by Nhys Glover
It wasn’t up to me to decide such things. Laric was leading the way, and he’d managed to stay one step ahead of the Airshan forces for over two suns. Clearly, he knew what he was about.
But the pack was a frightening spectacle, even from above. Several riders had noticed us and were looking up. I couldn’t see their faces from this distance, but they could clearly identify five airlings and four riders above them.
We flew on toward the lighthouse less than a league ahead. It would take the riders a quarter turn to reach it. We’d be there in moments. But we had to come down, and that would mean putting ourselves in the path of the Devourers. I worried for Spot and my men. Would we fight, or could we find Laric before they got here and take to the skies again, as we had with Landor?
I saw a small fishing boat edging toward the small curve of sandy beach just a short distance from the end of the promontory. A dark figure stood waiting there. He glanced up, his hand over his eyes, and spotted us. Then he looked back along the spit to where the riders were fast approaching. Another glance back at the fishing boat, which seemed to be making no headway against the tide.
I could almost see him trying to decide what to do—run from us or try to reach the fishing boat. If he swam out to it, he might have a chance. But was he a good enough swimmer for that?
There wasn’t enough beach for the airlings to comfortably land so Zem took Storm down onto the road above the beach. It would give Laric a little more time, if he chose to swim, but there wasn’t a lot we could do about it.
As the rest of us landed, I glanced back at the approaching riders. There seemed to be even more of them from the ground than there had been from the sky. And they seemed to be getting closer far too fast. Could we fight them? Would there be any mages among them?
I looked to Zem for direction. He seemed to be calculating the different options in his mind. Prior sat atop his airling like he’d been born there. And even he had yielded leadership to Zem.
“Landor, go for Laric. Stop him from trying to swim out to that boat. We’ll hold off the Devourers. Try to get him back up here and away on Patch. The rest of us will fight.”
Landor nodded, jumped down off his airling’s back, and—on what seemed to me to be impossibly long legs—started running for the beach, jumping over and weaving a path around the rocks in his way.
With a tense look at Prior and me, Zem slid from Storm’s back and drew his sword. I drew mine too. I could see Prior hesitate. Would he fight as we were forced to do or would he use his fire? It could decimate our opponents, making their superior numbers more manageable. But I knew from being in his mind last night that he didn’t want to use it.
His dark eyes met mine. He was too far from me to be able to read his mind, but his expression said it all. For himself he wouldn’t do it, but to defend me... Aye, he would use his fire.
“Let me blast them first. That will take down the first men and beastlings and have the others falling over them before they can pull up,” Prior said, moving forward.
Zem could see the sense in his words, and I could tell he was relieved Prior had decided to use his fire. “We’ll back you up.”
I looked down to the beach where Landor had already reached Laric and was gesticulating wildly. The black-haired man I saw too often in my nightmares was shaking his head and looking toward the sea, where the fishing boat seemed to have stopped its approach. Maybe airlings and blue-robed riders were too much for the fishermen. They didn’t want to get into the middle of a fight they didn’t understand.
Laric must have seen them make that decision too because he turned back to Landor resolutely. For the first time, I saw he had provisions at his feet. He threw something at Landor, who caught it adroitly. Then my enemy grabbed up a few other items and turned in our direction.
Not wanting to give them any more of my attention, I turned back to the approaching riders. The sandy road beneath my feet was rumbling as if there was an earth quake occurring. I wished it was... One that would sever the lighthouse from the rest of the spit.
But we had no earth mage with us who could manage such a feat. It was just us. And the reluctant Prior’s fire.
We’d moved forward, well away from the airlings, who still had enough space along the road toward the Lighthouse to take off if need be. They were defenceless sitting there and could be badly hurt by the approaching Devourers if they managed to get passed us. I hoped they’d be sensible and fly away if we went down. Aye they could fight, but I’d only ever seen them do that with each other. And the memory of those awful times back at the first airling training centre, when Airshin had created chaos among the creatures with magic, was a painful one I hoped never to see repeated.
“Landor’s got him,” I yelled to the other two, raising my voice to get over the thunder of approaching hooves. They might ride us down, and trample us beneath their beastlings’ feet!
Fear grabbed me by the throat and started to strangle me. I began counting in that slow and measured way Zem had taught me to control panic. One... breathe in.... Two... breathe in.
The riders were almost upon us and Prior, like a black fiend from the underworld, brought up his hands and shot fire in a raging stream at the riders at the front. They rode three abreast, though the road was strictly not wide enough for that. Clearly, their aim was to cover as much of the narrow road as possible so as to give us no room to jump out of the way.
That was their mistake. As the fire erupted and consumed the first three riders and their mounts, there was nowhere for the following riders to go but off into the rocks on either side of the road or over their comrades. The screams of burning beastlings rent the air, and I grimaced in pain for them, but not for the blue-robed monsters on their backs.
Robed arms flapped at the fire, but only succeeded in spreading the flames further. The beastlings at the front went down and their riders were either pinned beneath them or scrambled away. Either way they burned. The riders directly behind them tried to pull up, but instead fell over the flaming beastlings in their path. More flames leapt up to devour them.
Six down in moments. I started to feel optimistic that we might win this battle. Then water drenched the burning pyre and the six remaining riders jumped from their mounts and strode forward over the steaming mess in their path. They had water mages. Of course. They were followers of the water monster, what element could we expect them to have?
I heard a yell behind me and turned to find a bow flying through the air toward my face. I automatically grabbed it with my empty hand.
“Shoot from the sky!” Laric yelled at me, a big grin on his cocky, handsome face. I saw none of the fear that had almost crippled him last night in my dream.
I could see what he was getting at. I could fight with my sword or I could fight from Spot’s back, firing the arrows Laric was brandishing. The more of us that were off the ground the better, I decided in a split second. I sheathed my sword across my back and accepted the quiver of arrows that flew my way from Landor. That must have been what Laric threw at him down on the beach.
The three of us raced back to the airlings, and I pointed to the black and white airling Laric would ride. He didn’t even hesitate, just jumped onto the creature’s back, bow in one hand, and quiver over his shoulder.
“I’d have used the other set but I don’t know how,” Landor yelled at me apologetically.
I just grinned and nodded, feeling optimistic for the first time. Throwing myself up onto Spot, I let her take me into the sky. All the while, I looked back to where Zem and Prior now prepared to take on the six blue-robed men approaching them. Prior tried to send another stream of fire at them, but it was quickly doused.
He was unarmed and I had a sword I couldn’t use. As Spot banked and headed back to where the fight was about to begin, I yelled down at Prior and tossed my sword to the ground just in front of him. It took valuable time meant for readying my bow, but I couldn’t leave Prior to face our foe unarmed.
Our airling
s had been well trained, and they remembered how this strategy worked. Unfortunately, neither Laric nor I had the special bows, which carried multiple arrows. All we could do was nock one arrow at a time and hope it would be enough to even out the fight.
I directed Spot to come in from behind the indigo-robed men. With any luck they’d think we were escaping and would focus on the opponent still left behind. It was hard enough to see riders on the back of airlings, but to see what they were doing with their hands... next to impossible with big leathery wings flapping in the way.
Laric had never done this before. There was a skill to it, even for a seasoned bowman. He had to shoot ahead, over the shoulder of the airling, close to its neck, if he was to avoid the flapping wings. But clearly he’d seen us in action before, or he’d worked it out for himself, because, as we dove together toward the backs of the robed riders, he readied his arrow just as I did and released at the very last minute, just as I did.
I saw two arrows fly free and hit the wide backs of two Devourers. They screamed and fell forward, the others looking to the skies in surprise. They didn’t see us, as we’d already soared away. Instead, they saw Landor flying in behind us, taking his airling down so low as to have a few priests covering their heads and diving for the ground.
He might not be willing to fight, but he was not useless to us. And his courage couldn’t be denied.
But there was no time for admiring the pale, beautiful man. Spot was readying himself for another run. I nocked another arrow and lowered myself over the horns on Spot’s back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Laric doing the same thing.
That’s when dual jets of water sprayed upward, trying to knock our mounts off course. But our airlings had been trained for just this tactic, and we banked hard in unison, like dancers performing intricate yet graceful steps, missing the jets of water and turning to take another run for our foe.
Prior must have seen the water mages were occupied with us because he made the most it. With another jet of flame he ignited them both before they had a chance to redirect their water onto themselves. They went up like lighted tinder.
That left two Devourers. And both were now fighting Zem.
Prior shifted my sword into his right hand and took on one of the men. Together, Zem and Prior made an impressive team. I didn’t even bother readying for another run. I knew these two warriors could defeat far more than just the two men they now faced, with or without swords.
While we circled overhead, Zem and Prior made quick work of their opponents and then ran for their airlings. In moments, they were in the sky and joining us, the fiery devastation and death left behind in their wake.
Zem led the way yet again, and the four of us followed. I had no idea where he’d take us, but away from here was all I cared about right then.
Airlings could fly almost all day without landing if they had no rider. But with weight on their back they needed to rest every three turns or so. Ours had reached their limit, and though they’d landed briefly, it hadn’t been enough to give their wings a rest.
So when Zem started to head down into open ground beside a stream, I knew what he was about.
The other airlings followed dutifully, and once we’d dismounted, they made their way to the water and drank with gusto.
That’s when the five of us humans turned to stare at each other. Zem and Prior were readying themselves to fight Laric. Laric was preparing to defend himself. Landor and I stood on the sidelines, watching cautiously. Hadn’t they had enough of fighting? Though I understood, because my blood was still up from the battle too.
“This is where you step in, fire-haired warrior,” Landor said softly. “They will follow your lead on this.”
I glanced at him in surprise. How could he think that? What experience had led him to know any such thing? But I didn’t worry about its source, I simply allowed myself to follow his wisdom.
“Enough. We have fought and won. There doesn’t need to be more bloodshed,” I said into the tense and bristling silence.
“Still too confident and mouthy for your gender, I see,” Laric threw my way with a cheeky grin. He was intentionally baiting me. But for what purpose?
It was my turn to bristle, but I could almost feel Landor’s hand on me, soothing me, telling me not to let my enemy get to me.
I tried to read Laric, but I couldn’t. Was I too far away? I didn’t think so. But no matter how hard I tried, I got nothing from him. That unsettled me. Now all of these men had found the ability to block their thoughts from me—without realising what I could do, in Prior and Laric’s case.
Laric had been present when I’d bragged that I was an Air Mistress and would entertain them at the meeting. He’d made much of that declaration, insulting me so badly that I’d never quite recovered.
“I was your equal during that fight. I think I’ve earned my right to be confident,” I said, keeping my calm.
“Proving you more lad than lass as your figure indicates. You seem to be better endowed now, though. Did you grow breasts in the last two suns?”
I heard Zem growl and ready himself to attack. I sent him a quelling glare.
“I have no need to disguise the fact I’m female anymore. I choose to dress as I please, just as I choose the path I follow in life. Have you been so lucky?” It was an intentional barb, and it hit home. I saw him flinch and grimace, as if it had been an actual physical blow I’d landed.
“I haven’t been lucky for over nine suns.”
I saw the way his expression clouded. Why couldn’t I read his thoughts? I needed to know what he was thinking. I needed to know whether we could trust him. Though even as I formed that thought I knew there was little way I would ever trust this traitorous bastard, even if I could read his mind. Because of him Trace died!
“Aye, well that is what happens to ambitious young pups who are loyal to none but themselves. It backfires on them,” I shot back, even as I felt Landor’s reproach. I didn’t need him telling me this was no way to build bridges. Right now I’d forgotten why I wanted to build bridges with this handsome, arrogant bastard anyway.
Instead of enflaming him, my words seemed to take the wind out of his sails. The bravado fell away, leaving a seemingly broken man. I didn’t trust that impression for a moment.
“Yes, my ambition was... foolish. To think I could ever be anyone to be respected. Foolish.” He sounded tired and defeated, and he turned to a rock nearby and sat down. It was as if the rest of us had ceased to be.
“What respect is there for someone who betrays his brothers?” Prior snarled out, wanting his turn. He looked like some wild and untamed warrior from the bowels of the underworld, with his long beaded hair and fiery gaze. I didn’t even need to see his torch of fire to feel his heat.
“Betray my brothers? What are you talking about? Prior, right? I remember you well. I always wished I had your magic. That hasn’t changed after seeing you just now. Impressive.”
“What is he talking about?” I cried in disbelief. “You turned the Abominations in to the Godling so you could rise in his esteem. Or because I shamed you in front of your brothers. Or both!”
Hs eyes narrowed as he examined me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I nearly ran at him then, but Landor’s hand on my shoulder stopped me. I had to remember what we were doing here. This was no time for recriminations. The Jayger was about to be released and only we five could stop the destruction he would unleash on the world.
Suddenly I realised something profound. In a little more than a quarter moon we had found each other. We were five. But we were a long way from being The Five. And arguing over the sins of the past wouldn’t get us closer to that unity.
“You informed on us. Told the Godling about the meeting Trace organised. We all nearly died in that trap, you bastard,” Prior yelled, doing what I had wanted to do. He raced forward and knocked Laric off his rock. Although he wasn’t so lost to his fury that he got careless around those hands
of Laric’s. He didn’t want to fall into an endless nightmare from which he’d never awaken.
But Laric made no move to use his hands, or to fight back. He simply stayed down, laying out flat on the grass and staring up at the sky like a drunken man. Maybe he was drunk. No, no one could have fired an arrow so accurately from the back of an airling when drunk.
“I informed on nobody,” was all he said.
Zem looked at me, asking me about the truth of his words. I simply shrugged. It was infuriating to be blocked like this.
“Then where were you that night? You knew we were all going to be at that meeting. Why weren’t you there? Surely you weren’t still stupid enough to think the Godling would stay true to his word and make you legitimate!” Prior spat this last word down at Laric, as he balled his fists in readiness to attack.
“I admit I wasn’t as keen as my friends were to forsake my position in hopes the rebels would take us in. But I did not betray anyone that night. I was called to the palace.”
“The palace? The Godling called you in personally?” Prior scoffed.
From his mind, I saw that none of them ever saw the Godling after they first started their training. He met each of them initially, explaining what a privilege they were being granted. That Abominations, mistakes of nature, like them should have been castrated or killed to maintain the natural order, as had been the way of it in the past. And how he, in his benign compassion, had created another path for them. One where they could become part of the Godling’s secret army, which had been created to help keep the world safe and at peace. If they did their job well they would eventually be declared legitimate magical sons.
“The Godling wanted to introduce me to his latest wife.” His voice was so lacking in inflection he could have been a dead man talking.
“His wife?” Prior’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Do you take me for an idiot? Why would the Godling take the time to introduce his dirty little secret to his newest wife? At the very moment a rebellion in the ranks of that secret was being quelled.”
