Clipped Wings

by J. P. Rice

  The Sphinx went on to explain the specific items to check on. She divided the faeries up into groups, each unit assigned to a separate mission.

  Chapter 28

  As we waited for the sun to go down, the Sphinx used her razor-sharp claws to create small strips of iron from the flask I had brought. She had to make them small enough so that the faeries could carry them and insert them into the wine barrels.

  I looked down at the freshly sparked fires on the south end of the castle and got a whiff of the burning logs. A few of the fire pits had spits with whole animals rotating slowly over the flames. Even up on the mountain, I could smell the newly kindled firewood and the charred skin of a pig. It reminded me to eat, so I grabbed the meal pills from my hip pack and popped one in my mouth.

  I gently bit down on the sides of my tongue to create some saliva, tilted my head back and downed the pill. The supplemental forces from the Rosendales still hadn’t shown up, nor had the Red Cap. I was starting to think that they had second thoughts about the suicidal mission.

  The sun sank over the horizon, leaving the land in an orange dusk as darkness tried to take over. One group of faeries darted off, zooming toward the castle to fulfil their pledge to find Alayna and the Dragon Horn.

  Another group carrying the strips of iron flew down the mountainside in the direction of the sidhe warrior camp. A third group had been assigned the duty of gathering any applicable intel they came across. The Sphinx and I were unfamiliar with the interior layout of the castle, so the faeries provided a wonderful service.

  When I thought about all the huge creatures I’d battled over the past few years, I realized it was easy to overlook a tiny being like a faerie. Their size provided countless opportunities that didn’t exist for larger creatures. And together, they had the combined strength of an ogre.

  Even in the dreary light of dusk, I could tell that the Sphinx was nervous. It was apparent that the Master—whoever the fuck that was—had used fear tactics on her during her imprisonment. The Master had purged the Sphinx’s zest for adventure over the years, convincing the mythical creature that it was a privilege simply to be a prisoner.

  If we were able to take out the king, she could live freely in Sleepy Willow or anywhere she wished for that matter. I suggested, “Maybe we should give you a new name since you hate Knelly Knell. You never have to answer to that name again.”

  The Sphinx sighed deeply and a proud smile formed on her gentle face. It was as if my words had given her some wind beneath her wings. “What do you suggest?”

  I didn’t have any names in mind although I had been thinking about a name for my first child. I still didn’t know what the sex was going to be, so I was researching both male and female names. “What do you want it to be? What do you like?”

  “Gee. I’ve never really thought about it before. Give me a minute.” She inclined her head to gaze up at the stars in the sky as a dreamy look spread over her fair face. “How about Kovana?”

  “That has a lovely ring to it. Kovana it shall be. What are you going to do after all this? Provided it works out the way we have planned.”

  “I’d love to stay around here, but there’s too many bad memories. I want to do some exploring, just not sure where yet.”

  “Isn’t it great to know that you can go anywhere? Do anything?”

  “Can you tell I’m trying to contain myself? Am I scared? Sure. I’ve been inside that enclosure for so long that I never had any worries. I dreamt of getting out, but I’ve never had the feeling of being chased like I do right now.”

  I chuckled. “I’ve made enough enemies in the short time I’ve been in this business to know that feeling. I constantly hear footsteps behind me. And most of the time, someone is chasing me.”

  “Now that I’m on your side, I’ve got your back,” she promised.

  “Thanks. I wish the world wasn’t so scared of things they don’t understand. I wish you could walk freely down a city sidewalk in Pittsburgh. Although the times are changing. My son gets accepted more often than I’d expected he would.”

  “Why wouldn’t your son get treated well?” she asked, her words dripping with genuine concern.

  “Because he’s a demon. You look like an angel. People might be scared of you at first, but then I think they would lighten up. My son is a goblin. A Bugul Noz to be precise.” I looked up to the plump moon resembling a pregnant belly and I thought about Burn.

  The Sphinx asked, “Isn’t that a type of leprechaun?”

  “It is. Some say it’s a fairy spirit, but most agree they are in the leprechaun family. But his particular look has been portrayed as evil so often that most humans believe he has evil intentions. He’s not the little Irish guy in a green suit. Hey. I just thought of something. You should come live with me,” I offered.

  She sat back down but I could tell she was still nervous. She lifted her head to the night sky and said, “I want to be free to run and fly in the wild. I bet you’re mashed right in the middle of a metal city.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t really like the city that much. I have a little farm outside the city. We haven’t started growing anything yet, but we could plant whatever you want. And there’s a bunch of vegetarian restaurants around for you to eat at.”

  She tossed her head from side to side, contemplating my offer. “We do make a decent team. If we come out of this alive, I’ll think about it.”

  That was the slap of sobriety I needed to wake me up from our dreamy, starlit conversation and focus back on the task at hand. If either of us dropped our guard for a second, it would be game over. “The offer will always stand.”

  Kovana would fit right in with my goblin son, my half-demon friend and the shadow hell hound.

  A faint humming modulated into the tell-tale buzzing sound of the faeries’ wings chafing together as they moved. A large group of faeries in the form of a storm cloud flew up over the precipice and circled above the Sphinx.

  One of the faeries flew into Kovana’s ear. I waited in suspense as the Sphinx nodded occasionally, seemingly agreeing with the words of the faerie. The miniscule pixie emerged from the Sphinx’s ear canal and rejoined her friends who were hovering just below the lowest branch of the apple tree.

  Kovana turned to me. “They inserted the iron strips into every one of the wine barrels. There was a slight problem.”

  There always was. Every. Single. Time.

  The Sphinx continued, “Apparently these guys like to drink heavily. There were more barrels than we had anticipated. So the iron content might not be enough to kill them, but it should make them violently ill for at least a day. And that should be all we need.”

  That meant we had to strike quickly. I jumped up and started pacing. “The dwarves and faeries should have been here by now. And the Red Cap hasn’t even shown up. And he had a much shorter trip. Now we have to decide if we want to strike before the King’s men recover or wait for help.”

  The Sphinx got up and nudged me with her shoulder. “Relax, Mike. You’re getting all worked up. Why don’t you wait for the other groups to return?”

  I feverishly scratched my neck wondering when the hell this itch would stop. The Sphinx was right. Apparently another side effect of the pain medication was that I got fired up at the strike of a match. If the Sphinx’s kiss was the final cure, I could ditch all the pills and start to feel normal again.

  I hadn’t felt normal since I’d discovered my freakish talents a few years ago. But getting shot and the resulting pain meds made me feel like another person. No sir, I didn’t like it. I just had to fight through it, rescue Alayna and figure it out after that.

  My ears detected a swarm of bees until I saw another pack of faeries rushing up the mountainside and over the peak. This nebulous oval of tiny fliers had a golden glow. They zoomed past me and came to a stop in front of Kovana.

  A pale ray of moonlight struck the faeries and a golden object came into focus. The Sphinx pointed at a crescent shaped item, then at me an
d said, “Give it to him.”

  The group of faeries hovered in place and turned around toward me. As they started to move, I recognized the object. The Dragon Horn. The tiny creatures worked as a team to hold the Horn in mid-air, right in front of me.

  I snatched the object from them and stared at it in awe. The faeries had done a masterful job in record time. My chest heaved in and out in relief because this more than made up for the Rosendales and Red Cap. No offense to them, but I’d take dragons any day of the week.

  A flood of worries hit me. Would the dragons respond to the Horn in Sleepy Willow? Was this the same Dragon Horn? It looked exactly the same, but it could just be a perfect replica.

  No.

  I pushed those thoughts aside. Negativity wasn’t going to help anything right now. The dragons were going to show up when I called on them. I just had to believe.

  “Thank you,” I exclaimed to the faeries, who raced back over to Kovana.

  Before my smile had a chance to melt, another group of faeries came up over the mountain top and hovered in front of the Sphinx. One of the faeries flew into Kovana’s ear to report on the reconnaissance and her lips curled up.

  The Sphinx turned to me and nodded confidently. About thirty seconds later, the faerie flew out of her ear. Kovana said, “They know where Queen Al is being held and they can tell us the entire layout of the castle. They also searched the perimeter of the castle and can tell us which places to avoid.”

  “Perfect.” The plan was coming together. Even if the Red Cap or Rosendales didn’t show up, I had full confidence that our small group could pull it off. If we could incapacitate the sidhe army, the rest could be smooth sailing.

  Anything could pop up out of the blue. I’d be silly not to add that to the equation. But not having to worry about an army of screaming banshees was a major plus. We moved inland, away from the little nook near the precipice and tried to get some rest before the big day. The next day, we planned to oust the tyrannical King of Sleepy Willow.

  *****

  I crouched behind a water well in the east yard of the castle. The sun showered its golden light down on the dew-covered blades of grass. I had been hoping for a little cloud cover on this secret mission as I shielded the bright light from my eyes and opened my ears. The sidhe warriors on the south end of the castle were either sleeping or dead.

  I hadn’t heard a peep from their camping grounds and didn’t see smoke in the sky indicating a breakfast fire. It appeared that the iron in the wine barrels trick had worked successfully. The castle was virtually unprotected save for a few disinterested archers walking along the parapet.

  I turned and inclined my head to look up at a tiny speck of gold and ivory on the top of Mount Royal. The Sphinx was waiting for me on the overhang so that she could see my signal. Then she could cause a distraction that would allow me to sneak inside. I was antsy to get inside the castle, but I didn’t want to put Kovana in harm’s way.

  I pulled the Dragon Horn out of the satchel on my hip. Seeing it gave me the courage to run to the next checkpoint and get closer to the castle. I drew in a deep breath, steeled my nerves and darted toward a mangonel that was lying on its side. The big siege weapon with cracks and openings gave me a perfect view of the castle. I still didn’t see anyone who would pose a serious threat.

  Satisfied with my research and not wanting to waste any time, I scurried back over to the well. I needed to get out in the open to send the signal to the Sphinx so that she could distract the archers. As I scanned the area again, a strange rumble began under my feet as if the disturbance had started in the belly of the earth.

  I ripped the Dragon Horn out of the satchel and peered up at the sky. The black dragons hadn’t arrived yet, but that rumble seemed like a precursor of evil. Without any time to waste, I ran out in the open and waved my hands above my head, sending the signal to the Sphinx.

  A lightning bolt rippled in the cloudless sky and a peal of thunder soon followed. The earth shook again, this time accompanied by the wild screaming of men. The banshees.

  I spun to my left and my eyes filled with horror. An army of screaming men, some on horseback, most on foot, charged toward me with reckless abandon. The men stumbled, crashing into each other and running in an uneven line. Several of the cavalry fell from their horses and got stomped on by the following infantry.

  It seemed as if the iron had only succeeded in throwing them into a permanent state of heavy intoxication. However, the width of the wall of humanity coming at me didn’t leave me anywhere to go. My only option was to run in the opposite direction.

  I turned north, took two steps and stopped dead in my tracks. A cavalry of dullahans with dwarves and sidhe behind them were charging south, directly toward me. I’d dug my own grave. It was my Jon Snow moment, except this wasn’t a fucking T.V. show. Nobody was going to yell, “Cut.” I was about to be hacked to pieces.

  Chapter 29

  As the two forces closed in on me, I contemplated where to go or what to do. A squawking sound that made the T-Rex from Jurassic Park sound like a whistling songbird pierced the early morning air. I turned to the sky and my eyes bulged at the vision of obsidian dragons streaking through the early morning air.

  My hand naturally dug into the hip satchel and plucked out the Dragon Horn. I blew into the Horn and it released a sour tune like it had every time before. A drizzle of enchantment in the form of glittery orange specks rushed out of the opening of the Dragon Horn. The sparkling orange dust raced toward the sun, streaking across the blue backdrop and disintegrating into the fiery circle in the sky.

  With death charging at me from both sides, I thought about Burn and our child. I thought about Dante. What could have been. Would I have been a good father? Would she and the children be all right? Had I left enough money for them?

  But the one thing that kept coming front and center was fear. I’d never really feared death up until this point. I knew it was a part of the business I had involved myself in. But that was before I’d visited hell and almost died from getting shot. I’d been deemed worthy of the lowest rungs of hell. I’d been judged as a despicable human.

  Where was I headed after death? I’d always imagined that the Celtic Gods would take care of me after death. What if the Morrigan lost my Death Card in a poker game? Moving on to the next life never seemed scarier than at that exact moment.

  The screaming and stomping that had dominated the battle field became distorted until it finally ceased. Silence and contemplation drowned it out. The only thing I could hear was my heart beating out of control. It was beating in my ears. My head jerked frantically from left to right. I assessed the speed of the two forces and it appeared they would collide at the exact time they reached me.

  The silver blades of the sidhes’ long swords reflected the sunlight back to the heavens, sending a signal to the Gods that fresh souls were on the way. Soon the blades would be covered in dripping red life, leaving bodies behind for the Gods of Death to sort out.

  And one of the blades would be dripping with my blood. Even though the sidhe were extremely inebriated, it would only take one lucky swing to end my life. The numbers were too large for me to expect to survive.

  My only solace lay in the hope that the noble dragons would show up and the rest of my side would figure out a way to rescue Alayna. A faint buzzing overtook the sounds of my heartbeat and grew louder by the second.

  The buzzing led my eyes to the right where I saw a nebulous cloud of swirling colors. The cloud separated into several pieces, and as the different parts surrounded me, I realized it was the faeries. The tiny creatures started pinching and pulling at every inch of my body.

  I wondered why they were attacking me as the two sides were about to collide, smashing all of us in the process. As the gleam of a silver sword blade flashed in my eyes, my feet were lifted off the ground. I wobbled unevenly, threatening to topple over.

  The faeries righted me and lifted me higher into the air. Working together, the p
ixies used all their collective strength, their stressed wings buzzing like crazy. We still weren’t high enough to avoid being smashed when the sounds of battle returned.

  Horses’ hooves steadily pounded the soft grass, like the drumbeat for a death march. The riders were screaming and yelling nonsensically in an effort to intimidate their opponents. The worst sounds were yet to come. Steel clanging against steel, then inevitably that steel finding flesh and bone. And the screaming that followed, which gave the hardest of men nightmares.

  The struggling faeries found a burst of strength and we shot up about five feet higher just as the two sides smashed into each other. The land quaked under the pressure of the two armies and the impact even jolted the faeries. We listed to the side, almost falling down and directly into the jaws of the battle. The aerial team reacted instantly, and the pinching got even worse as we moved higher into the sky.

  I looked down over the battlefield as both infantries arrived, merging with their respective cavalry and providing ground support. Hovering above the battle, I heard the men grunting and growling. It was soon replaced by horrifying shrieks of pain.

  Those desperate, feral calls for someone—anyone—to save them from the inevitable. The kind of bone chilling pleas that tore at your soul, ripping away at your moral fiber, shred by shred, and weaving it into a big knot so that you never the same again. You were just left trying to unravel the knot, trying to un-see the horrors, trying to understand why men still behaved in this way.

  I’d heard the symphony of dying far too often. One man dropped, then another. Sword against sword, man versus man. A true test of one’s battle abilities. But due to my new situation in life, I saw beyond that. A father, not just a random man, lay dead on the field. And with him, his family would suffer. His wife. His children. His friends.

  And what would become of the child growing up without a father? I’d started to see the bigger picture. That life was about more than just me. And now my life had a ripple effect on those around me. I had a family that was dependent on me. A family that I had to protect with every breath in my body.