21. Wings of White
The wind whispered at the long mouth of the cavern. Kel forced herself to walk to the edge. She had mastered her crippling fear of hights long ago, but it didn't mean she would ever enjoy them. Below stretched first the town of Horus, then the great plain of Atum. It was lightly snowing, obscuring the horizon and the faint teeth of the mountain ridge on the opposite side. For the third time she circled the large cave. Digging her hand into a leather pouch of smoked meat, she doggedly ate despite the warning clenching in her stomach. Drinking from a small flagon of water, she slumped against an outcropping of dirty brown stone. Untying the awkward mess of her dress, she covered her chilled legs as best she could. With a sigh she let her head fall back and eyes close. Salamis and Salaman had been firm in their orders for her to return here. After that they said nothing except for her to wait and watch.
Silverwings chirped and left her shoulder. Whistling and chattering, she fluttered about Kel's head. Finally she looked up and frowned. Some contraption hung from the ceiling. Two great white rectangles of cloth connected with thin pieces of wood and a webbing of wiry rope dangled above her like a bizarre pair of wings. Kel didn't remember seeing it earlier, but then she hadn't had much time to look around. Upon further inspection, she realized that they were wings. Wings constructed to fit a person with a harness dangling in the center of the ropes and lines.
She will fly on wings of white. Kel groaned. Please let this all be some very bad joke. Walking back to the mouth of the cavern, she sat on a broken stalagmite and surveyed the valley below. Glaring up at the gray sky, she sent a pointed thought to the gods. I hope you're being entertained. This is your people's future. Movement on the horizon caught her eye. A dark smudge was crossing the blue/white of the snow. The more definable lines of soldiers at the foot of the Eire began to advance to meet the oncoming army in a great wave. There were clear divisions between the tribes which made it even clearer how outnumbered the White Tigers would be, even if the Black Hawk tribe followed their clear-headed leader. Scanra would be decimated by this civil war. No united country would survive.
A small rebellious part of her asked - Why not let them destroy themselves? It would leave Tortall less to worry about and end the war between them. Wouldn't it save lives simply to stand on the sidelines? But lives would still be lost. Sides didn't matter, there were no real winners in war, no winners among those who died for they would never see victory. She had to stop this for the people's future, Tortallian or Scanran it didn't matter. She had to fight to bring the fighting to an end.
The two forces were within sight of one another now. They gathered in two black lines, facing off on either side of a black outcropping of rock which thrust its way out of the tundra into the sky. Kel waited for the Black Hawk tribe to move away, but nothing happened. A sudden burst of hatred knocked her to her knees. She could see Atum, riding out to meet the leader of the White Tiger clan. She felt Maggur's rage as the chief raised his black and gold standard next to the silver and blue of the Tiger. Confusion rippled through the masses, but no one moved to join them. As if from an echo in her mind, she could hear Maggur's threats.
"Anyone who dare's to break the line will be executed on the spot. I should have know there were traitors within my own forces. The Red does not tolerate betrayal. You and your families are under my power to live or die as I choose." His hand, wreathed in red flame, pointed towards the Black Hawk chief. "You may want to take care, Atum, for you are their headman - your tribe's father. Do you wish your entire tribe to be put to death once I deal with you?"
The other tribal chiefs shifted on their mounts uneasily. Atum's gray eyes met Maggur's fearlessly. Turning away from the king, he faced his people.
"Hear me! The Red has been misleading us. He has covered our eyes with his red fire. His truth brings only destruction. Once we were a proud and independent people in a time when each tribe had meaning and purpose. Now we fight each other over power. We have grown greedy and selfish. The gods have turned their faces away in shame as this man leads us." Urging his mount forwards, he faced Maggur. "You are not one of us. Not truly. You sent your family away over the sea, never to return. There you learned evil ways of domination and returned to test them on my people. You may claim to be a Scanran by blood, but you are not one by spirit."
Maggur sneered. "And why is that?"
"A Scanran holds his people above all else. His people is his family. My tribe is my family, and I do this for them. You are only concerned with yourself. I will not follow you any further."
The red fire brightened and then shot out towards the clan leader. Atum drew his sword and caught the burst on it's blade, deflecting it to the side where it blackened the ground.
"Your power will not work on me, Maggur. I've not taken your potion for some time now and can think for myself." He again circled the king mockingly. "What kind of chosen leader would choose deception to rule over us? Why would he be so obsessed with control? Could he possibly be afraid that he was not the one the prophecy spoke of?"
Maggur's hand tightened threateningly on the hilt of his sword. "I am the Red! Those beneath me will see only victory. And those who oppose me, will see only death."
"Then answer this," Atum turned to address the other three tribes. "If he is the one who will lead our country to prosperity, then why is he waging a war which only destroys our people? Has he even told us why we fight the Southern nations? Why do we march to die for his cause and why do we sacrifice ourselves for something which means nothing?" He smiled viciously at the king. "Explain why the gods have not supported you towards success."
Maggur snarled and drew his sword. "I will not waste time on a traitor's words. I will prove my right by your death."
Kel pulled herself from the Blood Bond as the king spurred his mount into a charge. Gasping, she found herself sprawled on the cold stone floor of the cave looking up at the strange contraption hanging from the ceiling. Immediately she struggled to her feet and began searching for a way to lower it. Catching a glimpse of a wheel in the back shadows of the cave, she found a system of pulleys which suspended the structure. Turning the wheel, she gently set the man-made wings on the ground. Standing back with a sigh, she looked it over.
Silverwings landed on her shoulder with a chirp. Kel glanced down at her, then back to the mass of wooden rods, thin waxed cloth, tightly twisted rope, and leather bindings. It had a harness which fitted around the shoulders and waist of the person wearing the wings, with strange extensions to the arms and legs. With a sigh, she gingerly lifted the set and began buckling it on. The extensions for her arms were to control the movements of the wings while those on her legs were for a stability fin which dropped to her ankles in the back. Kel tested the range of movement and was amazed at how light the man made flying machine felt in comparison to its size. Walking to the lip of the cave she looked down the endless stretch of cold stone. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath.
"Silver, you're going to have to lead me on this."
Clenching shaking hands, Kel stepped off the edge.
888
Anita stood nervously between Tavis and Dom. They had devised a plan which with luck be able to reach the other tribes. Without such luck, they may still be able to escape without suffering too great a loss. She could feel the entire town of the Eire moving, straining for release. The hand of the Red was slipping and the people's spirits fighting for freedom. However, action had to be taken carefully. She stepped up on the tavern's main table to catch everyone's attention.
"We know that the Red has left one small force here to maintain control over the castle. They must be removed quietly. Also, everyone must be armed."
There was a stir of discomfort at that proclamation.
"Just because we are old men, women, and youths does not mean that we will not be harmed. Defenses will be required. The king still veils our soldier's eyes and until we can break his hold, we will be vulnerable."
A sudden stir at the doorway made her pause. The people were shuffling away and muttering in surprise as two small figures slowly approached the center of the Stone Tavern. The seer Divina cackled in delight.
"Ah! Blessed Ones, welcome to our humble gathering. What wisdom do you bring us?"
Salamis and Salaman knelt before the ancient White Tiger carrying two long, rag-wrapped items. They whispered into the seer's ear who immediately frowned and turned to Dom.
"There is no time left for you child. Atum has challenged the king and the Protector is on her way. This is sooner than I expected, but we may still have advantage." Taking the items from the twins, Divina's frail hands unwrapped the Lady Knight's sword and glaive. "She will need these and you, for her fight will be much more difficult plain than the rest of the people."
Anita stepped forwards and took the weapons. "I will take them to her. Domtian needs to follow with all speed leading these forces. None of us here has any military experience or leadership." She smiled at the look on her friend's face. "I'm sure you won't be more than a kilo behind me."
Dom sighed and nodded.
888
Kel's stomach was not trying to reject her last meal as she had expected. Instead it had turned into a tightly twisted knot as biting wind cut her face and teared her eyes. Stubbornly keeping her focus on Silverwings just in front of her, she strained to imitate the immortal's motions as they glided over the valley. Banking to the right, she tilted the back fin with her legs and dipped her right wing slightly. Unfortunately this also caused her altitude to drop. Silverwings fanned out her tail scales to stabilize as she repeated the turn. Kel followed suite, this time making the glide much smoother. Chancing a look below, she realized they were circling the two armies who were still in a standoff. Maggur and Atum were struggling horse to horse in the center of the human arena.
With each turn she dropped lower and lower until Kel could see the red sashes on the soldiers and black and white stripes of the Tiger shields. She had to stop Atum before he ended up wounded or dead. If he died or was defeated, the Black Hawk clan stood no chance of breaking away from Maggur. Aiming herself at the black rock behind the fighting men, she banked low, praying to the gods she wouldn't kill herself in the process of landing. She clearly had the attention of some of the people as they began shouting and pointing. Sweeping over the entangled Atum and Maggur, she swept her arms sharply forwards to break her speed. Clumsily beating the air, she could feel herself dropping but still couldn't tell if she had slowed enough to prevent suicide or at the minimum a broken leg. Silverwings shrieked for her attention, fanning her tail. Gasping with the effort, Kel pulled her legs forwards. In one breathless moment the air itself seemed to stop. Instinctively flapping a final time, her feet hit granite. Trying to keep her balance resulted in practically hugging the rock with the extended reach of the wings until she managed to unbuckle the contraption and let it flutter to the ground. Her hands were shaking while gray mist drifted in front of her eyes.
"Chosen One you were not called here."
Maggur sat on his mount at the foot of the rock, sword in hand. His leather shirt and vest were typically open in the front despite the frigid wind and the chain with the large black opal flashed in the gray light. Kel's head felt like it had been stuffed with thick wool.
"I came because these people need to be released from you."
"Released?" Maggur laughed scornfully. "They are mine to lead. I am the Red. The Prophecy has foretold of my coming and my victory over the countries of the South. I will be victorious by using you, Chosen One."
Kel climbed down to the solid ground. Pausing for an instant to take a tight rein on her shaky nerves, she deliberately walked past the king to the Black Hawk chief. He looked down at her with a frown.
"Where did you find those?" He gestured to the discarded glider.
She shook her head, still trying to clear her head from the gray wool. "It doesn't matter. You cannot fight him and risk your life. They need you, though they do not realize it yet."
"And so you will fight? We need you just as much."
"Maggur was right in one thing. These people need their chief. I have no people here and he cannot kill me if he wishes to fulfill his cursed prophecy." She held out her hand. "Give me your sword."
Hesitantly he handed it to her. Maggur glared.
"You dare defy me? The Chosen is taking arms against the Red? If you choose the side of the traitors, do not expect me to be merciful. I will see you on your knees to watch as I destroy those who have decided to reject my right as king."
Kel stepped away from Atum holding her sword ready.
"Traitors are those who commit crimes for their own gain. Those here are turning against you for a people to survive and rebuild what you have corrupted. They are not traitors."
Maggur snarled and charged on his mount. Just has he came within arm's reach, Silverwings flew straight into the horse's face, blinding it with her wings and whipping stinging blows with her tail. The horse reared, neighing in fear and nearly throwing the king. He leapt off the snorting and bucking mount and stood pulling a second sword from his belt. Kel blinked. It wasn't a sword but a short staff crowned with a black crystal. Magical fire flickered inside it which flared violently when he thrust it into the ground. Then Maggur vanished.
Bringing her sword up to a guard position, Kel tensed. A slight movement in the air gave her just enough warning to block a slash to the left but the tip still cut deeply into her leg. He was using his Gift to hide. It was exactly what she had always feared would happen. She didn't have her griffin feathers with her, having left them in her prison bedroom, and she was fighting a mage. A line of fire spread across her back and she whirled, flicking her own blade into the hidden air. Maggur laughed. She clinched her jaw in frustration. No snow had fallen here behind the great outcropping of rock. If there had, she could easily have followed his footprints in the white powder. However, she could try and lead him away. Slowly she began sliding back, alert for any movement. Closing her eyes, she listened for the crunch of his feet in the frozen grass. Whatever was wrong with her head didn't help her concentration. She had a second's warning to parry a blow to her shoulder but her invisible opponent kicked her sharply behind the right knee. Dropping to the ground, she rolled away and came up next to the crystal staff. With hardly a second though, she raised her sword. A small blade cut imbedded deeply in her left shoulder as she chopped the staff in two. Maggur appeared a few yards away with his hand still extended in his throw. Growling, he shot red fire at her. Kel caught the burst on her sword in the same way she had seen Atum. Her shoulder bled fiercely, the knife hindering her movements. The fire began heating the hilt of her sword until she was forced to drop it.
"Give up, Protector."
Summoning up her Yamani mask, Kel carefully pulled the blade out of her shoulder and pressed her hand against the wound. Her back stung as sweat beaded on her skin even in the cold.
"I will not. You may think I'm your Chosen One, but I'm also a knight of Tortall and we do not surrender to maggots like you."
Maggur's eyes darkened. He turned to the silently watching Black Hawks, White Tigers, Lynx, Vipers, and Staghorns.
"The Protector has fallen again to me. I am -"
A new voice rang out. "Again? How can you say such a thing when you trapped her with lies and potions just as you have trapped us all?"
A blond haired woman on horseback forced her way through the tribes. She carried a straight sword and long bladed staff in front of her saddle and a bow with arrows on her back. Riding around the human arena, she held up a golden object.
"Do you see this? This is what this man has been using to control all of us. It is a potion which we have blindly taken and which has taken away all our reasoning. He is not our true leader. He has resorted to tricks and lies to put himself into power and bring a war upon us which no one has truly desired."
She threw the golden flask to the chieftess Bast who looked it over with narrowed eyes. The woman turned to face the king, rage trembling in every inch of her body.
"I would kill you now, Red, if I knew it was my time. You took everything I lived for." She smiled. "But it is not for me to do. The sun has not set yet. The gods themselves are watching, suspending time for this day."
Kel looked up in surprise. Darkness should have fallen by now, but a red sun still hovered on the horizon, just beneath the heavy gray clouds. The newcomer dismounted and presented her with her weapons. Her blue eyes warm, she murmured, "Protector of the Small, your power is in your heart. One you know well is on his way here to stand by you, but you cannot wait. The Blood Bond still has you, but if you delay too long you will not have the strength to defeat Maggur."
Kel blinked, the haze in her mind receding slightly. Dom was here? He was coming? Her hand curled around the staff of her glaive. Then he would not find her kneeling on the ground. She was a knight. Pulling herself to her feet, she swayed slightly, the wool in her head was draining away, replaced with a weak feeling in her knees and lightheadedness. Blood loss, she realized. That was what the woman meant. Fighting would only bring unconsciousness sooner, but she could not let Maggur win this engagement.
The wood felt warm in her hands as she stood ready, the tip of the blade just brushing the ground. This time she attacked first, sweeping her staff in a figure eight pattern. Maggur broke through the attack and stabbed directly at her stomach. She deftly twirled the glaive, turned and struck him on the collar bone with enough force to fracture it. He recoiled and switched hands before slashing from hip to shoulder then directly down. Kel blocked the first strike, countered the second, then rebounded with the staff and struck at the king's throat. He predicted that tactic and ducked under her reach, slamming his shoulder into her ribs and knocking flat on her back. She heard his hiss of pain, but it wasn't enough to prevent him from immediately bearing down on her. Deflecting his stabs into the dirt, Kel swept the iron shod butt of the glaive behind his ankle and rolled away to her feet. Dizziness caused her to stumble and her hand came down in the grass on the small knife he had thrown at her.
"Keladry!"
She turned and sent the knife full length into Maggur's thigh as he charged. He fell, half kneeling on the frozen tundra. Digging his sword in the dirt, he tried to stand. Kel hit him under the chin with end of the teakwood staff and knocked him over. Kicking the sword away, she held the razor edge of the glaive to his neck. He looked up at her, his delusion shining openly in his eyes.
"I only wanted what was best for my kingdom."
Kel's rage boiled at the blindness in his words.
"If you wanted what was best for your kingdom, you would have sought a peaceful path. Instead, you lied to yourself and your people, bringing only destruction. The gods of this land have decided. Your unity was false."
With a sound thump, she hit him over the head and he collapsed unconscious. The chiefs circled around her as she leaned on her glaive for balance. The Viper chief Apep asked,
"Why did you not kill him? We would not have held it against you."
Kel shook her head. "He's defeated. His plots are known now, so he can do no more harm. It was not my place to execute him." The dizziness increased tenfold and her legs gave out. Just before she hit the ground, strong arms caught her. The worried and relieved face of Dom came into view through the growing darkness. He smiled, brushing the hair from her cheek.
"Keladry, I must say that the title of Protector of the Small needs some adjusting. You can't keep doing these things on your own."
Her heart gave a small leap of joy but she only had the strength enough to shift closer in his grasp.
"Dom?"
"Yes, love?"
"Shut up."