Clipped Wings

by J. P. Rice

  She gestured with her head to the entrance door and I took a few steps to my left. She pressed a button on the door with her dainty nose and the giant wooden structure opened toward me. I fought off the stench of dead bodies mixed with fresh vegetation and entered the cage. My feet were barely inside when I dropped down to one knee and heard the door slam shut behind me.

  I looked up at the Sphinx and swept my shaggy hair across my forehead so my eyes were visible. “My lady. I made a promise to you that I intend to uphold. Are you ready to get out of this place?”

  Knelly Knell stared at me in awe, her mouth agape. The winged andro-sphinx had the golden body of a lion and the head of a blond woman. Her golden hair—a few shades lighter than her mane—was braided and hung down past her shoulders. Her angelic white wings pulsed with her breathing as she said, “I can’t believe you came back. But I can’t leave this cage.”

  As I rose to my feet, I asked, “Why not? You can fit through the door.”

  The Sphinx shook her head and her platinum blond braids swung from side to side. “The master said that if I try to go out through that door, I will get electrocuted.”

  I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her neck, my elbows resting on her lion’s torso. I leaned my head in and gently touched foreheads with her. I smelled mint as her warm breath danced in my nostrils. I moved my head to the side and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek. “How do you know it’s true?”

  Her long golden eyelashes batted with excitement and a she blushed. It took her a few seconds to respond to my question. “I don’t. The problem is that I don’t know if it isn’t true.”

  I broke the hug, traced my palm over her soft cheek, my thumb rubbing the area that I had kissed. “Have you ever tried to just stick your leg out there?”

  Her green eyes widened and she looked away as if she was embarrassed that she’d never thought about trying it. “No. Scared, I guess. Even if I were to escape, where would I go? They would just hunt me down and kill me, if for nothing other than the sport of it.”

  Sometimes all it took was someone else to point something out to make it seem obvious. Alayna had done that with me when she discovered I had special abilities. “Look. I’m on a mission to free Queen Al from the dastardly clutches of King Ballistar. I need your help.”

  The Sphinx’s mouth widened, creating a perfect circular opening. “My goodness. How did he get ahold of Queen Al? I thought she was dead.”

  I tried to ignore the pile of mangled bodies to my right, especially when thinking about Alayna. “It’s not important how the queen ended up in the position she is in right now. What’s important is that we can save her if we work together.”

  She tossed her head from side to side, her braids serpentining on her shoulders. “Well I won’t be much good if this thing fries me on the way out.”

  “Good point. Just stick your little toe out. You do have toes, right?” I asked, fighting back a chuckle.

  The Sphinx didn’t get offended and smirked at me. “Little ones. For Queen Al and your valiant effort, I will give it a try.” She walked hesitantly up to the door, gathered in some nerve, and pressed the button with her nose again.

  Knelly Knell’s pale face flushed with nervousness as she took a few baby steps forward to test the validity of her master’s claims. She looked back to me for reassurance and I gave her a slow nod to boost her confidence.

  “You got this,” I told her.

  The Sphinx leaned to the right and lifted her front left foot. Then millimeter by millimeter, she moved it toward the doorjamb. As her toes approached the opening, I prayed that she wouldn’t get zapped. Hell, I’d practically talked her into it.

  Knelly Knell leaned forward and her extended paw landed on the grass outside the cage. She peered over her shoulder at me, her eyes wide with excitement. She sashayed right out the door and took a deep breath. “Ewww. It smells like dung out here. I wanted to inhale some nice fresh air.”

  I scurried out of the cage before the door could shut and trap me inside. “Yeah, it’s like this until you cross Lake Geopold. Then it fades away the further you get toward the Great Expanse. Bet it feels good to get out of that cage, huh?”

  “It does,” she said, spinning freely in a circle and staring at the stars above. “So what’s the plan for saving Queen Al? Ooohhh, I can’t wait to talk to her.”

  The plan was still a work in progress. “Last time I was here I made a few new associates on our journey to get the Dragon Horn. I want to stop at the Rosendales and at the Red Cap’s castle to see if they want to join us on this journey. I feel confident that I can get into the castle and get Queen Al out of there, but I can’t defeat an entire army.”

  The Sphinx pondered the situation for a moment and said, “So you are going to see if the Rosendales or the Red Cap will give you some of their fighting men?”

  “Sort of. I’m going to make sure they know the stakes. Nobody likes King Ballistar. This might be an opportunity for regime change.”

  “We should keep moving before someone alerts the Master that I’ve escaped.” She gestured with her head and started moving down the dirt road that led to Lake Geopold. She turned to me. “Where to first?”

  “We should go to the Rosendales’ castle first. We could wait outside until morning and then see if they are sympathetic to our cause.”

  Blazing torches were stationed on the sides of the road like street lamps, illuminating the way as we continued toward Lake Geopold. It gave me a better look at the Sphinx and I could see fear in her eyes. She was now a wanted creature in Sleepy Willow, just like me.

  “Sounds good to me. Why don’t you hop on and navigate us to the Rosendales?” She looked at me and did a double take. “What happened to you?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, wondering what she was talking about.

  The Sphinx leaned in for a closer look. “Your face is pale and sweaty, your eyes are bloodshot red and you look like you are half dead. You look like you’re turning into a werewolf.”

  “It’s nothing. I got into a little trouble on my last job and took a few gunshots to the arm. I’ll be fine,” I said as I lifted my shaky left arm.

  “You’re in pain. Let me see if I can help you with that.” The Sphinx sauntered up and nestled up next to me. She leaned in to get a close look at my injuries and I felt a warm, soft kiss just above my elbow. Knelly Knell stood up straight and touched my nose with her forehead. “Boop. All better now.”

  A rush of anger swelled in my chest when I realized she was only fooling around. I’d thought she was really going to do something to help with the pain. Not something you did to six year old kids to get them to stop crying. I still had to figure out how I could make this happen without an operable left arm.

  “Get on,” instructed Knelly Knell.

  She leaned down and I slid gently onto her back. I hooked my arms around her neck and prayed that I had enough strength in my left side so I didn’t fall off.

  Another problem: Could I remember where the Rosendales’ castle was located? I was sort of coddiwompling on this one.

  Her angelic wings extended out at her sides and began to beat slowly, then gradually increased in speed. The joint of the wing rubbed against my thigh as we lifted into the air. With a couple of powerful wing beats, we streaked across the nights sky of Sleepy Willow on our way to the Rosendales.

  Chapter 25

  Next morning, the Sphinx and I walked up the Rosendales’ castle steps. I thought my partner might have issues with the stone staircase, but she powered right along, her long claws merely scraping the surface. Armored dwarves lined both sides of our path, standing at attention with bastard swords in their right hands as we ascended toward Mirera and Fetterman. The smiling couple was perched on the top platform. They sat atop their horses, carrying each other’s head as usual.

  The Rosendales were widely respected around Sleepy Willow because of their benevolent actions. They were one out of only a dozen food suppliers on th
e island. Almost all the other suppliers were cruel and stingy with their rations, so many of the citizens had flocked to the Rosendales’ district.

  Fetterman Rosendale sat atop a caparisoned destrier replete with a headdress featuring a gleaming ruby that sat in the middle of the horse’s forehead. He was wearing an ill-fitting and filthy Victorian suit of faded black material. He held his wife’s head in his left hand, her pale cheek pressed against his hip.

  His fingers were interlocked in her greasy black hair and he raised her head slightly as we approached. She had smeared eyeshadow over the bridge of her nose and a heavy dose of rouge on her cheeks. Her brown eyes lit up as if she loved unexpected guests.

  Her body sat atop a pale horse, armored in gleaming silver and wearing the same ruby headdress as the other animal. She wore a powder blue dress, tainted with speckled blood. The same one she was wearing the last time I was here. The material was heavily stained with dirt and grass in random areas, especially near her knees.

  Her hand rested on her husband’s scalp, fingers tucked away under the tangled mess of dark brown locks. Fierce brownish-red eyes sat below thick black eyebrows surrounded by a round face covered in dirt and uneven facial hair. They didn’t look the part of regional rulers, but they were loved nonetheless.

  There wasn’t as much pageantry as my last visit—only a few Hail Rosendales chants—but that was fine with me. I bowed before the Rosendales and the Sphinx did the best curtsy she could manage with a lion’s body. As I stood on the top step which acted as a platform to address citizens, I said, “It’s great to see you again.”

  Mirera and Fetterman didn’t seem to hear me as their eyes were locked on the Sphinx. Fetterman spoke in awe, “I’m glad they finally let you out that cage. Shouldn’t of put you in that thing in the first place.”

  The Sphinx lowered her shy eyes, batted her lashes, and uttered, “They didn’t exactly let me out.”

  Mirera said, “You don’t have the Master after you, do you? We don’t need him stomping through our land.”

  The couple spoke with a strange accent that meshed English and southwestern cowboy.

  Fetterman’s destrier kept snapping at the Sphinx. She kept an eye on the ornery animal and explained, “I’m sure they know I’m gone by now, but nobody had any idea about this so it will probably take them a while to figure out where I went. I’d like to think most would suspect I’d leave Sleepy Willow entirely and not even look for me.”

  I added, “Plus we flew over here so they have no idea where we went. I think you’re safe.”

  “Uh, the young boy thinks we’re safe, hun. Guess we shouldn’t worry,” Fetterman said in an insulting tone as his wife’s horse reared back.

  I didn’t let it affect me. In this business, you had to check your ego at the door, as hard as that was. Before we got booted off their land, I said, “Look, we’ll make this short and sweet and then get out of here. I have a favor to ask that could be of great interest to you.”

  “Now he’s wanting us to do him a favor. This is turnin’ into a real hoot. You’re lucky we’re even talking to you,” Fetterman said. The dullahan, who had been totally accommodating on my last visit, was in a foul mood today, but he was essential to the success of my plan.

  The Sphinx spoke before I had a chance to respond, “We thank you greatly for your grace and honor in taking this impromptu meeting. We have a chance to rescue Queen Al and eliminate King Ballistar. We thought you’d like to know. Sorry to offend.”

  The Sphinx made a wide turn with her lengthy body and threatened to leave. Mirera said, “Wait.”

  Fetterman’s angry scowl started to melt and the fire in his eyes began to dull. “Now why didn’t you just say that from the start. Woulda saved a whole heap of trouble.”

  Mirera asked, “What is your plan, precisely?”

  The Sphinx and I turned to each other, unsure of who would talk. We had a plan, perhaps not a precise one, but we had a plan. I explained, “We are going to storm the castle and save Queen Al. Then we will defeat the king and his henchmen if they dare stand in our way.”

  Mirera asked casually, “What about his dragons?”

  “Excuse me?” I tried to buy a few moments.

  Mirera immediately followed up. “What are you going to do in regards to his dragons? You know, those big reptilian creatures that spit fire. What are you going to do?”

  I hadn’t thought much about the dragons because of the Dragon Horn. “They have the Dragon Horn inside the castle. Once we get that, I can send a signal to the noble dragons to come defeat King Ballistar’s aerial army.”

  Fetterman spoke plainly, “How do you know the Horn is inside the castle and how are you gonna get it out?”

  Jeez Rosendales, you weren’t kidding about a precise plan. I felt like I was being interrogated by the police as a wave of sweat appeared above my brow. My usual philosophy of winging it had worked out well so far.

  The Sphinx spoke before me again, “Faeries.” Fetterman and Mirera stared at her blankly as she continued, “I am friends with some of the fairies of Sleepy Willow. Mainly the pixies. They are some of the only creatures that could fit between the tiny gaps in my cage. We are going to send in a large group of faeries, small enough that they can’t be seen. They will work collectively to grab the Dragon Horn and bring it to me. Then I will hand it to our friend over here and the dragon problem will be taken care of.”

  They were so in tune with each other that Fetterman used his hand to nod with Mirera’s head as she pursed her lips seemingly agreeing with us. The two heads turned to one another. They stared at each other in silence. Just as it started to become uncomfortable, Fetterman turned to me and asked, “What kind of favor is it you’re looking for?”

  I spoke softly, “We were just wondering if you could send some of your people to fight against the king.”

  “What? And get them killed?” Fetterman snapped at me.

  I held my arms out at my sides and shrugged. “I can’t ensure a one-hundred percent survival rate. But we’re not trying to get anyone killed. If you say no, I totally understand.”

  Fetterman took a deep breath in through his nose. I wondered where he’d gotten the air from as he said, “We have some people we might be able to send with you. Not many, though. If you want to wait a few days, I am interested in helping Queen Al. She didn’t deserve what happened to her and I’m just glad she’s alive.”

  I pointed out the problem, “That’s the thing. If we wait, they could kill her at any point so time is of the essence.”

  Fetterman turned his wife’s head and their eyes locked. About ten seconds later, Mirera said, “Why not?”

  She turned Fetterman’s head toward me and his burgundy stained lips started to move. “In that case, like I said, we’ll give you all the help we can, but there ain’t a lot of people that can just up and leave.”

  I turned to the Sphinx and then back to the Rosendales, specifically Fetterman. “We understand. People will be rewarded mightily for their effort. You can rest assured.”

  Fetterman immediately responded, “You just came here and told me that you’re making a bid to take out the king. How the hell am I to rest easy after hearing that?”

  I closed my eyes and smashed my lips together as I realized the error in my ways. “Poor choice of words. Don’t you want freedom?”

  I had directed the question at Fetterman’s head, but Mirera answered, “We already got that. The king, he don’t really mess with us.”

  “But your people.” I turned around and gestured at the dwarves on the steps. “If the king wanted to, he could come and enslave all of your citizens, who ultimately owe allegiance to him first. He’s gone a bit mad and there’s no telling what he will do.”

  Fetterman snorted in derision. “That’s my worry, junior. It’s gonna sound cliché, but you take a swipe at the king, and you damn well miss, I don’t think I gotta tell you the rest of the story.”

  It almost sounded as if he had gotten
confused halfway through and tried to piece everything together after that. “Our aim is as true as our intentions. We won’t miss.”

  Fetterman turned his wife’s head toward his again. Without her saying a word, his head twisted, facing us again. “Alrighty, then. Tell you what. We’ll go round up as many as we can for you and bring them right back. You two can go inside and enjoy the comforts of the castle.”

  “Much appreciated, good sir,” I said with a slight nod of my head.

  The dwarves rushed into action, scurrying down the steps to set up a rectangular wooden plank to cover the steps. Mirera and Fetterman’s horses moseyed up to the incline and descended at a slow walk. As soon as the two horses’ front hooves hit the soft green grass, they took off like twin rockets, flinging mud and small chunks of earth in all directions.

  I turned to the Sphinx, shrugged my shoulders and held out my arm for her to lead the way into the castle.

  *****

  About two hours later, the Rosendales returned to the castle with a tiny misfit army to assist us. A swarm of faeries zoomed around above our heads. Elves and dwarves armed with pieced together weapons and longbows stood at attention in front of the castle steps, wide eyed and ready for battle.

  A group of dullahans were lined up behind the small folk. All in all, there were about fifty dwarves and an equal amount of dullahans. I couldn’t count the faeries because of their miniscule size, but there had to be hundreds of them buzzing around.

  Fetterman said, “We’ll send the faeries and small folk ahead and then have the cavalry take off later so they meet up near the castle. I’ll see what else we can do to help you out, but don’t get your hopes up. This might be it right here. We wish ya the best of luck, Darryl.”

  Darryl? What the hell was he talking about? Oh yeah, I’d used a fake name the last time I had visited. The Sphinx stared at me, her eyes squinting in confusion. I shook my head quickly and waved my hand near my midsection, trying to give her the ‘I’ll explain later, please just drop this’ look. It was a big deal, but if the Rosendales found out that I’d lied to them, they would be less likely to help out.