by Ben Wolf
Riley jerked away from Condor and staggered back with a noticeable limp, both growling and whimpering.
“Bad Wolf.” Condor pushed himself up to his feet and switched his sword to his right hand again, despite the blood dripping from it. He started toward Riley again. “Bad, bad Wolf.”
Riley snarled and narrowed his blue eyes at Condor. Lilly didn’t know how he was even still alive, but somehow Riley shifted his weight back on his hind legs, ready to spring forward.
A mass of green plowed into Condor from the right. The impact sent him tumbling through the air, and he smacked against a thick tree then landed facedown in the dirt. He started to get up but Magnus grabbed him by his throat and pinned him against the tree.
“Try to fly away now, bird.” Magnus hissed at him and cocked his arm.
“Don’t!” Lilly yelled.
Magnus swiveled his head toward her and glared, but held his arm in place.
“If we bring him to the Sky Fortress, we’ll—”
“He stabbed Riley. He is too dangerous to be left alive,” Magnus said. Condor clutched Magnus’s wrist and squirmed in his grasp, but he couldn’t escape.
“No, Magnus. Don’t kill him.” Lilly shook her head and started toward him, but her head still swam from Condor’s blow. She stopped short and steadied herself. “He’s extremely valuable to the Premier. We can use that to our advantage.”
Magnus hesitated, then he lowered his other arm. “You had better be right.”
Calum and Axel burst from the trees, their swords at the ready.
“There are more of them chasing us,” Calum said between breaths. “We need to go deeper into the woods or they’re gonna—”
Riley loosed a canine whimper and dropped onto his side. Blood trickled down the side of his right foreleg.
“Riley?” Calum ran over to him and skidded to a halt on his knees. “By the Overlord, what happened to you?”
A pair of Windgales shot out from the trees at Axel. He ducked under the first one’s slash and batted the second Windgale to the ground with his sword. The first Windgale stopped short when he saw Condor in Magnus’s hand.
“Tell your brood to stop the attack,” Magnus said to the Windgale. “Or Condor dies.”
The Windgale scowled at Magnus, then he shot up through the trees.
“They won’t stop attacking unless I give the order.” Condor twisted in Magnus’s grip again. “They’ll keep coming until they kill you and free me. We are united in our cause by blood, and we will not relent until—”
“Everyone in Aeropolis knows you’re the only thing holding the Raven’s Brood together,” Lilly said.
She started toward them again, but her head rebelled with a spike of pain that left her dizzy. She exhaled a long breath with her eyes closed. When she regained her equilibrium again, she started toward Condor.
“You started an insurrection and tried to assassinate the Premier so you could succeed him, and when you failed, you took the survivors with you, but everyone in the Sky Fortress knows you’re the only Wisp, the only real fighter out here.”
Condor’s dark eyebrows arched down. “You were only a child when it happened, and all you know is what you’ve been told. I suppose I can’t fault you for not knowing the truth.”
Riley whimpered again.
Calum shook his head as he pulled off his gauntlets. “Guys, Riley’s in bad shape here. He needs help, and I don’t even know where to start.”
“Put pressure on his wound. Try to stop the bleeding,” Magnus said. “Lilly, go over and help Calum, and Calum, come over here with Axel to hold Condor while I tend to Riley.”
“Lilly, what happened to your face?” Axel stopped his advance toward Condor and instead walked closer to her, his sword still out. “Did he hit you?”
“Axel, don’t—”
Axel’s gaze locked on Condor, and his face crumpled with anger. “I’m gonna cut his feather-flyin’ head off.”
He stormed toward Condor with bloodlust in his eyes.
“You will not.” Magnus pointed a thick, green finger at Axel. “Lilly wants him alive to present to the Premier.”
“What do you mean, ‘present him to the Premier?’” Axel shouted. “He stabbed Riley and tried to kill Lilly. Look at the mark he left on her face!”
Lilly touched her cheek where Condor had struck her. It felt tender and warm to her touch—definitely a nasty bruise. “It’s not bad. It won’t—”
“He’s dead. I’m not negotiating this time.” Axel didn’t stop his advance toward Condor.
Magnus whirled around and pinned Condor to the ground in front of Axel, who stopped short. Magnus hissed, then growled, “You are not killing him.”
“He hit Lilly. I’m gonna kill him, even if that means I gotta go through you to do it.”
Axel advanced again and raised his sword. Condor looked up at him from the ground, almost grinning.
“Stop.” Magnus’s voice reverberated off the trees, and Axel halted again. “You gain nothing by killing this man, either in Lilly’s eyes or in anyone else’s.”
“Guys?” Calum’s voice tanged with urgency. “There’s a lot of blood, and his breathing is slowing down. I—I think we’re losing Riley.”
Magnus locked eyes with Axel. “You need to hold Condor down with Calum so I can tend to Riley before it’s too late.”
“You wanna save the Wolf? Then let me kill Condor.” Axel’s tone matched his steely expression. “Or they can both die, for all I care.”
“Axel!” Calum shouted. Blood oozed between the fingers
Lilly couldn’t believe Axel had just said that. How could he be so cold?
“Make your decision, Magnus.”
“Axel, don’t do this,” Lilly said. “I don’t want this! Please—we need to save Riley!”
Axel frowned at her. “Condor needs to die.”
Magnus glanced at Calum, who shook his head. “Then you leave me no choice.”
Axel’s eyes widened as Magnus sprang forward with Condor still in-hand. Before Axel could so much as raise his sword, Magnus drove his fist into Axel’s forehead. He withered to the ground, unconscious.
“Magnus!” Calum yelled. “What are you doing?”
Magnus held Condor up in front of him and delivered a comparable blow to his head, and he too passed out. When Magnus released his grip, Condor slumped to the ground.
Magnus pointed at Lilly. “Watch them. If either of them wake up, tell me right away.”
Lilly nodded, still shocked at Magnus’s blow to Axel, though she couldn’t rightly say it was an overreaction—not when Riley’s life was on the line.
When Magnus made it to Riley, Calum stepped aside.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Calum said, more shock than anger in his voice.
“What would you have done differently?” Magnus pressed his hand against Riley’s wound.
“I—” Calum bit his lip. “I don’t know.”
“Get me something I can use to bandage this wound, and hurry,” Magnus ordered. “His breathing is very labored, and he has lost consciousness.”
Calum returned with one of the dead Windgale’s capes.
Magnus frowned. “This fabric is not ideal, but it will have to do. Tear it into strips for me.”
Axel and Condor lay next to each other at Lilly’s feet, both out cold. She’d come to recognize Axel’s attraction toward her, but he’d gone too far this time. Where Calum would elect to show mercy, Axel’s responses always skewed toward payback or even outright revenge.
From the pouch on his belt Magnus pulled the vial of veromine he’d used on Lilly’s shoulder when they’d found her unconscious in the Golden Plains.
With great care, he dripped three delicate orange drops into Riley’s wound. Magnus paused, leaned closer, and then he dumped the rest of the vial into the wound. Afterward, he wrapped the strips of cape around Riley’s torso several times to cover it.
“The veromine will protect his wou
nd from infection and aid in healing it, but he is still in serious trouble.” Magnus tied the ends of the strips together under Riley’s belly. “He may have already lost too much blood, and if Condor’s sword hit any of his vital organs, we may be too late. We have to get him help, and soon. We have to get him to Aeropolis.”
“Before the Raven’s Brood attacked us you said we were a day and a half away. Does he have that long?”
“No.” Magnus shook his head. “But if we hurry, we will arrive sooner. He may have a chance.”
Lilly pressed her fingers against the cut on her face. The whole area stung, but she couldn’t focus on that now. “I know the way. Calum, can you help me round up as many of these Raven’s Brood capes as we can? The Premier will want to know how many we defeated.”
Calum looked at Magnus, who nodded. “Sure, I can help.”
“I will stay with Riley and these two.” Magnus squinted at Axel. “I expect Axel will awaken soon. I did not hit him that hard.”
While Calum didn’t like how Magnus’s solution for traveling with a flight-capable prisoner had played out, he couldn’t deny its effectiveness.
Magnus carried Riley, still unconscious, in his arms as they rushed toward Aeropolis, while Calum and a surly unarmed Axel walked on either side of Condor, to whom they were both tied. Lilly hovered behind them with her sword out, ready to cut Condor down if he tried anything.
Cords tied in tight knots restrained Condor’s wrists behind his back, and a rope stretched between his ankles, both of which were tied so he could only jog at best. Another rope looped between his back and over the front of his elbows.
One end was tied to Calum’s belt, and the other was tied to Axel’s belt. That way, if he tried to fly away, he’d have to carry Calum and Axel with him.
They had stripped Condor’s armor from him and left it in the forest along with his sword. Now the only thing that indicated he was a member of the Raven’s Brood at all was a necklace made of delicate silver chain with a black-and-red raven pendant hanging from it.
They trudged ahead and pressed onward throughout the night, stopping for only minutes to eat and shift loads around. Calum bore both the extra burden of carrying Axel’s sword and a sack stuffed full of the Raven’s Brood capes that he and Lilly had collected.
Given their quickened speed and not stopping overnight, the day-and-a-half trip to Aeropolis only took a day. Even so, Calum worried they still might be too late to help Riley. He was still alive, albeit only barely, but he hadn’t woken up since he’d lost consciousness back in the woods.
Soon the Windgale city of Aeropolis towered overhead, but even from a distance Calum could only see glimpses of something sparkling from among the clouds. A network of thick gray pillars lofted the city far out of reach of anyone who lacked flight ability.
As a means of defense, it was ingenious in its simplicity. If the Windgales had enemies, they would have to learn to fly before they could mount a successful attack, or they’d have to possess a power capable of taking down the pillars that held the city up.
But Calum couldn’t conceive of anything that powerful, except perhaps Lumen, and even then, Calum didn’t know for sure what Lumen was capable of. They’d only ever interacted in dreams.
“So… how are we supposed to get up there?” Axel asked, his voice flat but still edged with fury.
“There’s a lift that lowers to ground level three times a day for merchants and travelers,” Lilly replied.
“When are the three times?” Calum asked.
“Once in the early morning, another around midday, and once more in the evening, but we already missed the morning lift.”
“We do not have time to wait for the lift. Riley’s condition is still deteriorating.” Magnus glared at Condor, who rolled his eyes. “Is there something we can do about that?”
Lilly shook her head. “We can talk to the guard at the lift and ask him, but they rarely make exceptions. Premier’s orders.”
Condor huffed.
“You got somethin’ to say?” Axel turned to him, his fury partially renewed.
“Not in the least, Farm Boy.” Condor shook his head and stared up at the clouds shielding the bottom of Aeropolis from view.
Axel positioned himself in front of Condor and leaned forward. “Good. You don’t speak unless we speak to you. And stop calling me ‘Farm Boy.’ I haven’t worked on a farm for a long time now. Crystal?”
Condor lowered his gaze to Axel’s eyes. “You talk pretty big for a Farm Boy whose hands are tied behind his back.”
“Stop it, you two,” Calum said.
Axel leaned even closer to Condor. “Just wait until my hands are untied. Then you’ll see what this Farm Boy can—”
Condor bashed his forehead into Axel’s nose, then he jumped into the air and kicked both of his feet at Axel’s chest. Axel landed on his back in the dirt and before Calum could subdue him, Condor zipped into the sky with his limbs still bound.
Chapter Fifteen
Calum yanked on the rope, but Condor was too strong. He pulled Calum off his feet, and the rope slipped through his fingers. Had the rope not been tied to Calum’s and Axel’s belts, Condor would’ve escaped.
From his vantage point on the ground, Calum saw Lilly take to the sky and lash her sword at Condor. He easily dodged the blow, and the tension in the rope jerked Calum onto his stomach. Two green, scaly feet planted just in front of Calum’s face.
Calum rolled over, and Magnus grasped the rope and give it a sharp yank. Condor dropped from the sky, and his back smacked against the dirt. Calum drew his sword, scrambled over to Condor, and pressed the blade against his neck.
“Don’t move.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Condor coughed and grunted, but didn’t resist.
Lilly landed next to Riley, who lay on the ground, still unconscious but drawing shallow breaths.
“I’m gonna kill you,” Axel growled. Blood oozed from his nose and down his chin as he stormed over to Condor.
Magnus clamped his hand on the front collar of Axel’s breastplate and held him in place. “No, you will not.”
“Get your hand off me.” Axel twisted free from Magnus’s grip, his arms still bound. “You knocked me out, took my sword, and tied me up like a prisoner to spare his life. You have no right to—”
“I did what was necessary at the time,” Magnus growled. “If you expect an apology, prepare yourself for an eternity of waiting.”
“Someday, Magnus,” Axel warned. “Someday you won’t be able to push me around.”
Magnus grabbed Axel by his shoulders and pulled him close. In low, even tones, he said, “You were willing to sacrifice Riley’s life to kill Condor. Would you sacrifice my life? Lilly’s life? Calum’s life? Your own life?”
Axel’s jaw hardened, but to his credit, he didn’t reply.
“You said I had no right to do to you what I did. I could have just killed you instead, and then you would not have had the privilege of enduring this conversation with me.” Magnus’s golden eyes blinked. “You have no right to wager others’ lives for your own personal gain or to satisfy your own impulses. Someday someone might try to sacrifice you on a whim. We will see then how you react to it.”
“Guys, we really need to get Riley help more than we need to argue,” Lilly said.
Magnus released his grip on Axel and returned to retrieve Riley. He asked Lilly, “Can you get us up there?”
Lilly exhaled a long sigh and stared up at the Aeropolis. “I can try. Follow me.”
Calum pulled Condor up to his feet and checked his bonds. He smacked Axel on the back of his left shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie, but Axel shrugged away from him. Calum decided to leave him alone for the time being.
Together, the bound trio hurried after Lilly and Magnus toward the base of the foremost pillar. As they approached, Calum noticed a long line of people.
“Lilly?” he called. “Are all those people trying to get up to Aeropolis?”
<
br /> She nodded as she walked. “Most of them are poor, destitute Windgales who don’t have capes and can’t fly up to the city. This road is lined with beggars and the occasional thief, so watch yourselves.”
The closer they got to the base of the pillar, the more people materialized ahead of them, though not all of them stood in line. Many just sat alongside the road, often wearing nothing but rags for clothing.
At one spot, four smiling children chased each other around a pair of adults sitting in front of a dark-green tent. Unlike the children, both of the parents wore sullen expressions. The female adult, probably fifteen years older than Calum, met his gaze with sad brown eyes and a frown.
Calum broke eye contact with her and trotted up next to Lilly. “Why don’t any of them have capes?”
She shook her head. “If you break a law in Aeropolis, one of the punishments is defrocking—the removal of one’s cape. Some Windgales are born into families who don’t have capes. Others can’t find work in Aeropolis or nearby, and they end up selling their capes to make ends meet.”
“What does it matter if they sell their capes? Can’t they just find a new piece of fabric and use that?” Axel asked. His nose seemed to have stopped bleeding by now.
Calum raised an eyebrow. At least Axel was saying something.
“Not all fabric can be used for capes,” Lilly said. “It needs to be made of Aerosilk, like mine, or at the very least a blended fabric that is mostly Aerosilk. The Sky Realm has suffered an Aerosilk shortage over the last decade, so the number of capes produced has dwindled, and they certainly don’t last forever.”
Calum glanced back at the Windgale woman. She no longer looked at him, but instead hung her head and stared at the ground. “Why don’t Wisps like Condor need capes?”
“That—” Lilly hesitated. “—is a mystery to me. Only Wisps know, and only the premier or one of his officers can promote a Windgale, and they only do that when the Windgale is deemed ready.”
Condor scoffed. “It’s all about control.”
Calum and Lilly turned to look at him.
“What do you know of it?” Axel sneered. “You’re a traitor.”