01 Wing Warrior (32 page)
Authors: Kevin Outlaw
‘I won’t change my mind.’
‘Talking to yourself?’ Sky asked, walking down the shore past the ugly pier wreckage.
Tidal cleared his throat awkwardly, and kept his eyes fixed on the point where the bubbles had been rising. ‘I was talking to the water,’ he said.
‘Why?’
‘Because there was nobody else here.’
‘I suppose that makes sense.’
They were quiet for a moment, standing close, but not that close: not close enough to touch.
‘How are the injured?’ Tidal asked.
‘Recovering well.’
‘And that soldier from the fort?’
‘Hawk’s fine, although he says he has no intention of ever returning to his position as watchman. And we’ve had word from Flint Lock that the other sick soldiers are recovering too.’
‘That’s good news.’
‘Everything’s getting back to normal.’
Tidal laughed unpleasantly through his nose. ‘How can you possibly say that? Nimbus is a Wing Warrior now. He flies around on a dragon. Flint Lock and Landmark are in ruins. There are goblins in the woods. Not just old stories, real goblins. Glass is a witch...’
‘She’s not a witch.’
‘What else do you call it?’
‘She’s not a witch.’
‘You keep telling yourself that. And keep telling yourself that everything’s the same.’
‘We’re still the same.’
Tidal saw something glint in the water. He could still hear that hissing, gurgling, bubbling voice in his head. ‘I’m not so sure,’ he said.
‘But at least we’re still together,’ Sky said. ‘So come on.’
‘Come on where?’
‘We need to get ready.’
‘Get ready for what?’
‘The party, Silly.’
Tidal rolled his eyes theatrically. ‘Of course, the party. Nimbus’s big event. How could I possibly forget?’
***
Captain Obsidian stood in the great ceremony hall of Lord Citrine’s palace. He was in his full ceremonial armour, which he had only ever worn once before, and his heart was pounding as he waited at one end of the long red carpet.
At the other end of the carpet, sat on a high–backed throne, was Lord Citrine, a rather slim but handsome man with yellow hair, who looked too young to be the lord protector of the lands of men. His beautiful wife was sitting beside him in a similar, but less elegant, throne. She was wearing a flowing silver gown with flowers in her hair and diamond circlets around her wrists. Her skin was pale, and her eyes large, and she was as close to a stone sculpture as any human could be.
Captain Obsidian licked his lips. He had been drinking a lot of water, but his mouth still felt dry.
‘Captain Obsidian of the Landmark garrison,’ Lord Citrine said, in a commanding voice that suggested strength beyond his age. ‘You may approach the throne.’
Obsidian swallowed. Rows and rows of spectators, lining the carpet on either side, watched him quietly.
This was it. His moment.
He started walking up the carpet on wobbling legs. Beads of sweat formed on his face. When he reached the throne he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
‘Captain Obsidian,’ Lord Citrine said. ‘You have shown great courage in the defence of our lands. You have performed acts above and beyond the call of duty in my service, facing not just one but two dragons in deadly combat.’
Obsidian mumbled something, which might have been, ‘It’s my job.’ As if anybody could seriously be expected to believe that fighting dragons was part of a normal working day.
‘As such,’ Lord Citrine went on, ‘I am giving you the greatest honour it is within my power to give. From this day forward, you are no longer a captain, you are a guardian of the realm, and will take up immediate position here at Crystal Shine, where you will have a command of two thousand men.’
Obsidian was caught completely by surprise. ‘Guardian? Two thousand men?’ The words were clumsy, half–stuck in his throat. ‘But that’s... I can’t...’
Lord Citrine smiled a warm and open smile. ‘You are fully deserving of the position.’
‘But... My garrison. Landmark.’
‘A new captain will be appointed to assume your role as captain of the Landmark garrison.’
Obsidian’s men were watching. Men he had played cards with, trained with, hunted Nimbus with, fought Cumulo with. They looked happy for him.
‘That’s very kind of you,’ he said, awkwardly. ‘It’s what I thought I always wanted...’
‘What you thought you wanted?’
Obsidian swallowed again. He could barely believe what he was about to say. ‘I’m afraid I can’t accept the position you’re offering me.’
‘You... can’t?’
‘I mean, that is to say, I would like to take the position.’ He paused, thinking it through before speaking. ‘It’s a great honour, but I would like to, if I could, if it would be all right with you, stay with my men. We’ve been through a lot together recently, and I think it would be for the best.’
‘You wish to stay in the village?’
‘The way I see it, Crystal Shine is well protected, there are more than enough good men here. But Landmark... I think I’m needed there. The world has become more dangerous, and a place like Landmark cannot stand alone against that danger.’
Lord Citrine nodded. ‘You are a good man, and now you have the opportunity to be a great man. Don’t turn down that opportunity out of a sense of duty.’
‘Landmark needs to be rebuilt. The grass and trees are already starting to grow again, but it will take a lot of work to put the homes of the people back together. It is my village, and rebuilding it is my responsibility. I would like to stay there, even if it means I am just a good man, and not a great one.’
Lady Citrine spoke then, and her voice was as beautiful as she was. ‘We must all do what we feel is right.’
Lord Citrine raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded slightly, so slightly the motion would only have been noticed by the most observant members of the crowd.
‘So be it,’ Lord Citrine said. ‘You may retain your position as captain of the garrison.’
Obsidian rose. ‘Thank you, My Lord.’ He turned smartly on his heel and walked back down the carpet. He was still a captain, with no more power than what was his when he walked up the carpet, but he felt stronger than he had ever felt before.
He felt good.
He felt better than good.
He felt great.
‘And now,’ Lord Citrine said, ‘the main reason we are gathered here today. Nimbus, Wing Warrior, will approach the throne to receive the thanks of the people he has saved.’
The crowd looked on expectantly.
***
Meanwhile, in a large room down the corridor from the hall where Lord and Lady Citrine were waiting for him, Nimbus was looking at himself in a full–length mirror. He was wearing the Wing Warrior armour, and trying to adjust the various plates to fit him a little better.
Cumulo was hunched in the corner, breathing as loud as a rumbling volcano.
‘Have you been to Sorro... I mean... Have you been to Mother’s burial mound yet?’ Nimbus asked, sitting his helmet on his head awkwardly.
‘Not yet.’
‘You should. They found a good spot for her, down under the mill on the hill. The sun shines there for the longest part of the day, and golden flowers have already started to grow.’
‘I will go soon, but not yet. For me, the sadness is still too fresh, and I have not been hatched long enough to understand the emotions I feel when I think about her death.’
‘Seeing the grave might help.’
‘Perhaps. But today is not a day for dealing with grief. Today is your day.’
Nimbus adjusted his chest guard. ‘This armour is too big,’ he moaned.
‘You’re already growing into it.’
‘I’m going to look a fool.’
‘You will look like the hero all these people know you are. Lord Citrine is going to recognise your birthright as the last true Wing Warrior. You are part of a legend that dates back many hundreds of years. It is a great honour.’
‘It is an honour, but I cannot help being afraid of what it means. The people will turn to me now, whenever there is a problem, and Sorrow is just the beginning. There is a greater threat.’
‘You mean Crow, the man from your dream?’
‘Yes. He is terrifying beyond imagination. Handsome on the surface, but different underneath. Full of hatred that is just looking for a way out to hurt people.’
‘But as terrifying as he may be, we will stand and face him. Together.’
‘Together.’ Nimbus looked hard at his reflection in the mirror. ‘You really believe in us, don’t you?’
‘And you don’t?’
‘I don’t know. Captain Spectre said I should.’
‘You’ve seen Captain Spectre?’
‘No.’ Nimbus looked embarrassed. ‘I spoke with him, but I couldn’t see him. He said it was because I didn’t believe enough.’
Cumulo nodded. ‘I suspect the next time you meet him, you will see things more clearly. You are somewhat changed from the boy I first met in that cave.’
There was a timid knock and Glass poked her head around the door. ‘They’re waiting for you, Nim,’ she said.
‘Okay.’
Glass waited for a moment. She looked the same as she always did, but Nimbus was acutely aware she was different now, in a way that was not immediately obvious. Some unimaginable and destructive power had awoken insider her; a power he could never hope to understand. She was a magic user.
‘Hurry up,’ she said, turning to leave. ‘Just because you died twice, that doesn’t give you the right to keep people waiting.’
‘Glass,’ Nimbus said.
‘What?’
‘Thank you.’
She grinned, the same way she always grinned, and for that single moment, at least, Nimbus felt that everything was going to be okay.
‘You know what?’ she said. ‘In that armour you kind of look like Daddy.’
‘I do?’
‘A little bit.’
She closed the door behind her.
Nimbus adjusted his shoulder plates, and strapped on his sword belt. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘there are a lot of people out there waiting to see a Wing Warrior. I guess, whether I believe it or not, that’s me.’
He took a last look at himself in the mirror, standing next to his dragon friend.
Already the armour didn’t seem so big.
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN...
THE UNICORN RIDER
- Book Two of The Legend Riders -
Nimbus has defeated the black dragon, Sorrow; but his problems are only just beginning. Glass is losing control of the magical energies coursing through her body, and Nimbus must quest into the realms of the dead to find a unicorn, the only thing that can save his sister’s life.
But there are powerful enemies who want the unicorn for their own reasons: The necromancer, Crow; the all-seeing cyclops, Carnelian; and the immortal Vampyr. And while Nimbus walks the path between life and death, his best friend Tidal chooses to take a dark path of his own.
There is danger on all sides, and this time Nimbus won’t have his father, his friends, or his dragon to help him...
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www.thelegendriders.com
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