “How can you stand it?”
“Draw your senses all the way in. It doesn’t stop everything, but it helps.”
She shook her head. “I told Marie-Bell that same thing when we entered the Haunted Lands. The corruption nearly overwhelmed her. Guess I should take my own advice.”
“I’m afraid to think how it’ll feel when the Binder arrives,” Damien said. “If he’s half as powerful as everyone says the headache is going to be blinding unless he keeps it under wraps.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Well, assuming he has sorcerers on his side, he won’t want to render them unable to function.”
Just as he said that the pain behind his eyes faded. He could still sense the chosen’s approach, but it no longer overwhelmed his senses.
I’m sorry it took so long, but I had trouble figuring out exactly what part of your mind I needed to muffle.
He sent her a silent thank you. Being able to think would make everything easier.
Uncle Andy and the others had emerged from headquarters and were standing in the little courtyard out front. Damien and Imogen landed beside them.
“How did it go?” the archmage asked.
“I found them and Dahlmis said he’d start the defenses soon. I only gave him some general parameters but whatever they make will be better than what we have now which is nothing.”
“Agreed. We—”
Her sentence was cut off when a pair of figures blazing with soul force appeared above them and slowly descended. Sig and the Voice looked exactly as Damien remembered. She wore black and red armor and he had white furs and an ugly snarl. Containing that much draconic soul force probably hurt.
“The Binder approaches,” the Voice said. “What news from the expedition?”
Uncle Andy shook his head. “The last we heard the paladins had reached the dragon, but all contact has been lost. All we can do now is hope.”
Sig snorted and spat. “Hope is for weaklings. What we need is a backup plan.”
Uncle Andy stayed calm. “If you have suggestions I am happy to listen.”
“With my new power surely we could—” Sig’s face twisted and he groaned. “Pay no attention to this fool. He makes a useful conduit for my soul force, but his arrogance and stupidity make him useless for much else.”
Seeing the dragon take control gave Damien a shiver. Who would seek out something like that? He couldn’t begin to comprehend it.
“Our brother, Leviathan, will delay the Binder for a time,” the Ice Queen went on. “If Golden Dawn’s champion hasn’t joined us by then we will have no choice but to retreat.”
“I thought the dragons couldn’t confront Binder directly,” the archmage said.
“Leviathan won’t be able to help himself,” the Voice said. Whether she spoke as herself or the Fire King spoke through her, Damien couldn’t tell. “He will see Binder’s attempt to cross the ocean as a direct challenge. Fortunately, his instincts will keep him from pushing too far and putting the world at risk. Do we have any idea where the final champion is?”
All gazes turned to Al Elan who shrugged. “The paladins are concealed by Golden Dawn’s barrier. Dreamer couldn’t get through and neither could I. Whatever is happening on that mountain is beyond our knowing.”
The Ice Queen crossed Sig’s arms. “Then as you said we must hope for the best.”
Both champions seemed to have said their piece, so Uncle Andy took up the conversation. “We still need to get as many people out of the city as we can. Damien, fly out to Lookout Island and evacuate the crew on duty.”
“I’d like to stay behind and watch. When the Binder gets close I can come warn you.”
“Okay, but don’t do anything foolish.” Uncle Andy gave him a hard look. Damien’s father used to glare at him like that when he really meant something. It hadn’t been terribly effective for Dad either.
“Maybe I can keep him out of trouble,” Imogen said.
“Good, off with you.”
Damien and Imogen took off and rushed west. Whatever was coming they’d be the first to see it and hopefully the first to survive it.
Chapter Eighty-Four
Sir Collin staggered out of the trees and lurched toward the temple, doing his best to appear injured. The Chain Knights, as they called themselves, were hanging back. As soon as the gates opened they’d charge. This had to work. He couldn’t return to the kingdom a discarded failure. Anything would be better than that.
As he approached, two of the monks appeared above the gate. Sir Collin waved. “Help!”
They motioned him forward and he fought to maintain his pained grimace. The plan was working. Twenty more paces and he’d be there.
The gates cracked open three feet. He stumbled on, slowing even more to give the gate time to fully open.
It didn’t oblige. It remained just open enough to allow him to pass through. Perhaps the monks weren’t the fools he’d thought. Pity, but he could still make this work. He would make it work.
Five paces from the gate the Chain Knights burst from their cover and raced toward him.
Abbot Feng appeared in the gap. “Hurry!”
Sir Collin picked up his pace, just enough to make it look good. He reached the gate and stumbled, falling to his knees and blocking the opening so they couldn’t shut it.
His new comrades were closing quickly.
Strong hands grasped Sir Collin under the arms and pulled.
He hooked the door with his feet and squeezed for all he was worth. It wasn’t much compared to the monks’ enhanced strength.
But it was enough. Blood sprayed Sir Collin as
a length of chain shot into the gap and ran Abbot Feng through.
He scrambled out of the way as the Chain Knights sprinted past at warlord speed. He failed to see them, only noting the breeze of their passing. How long had it been since anything escaped his enhanced vision? Disgusted with his weakness he ignored the question. Best not to think about such things.
Screams rang out as the battle raged. Unarmed and powerless, the best thing for him to do was stay clear. At least that would be best if he could figure out how. The battle moved so quickly from one spot to the next he wasn’t certain where to go.
His gaze darted around the yard. Every few seconds a body would sprawl in the dirt as if appearing out of thin air. First a dead monk dropped to his right, then a headless paladin fell to his left. He felt like a minnow caught in a shark feeding frenzy. All he could hope for was to not get bitten.
All the way across the yard he spotted an oasis of calm. The door to the dragon and its guardian, Ko. No one had made a move in his direction. Not yet anyway.
Sir Collin ran for it.
Something brushed his sleeve and when he touched the spot his fingers came back bloody.
It happened so fast he hadn’t felt the cut. The wound didn’t hurt yet so he hurried on.
When he reached the door he was surprised to find the holy armor and sword sitting in a neat pile to one side. She’d gone to challenge the mountain without the artifacts. Of all the unmitigated arrogance. He doubted she could complete the climb with the relics’ help, much less without them.
This was his chance to claim the items for himself. He glanced at Ko who didn’t so much as blink. He stood with arms crossed, silent and disinterested. Sir Collin shrugged and reached for the sword.
A golden spark shot out, singeing his hand and causing him to pull back. Even without their master the artifacts rejected him. Well damn them and all the angels to hell. If he wasn’t good enough for their precious artifacts then they deserved what they got.
After nearly five minutes the yard fell silent. It felt like Sir Collin and Ko were the only people in the world.
The Chain Knights appeared. Each bore several wounds that attested to how hard fought the battle had been. Those wounds closed as he watched them approach. Perhaps they intended to finish off the final monk. If this possibility worried Ko, his blank expression gave nothing away.
“It’s done,” Shun said. “All the paladins are dead.”
Sir Collin shook his head. “There’s one left. She’s already begun the climb.”
“What!?” The force of Shun’s anger made Sir Collin flinch.
“The path to the dragon lies beyond that door. She’s abandoned most of her equipment so you should have no trouble defeating her.”
Shun conjured a chain sword and pointed it at Ko. “Step aside or join your brothers in death.”
The impassive monk made no move to comply.
Shun attacked with blinding speed.
Ko caught his wrist, twisted, and sent the Chain Knight flying ten feet across the yard.
“Kill him!” Shun screamed.
The four knights attacked together.
Ko raised a calm hand and a golden barrier sprang into being. The knights bounced off it without making any impression.
After half a minute of futile battering Shun said, “Forget it. This monk draws his power directly from the dragon. The master himself would have trouble breaking this barrier. We will wait for the woman to return and deal with her then.”
Sir Collin didn’t think waiting until Marie-Bell returned with the power of a dragon was a good idea, but he remained silent. In his current mood, a single wrong word might send Shun into a frenzy.
Best to bide his time and gain his well-deserved reward.
Chapter Eighty-Five
The ocean glittering in the moonlight was quite beautiful. Damien wished he had time to enjoy the view, but time wasn’t on his side. Lookout Island was a few hours west of the city and he wanted to get everyone out long before Binder and whatever forces he had arrived. Maybe they’d get lucky and Leviathan would attack the archangel in the middle of the ocean far from the kingdom. Considering how many times things had gone their way lately, he wasn’t holding his breath.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Imogen said.
Damien glanced her way. “Just thinking about things. Doesn’t seem like talking’s going to do much good at this point.”
“Well it would take my mind off the coming battle. Why were you so keen to volunteer to fly out here?”
“I’ve got a friend assigned to Lookout Island. We graduated from the Tower together.”
“And?”
“And I can’t pass up the chance to see a dragon battle an archangel.” Just saying it out loud felt crazy. “That’s a once in forever kind of thing.”
“I forgot,” Imogen said. “You mentioned meeting the Leviathan before. Last year when the Old Empire ships showed up.”
“That’s right. I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since. Even Dreamer pales in comparison to the ocean dragon.”
A flash of light ahead of them alerted Damien. Lookout Island was the only thing out here for miles so that had to be it. He descended and landed lightly on the docks. Imogen had barely joined him when four warlords appeared at the end of the pier, weapons drawn.
“Identify yourselves,” one of the men said.
“Damien?” Jaden slipped in between two of the warlords. “It’s okay, guys. What in the world are you doing here?”
Island living appeared to agree with his yearmate. Jaden had dropped about twenty pounds and picked up a tan. Must be nice.
“There’s trouble coming,” Damien said. “We’re delivering an evacuation order. You all need to be on your way back to the mainland within the hour.”
“Our second sorcerer is out on patrol,” Jaden said. “He won’t be back until sunrise.”
“You have no way to reach him?” Imogen asked.
Jaden’s cheeks reddened when he looked at Imogen, a not uncommon reaction. “No. He carried an emergency call stick if he needs help, but there’s nothing to send the other way. Now that I think of it, that’s a rather glaring flaw in the system. I guess we’ve never needed to recall anyone. Anyway, what’s going on?”
“Guess you guys don’t get much news out here,” Damien said. “There a fallen archangel with an army on his way to the kingdom. They’ll be passing by the island either late tonight or early in the morning. They’re no one you want to run into.”
Jaden stared with his mouth open while the warlords muttered to themselves.
Imogen clapped once, hard. “Hey! Your orders are to evacuate. Get your stuff together and prepare to leave.”
The warlords’ Citadel training showed through when they fell silent and ran back the way they’d come. Obeying orders given in that tone was part of their essence.
Jaden gave a full-body shiver. “What about Benton? He’s out there and if he senses the approaching enemy he might investigate.”
“Is he a fool?” Damien asked.
“What?”
“I’m serious. Only a fool who sensed something as powerful as the Binder would go and investigate. If he has a brain in his head, the moment he detects the approaching ships he’ll fly for the island as fast as his soul force will push him. When he gets here we’ll send him on to the mainland. That’s really about all we can do.”
Jaden nodded, looking none too pleased with Damien’s answer. Not that Damien blamed him. Leaving a comrade behind wasn’t an easy thing.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll wake the commander and let him know what’s happening. I swear that man could sleep through the end of the world. Be careful.” Jaden jogged back toward the barracks.
“You two went to the Tower together?” Imogen asked.
“Yeah, though I graduated a little ahead of him. He’s changed a lot since then. Let’s see if we can give them a hand.”
Chapter Eighty-Six
&nb
sp; Damien’s hammock twisted him all out of shape and when he woke his shoulders ached. He shouldn’t complain though. After seeing Jaden and the rest of the lookout crew off, he and Imogen settled in to wait. The six hours’ sleep he’d just enjoyed was the longest stretch of uninterrupted rest he’d gotten in what felt like a long time.
His good feelings vanished when he finally realized exactly what woke him. The power source was still distant, but so strong it could only be one thing: the Binder was getting close. Assuming the last member of the lookout team was at all on the ball, he should be back soon. Once they sent him on his way east, their real job would begin in earnest.
His feet hit the floor when he rolled out of the hammock and he stretched to work the kinks out. That done he conjured a light and shook Imogen awake.
She groaned. “Go away.”
“He’s coming.”
Her eyes snapped open. “How far?”
“A ways yet, maybe a few hours. The Binder’s just on the edge of my awareness. Can you sense him yet?”
“If he’s only at the edge of your range, I won’t pick him up for another three-quarters of an hour. Any sign of our stray bird?”
“Not yet. Hopefully he doesn’t do anything brave. I doubt all the sorcerers in the kingdom could rescue him if he gets captured.”
Imogen rolled out of her hammock and rolled her neck from side to side. “I doubt anyone would even make the attempt. We don’t have people to spare at the moment.”
“We never have sorcerers to spare. Hungry?” Damien left the sleeping area for the little mess hall.
There should be something interesting to eat. Jaden’s father was a cook and he’d imparted his talent for food to his son. Not that they had a ton of time to cook. They started checking shelves and in a couple minutes had a pair of ham sandwiches and apples ready. Damien led the way outside and they settled on a bench to eat. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and coloring the ocean shades of orange and pink.
On Blackened Wings Page 29
