02 Unicorn Rider (10 page)

‘No.’ Nimbus’s voice was solid and flat. ‘No. I’m going to do this by myself.’

‘Carnelian will run circles around you.’

‘I am the Wing Warrior now.’ Nimbus thumped his chest. ‘This is my responsibility.’

‘Don’t be a fool, Nimbus. I’m here to help you. We should go together.’

‘This is exactly what I was talking about today. You’re not helping me. You’re stopping me from becoming what I should be. Just let me do this myself.’

His father moved around the table, stalking like a ghostly predator with unreadable eyes. He grabbed Nimbus’s arm, and his grip was as tight as any monster’s that Nimbus had yet faced. ‘I can’t let you go alone. Glass is my daughter.’

‘Glass is my sister.’

‘I cannot take any chances, not this time.’

Nimbus wriggled in his father’s grip. ‘There’s always something,’ he shouted furiously. ‘There’s always some reason why it’s not this time, always some excuse, some reason to hold me back. When will you ever let me be in control of my own life?’

‘What are you trying to prove?’

‘I’m not trying to prove anything.’

‘It was only a few months ago I couldn’t even trust you to go to your reading lessons, and now you want me to trust you with my only daughter’s life.’

‘This is my job.’

‘You’re acting like a child.’

‘No. You’re treating me like a child.’ Nimbus yanked himself out of his father’s grip and backed off a few paces. ‘If I can’t even be allowed to protect my own family, how can I ever be expected to protect the rest of the people in the world?’

‘You’re not ready yet.’

‘And that’s your fault too. You could have been teaching me the skills I needed years ago, rather than pretending to be a miller. If you hadn’t lied about who you are, we wouldn’t be in this mess.’

‘I was protecting you.’

‘You were hiding from yourself.’

‘Don’t push me, Nimbus. You wear the armour and carry the sword, but I’m still your father, and you will respect me.’

‘How can I respect you? How, when I know now you’re a murderer and a coward?’

Cloud leapt forwards angrily, with one hand raised to slap Nimbus across the face. Nimbus braced himself for the blow, but it was a blow that never landed. Cloud’s hand halted mid–swing, and his expression changed from one of fury to one of pain.

Strata and Glass had emerged from the bedroom and were now standing in the doorway. Glass had one arm held out in front of her as if to fend off an assault, and as she swayed slightly from side to side, crackles of yellow lightning played around her fingertips. ‘Don’t do that,’ she whispered, in a voice that sounded like it was travelling from the other end of the universe.

‘Glass?’ Nimbus said. His gaze moved from his father’s outstretched hand to his sister. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Glass,’ Cloud said, through gritted teeth. ‘Glass, let me go. You’re going to rip me to pieces.’

Glass moved her raised arm to one side. Cloud jolted violently, and was thrown the length of the room. He hit the wall with a crunch.

‘There are so many things outside that want to hurt us,’ Glass went on. ‘So much evil in the world. We can’t fight among ourselves. That’s what they want.’ She staggered, and then collapsed completely.

‘Look what you’re doing,’ Strata hissed, cradling Glass and stroking her hair. ‘Do you have to keep making things worse?’

Cloud stood. For a few moments he was unsteady on his feet and needed to use the wall for support. He took some slow breaths, then turned on Nimbus. ‘Get out,’ he growled.

‘Dad?’

‘I think I was wrong about you. If you are old enough to speak to your father the way you have spoken to me, then I guess you are old enough to do this alone. So get out.’

Nimbus hesitated. ‘Dad? I didn’t mean it.’

‘Get out!’

Nimbus snatched the Wing Warrior sword, and dashed past Strata and Cloud to his bedroom. He bit back frustrated tears as he threw on the Wing Warrior armour.

‘So when does it stop?’ he heard his mother say. ‘When will you be satisfied? When you’ve torn this whole family apart?’

The only answer was the sound of the front door slamming as his father stormed out into the brittle night air.

CHAPTER TEN

Captain Obsidian of the Landmark garrison didn’t sleep much. He had never slept much, but these days he slept even less. The night after the wyvern attack, he didn’t sleep at all.

He had finally gone to his bunk a little before midnight, after making sure the four men guarding the village perimeter were still safe at their posts. He had been reluctant to reinstate the night watch after all these years, especially with so many of the lesser magical animals like pixies and gnomes roaming the village streets; but the wyverns, and the abduction of the children that morning, had left him with no other option.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, listening to the sleeping grunts and snores of the other soldiers, he rose quietly, pulled on some clothes, and stepped outside.

The black folds of the night teemed with life, and for a moment he was caught off–guard by a pixie as it buzzed past his cheek.

‘Stupid things,’ he hissed. ‘Getting everywhere. Can’t even get a second’s peace and quiet these days.’ Two more pixies streaked by, leaving sparkling streamers of dusty light behind them. They giggled as they flew down between Obsidian’s legs and then zipped up to hover one on either side of his head.

‘Go away,’ he said, flapping his arms as though he had just been told he had a spider sitting in his hair. ‘Go away. Find some other person to bother.’

‘Go away, go away,’ the pixies chanted.

Obsidian ducked back inside the garrison building, and shut the door. Private Silver was sitting at the table, looking out of the window.

Obsidian didn’t need to ask what Silver was looking for. Working for the Landmark garrison was not as easy as it once had been, and the safety of the men on guard duty was a concern for everyone.

‘It’s still a long time until dawn,’ Obsidian observed, taking a seat opposite Silver.

‘It will seem longer for those men out there,’ Silver said.

On the table between them, somebody had set up the board and pieces for a game of Land Lock. Several moves had already been played, and the white player’s city was already under threat from detachments of troops. One white dragon had been hatched from the nest, but it was improperly positioned to be of much use for the time being.

‘Do you want to play a game?’ Obsidian asked.

Silver’s gaze remained fixed at some point beyond the window. ‘Why do we do it?’ he said, ignoring the question.

‘Do what?’

‘Why do we keep fighting when we know we can’t win?’

‘Because it’s our job.’

Silver sighed heavily. ‘As little as two months ago, all we did here was laze about in the sun, and grow fat. Landmark was a peaceful place that didn’t need us to maintain law and order. We didn’t patrol the streets at night. We didn’t train. We didn’t do any of the things that a soldier is expected to do. Our station here was a joke. An insult. They put soldiers here that weren’t good enough to be put anywhere else.’

‘Careful Private. You are my closest friend, but I will not have you talk that way about my men. Or me, for that matter.’

‘You aren’t like us, Captain. You were offered a way out. For what you did against Sorrow they were going to give you Guardianship of the Realm, your own contingent of two thousand men. You were going to have a place at Crystal Shine. There is no higher honour for a soldier.’

‘And yet I remained here. With you, and these men. Because I have faith in us.’

‘We have been plunged into the heart of a war against legends. How are we supposed to cope with that?’

‘Any way we can.’ Obsidian was resetting the Land Lock pieces. The crudely carved dragon piece was returned to the nest area, the galleons returned to various harbours, and the troops housed at the correct guard posts. ‘We will continue to do our job, and we will protect this village with our lives.’

‘Whatever happens, whatever danger, you know you will always have my sword.’

Obsidian smiled. ‘Besides, we have an edge here. We have the dragon.’

Silver finally turned away from the window. He looked as tired as Obsidian felt. ‘Is that enough?’

Obsidian picked up the white dragon piece and moved it onto his side of the Land Lock board. ‘We have to hope so,’ he said. ‘It’s your move.’

Silver moved a unit of foot troops out of their guard post, immediately blocking off several of the white dragon’s potential offensive moves. ‘I’m no good at this game,’ he grumbled.

Obsidian moved out one of his own foot troop units. ‘You just need to think further ahead. Try to formulate a plan, and then move your pieces in such a way that I’ll never be able to guess what your plan is until it’s far too late.’

‘And how do I do that?’ Silver moved a galleon.

‘Well,’ Obsidian said, moving his dragon to sink the galleon, ‘that’s the trick, isn’t it?’

***

Cloud walked out onto the empty, windswept square. He was alone for only a moment before there was the flapping of monstrous wings, and something heavy landed beside him. ‘Lord Cloud,’ Cumulo said, bowing his massive head.

‘Where were you?’ Cloud asked.

‘I heard something and went to investigate.’

‘More wyverns?’

‘Two of them. Heading east, towards the Grey Mountains.’

‘What would they be doing there?’

‘I don’t know, and I didn’t want to leave the village for too long to find out. When Nimbus wakes, I’m going to suggest we go out there and look around.’

Cloud glanced behind him at the small glimmering square of light that was his kitchen window. ‘I’m afraid you won’t have time. I came to warn you. You and Nimbus are going up to Mother’s temple to visit Carnelian’s altar.’

Cumulo blinked slowly. ‘I have some knowledge of this altar. I can picture it in some of the memories that were implanted in my mind by my great ancestors. It is a dangerous thing, full of hatred and treachery.’

‘Full of bitterness and failure, undiluted by the passage of time,’ Cloud said.

‘You will be coming with us, I assume?’

‘I’m afraid not. This is a journey that Nimbus has requested I do not join you on.’

‘Is that wise?’

‘The time has come, Cumulo, for my son to stand alone as the last of the Wing Warriors. He doesn’t need his old dad hanging around him any more.’

‘Is that what you think, or what he thinks?’

‘It doesn’t matter who thinks it. That’s just the way it is. But I still have a responsibility as a father. I wanted to speak to you about the temple... without Nimbus’s knowledge.’

‘I understand.’

‘You’re right, the altar is dangerous, but the temple holds far more serious threats for you. That temple was Mother’s home for many hundreds of years, and the stones remember her. It will be the first time you and Nimbus have been confronted with the true nature of what you are, and what you must do. History and truth can hurt more than swords and arrows.’

‘I will be careful.’

‘Make sure you are. And make sure Nimbus is too. He is still very young, and prone to being... headstrong.’

‘I know.’

The wind whistled around the eaves of the houses. ‘He won’t admit it, but he’s going to need you more than ever. And you’re going to need him too.’

‘I appreciate your advice. But perhaps it is advice you should be giving to Nimbus.’

‘It would be best if he didn’t know we had talked.’ Cloud wiped his eyes and turned away, walking back across the square. ‘You must take care of him now. He won’t let me.’

‘Lord Cloud?’

Cloud looked back. ‘Yes?’

‘What’s next for you?’

‘I have something to do. It is perhaps the last thing I can do for my family. For Nimbus.’

‘You’re going to hunt the wyverns, aren’t you?’

‘There are so many dangers in the world, I do not know which ones to fear the most. But I can’t risk waiting for the wyverns to attack the village again. Someone...’ The words caught in his throat. ‘Someone could be hurt next time.’

‘Won’t Lord Citrine send soldiers from Crystal Shine?’

‘Lord Citrine will expect Nimbus to deal with the situation, just like everybody else. But as much as Nimbus thinks he’s capable of handling everything all by himself, he can’t handle this.’ There was a strange look in Cloud’s eyes.

‘Is there something you aren’t telling me?’

‘Glass is Nimbus’s main concern right now, and that’s what I want him to worry about. That leaves me to deal with the wyverns.’

‘These creatures may be smaller than me, but they have the viciousness of an angry dragon. There is no telling what they may be capable of. You can’t go after them alone.’

‘I can, and I will,’ Cloud said. And with that, the old Wing Warrior walked away.

Cumulo shook his head sadly. ‘Nimbus is not the only person who tries to handle all the troubles of the world by himself,’ he said.

The night–wind died down, and somewhere far above five scaly creatures flapped quietly across the sky.

***

‘Where you position your men is all important,’ Captain Obsidian mused, moving one of his galleons. ‘Bring them all out into the open too soon, and you’ll be exposed to an attack. Bring them out too late, and the battle will already be over.’

Private Silver scratched his chin thoughtfully, picked up his dragon piece, put it back, stroked his fingers on a galleon, then picked up the dragon again and moved. His gaze was fixed on the Land Lock board intently.

Obsidian grinned devilishly and swept a unit of foot troops across from the left so that it occupied the same space as Silver’s dragon. ‘The other thing to remember,’ he said cheerfully, taking away the black dragon piece, ‘is to distract your opponent so that he doesn’t see an ambush coming until it’s too late.’

***

Cloud was leading Onyx to the outskirts of the village when he heard the clatter of approaching horse’s hooves. Within seconds a cloaked rider on a grey mare burst from the greater deeps of the night, like an angry spirit wrenching itself out of the worst dark of the afterlife.