Bladed Wings

by Amaris Chapman

  Michael led our strange party around the outskirts of the city with Trina following in the trees overhead. We had relayed our intentions to Undine through Isabella before we left so that she would be on alert for us.

  We passed the deserted stalls only seeing animals as we passed. Some shops looked like they been left in a hurry, the sweet shop had an open jar of honey on the counter next to a half finished tray of candy bees. Margie quickly stuffed a hand full into her mouth as we passed, getting a giggle out of Isabella before a stern look from one of the servants silenced her. The feeling i had had before that we were being watched came back again as we neared the clearing. Michael must have noticed something was wrong.

  "Lill, you ok?" He asked quietly.

  "Hmm, it's just. Do you get the feeling that someone is watching us?"

  "No, but that doesn't mean that they aren’t. Trust your feelings Lil they haven't led us astray yet." He turned back to me as an after thought. "And if you work out what these watchers are, let me know ok." I nodded and continued to scan the forest for whom ever it was.

  We heard the attacks and saw the flashes of protest form the wall before we reached the river. Margie and Isabella hung back in the cover of the forest as we told them to, the rest of us continuing to the waters edge.

  “Quickly, they are coming through.” Yelled Undine emerging from the water. Michael and I waded into our knees to get as close to the barrier as possible, than merged our magic with the walls to add to its strength. It did little good as we could only protect a small portion and the areas outside it where tearing away from the rest with a brutal shredding noise.

  Our magic snapped back at us as the wall tore open, sending Michael and me flying backwards out of the water; the sandy bank cushioning our fall. The others rushed to help us to our feet as everyone else took their positions on the bank.

  Standing just out side the flapping blue fibres of the torn wall was Lady Cassandra. Her hair hung lank and damp with perspiration sticking to her skin that was tinged with grey making her look haggard and worn. Her breath came in great rasping gasps. Three people came into view behind her, two men and Linda. The two men came forward to support Cassandra between them. Linda stood just behind her leading an army of nearly 100 heavily armed soldiers.

  Together they limped towards the gap in the wall; that was trying to repair itself but being hindered by two soldiers that had rushed forward to hold it open. Michael drew his sword and came to stand beside me.

  No one moved, not wanting to cast the first stroke. Cassandra obviously didn’t have the same thought, an energy ball swept past us igniting the undergrowth, preventing us from retreating further back into the cover of the trees and cutting us off from the two younger girls.

  A wall of flames 20feet high jumped up in front of us blocking the hole in the wall and preventing the Ladies progress. Trina leapt down from the trees surrounded by a shimmering red glow, her hair billowing out behind her.

  A faint outline of the lady was still visible through the flames. A screech above us signalled the arrival of the ladies hawk, swooping up over the flames chasing Olie through the sky.

  “Isabella quick, tell her to land.” I shouted through the burning undergrowth behind us.

  Isabella looked to the sky, her eyes glazed over. Olie went into a steep dive landing in her human form; her dagger was out in a flash as she swiped up at the hawk catching it in the belly. The bird frantically beat its wings and just managed to peak the flames before disappearing over the other side.

  Olie’s face and arms where covered in scratches, her dagger glistened with the hawk’s blood but otherwise she was uninjured.

  “There are 90 men and another 10 on horse back.” She reported.

  “Why was the hawk attacking, they would never cross to her side, they are noble creatures.” Said Friad.

  “The hawk is a shifter as I am.” She replied washing her dagger in the river.

  A blue flash turned our attention to the wall again. A small hole had appeared in the centre of the flames, through which I could see Linda, arms raised, casting her energy through the flames.

  “Linda stop it!” I called.

  “Its to late for that!” she called back, “You have chosen the loosing side sister!”

  The hole grew bigger until it was large enough for them to once again pass through. I could feel the heat rising from Trina as she struggled to maintain the flames, her dress started to smoke than small patches blackened turning to ash from the heat of her body. The group staggered through just as the fire flickered than died. Trina sunk to her knees, her face pale and her breathing shallow.

  “Friad, help Trina.” I called.

  He rushed to her side, laying her down across the soft fir on his legs as Undine channelled the river up over her legs to cool her, her dress had burnt away only a narrow golden breast plate remained to hide her nakedness. I ripped a strip of cloth from my own dress and threw it over to her. Undine soaked it in the river than fastened it around Trina’s hips to hide her, the water turning to steam as it touched her skin.

  A blast hit the shield of one of our guards and snapped my attention back to Cassandra. ‘Orcaritor ui Rok’, Shouted Michael from beside me. There was a crack as the spell was deflected from her hitting a tree that immediately turned to stone.

  “Someone is projecting a shield.” He said.

  “It is no use you meddling brats. I have already won.” Called the lady from across the river. “And as for those little elves, in a few minutes they will cease to be, as you will.”

  “Where are they,” I called, “What have you done with them?”

  “You really think that I’m going to tell you!” she laughed.

  “Where are my friends!” Shouted Margie, making me jump slightly at the rage in her voice. Her and Isabella had put out part of the grass fire and had moved up behind us.

  “Be quiet you little imp. How dare you speak to me like that!”

  Margie was looking daggers at the Lady, her whole being seemed to be pulsing with rage. Angry tears sprung to her eyes and her hands formed fists. Friad came to stand protectively beside her, leaving Trina with Undine who had taken her into the water that was steaming from Trina’s heat as they inched deeper under the surface.

  Cassandra shrugged off the men taking a few staggering steps towards us and raising her hands to the sky. Michael stepped in front of me just as she brought her hands sweeping down.

  ‘Accashia’, She screamed. Michael raised his shield but to late. The blast slammed into him spinning him into the air, landing with a sickening crack against the base of a tree.

  “Michael!” I ran to his side. He was unconscious and bleeding heavily from a wound on his chest.

  “Oh, what’s the matter Amaris? To scared to fight me without your little boyfriend?”

  I knew that she was baiting me, but the sight of Michaels limp body infuriated me.

  “How dare you!” I screamed, spinning to face her. My dress whipped against my legs. I screamed the first thing that came into my head, dads voice echoed through my mind telling me what to do his smooth voice reciting the story of the dwarves.

  ‘Alcast foucs being’

  For a moment nothing happened. The lady stood with her hands before her, a mocking smile on her lips. She took a step forwards, but stopped as a deep rumble issued up from the ground beneath us. I trusted that what dad had told me was as true as his other tales and that help was on its way.

  A shot of fear swept over Linda’s face and she took an unconscious step backwards, meeting my gaze. I knew that she had remembered the late night tale as well as I did, she however was on the villains side and she knew how the story had ended for them.

  The ground shook, ripples formed on the surface of the river, yet Cassandras smile never faulted. She advanced towards me again. With a shimmer of magic she was over the river and just metres from where the first of our guards stood. I sensed Orasla and the two guards that could use magic all draw o
n their power but they held off using it until I gave the signal.

  The lady was having trouble walking now as the continuous tremors beneath us had loosened the sand making it slide down the slight slope to the river under anyone who stood upon it.

  A great sound like a whip crack filled the air, the ground split leaving a deep chasm between the lady and us. Undine sung softly under her breath calming the water whilst she helped Trina who was pulling herself up to sit on the bank out of the unsettled river.

  “What have you done?” The lady said her voice a mere whisper. For the first time I saw a flicker of fear cross her face.

  A gnarled hand appeared over the lip of the chasm followed by a small hobbled dwarf. A great many bad tempered dwarves soon followed him.

  “Oh dear.” I heard Trina say from the bank of the river. I knew that I had taken a great risk calling on them but it was my last hope.

  “Who has called us!” The first man barked sharply.

  “Please, help us in the fight against the lady and her followers.” I said trying to make it sound as thought I was asking not demanding.

  He turned to look at her army than to Cassandra standing solidly on the bank below him, he studied her for several seconds before turning back to me.

  “It shall be done.”

  Chapter 19

  The men moved with agility that was most unexpected and encircled the lady. The soldiers may not have known who these strange people where but knew that they where not to be underestimated. They launched an attack in their leaders defence, throwing wave after wave of blue light at the men.

  Orasla and a tall guard leapt in to help, throwing sending a storm of arrows at the soldiers.

  However whatever force had protected them earlier was still in place and prevented them from landing even one attack on her army.

  The dwarves continued to emerge from the pit and now numbered nearly fifty. The lady was fighting them with as much power as she could gather and despite her weakened state was slowly driving them back towards the pit.

  “Undine, we need your help now,” Marshika called to her, watching on as Orasla narrowly dodged an arrow sent by the row of archers that had made it through the wall.

  The sky overhead begun to darken almost immediately as Undine sung to the black clouds overhead causing them to swell and cover the sun. The wind gushed through the trees, I looked towards the river and saw that its surface was churning with white water. I could scarcely make out the form of Undine as she sung to the storm fuelling its furry with her own anger. The first drops of rain fell hard and fast and where quickly followed by cracks of thunder and wild flashes of lightning.

  “Kanad, can you mimic her song?” I asked struck by a sudden idea.

  “Yes I should be able to,” he moved over and took a strong stance as close to the churning water as he dared. He raised his arms slowly up beside him closing his eyes and concentrating on the song. Undines voice was magnified above the sound of the growing fury overhead. Kanad’s muscled arms strained as he pushed against an invisible weight, continuing to raise his hands higher the volume growing louder.

  I remembered that Isabelle and Margie where still on the bank, and turned to tell them to get back. Thankfully the servants where one-step ahead of me and had taken the girls, with Olie tucked safely under Isabella’s arm, to a large oak where they could easily climb to safety if they had to.

  Orasla shrieked as a jet of blue flame hit her arm, leaving an angry red mark. My respect grew for her when she didn’t miss a beat, and shot back with such force that it caused the shield around who I now recognised as Roufus, to flicker slightly causing him to pause in his attack. I took advantage of this moment of weakness and channelled my magic through Orasla as she shot a blazing arrow at him. His shield shattered, falling around him like glass to the ground. Blown back by the force, Roufus hit the wall, which swallowed him into its depths with a look of pure fear on his face as he disappeared.

  Orasla whooped in the air, than was gone.

  “Orasla!” Marshika yelled surging forwards.

  With a flurry of red cloth, nine very surprised looking women appeared where Orasla had disappeared.

  “Mother Kastin!” Margie called from the oak, not leaving its side but waving furiously to a young woman at the head of the group.

  Jets of fire appeared in each of the nine women’s hands, hardening to form a range of weapons, each more deadly than the next. The rain was now coming down in dark sheets making it hard to see through. I knew that these women had to be Trina’s carers, the sisters of Pala.

  “Goddess your mother has released us, we are here to serve you. Sisters to arms and protect your goddess!” Mother Kastin shouted over the roar of the storm. Immediately all nine women formed a ring around Trina who had staggered to her feet but was struggling to stay upright. The ring of women slowly begun to turn as the priestesses begun to dance. Marie dashed past me to take her place in the ring, her feet already moving in time with he other women’s. The ring begun to glow red as they quickened their step. The dance grew too fast for me to follow, their twists and turns merging together in a blur of radiant red light. From inside the ring I could make out the form of Trina who was no longer pale and unstable on her feet but now stood with the strength and power of a warrior. A steady hum issued from the blaze of fiery red light to merge into the harmony of Undines pure song. Streaks of fire shot out from Trina’s skin as her form grew both in size and power as she drew on her priestesses’ powers.

  Suddenly, as though someone had whispered the answer in my ear I knew who I had felt watching us all day.

  "Trina! Its the elves. They are still in the forest but invisible or hidden in some way. Can you get them out like your mother freed the priestesses?"

  Trina turned slowly, she radiated power. She didn’t speak but a moment later, with a small pop, a surprised looking elf appeared next to the ring of dancing women. He surveyed the scene before him than turned and bowed to Trina before dashing off to help the fight. The sound of appearing elves soon filled the air as Trina freed more and more of them. Each bowed to Trina before joining in the battle in any way they could.

  Linda was struggling to assist her mistress as the dwarves regained their control and advanced on them in a large black mass driving her back towards the engorged river. Jamol, who was the guard that had battled beside Orasla broke his magic free and retreated back to stand with Marishika who was breathing heavily, his knuckles white on the handle of his hammer, his other reaching for one of his short powerful swords.

  I was streaming all of my power into breaking Linda’s shield, as she appeared to be causing the most damage to the dwarves attack. But no matter what I tried her wards remained intact.

  I continued to watch the glow of red light that was Trina whilst straining to hold my control on my magic. Something Queen Isaldia had said to me sprung into my mind, I eased my attack and took closer at my sisters’ form. A flash of movement at her side caught my attention, a small brown snake was entwined around her waist twisting its self slowly around her like a living belt as she drained its life energy for her attack. I knew that if the snake was her power source than I had to separate her from it.

  “Isabella!” I called, hoping she would hear me over the dull of the storm.

  I’m here. A voice said in my mind.

  “I need you to get into the snakes mind, can you do that? I'll try and weaken her as much as I can!” The cloudiness of Isabella’s mind clouded my own thoughts, I saw flashes of memories that did not belong to me and felt the fear in her body as though it was mine.

  I cant get in with her strong magic in there, you will do it, I will go through you. I nodded, not knowing if she could see me, and set my feet into a stronger stance.

  “I’m going to need some cover,” I yelled over the nearly deafening noise of the storm. Marishika and Jamol emerged through the sheets of rain and came to stand by my side. I felt confident that I could trust the two men with my life.<
br />
  “shephantthious” I hissed in a voice that was not my own and surrendered my mind to the snakes.

  I hit the snakes mind with a snap that made me jump, Linda was somehow shielding its mind as well as her own. I bored through wincing in pain as I hit wall after wall. I heard the clash of an arrow hitting metal and willed myself to work faster. With a rush of power I broke through. Linda gasped and dropped all her shields, arching back in pain clawing at her scalp. I felt Isabella’s mind merge with the snakes as she allowed the snakes own thoughts to return to it and quickly withdrew from its mind as I felt it open its jaws and sank its teeth into Linda’s stomach. The fog left my thoughts as Isabella withdrew from my mind.

  Linda fell limply to the ground, the shaft of a crudely made spear protruding from her leg. She lay still and silent as the snake slithered away into the trees. I released my magic, staggering slightly realising for the first time how much that one simple act had cost me.

  A strong hand forced me down as an arrow whistled over my head.

  “Amaris,” I turned and sore that Trina was now nearly seven foot tall and glowing so brightly that I could not look directly at her. Trina was looked at me than towards the far bank. I followed her gaze and gasped. The faint mist of Linda’s magic was hovering over her limp body. The lady had seen it already and with a burst of strength blew nearly twenty dwarfs back into the raging river clearing a path to Linda’s body.

  She turned towards Linda’s magic and sucked the energy into her own body, the mist spiralling in through her mouth.

  “No,” I whispered. I looked to Trina and the elves standing around me, than to the dwarves. Trina was muttering under her breath, slowly raising her hands, her presence growing larger with every passing second. She seemed to had stopped summoning the elves and was concentrating on a spell of her own. I squinted through rain and sore that Friad was pawing the ground and seemed to be waiting for a signal from the largest of the dwarves to whom he was watching intently.