“I and those who came before me have ruled these waters since just after the fall of the last emperor. I refuse to be the one that surrenders our power.”
“You prefer death to service?” He shook his head at the madness of humanity.
A faint scuff was the only warning he received.
Binder shifted and spun, avoiding the thrust of a dagger by inches.
A second woman, a younger version of Lady Shiv, stood between Binder and her mother. She wore loose-fitting black trousers and tunic. In her hand she held a foot-long black dagger that appeared as a hole in reality. The woman herself didn’t register to his sorcerous senses either.
“That’s how you killed my knight,” he said. “A death dagger. I haven’t seen one in ages, yet you have at least two. Impressive. Where did you get them?”
The daughter ignored his question, thrusting and stabbing at him with her weapon. He dodged easily. The black dagger would protect her from his external soul force, but she had no hope of landing a blow given his speed.
That one surprise attack had been her only hope and she had to know it, yet she fought on. To protect her mother or her future as the next pirate queen? That was an interesting question.
They danced around the room, Binder always two steps ahead of her.
“If you surrender now,” he said. “I will allow you to rule in your mother’s place. You’ll have to swear your allegiance to the throne of course, but that’s a small price to pay to save your life.”
This time it was the click of a crossbow that warned him. At inhuman speed Binder turned and snatched a crossbow bolt out of the air.
It had a tip made of the same black metal as the death dagger. Lady Shiv was busy loading another bolt.
He crossed the room in a blink, slapped the weapon aside, and grabbed her by the throat. “You are determined, I’ll grant you that.”
Binder hurled her across the cabin so she ended up at her daughter’s feet. “Choose! Kill her and take your place as my servant or die a loyal daughter.”
The young woman looked from him to her mother and back again. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind.
As he expected the decision didn’t take long.
“Forgive me, Mother.” The dagger rose and fell, plunging into Lady Shiv’s chest.
Death was instantaneous and the blade disintegrated to dust. At least it seemed he’d found a rational human.
“Will your mother’s followers give you any trouble?” Binder asked.
“A few might, but I’ll deal with them if it becomes necessary.” She faced him squarely. “What are your orders?”
“You will return to the capital with me to swear your oath before returning and gathering your forces in Sheng-Zen. I will join you once I’ve dealt with a couple minor matters.”
“What happens then?”
“We cross the ocean and reclaim what rightfully belongs to the empire.”
She cocked her head. “You mean the Lost Colony? No one has ever sailed there and returned to speak of it. Most consider it impossible.”
“Who said anything about sailing? Just be sure to have your ships and fighters ready. I plan to leave as soon as I arrive.” Binder took a step toward the door then turned back. “What is your name?”
She smiled. “Lady Shiv.”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Damien reached the outskirts of the capital about an hour after he left the army camp. No enemy challenged him as he flew over the outer wall. The streets were practically deserted. At midday that was beyond rare. No way Nathanial would let him enter the city this easily. Where could everyone be?
He shrugged and landed in an empty park just off the main street. He sensed neither sorcerers or warlords nearby. In fact he didn’t sense any in the entire city. That couldn’t be right. There had to be prisoners at the very least. Even if they weren’t actively using their powers he should still be able to sense them. Maybe if he traveled on foot someone would see him and come out to talk. Sometimes he forgot how intimidating a flying sorcerer could be to the ordinary citizens. Damien always tried to act friendly, but plenty of others didn’t bother.
The castle waited about half a mile from where he landed. As he walked, Damien kept his senses peeled for any threats. Every building he passed had people inside, but no enemies waiting to leap out and attack. Should he knock? Maybe someone could tell him what was going on.
No, if they were scared, better not to do anything to make it worse. “Do you sense anything, Lizzy?”
Fear. Lots of fear.
He couldn’t read the thoughts or emotions of others the way Lizzy did, but nothing else made much sense. The cultists must have done something horrible to terrify everyone like this. When Damien got his hands on Duke Carmichael, he was going to regret what he’d done.
Five blocks from the castle he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Damien turned to find an older man and two kids hiding in an alley between a dry goods store and a leather-works. They stared at him like he was an ogre preparing to rip them apart and devour them.
He plastered on his friendliest smile and crossed the street. “It’s okay. I’m not with the Binder cultists. My name’s Damien St. Cloud. Can you tell me what happened?”
The man took a tentative step closer and his eyes widened. “I recognize you from the awards ceremony. You’re the demon slayer.”
Damien held in a wince. “That’s right. Where is everyone?”
“Inside out of sight. The usurpers made a citywide announcement that anyone caught outside their homes today would be executed. I got caught out and no one would let me back in. Me and the little ones have been hiding ever since. Truth is, when I saw you I figured we were done for.”
“When did they give this order?” Damien asked.
“This morning, early. Why?”
“Just curious.” They’d abandoned the army camp early this morning as well. The cultists were up to something and he needed to figure out what. “I’m pretty sure they’ve left the city so everyone should be safe. If you could spread the word while I check out the castle, I’d be grateful.”
“Don’t know if anyone will listen, but I’ll do my best. Be careful at the castle. There’re some mean ones up there.”
“I will be, thanks.”
Damien resumed his trek, leaving the father and his kids to hopefully let everyone know that the danger had passed. A short, silent flight brought him to the castle gate. No guards manned their posts and no sorcerers flew overhead. A few soul forces remained inside, but none of them felt especially strong, at least from a distance.
There was only one way to be sure about what happened. He shrugged and flew to the keep entrance. The double doors stood wide open and welcoming. It felt like a trap, but who would be dumb enough to set a trap for him?
The uncertainty annoyed him, but he walked through, his shield sparking with excess power. He needn’t have wasted the energy. No one leapt out or hurled soul force blasts. The entry hall was as empty as it seemed. As, he discovered a moment later, was the throne room.
Maybe Duke Carmichael had left some prisoners behind. There had to be someone here that could tell him what was going on.
Damien made his way to the steps leading down to the dungeon. There were definitely people down here. He conjured a light and started down the stark, stone passage. All the cell doors had their viewing windows shut.
Behind the first one he found four men in guard uniforms lying catatonic on the floor. Only the steady flow of soul force proved they were still alive. He continued his exploration, finding more of the same in every cell, including warlords and sorcerers, their soul force so suppressed he barely felt the difference between them and the regular soldiers. Whatever they did to the army, they’d also done to the prisoners here.
Abandoning his useless exploration, Damien stretched out his awareness and found another presence upstairs, in the royal apartment he was pretty sure. It wasn’t anyone especially danger
ous, just an ordinary person—maybe one of the servants had hidden out there. It was his final chance to find someone useful.
He jogged back upstairs through the eerily empty halls to the royal apartment. At his gesture the doors swung open. Queen Audra sat on the sofa in the living room as though waiting for company to arrive.
She raised an eyebrow in Damien’s direction. “Of course it would be you. Take it all in. I’m sure my downfall will bring you great pleasure.”
Damien had never gotten along especially well with Audra, but the spite in her voice surprised him. “What happened?”
“When my ungrateful daughter escaped, Duke Carmichael—the rat—blamed his failure on me and banished me from the cult. He would have done worse, he said, but figured my dear husband’s punishment would be harsher than anything he might devise.”
“Do you really believe that?” Damien asked. “If you do then you don’t know Uncle Andy at all. He’s angry, I am too for that matter, but he’s not a cruel man. I don’t think he’s either capable of or inclined to do what you both fear and deserve. Either way we’ll find out soon enough. I’m taking you back to him right now.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Queen Audra didn’t say a word to Damien the entire way back to the army camp. He hadn’t expected much in the way of conversation, but he had thought she might try to justify herself or offer some kind of explanation for why she’d betrayed her family and country. Instead she stared off into the distance as though totally indifferent to her fate.
Damien brought his chariot down near where he sensed Jen on the assumption that was where Uncle Andy would be. He guessed wrong, but his sister was certainly interested in the queen.
“How’d you capture her?” Jen asked.
“I didn’t. She was just sitting there waiting for me. Looks like her partners cut her loose. Where’s Uncle Andy?”
“General Kord’s tent with the archmage, plotting. John arrived ten minutes ago. He’s looking at his father now. Hopefully he’ll figure something out.”
“Hopefully.”
Damien set out with the silent queen. Jen fell in beside him. She probably wanted to hear what Audra had to say as much as he did. The rest of the group was deployed around the camp perimeter to ensure no one snuck up on them. Nobody was ready to believe that the enemy had simply picked up and walked away, not after everything they went through to take over.
Damien and Jen didn’t bother to announce themselves when they reached the giant tent. His master would know he was there anyway so they just pushed through the flap. Uncle Andy and the archmage sat at the central table studying a map. They looked up as he entered.
The king’s face turned red and the muscle in his jaw bunched. “Explain, quickly.”
“She was just waiting for me,” Damien said. “I found what I assume are loyal guards locked up in the dungeon. They were in a similar state as the soldiers here. Of the Binder worshippers there was no sign.”
“They abandoned the capital?” The archmage sounded incredulous and Damien didn’t blame her. Controlling the kingdom’s capital held considerable symbolic value.
“As far as I can tell,” Damien said. “The people were terrified to set foot out of their doors. I told one man it was safe and asked him to spread the word. When nothing happens for a while, maybe people will relax.”
Uncle Andy turned to Audra. “Well? I know you’re not stupid enough to think I’d take you back after what you did. So why are you here?”
“I’m going to explain things to you, Andrew, and, while I doubt you’ll believe me, every word I’m going to say is the truth. Your tame sorcerers can confirm that easily enough. Yes, Duke Carmichael decided I was no longer of much value since I failed to control our daughter long enough for him to marry her.”
“How can you say that so calmly?” Uncle Andy demanded. “You tried to force our daughter to marry a man more than twice her age who arranged to have his wife and son murdered. Is that truly the sort of person you want her to spend the rest of her life with?”
“It was necessary,” Audra said in a cold voice. “My preferences have nothing to do with it. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I’m going to try one last time. The Binder is coming. His power is unlike anything any of us have experienced. No one and nothing can stop him. If we resist many people will die. Pledging our allegiance is the only way to save the kingdom. I know you have some plot up your sleeve. Maybe you imagine it will work. I allowed myself to be captured and brought before you knowing full well what you might do in the hope, distant as it might be, that I could convince you of this one simple truth.”
Damien and everyone else present stared at Audra. Damien sensed no lie in her words. Whatever the facts, she was telling the truth as she understood it. She hadn’t seen the dragons’ power and knew nothing about what they intended. He doubted it would make any difference if she did. The depth of her belief was unshakeable.
“Playing the martyr, Audra?” Uncle Andy said. “The longsuffering wife trying to explain things to her foolish husband? Did it ever occur to you that the people of the kingdom might prefer to fight for their freedom rather than lie down and live as slaves? I suppose not since you already became the archangel’s slave voluntarily. I don’t know what you thought I was going to do to you, but my only intention is to keep you around long enough to watch your master fail. After that we’ll arrange a nice quiet place for you to spend the rest of your life, far away from anyone you might twist with your poisoned words. Someone get her out of my sight.”
“Wait,” the archmage said. “Do you know what was done to the soldiers and guards?”
“They were fed poison of some sort,” Audra said. “I don’t know exactly what. That wasn’t my area of responsibility.”
At the archmage’s nod Jen grabbed Audra’s arm and dragged her out of the tent. They didn’t have a cell handy so she’d have to find some rope and tie her up. That shouldn’t take Jen long.
“So what do you want me to do now?” Damien asked.
“I haven’t decided yet,” the archmage said. “We need to figure out what Duke Carmichael has in mind for his next move so we can make plans. You didn’t find any clues about where he was headed?”
Damien shook his head. “I didn’t look around much after I found the queen. Maybe she knows what the rest of her group is up to.”
“Don’t call her that.” Uncle Andy’s voice was harsh and ragged like it was taking everything he had not to burst into tears. “That woman is no queen.”
“Sorry.” Damien shot his master a questioning look but she shook her head.
“No, I’m sorry. My head isn’t in a good place right now. Excuse me.” Uncle Andy hurried out of the tent.
“He’s taking it harder than I expected,” Damien said. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her here. I wasn’t sure what else to do.”
“You did the right thing,” the archmage said. “I’ll question Audra more closely later and on my own. Andrew is a surprisingly sensitive man. It’s part of what makes him a good king, but it also leaves him vulnerable to things like this. It’s our job to help him.”
Damien nodded. He thought of Uncle Andy like a second father. He’d do anything he could for him.
Chapter Seventy
It took nearly half a day for the wounded paladins to fully recover and Marie-Bell felt Sir Collin’s impatience grow with every second. Somehow he kept his peace and when Cella pronounced them ready to go, ordered everyone into the air.
That was two hours ago and now the mountains filled their vision. The jagged peaks thrust up like broken daggers. The highest of them were wreathed in thick clouds so dark they hid the summits. From below it was impossible to figure out which one was tallest. They’d have to fly above the clouds and see which one they wanted.
Marie-Bell stretched out with her sorcerous senses, hoping for some sign the golden dragon was actually there for them to find. Maybe it showed a lack of faith in their angelic partners,
but since no one had seen this thing in a long time, having some sign of its presence would be nice. Unfortunately, she ended up disappointed. It felt like nothing existed above the clouds.
Then again something was moving up there. She squinted and further enhanced her sight. What was that? A handful of tiny specks were falling right toward them and growing bigger by the second.
It was the Binder’s warriors. “Ware above!”
Her warning came a moment too late for one of her comrades. Chains appeared from nowhere, piercing the woman through the chest, killing her instantly.
Power flowed as the others strengthened their shields.
More chains appeared out of thin air, lashing the paladins and putting them on the defensive.
Marie-Bell cut a chain out of the air and deflected a second, numbing her hands. The enemy felt even more powerful than during their last attack.
“Close in!” Sir Collin ordered. “Don’t let them attack at range.”
If they were this powerful from a distance, the paladins would be torn apart close up. Before Marie-Bell could warn everyone they charged behind Sir Collin.
Two paladins died almost instantly, pierced through by dozens of chains. Marie-Bell urged her conjured mount to greater speed. She had to buy time for the others to disengage.
Her opponent from the earlier ambush flew toward her, a vicious smile on his face. His chain sword formed as he closed and when their blades met the clash was deafening.
She was right, he was far stronger now. It took all her strength just to avoid losing her grip on the Demon Slayer sword. Every strike numbed her hands and drained strength from her arms.
How was she ever going to beat this monster?
Don’t despair. I am with you.
The voice of her partner! It filled her with hope and warmth. He’d never spoken to her before in the middle of a battle. Was the situation really so dire?
On Blackened Wings Page 24