Marie-Bell wanted to scream. What sort of choice was that? Letting those murderers go wasn’t an act of kindness. Bringing monsters like them to justice was her holy task every bit as much as saving the world.
She calmed as she thought it through. Given her choices, there was really only one option she could chose. “I will stop Binder. Please, help me.”
“A fine choice. I never thought to find a human worth calling my chosen again. I am pleased to be proven wrong.” The dragon sounded sad. “The price will be high. I ask one final time, do you truly want this?”
The gold dragon didn’t have to say any more. Marie-Bell understood what the price would be. And while there was much that she still wished to do, there was no question what had to be done. She refused to shrink from her responsibility as a paladin.
“I’m sure.”
Warmth and power flowed into Marie-Bell, driving the irrelevant thought from her mind along with everything else. It was like when her partner chose her times a thousand. When the light faded she felt stronger than she ever had.
She took to the air, not bothering with a conjured mount. Hopefully she wasn’t too late to do what needed doing.
Chapter Ninety
Damien sat on the stone wall the Builders had raised and looked out over the ocean. Any moment now Binder’s fleet should come into view. He felt oddly calm considering what he faced. Jen was safe and so was Uncle Andy. Everyone he cared about was far enough away that he knew they’d be okay. What else could he ask for?
Well, almost everyone. He drew Lizzy and laid her across his lap. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
Perhaps a little, but I know you well enough to understand. My only fear is that even our pooled soul force won’t be enough to withstand a single attack from Binder. If that’s true you’ll die for nothing.
“Have a little faith. I estimate I can withstand two direct hits and maybe twice that many glancing blows. With a little skillful evasion, I bet I can hold out for a good two minutes.”
That long? What was I worried about?
“Exactly.” Something glinted in the distance and he squinted, trying to get a better look. It was the ships. He couldn’t make out details yet, but it was them for sure.
Damien stroked the flat of Lizzy’s blade, the steel cool and smooth under his fingertips. The ships were clear in the distance now. Another half a mile and they’d be in the harbor.
“I love you. You know that right?”
I do and I love you too. It has been many long centuries since I felt this way about one of my bearers. If worst comes to worst, I’m glad to end my existence with you.
“Let’s do our best to keep that from happening.”
Beyond the jagged rocks in the harbor, Binder lowered the ships into the water so gently they barely made a splash. The archangel seemed to notice Damien for the first time. His black wings snapped once and in a blink, the perfect eight-foot-tall figure was right in front of him.
“The city is empty,” Binder said. “Why do you remain?”
“I hoped we might come to an agreement about the kingdom’s future.” Damien kept a quaver out of his voice by the slimmest of margins. “Surely the Old Empire is enough for you? Maybe they even need a strong hand running things over there, I don’t know, but we’re good here. Our king is strong and wise. The people are happy for the most part. Can’t you just turn around and return to where you came from?”
Binder cocked his head as though not certain what to make of Damien’s speech. At last he said, “What you call the kingdom is part of my empire. This was a colony to begin with. I must rule here to make the empire whole. Nothing less is acceptable. After that I will bring the dragon kingdoms under my rule and soon enough the rest of the world.”
“The world’s a big place. Why do you need all of it?” Damien didn’t actually care how Binder answered. Anything that kept him talking gave Marie-Bell more time to get back. Conversation was a much healthier way to delay him than fighting.
“I doubt anyone that doesn’t follow my teachings would understand, but I’ll humor you. To avoid chaos, a single vision is necessary to unify all individuals into a cohesive whole. Any part of the world outside my control is a breeding ground for chaos. I must control all or I control nothing.”
“I guess that’s one way of looking at it. But you can’t actually control everyone in the world directly. Even you aren’t that strong. So even if you rule the world, there will still be pockets of chaos, even if only in the mind of an individual.”
A deep frown creased Binder’s handsome face. “I hadn’t considered that. But no matter. Once I rule the bulk of the people, I can deal with individual malcontents. What about you? I sense your power. Will you not swear yourself to my service?”
“No, sorry. I’m loyal to my home and the people living here. My job is to keep them from falling under the sway of people like you.”
“Then we have a problem.”
Damien had just time enough to raise a shield before Binder lashed out. The conjured chain slammed into Damien and sent him flying through the nearest building and out the other side.
When the stars cleared he found he hadn’t sustained any damage. Working himself free of the rubble Damien found Binder hovering over him.
“That was a warning. Surrender and I will spare you. Resist and you will die. Just as all those who oppose me die.”
“Do they teach you to make speeches like that in Heaven or do you come by such arrogance naturally?”
Binder roared and a chain the size of a tree trunk swung at Damien.
He softened his shield to absorb the impact. Even with that he ended up airborne again, this time landing in a heap of nets twenty yards from where he started.
Maybe antagonizing him isn’t the best plan.
“No.” Damien coughed up a lungful of dust. “I need him angry and not thinking clearly. As soon as he focuses we’re done.”
Risky.
That was the understatement of the millennia.
More chains came rushing in.
He dodged one, deflected another with Lizzy, scrambled to his feet, and ran. The futility of Damien’s situation did nothing to stop him from trying. Fight to the bitter end, that was the St. Cloud motto. His father died fighting a demon. How ironic was it that Damien was about to get killed by an angel?
Damien kicked off and shot away at full speed. Binder appeared beside him, seemingly having no trouble keeping up.
A chain roared in at him.
There was no way he could stop it in time.
A thick stone barrier shot up, taking the brunt of the blow. Looked like Dahlmis was paying attention. Damien would have to find him a giant cricket to roast as a thank you.
His relief lasted only a moment before a ham-sized fist shot in and sent Damien flying again, this time into a dry goods store. Flour stuck to his sweaty face and pinto beans rained down on his head.
At least he survived. His soul force, unfortunately, was running dangerously low. One more solid blow and it was over.
Binder appeared, silhouetted in the hole Damien had smashed in the wall. “You have put up a fine resistance, better than some demons I’ve fought. But this battle is over. When you reach whatever afterlife awaits you, I hope they honor your courage.”
Binder’s power gathered, but Damien couldn’t stop grinning. A bright, shining light was approaching from the west.
“My battle may be over, but yours is just beginning.”
Chapter Ninety-One
Binder snarled at the grinning mortal before him. He’d been so focused on the insignificant human he hadn’t noticed the approaching power source. That his opponent had to point it out galled. Slowly his anger cooled. With his mind clear he could appreciate the boy’s guile. He never had a hope of defeating Binder, but he did last just long enough to allow reinforcements to arrive. It was the most cunning thing any of his foes had done and he would honor that by allowing the human to live long enough to s
ee his final hope of victory smashed.
He had barely backed out of the shattered building when a lance of burning energy slammed into his chest followed an instant later by one of numbing cold. The combined energy rooted him in place.
A pencil-thin beam of inky black struck him square in the forehead, while an identical one of purest white hit his heart. Binder threw his head back and opened his mouth, but couldn’t utter a sound. His very essence was being flayed and scraped, but it didn’t hurt.
With all his might he tried to conjure chains to strike his foes down, but nothing happened. His consciousness had been cut off from his soul force. He lowered his gaze to at least fix his enemies with an angry glare, but all he saw were blazing beacons of energy. The dragons’ power had fully consumed the four humans.
Slowly, his anger faded. As it did he started to see how far wrong he had gone. It wasn’t his place to impose order on the universe, but to show its benefits so that people could freely choose to follow his example.
How had he gone so far wrong? Binder couldn’t even remember when it happened. He’d been filled with rage and disgust for so long he no longer recalled a time when he wasn’t.
A familiar, welcoming feeling tugged him. He turned his head to find his wings had nearly regained their purity. A few wisps of darkness rose off them yet, but it wouldn’t be long. He would return to the place where he belonged.
The other archangels waited to welcome him back with open arms. He could hardly wait.
Chapter Ninety-Two
For just a second there, when Binder had bared his teeth, Damien feared he’d pushed his luck a hair too far. For some reason the fallen angel refrained from striking him down. Damien wasn’t complaining, but that didn’t mean he understood.
Just outside, a torrent of soul force poured through Binder and slowly his wings were turning white again. The merged energy nearly blinded him and Damien was forced to look away. Their gamble paid off and thank heaven for that. Damien’s soul force was returning with its usual speed, but his brief skirmish with Binder made it clear just how badly the archangel outclassed him.
Enemies are coming from the ships. I can feel their desperation.
Sounded like rest time was over. The dragon-chosen were holding Binder in place, but he doubted they had any attention to spare. Looked like it was up to him to keep whoever was coming from interfering.
“How’s your soul force?”
About half.
Damien had about a third of his plus a fraction of what Leviathan gave him. Hardly an ideal state to go into battle, but he didn’t have a lot of choices.
“Let’s go.”
Lizzy’s soul force flowed into him and Damien leapt, smashing through the ceiling and out through the roof. The chosen showed no sign of letting up their assault. They had all lost their human forms and now resembled pillars of energy, red, blue, white, and black. Hopefully Marie-Bell and Al Elan would regain their humanity when the task was finished, but he held out little hope. No one could channel that much energy and come out of it intact.
“Where are they?” The ritual gave off so much power Damien couldn’t sense anything else.
An image of the approaching chain fighters filled his mind and he turned toward the ocean to see the six warriors rushing his way.
They couldn’t be allowed to interfere.
His first encounter with the Binder’s paladins hadn’t gone well, but he didn’t have to beat them, just hold them off long enough for Marie-Bell and the others to finish their work. Damien flew to meet them.
No words were wasted. Chains came streaming at him.
Damien cut them down as fast as they reached him. One got through and skipped off his shield.
He barely felt it.
The fighters were weaker, much weaker. As Binder was purified they must lose an equal portion of their power.
Maybe he could win this fight after all.
Damien slashed Lizzy at the closest fighter, a woman with short hair and dark eyes. The unleashed energy screamed toward her.
Chains appeared to protect the chain fighter. Damien’s strike tore through her defense like it was nothing, continuing on to cut the woman in half. She crashed to the streets below.
The other fighters drew up short, seemingly taken aback by the death of their comrade. Damien waited for their next move. They could wait from now until the end of the world for all he cared. Every second brought the ritual closer to completion.
Maybe he could talk himself out of a fight. “Your master is on his way back to Heaven. There’s no longer any reason for us to fight. Return to your ships and I’ll guarantee you safe passage out of kingdom waters.”
After a moment of silence he dared hope they’d take him up on his offer. Enough people had died because of this madness, he didn’t need to kill anyone else.
One of the male fighters conjured a chain sword. “No matter what happens, we will see the master’s vision become reality. Attack!”
He rushed at Damien. Maybe rushed was excessive. He flew at Damien.
The sword came down and Lizzy met it on an upswing, sliced through, and kept going to claim his head. They’d lost so much strength they could barely stay airborne, much less fight him.
A rush of divine energy washed over Damien. He turned in time to watch Binder rise into the sky and vanish. The four dragon-chosen had been reduced to little more than humanoid embers that flickered and slowly died as they drifted to the ground.
When they hit the streets they exploded into tiny bits of energy. Damien got a catch in his throat. He would have liked to say goodbye to Marie-Bell, but he’d never get the chance.
A scream drew him back in time to watch the former fighters fall from the sky. Damien conjured spheres around them before they hit. He couldn’t have said why he saved them beyond not wanting to see anyone else die.
Do you think it’s over?
“I hope so. It’ll be winter soon and we’ve got plenty to do to get ready.”
Damien flew toward the harbor with his prisoners and out across the water to the largest ship. The crew raised crossbows as he approached. With a gesture he dumped the surviving fighters on the deck.
A young, dark-haired woman clutching a black-bladed dagger stepped toward the front of the ship. Was she the commander? Kind of looked like it.
“It’s over,” he said. “Sail away now and go home.”
“We crossed the ocean and you expect us to return home with nothing to show for it?” Her speech was strangely accented and a little hard to understand, but still recognizable. He shouldn’t have been surprised since they all came from the Old Empire.
The archmage flew up beside him. “You still have your lives.”
Imogen arrived a moment later along with a group of sorcerers that must have come from the Tower to help with the evacuation.
The woman commander seemed to be arguing with herself. Finally she ran a hand down her face. “Fine. We’ve had nothing but trouble since that damned angel showed up. Set sails! We’re leaving.”
The crew scrambled to get underway. The former chain fighters stared at the commander like they couldn’t believe what she was doing. Damien could hardly believe it either, but he wasn’t complaining.
“That might have been one of the stupider things I’ve seen you do,” the archmage said as they watched the ships get underway.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, and we survived.” Damien thought for a moment about Marie-Bell and Al Elan. “Most of us anyway. I don’t regret the decision.”
“Good, because the king is going to give you a long lecture when we get back.”
“If that’s the worst thing I have to deal with going forward, it suits me fine.”
The gathered sorcerers watched until the ships had sailed out of sight. Only then did Damien allow himself to believe it was really over.
Epilogue
The first day of spring meant nothing in the Ice Queen’s frozen realm. Ilda’s mistres
s had summoned her to the audience chamber for her weekly checkup. The ice stalactites had grown especially long this year, some of them even reaching the floor. The dragon lowered her head so her arm-long fangs were only inches from Ilda’s face.
Ilda wore a white polar bear skin cloak even though she didn’t really need it. She ran a hand over her swollen stomach. Not much longer and the queen’s experiment would bear fruit. In the beginning, no one had even been certain humans and ogres could crossbreed. The fact that Sig’s seed took hold was a minor victory. Should the half-ogre child be born healthy and strong… Ilda didn’t actually know what the Ice Queen had in store for her baby. Given the dragon’s nature, probably nothing good.
“Do you sense any changes?” the Ice Queen asked.
The question snapped her out of her reverie. “The child continues to develop. Beyond that I can’t say, Mistress.”
The Ice Queen blew a breath of freezing air at Ilda. “You did well, seducing the human. I’ve been planning an experiment like this for ages. When the foolish man walked in here willingly, I knew we’d never get a better chance. Even though things spiraled out of control, if you succeed in giving birth to a healthy child it will change everything.”
Ilda risked asking. “How, Mistress?”
“I should think that would be obvious.” The dragon straightened so she towered over Ilda. “My servants have always struggled in the southern heat, but the infusion of human blood should mitigate that weakness or better remove it entirely. An army of half-ogres can attack the kingdom any time of the year. Better yet, if we gain a real foothold, we won’t have to abandon it in the summer. If this works, my plan for conquering the kingdom will finally become a reality.”
The dragon’s pleasure washed over Ilda. She was now the queen’s favorite. The other ogres all treated her with the utmost respect and fear. Ilda had become the most powerful ogre in the north. It was everything she’d ever wanted. So what if she got it not through her own merit, but by serving the queen as an incubator for her experiment.
On Blackened Wings Page 31
