Wings of Justice (City of Light Book 1)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  "I won't hesitate to protect this city from people like you," I growled at him.

  "People like me?" He feigned injury by placing his hand on his chest over his heart.

  "Murderers, thieves, and drug dealers."

  "Ahhh, well. You are late for your celebration party, and I am late for a nap on this comfortable jail cot."

  "I'll be asking you more questions tomorrow," I said as he turned his back to me and walked to the bed in the corner. "In Manus' inn, you mentioned that half a million people would die. I am going to be starting there."

  "Oh? That will be interesting, but you might not like my answers. Don't forget your holster and ammo pouches. Did you finish loading it? Make sure you do that now." He waved his hand as he walked away, and he didn't turn back toward me.

  "What? Why?" I asked the man, but he had reached the cot and was pretending to sleep on it.

  I figured that I would interrogate him all day tomorrow and figure out the depth of his criminal undertakings. Tonight, I would take a break and celebrate with my mentor, my wingmate, and the rest of my family at Juliana's Place.

  I took a few steps toward the exit of the nest and then stopped myself. Then I walked into the bullpen, to my desk. I loaded the pan of my pistol with the black powder, closed the frizzen over the dish to keep it from falling out, and put the weapon in the holster. The other pouches fit onto my belt, and I gave one last look at Dust's cell before I walked out of the building.

  Chapter 20

  "Then she kicks him in the balls and throws him out of here with one hand! His two buddies try to fight, but she breaks one guy's arm and the other one's nose. They haven't been back here since!" Juliana leaned her head back and let out a roaring laugh that was almost matched by Fallon's.

  "Ugh, you tell that story almost every night," I smirked at the big blonde woman, and then drained the last of my beer.

  "It's a good story. I don't need to hire a bouncer. Everyone just knows you are here for every meal, and if they try to start something, you'll just give them a thrashing. Now that you are a Potentia, it is even better," Juliana said as she replaced my empty beer glass with a full one.

  "I enjoyed the tale. Did I tell you about her first day? She broke through someone's roof and the first floor of their apartment," Fallon said.

  "Ugh. This is embarrassing." I put my head in my hands and moaned. We had been drinking for what felt like four hours, and while I wasn't completely intoxicated, the walls were wobbling a bit when I turned my head too quickly.

  "Not as embarrassing as your brother getting rejected by Captain Ocellina all night." Severa slid into the barstool next to mine and gestured to a table where my brother sat with the raven-haired beauty and one of my Potentia sisters, Iovia. I couldn't hear what Vibus was saying to my boss, but the look on Ocellina and Iovia's face made it apparent that they thought he was ridiculous.

  "He is going to get me fired," I jested with the red-headed woman.

  "I doubt it. You might be the only person in Petrasada who has been blessed twice. I'm thinking that Ocellina should be worried about you taking over in a few months."

  "That is very unlikely," I said with a laugh.

  "Yeah, but you gotta hand it to Vibus, he has ignored every other girl in the tavern tonight. I think he is in love."

  "He is an idiot," I laughed again.

  "Oh, speaking of love," my friend turned toward me and wrinkled her freckled nose, "did you talk to that handsome man?"

  "Handsome man?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah, he asked if I knew you. I told him that of course I did, we are best friends. I told him to go talk to you, but he seemed shy. He didn't need to be though. I was about to ask him if he could come back to my place so we could drink privately."

  "What did he look like?"

  "Tall, muscular, dark brown hair. Beautiful eyes. Light brown, like amber. He told me his name, but I can't remember, probably because I hadn't drunk enough." Severa frowned and then spun one of her red curls.

  "Ash?"

  Yes! That was it! How do you know him?" her green eyes grew bright, and she leaned closer toward me so that she could hear better.

  "I don't really know him. Did he say anything else?" I asked, and I realized that my heart was beating quickly.

  "He asked about you, I pointed over to your usual spot at the bar and told him to go talk to you. Then he said something like, 'she knows where to find me if she wants to talk. His voice was really deep and sexy. Then I decided that I wanted him to come back to my place, but he had already left."

  I sighed and brought my fresh glass of beer up to my mouth. I felt as if the Apa Pool water that I had drank was still burning my throat and stomach, but the beer seemed to numb the weird tingle for a few minutes.

  Should I go talk to Ash now? Should I go arrest him? I doubted that the man would actually be waiting for me at his uncle's blacksmith's shop, and the thought of seeing him again made me uncomfortable in ways that it shouldn't. What I really needed to do was talk to the captain at length tomorrow about what had really happened. Then we could interrogate Dust. Then I could seek out Ash and arrest him. The plan bounced around in my drunken head for a few more moments, and I decided that it was a good one.

  "Mind if I slide in here?" Ocellina stood next to Severa suddenly, and the green-eyed woman blushed the same shade as her hair.

  "No ma'am." Severa moved a seat over at the bar, and my captain sat between us.

  "Your brother--"

  "Is an ass. I apologize for anything disgusting he might have said to you, and will say to you anytime he is around you in the future."

  "Haha," she laughed, and it sounded like bells over the ugly roar of the crowd. "He's a character for sure. If I was younger, and not a Potentia, I would probably fall in love with him. It would be foolish of course, but that is what love is, no?" She raised her glass of beer to toast.

  "That is what the minstrels say," I said as I brought our glasses together.

  I was about to ask her of her experiences in her orphanage, to see if we had a lot in common, but the door to the pink-painted tavern swung open suddenly. A pair of Potentia from my nest walked inside and waved to me. I recognized them as Karcsi and Villetta. For a second, I thought that they might have just gotten off their shift, but their faces were grim, and the talk inside of the tavern silenced instantly.

  "What is it?" Ocellina asked as she slid from her stool with the grace of a cat.

  "The man known as Dust escaped. They used mining dynamite to blow a hole through the wall of the nest," Villetta said.

  "And they threw a smoke bomb into the bullpen," Karcsi said.

  "Shit!" Fallon and I cursed at the same time. The captain raised her hand, and the room was silent again.

  "What else?"

  "Pruet Carna was murdered in all the confusion," Villetta said, and her jaw tightened.

  "I see," Ocellina sighed. "Alright Potentia, time to go back to work." The other six women were already standing, and I waved back to my friends as we walked out of the building.

  "I want everyone back at the nest except for Anelia." The women nodded at the order, and they all opened their Alulas into feathery wings.

  "Should I stay?" Fallon asked.

  "No, head back. Anelia hasn't slept in three days. I want her to get some rest."

  "I don't need to sleep, captain. Dust was my catch. I want to find him again." I felt my stomach thrash around uncomfortably, and I cleared my throat. I didn't feel drunk anymore, and my nerves felt only anger at Dust's escape.

  "I know you do, but if that man was actually the Dust that we think he is, we aren't going to find him. He had this escape planned. Maybe he even had it planned before you caught him stealing from Restina. One additional pair of eyes isn't going to find him at this point. I have to look out for the Potentia under my command, so I want you to rest at least until the suns are at midday, but I'll be happier if you come in later."

  "But I--"

  "
No," she held up a finger. "Fallon will cover for you. Rest. That is an order. Understand?"

  "Yes, ma'am." I nodded at her, and she smiled.

  "Let's go, Fallon," Ocellina said as she took to the air.

  "Sleep, Anelia. I'll bring you up to speed when you get back." My wingmate nodded to me and followed the beautiful woman's climb into the early morning sky.

  I waited until they were just light blue dots in the distance. Then I commanded my Alula to turn into wings. They beat their feathered muscles against the air, and I slowly rose above Juliana's tavern.

  I was tired. No, I was exhausted. But now I felt like a raw nerve, and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. So instead of flying home and obeying my captain's orders, I turned my body to face the lower levels of the city. Then I glided toward the blacksmith's shop where I knew I would find Ash.

  If one brother had escaped, I would just arrest the other.

  End of book 1

  Thank you for reading this novel. Don't forget to write a review!

  Anelia’s Potentia work continues in Wings of Law City of Light Book 2

  Love Wings of Justice? You will love his epic novel The Destroyer!

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  Editing by Andy Waters

  Cover art by Ivan Tao

  Typography by John Poh

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Michael-Scott Earle

  Destroyer Book 1

  Chapter 1-Kaiyer

  When I dreamed, it was always of floating green islands. Slow waterfalls tumbled off the sides of rocky earth and disappeared into smoky blankets of mist and unpainted clouds. I jumped between the floating islands with a lazy, drifting bounce, somersaulting amid endless blue sky, punctured by the occasional flock of giant white birds.

  In the far distance, sailing ships passed through the azure air like it was water. Often I attempted to reach these vessels, but even my greatest leaps fell short and left me to land on another lush island, conveniently placed to catch my fall. In this dream paradise I never noticed anything living besides the trees, birds, and the distant ships.

  Perhaps it is wrong of me to say when I dreamed, as if I only did it sometimes.

  I was always dreaming.

  I had dreamed of islands for so long, I knew no other life. Then an awakening began. A soft, orange glow peeled back the colors of blue, green, brown, and white, like a sun rising in the morning. The light came from torches which lit the cavernous mausoleum where I had been kept. I don't remember smelling anything in my dreams, but as my crypt was illuminated, my nostrils filled with the aroma of dirt, dust, death, and terror.

  Fear emanated from those who awoke me. The delicious scent of their terror filled the cavern like the light pouring from their torches, reflecting off the stone floor and around the group. The five stood twenty feet from me, three males and two females.

  Closest to me was a boy with shaggy brown hair, freckles, and disheveled clothes covered with dirt. He held a leather-bound book, its pages and spine crumbling with wear only decades of use would beget. The boy's flesh almost matched the color of the clouds from my dreams, and his dilated pupils hid the true shade of his eyes. His heart raced like the staccato rush of a warhorse galloping down a rocky slope.

  Behind the boy was a man holding a bow with an arrow notched and pointed at my face. His leather clothes were cut tight against his body and oiled to a soft shine. His long dark hair was tied back and his eyes were giant pools of blue. His hands shook as he struggled to keep from releasing the shaft he had pulled back. There seemed something familiar about the man, but my lethargic brain fought against any attempt to remember, and my eyes darted to the next member of the group.

  To the left and five feet behind the man crouched an attractive woman who had recently passed her girlish years. Her thick dark brown hair was knotted up into a ponytail on the top of her head. She wore tight-fitting leather pants and a suede-patched green shirt. The clothes were covered in a fine layer of dirt, splotched with mud. She surely spent an abundant amount of time in the sun, her skin was almost the same shade as the dark patches of leather on her tunic. Her soft brown eyes gazed down the long sight of a heavy crossbow with determination, its unwavering barbed tip pointed at my sternum. The sound of her heartbeat might as well have been a soothing breeze of wind chimes when compared to the boy and archer.

  I would have to kill her first.

  Five feet behind the brown-haired beauty towered a large, grizzled man who carried a single-sided battle axe and a metal shield engraved with light purple etching. His chain mail hung about him, weightless as comfortable pajamas. He seemed ready for combat, but I tasted his fear like I sampled the dust and dirt in the air. His protective stance made me wonder whom he was blocking from my gaze. I focused behind him, and when my vision adjusted to the light I saw he stood in front of a beautiful girl. She peeped from behind the old man's shield at me with horror and disbelief.

  The maiden had long blonde tresses cascading like white waves down to her lower back. A sudden memory of similar hair, but sun bright copper in color, ran through my thoughts and then disappeared before I could capture it. Her eyes were light blue, and her pale, creamy skin made me think of a cold drink of milk on a blistering day. She wore a fine looking purple tunic of crushed velvet and thick leather riding pants. Sparkles of gold at her ears and neck hinted at exquisite jewelry, but before I could focus on the glitter, the girl noticed my attention and ducked behind the big axe warrior.

  The young boy said something, so I gently turned my gaze toward him to ensure the man and woman pointing weapons at me would not be startled. The boy stuttered out words I did not comprehend and I squinted at him in an effort to make my brain puzzle meaning from his language.

  I sat on a long stone platform. The gray dais felt cold to the touch and it reminded me of the waterfalls that had been my companions for so long. I couldn’t remember anything before the islands. Maybe I didn't want to recall memories from before those dreams.

  The boy shuffled his feet and studied his book with intensity.

  "Are . . . you . . . the O'Baarni?" he stuttered through a thick accent. The name filled me with memories. A handsome man with dark hair, graying at his temples. A massive battlefield, rivers of fresh blood streaming around countless bodies. Men, women, horses. The smell of flowers and the brief flash of thick copper hair. Mocking laughter.

  A single scream of heart-rending agony.

  "Are you, the O'Baarni?" he said again, glancing back and forth between his book and my face. I realized that I was clothed in a soft gray robe and my bare feet touched the cold stone of the cavern floor. Sudden energy pulsed through me like the tide of an ocean. A memory of power came to my head, but the sensation was more familiar than a fleeting recollection.

  "I do not know," I said. My brain told my mouth to say the words and my lips obeyed reluctantly. Still, he seemed startled by my response. "I have been dreaming. Is this a dream too? Were you supposed to wake me?" The boy glanced down at his book and flipped through the pages with frantic speed.

  The large old man barked something command-like, and the boy replied back in their foreign tongue. The skittish man with the bow shifted his feet, but he didn't concern me. I found my eyes focusing again on the dark-haired young woma
n with the barbed crossbow aimed at my chest. Our eyes met and I held her gaze. After a few moments she started to bite her lip, and her heart began to beat faster. She said something strained to the boy and I gave her a small smile.

  "We . . . can . . . not sleep . . . you . . . O'Baarni?" he said with hopeful emotion in his eyes.

  Exhaustion crashed into me after the boy asked his question. I wanted to go back to the island, but I fought against the sudden desire to lie again on the stone and drift away to sleep. Another memory struggled beneath a thin layer of emptiness, as if I might be close to recalling something once held sacred.

  "I can't remember. What is your name?" I spoke gently, wishing that he would understand better.

  "I am named Paug!" He couldn't help smiling with excitement, and I found myself mirroring his enthusiasm. The other four people watching our exchange relaxed somewhat and I guessed that they meant me no harm.

  "What are your friends named?" I figured an introduction would keep the woman from putting a hole through the important part of my chest.

  He pointed behind him to the man with the bow.

  "His name is Iarin." The man seemed startled to be introduced to me and managed a ghost of a smile.

  "Her name is Nadea." The woman with the crossbow nodded but didn't lower her weapon.

  "His name is Greykin," he said, pointing at the old warrior. Greykin also nodded before clearing his throat and spitting.

  "She is Jessmei." The beautiful girl smiled at me and raised her right hand, then brushed the loose yellow hair back over her ear.

  "What is your name?" the boy asked me after he had introduced his friends.

  I considered the language barrier before answering.

  "I don't remember." I tapped two fingers to my temple and shook my head. Paug flipped through his book again and smiled in satisfaction once he seemed to figure out what I had said.