01 Wing Warrior (19 page)

‘He’s done for now,’ Tidal said.

‘We have to do something,’ Glass said. ‘He’ll be eaten all up if we don’t help.’

‘And how do you suggest we fight that thing? Call it names? Throw stones?’

‘Why not?’ Glass said.

Sorrow looked at the knight as he scrabbled to pick up his sword. ‘You little brat,’ she growled, rubbing her nose. ‘That nearly hurt. Nobody has hurt me for hundreds of years.’

The knight grabbed the handle of the sword, and looked up to see one of Sorrow’s great claws swinging towards him. He had just enough time to brace himself for the impact, and then he was flying through the air with his arms flailing wildly. He landed on his back in the dirt with all his senses jumbled.

‘Not even a challenge,’ Sorrow wheezed, as she loomed over him menacingly. ‘Barely worth the breath it will take to kill you.’

The knight blinked, tried to get to his feet, but Sorrow had already opened her mouth wide. Stinking smoke gushed out all over him.

Being hit by the smoke was like being hit by the sudden, violent urge to be sick. The knight’s head started spinning, his arms and legs turned to stone; and within just a few seconds he had fallen off the edge of the universe, down through the glimmering white–hot light of consciousness, into the black waves of oblivion below.

‘And now,’ Sorrow said, ‘a little snack, I think.’

She craned her head forwards, but before she had a chance to take her first bite out of the unconscious Wing Warrior, a sharp stone bounced off the side of her head. She looked around as another three stones bounced and clacked on her scaly chest and legs.

‘I think we got its attention,’ Tidal said.

‘Shut up,’ Sky said. ‘Just keep throwing stones.’

‘And what, exactly, are we hoping to achieve?’ Tidal asked.

‘I’ll let you know when I figure it out.’

‘What’s this?’ Sorrow hissed, ignoring the stones as they ricocheted off her body. ‘More stupidity?’

‘Leave him alone,’ Glass said, bravely. ‘You get on out of here.’

Sorrow sighed, a deep and troubled sigh. ‘Do you really want to get eaten as well, Little Girl?’

‘If anyone is going to get eaten, it’s you,’ Tidal shouted. Sorrow frowned in puzzlement. Tidal glanced at Sky. ‘That didn’t make any sense, did it?’

Sky shook her head.

‘So, it is stupidity then,’ Sorrow said. ‘What were you thinking you were going to do? Defeat me by throwing stones? Don’t you understand anything? Whole armies have fired ten thousand arrows at me, and I barely even noticed. Eleven of the great dragons breathed their foul breath on me, and yet I did not fall. I cannot be defeated, and I cannot die. But you... You can be squashed like bugs.’

Sorrow paced nearer, and each footstep shook tiles from the roofs of nearby houses. Her thick tail flicked, crashing into the side of a house and knocking it completely flat.

‘Actually,’ Sky said, trying to keep her voice level despite the fact she was screaming on the inside. ‘We weren’t trying to defeat you.’

‘That’s right,’ Tidal added. ‘We were just trying to distract you.’

‘Distract me from what?’ Sorrow said.

‘From him,’ Sky said.

Sorrow looked behind her. The Wing Warrior sword was no longer on the ground. Instead, it was in the hands of a wide–shouldered man with a serious gleam in his serious eyes.

‘You,’ Sorrow said.

‘Cloud,’ Tidal gasped.

‘Daddy,’ Glass squealed.

‘Daddy?’ Sorrow glanced from the man to the girl. ‘How very interesting.’

‘Get inside the house, kids,’ Cloud said, as he began to circle around the unbelievably large bulk of the dragon. ‘There’s nothing more you can do here.’

The children didn’t need any encouragement, and they dashed off. Glass’s mother met them on the porch, hurrying them inside and bolting the door.

Cloud took the sword in both hands. ‘You got away from me once, Sorrow. It won’t happen again.’

‘Things were different last time,’ Sorrow said. There was laughter in her evil, rattlesnake tone. ‘Last time there were eleven dragons, and twelve Wing Warriors. Now, there is just you. And you are old. Much older than you were.’

Without another word, the dragon rushed forwards, a speeding flurry of snapping teeth and rending claws, all wrapped in thickening curls of black mist.

Cloud dropped to one knee, closed his eyes tight, and plunged the blade of the Wing Warrior sword into the earth. There was an explosion of brilliant white light that completely enveloped him, and he heard the scream of Sorrow as she was caught in the blast.

He rose, dragging the sword out of the ground. Sorrow had backed away, and her cloud of black smoke had all but vanished, burned away by the magic of the sword.

‘You never learn, do you?’ Cloud said.

‘You remember how to use the sword, Old Man. Perhaps you should have taught the boy before he came here pretending to be of the order of the Wing Warriors.’

Cloud licked his lips. ‘You have one chance to leave, Sorrow. One chance, or I swear I will cut you down where you stand.’

‘What is this? Are you giving me a chance to redeem myself... My Lord?’ The words were spat as though they were a curse. ‘Do you think there is any redemption for me?’

‘Leave this village,’ Cloud said, sternly.

Sorrow nodded. ‘I will leave, for now. But I will be back, and I will be coming back for you.’

‘I know.’

‘You can’t stop it. A war is coming. Your defences are destroyed. It is inevitable.’

Sorrow soared into the sky. Cloud watched her until she was just a speck in the western skyline, then he ran to the side of the fallen knight.

He knelt, removing the knight’s helmet with trembling hands. As he did so, his breath caught in his throat. It was just as he had feared.

‘Nimbus?’ he said, clutching the body to him. ‘My boy. What have you done?’

Nimbus’s eyes opened. ‘Dad?’ he whispered.

‘I tried to protect you, Son. I pretended I didn’t know about the dragons, or anything else. I didn’t want to lie, but it was too dangerous. I never wanted you to find out the truth.’

‘Dad, I’m sorry. The writing on the sword said “look to the clouds.” I thought that meant it was me. I thought I was the last Wing Warrior, but I’m not.’ Nimbus coughed painfully. His vision began to fade again until his father was just a faceless silhouette in a sombre grey world. ‘It’s you, Dad. You did what I couldn’t. You defeated the dragon. You are the last of the Wing Warriors.’

Nimbus’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped against his father’s chest.

‘No,’ Cloud said, stroking his son’s hair. ‘Not the last.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The sun was hanging low in the white and blue patchwork sky, gleaming brightly but without heat, as Cloud carried his son into the house.

For a moment it was as if the whole world was breathless, silently waiting for the return of the dragon.

Strata and the children watched as Cloud removed Nimbus from the Wing Warrior armour, and then laid him out on his bed with the Wing Warrior sword close to his right hand. Nimbus’s face was deathly white except for black and blue marks around his mouth and eyes. His breathing was shallow, almost not breathing at all.

‘Fetch water,’ Cloud said, and Strata disappeared into the kitchen. ‘Blankets.’ Sky dashed off. ‘And another pillow.’

Glass didn’t move. She was staring quietly at her big brother as if she barely knew who he was.

‘A pillow, Glass,’ Cloud said.

‘He’s a Wing Warrior,’ she said.

‘Glass, we have to make him comfortable. We need a pillow.’

She nodded slowly and left the room.

‘I don’t understand this,’ Tidal said. ‘What was he doing? Why was he in that armour?’

‘I don’t know,’ Cloud said.

‘Did you know he had that sword?’

Cloud touched Nimbus’s frozen hand. Said nothing.

‘Cloud?’ Tidal said. ‘Sir?’

‘He looks like he’s sleeping. I don’t think I will ever sleep again.’

‘Sir?’

‘We need more air in here,’ Cloud muttered, opening the window shutters. ‘Good, clean air.’

‘Sir?’

‘What?’

‘Did you know he had that sword?’

‘No.’

‘This is ridiculous. Nimbus isn’t a knight. Nimbus isn’t a hero. Nimbus is just a dumb kid.’

Cloud nodded. ‘Yes. My son is a dumb kid.’

‘Where did he get a sword from?’

‘A secret place, under the ground. Somewhere he shouldn’t have been.’

‘The cave in the woods?’

‘I had always thought the stories about goblins would be enough to protect the sword. I didn’t reckon on you children being so determined to break the rules.’

‘You knew about this sword?’

‘I did.’

‘And the armour?’

‘Yes.’

‘And Nim? Did you know he was going to play act being the big hero today?’

Cloud shot Tidal a glance that was so angry it would have made Sorrow herself cower in fear. ‘Of course I didn’t know he was going to do this.’

‘Of course. I didn’t mean to... It’s just... What made him think he could stand up to that creature?’

‘He must have had his reasons.’

‘Nim’s scared of his own shadow.’

‘Maybe that’s why he did it.’

‘You should be glad,’ Sky said, returning with an armful of blankets. ‘We’d all be dead if it wasn’t for Nim turning up like that.’

‘Glad?’ Tidal said. ‘Glad? This is possibly the dumbest thing he’s ever done, and I’m supposed to be glad?’

‘Yes.’

‘This is so stupid.’ Tidal barged past her, heading outside.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Sky asked, handing the blankets to Cloud.

‘He’s angry,’ Cloud said.

‘About what?’

‘About everything.’

Strata and Glass returned with pillows and bowls of water. They were both looking drawn and thin; their eyes were red with tears.

Strata knelt by the bed and began to dab Nimbus’s forehead with a cloth. Her hands were shaking and her bottom lip trembled.

Glass sat by Nimbus’s feet, looking intently at his quiet face. Although she was perfectly still, somehow she gave the impression she was incredibly busy.

‘What are you doing?’ Sky asked her.

‘I’m trying to make him open his eyes,’ Glass whispered.

***

Nimbus was scared.

His mind was full of memories: Terrible, gnashing, biting, snarling, spitting, fuming memories. Memories so evil and powerful they burned like fire and destroyed all his thoughts of anything good.

The memories were of the black dragon looming over him, its wings spread wide to block out all light from the sun. Nimbus was sprawled on the ground with one arm raised to defend himself as clouds of smoky poison gushed into him, filling his body with stinging pain.

He coughed and gagged and told himself it was only a memory. But still he choked, and still his blocked lungs struggled for air, and still the panic inside him rose as he suffocated.

This was death.

‘Open your eyes, Nim,’ a small voice said.

Nimbus tried to scream, but no sound would come out of his mouth. The dragon bellowed furiously and flapped its mighty wings. It smelled of disease and death and dark earth. It smelled of the grave.

‘Open your eyes, Nim,’ the voice said. ‘You have to open your eyes or something bad is going to happen.’

‘Glass?’ he wheezed. ‘Is that you?’

‘Yes, it’s me.’

‘Where are you? I can’t see you.’

‘There’s no time to explain. You have to open your eyes.’

‘They’re open.’

‘No, they’re not. You just think they are. You’re sleeping now.’

‘I’m afraid.’

‘It’s the poison in you. Do you remember the soldiers at the fort? Do you remember how sick they all were?’

‘The poison...’ Nimbus tried to get to his feet, slipped, tried again. There was nowhere he could go that was not within the cold shadow of the dragon. ‘The cloud makes everything sick. That’s what happened at the fort. All the soldiers breathed in the dragon’s smoke. I breathed it too.’

‘You can’t give up, Nim.’

‘I don’t know where I am. Show me how to get out of here.’

‘Open your eyes. See for yourself.’

The dragon lunged at him with snapping teeth, but Nimbus felt that those teeth would not bite into his flesh and bone, they would bite deeper, into his spirit. He was afraid now, not for his life, but for whatever came after.

‘Nimbus!’ Glass screamed. ‘The dragon didn’t eat you. You’re not dead!’

With all the will he could muster, Nimbus rolled to one side, and the black dragon’s snout ploughed into the earth close to his right arm. A moment later, and he was on his feet.

‘Please be strong,’ Glass said, and with each of her words Nimbus felt new energy flooding into his shaking limbs. As long as Glass was with him, as long as he could hear her voice, he had nothing to fear.

He looked the dragon dead in the eye. ‘You’re going to have to do better than that,’ he said.

The dragon recoiled slightly, but only slightly, and its nostrils flared.

Black smoke billowed around Nimbus, choking the light of the world, and leaving everything in perpetual night.

‘As you wish,’ the dragon said.

***

For a second, Nimbus’s eyes flickered, and almost opened. Then they were still again.

‘I can see the shadows,’ Glass said, staring at him. ‘He’s almost invisible now.’

Sky touched Glass’s hair. ‘Is he going to be okay?’ she asked Cloud.

‘I can’t say. I don’t know how long he was exposed to the dragon’s breath.’ Cloud’s voice was soft, and not at all like the voice of a man who had just fought a dragon.

‘So it was a dragon then?’

‘Not just a dragon. That was Madam Sorrow, disease and suffering made into flesh and scales.’

‘It seems like she knows you.’

‘She does. We met before, a very long time ago. I had hoped never to meet her again.’

‘Why did she come here? What was she looking for?’

‘I thought, perhaps, she might have been looking for me, but I was wrong.’

‘She was here for Nimbus,’ Glass said, quietly. ‘He is a Wing Warrior now.’