01 Wing Warrior (29 page)

‘Is there something we can do?’ Sky said.

‘We got him here,’ Glass said. ‘That was what we were supposed to do. That’s what we did.’

‘Couldn’t you do something to Sorrow? Make her small, or turn her into a butterfly, or something like that?’

‘No. I’m still not sure how I do all that stuff, and if I get something wrong I might end up hurting Cumulo, or someone else. I don’t want to make things worse.’

‘But Cumulo isn’t ready to fight Sorrow. There must be some way we can help him.’

Tidal’s concerned expression changed into a wide grin. He looked like a boy who had just discovered a gold mine in his back garden. ‘I know a way,’ he said.

He ran off, heading for Nimbus’s house.

***

Somewhere else, in a world that existed between worlds, the mouth beneath Guide’s hood curled into a cold sneer. ‘You don’t want to go on with me?’ he asked.

Nimbus scuffed his toe in the brown earth. He had never felt so small and lost before, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Guide was laughing at him. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘It just feels like I’m running away from something.’

‘Running away from what?’

‘I don’t know.’ He knelt down and scooped up a handful of sharp stones. They shone like pieces of broken Glass. ‘My sister. I’m sure I heard her. I know you said I couldn’t have, but I’m sure it was her.’

‘Your sister is alive, Nimbus. You aren’t.’

‘I might be.’

‘But the dragon...’

‘I know, I know. But if I go with you, how can I be sure? I could be throwing my life away.’

Guide watched carefully as Nimbus sorted through the stones in his hand. One of the larger stones was round and flat, a mirror in which his sorry eyes reflected.

‘You are prepared to risk an eternity on these plains, lost and alone?’

‘What have I got to lose?’

‘You are talking foolishly. If you come with me, you will be able to see your sister again. You will be able to watch over her as a guardian spirit, and protect her.’

Nimbus looked at Guide. ‘What do you mean by guardian?’

‘Here, in this desolate landscape, you are neither living nor truly dead. You have no influence over either world. You are just a lost spirit, in torment, and afraid. But if you come with me to the other side, you will be eternally by your sister’s side, able to guide her in her decisions.’

‘Guide her?’ Storm clouds rolled across the sky, an armada of sailing ships on a purple sea. ‘Guide. Only people who can’t see where they’re going need a guide.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s something my sister said.’

‘Never mind that,’ Guide said. ‘We’re close now. The way to the lands of the dead are just beyond the next ridge. Do you really want to give up on your sister when you’re this close?’

‘Isn’t it giving up to go on? Shouldn’t I stay here and try to find a way back to her?’

‘Nonsense.’

Nimbus looked back the way they had come. The Wing Warrior sword was lying on the ground just a few feet away, still glowing, but more faintly now. ‘The sword is following me. It wants me to see.’

‘See what?’

‘I don’t know. But my sister said I needed to open my eyes.’

Guide came over to Nimbus and held out his hand. ‘Take my hand, Nimbus. You said you wanted me to lead you on this path. Don’t run away from me now.’

‘I thought I’d opened my eyes, but what if I haven’t? What if I’m wrong about all of this?’

‘You’re acting like a silly child, Nimbus.’

‘Glass said I could only save myself from the dragon if I opened my eyes.’ He walked over to the Wing Warrior sword. ‘This sword has the power to grant anyone who touches it infinite vision. For some reason it wants to show me something. Don’t you think I should see what that is?’

Guide propped himself up against his staff. His mouth was stern and straight. ‘Don’t make this into an unpleasant situation, Nimbus. Leave the sword alone.’

‘I don’t think I can. I don’t think I should.’

‘I won’t ask again, Nimbus.’

‘I think my sister was trying to tell me something.’

He bent to pick up the sword.

Guide lurched into motion, throwing aside his staff. His hood fell back to reveal his face. His skin was pale, almost unnaturally so, his cheekbones were sharp and well–defined, and he had shining black hair that was tied back in a flowing ponytail. His eyes and mouth were closed, and he approached in perfect silence.

For that one fleeting moment, Nimbus believed Guide was possibly the most handsome man in the world; but as the distance between them closed, Guide’s eyes sprang open, and his beautiful face was contorted in a snarling expression of pure evil.

Nimbus recoiled in horror as Guide’s eyes flared, startling and red, becoming bubbling pools of volcanic ash and fire; and when Guide’s mouth opened, it was as if a doorway into the darkest part of the human spirit had been opened up.

It was obvious that beneath his handsome exterior there was nothing except simple hatred.

His cruel fingers grabbed hold of Nimbus around the throat and clamped down with unbelievable strength. Nimbus tried to scream, but there was too much pressure on his neck, and all he could manage was a pained choke as he was pulled to the ground.

‘You wanted to see the truth,’ Guide hissed. A wicked tongue – fat and purple–grey – lolled out of his mouth, and saliva dribbled from his sharp teeth. ‘You wanted to see the truth, well here it is. This is what I was trying to protect you from. This is the horror of the world. Are you happy now? Are you?’

‘You’re the poison,’ Nimbus choked.

‘I am the greatest poison. I am the evil that has slept for many years in the memories of your civilisation.’

Nimbus looked over at the Wing Warrior sword. It was pulsing white light, making a last desperate attempt to be seen. He reached out, his fingers snatching at thin air.

‘You can’t stop me getting back to my sister,’ he croaked. ‘I won’t give up to you.’

‘You’re too late,’ Guide said. His voice dripped like venom from a spider’s ugly mouth. ‘You’re stuck here now. You’re stuck here forever. Once, your father took everything from me. Now I’m going to make sure you never see him ever again.’

Nimbus closed his eyes tight. He knew he could reach the sword. He knew he could.

His fingers touched the cold metal of the blade.

The sword vanished.

***

Tidal took the Wing Warrior sword from where it was lying next to the sleeping Nimbus. Nimbus’s hand moved, and it appeared that he too was attempting to take the sword.

Tidal leaned over the bed, whispering in Nimbus’s ear. ‘Sorry, Nimbus. You had your chance. It’s my turn now. I’m going to finish what you started.’

Nimbus’s eyes flickered under his eyelids.

Tidal took the sword in both hands and gave it an experimental swing. It was heavy, much heavier than he had expected, but he was strong enough to use it. His eyes glowed with the prospect of getting the chance to fight and slay the dragon that had been even too mighty for Cloud to defeat.

Finally, this was his chance to be a hero.

‘You shouldn’t do that,’ Glass said, appearing in the doorway. Her voice sounded powerful, ancient and eternal, but small and frail at the same time. It was the voice of a great wizard speaking through the body of a small girl. Tidal was immediately reminded of her ability to shrink dragons or conjure light from darkness.

‘Why not?’ he said, cautiously.

‘My daddy said that every hero needs his sword. You should leave it there on the bed.’

‘Nimbus is hardly going to need it, is he?’

‘It’s not your sword, Tidal.’

‘Who says so? Why can’t it be my sword? I went down in the cave with Nimbus. If Nimbus hadn’t hidden the truth from me, I could have found the armour. I could have found the dragon. And look...’ He pointed out of the window. Cumulo and Sorrow were clearly visible, roaring at each other as dust swirled around them. ‘I led us through the sewer. I led the rescue mission. Cumulo is here because of me, so why can’t I take this sword?’

‘We all freed Cumulo,’ Glass said, calmly. Her shadow seemed to be getting larger, darker, and more monstrous.

‘This is my moment,’ Tidal said. ‘I won’t let you take it away from me. I won’t let anybody take it away from me.’

‘I can’t take it away from you. You’re bigger than me.’

Glass was just a little girl, small and weak, and Tidal knew that if he really wanted to he could pick her up in one hand; but somehow she seemed bigger. She seemed so much bigger, in fact, that she was filling up the whole room.

He realised he was thinking about toads. He was thinking about what it would be like to be a toad, and what his voice would sound like if he was a toad, and what Sky would think of him if he was a toad; and he realised it was Glass who was putting those thoughts in his head.

‘You aren’t going to let me take this sword, are you?’ he said.

‘No,’ Glass said.

‘So you’re going to let Cumulo get ripped apart by that monster out there?’

‘Cumulo isn’t going to get ripped apart.’

‘He certainly isn’t going to win. Sorrow is much bigger and uglier than he is.’

‘He doesn’t have to win, he just needs to keep her busy long enough.’

‘Long enough for what?’

‘Please put the sword back.’

Tidal took one last look at the sword, and then placed it on the bed next to Nimbus’s right hand. ‘You’re right. This is Nimbus’s sword. It should stay here.’

‘I’m glad we agree.’

Tidal turned his attention back to the dragons outside. Sorrow was being blasted with sparkling jets of ice crystals, and in return she was breathing her black smoke. All the time they were circling each other, occasionally snapping their teeth, or swiping out with their talons. It was truly terrifying to watch.

‘Where’s Sky?’ Tidal asked.

‘She’s outside. With Cloud and Captain Obsidian. She wanted to stay with them.’

‘We should make sure she’s okay.’

Glass’s shadow shrank back to normal size. ‘That’s a good idea.’

***

Nimbus was still struggling to escape from Guide’s iron grip when the Wing Warrior sword magically reappeared beside him. It was still glowing, still wanting him to see the truth.

Guide was grinning maniacally, his teeth wet with stinking saliva, his eyes staring wildly.

‘You’ll be here forever now,’ he hissed. ‘Here, forever, with me. You’ll never see your sister again.’

Nimbus stretched out his arm, grabbing the handle of the sword with numb fingers. He liked the feel of the weapon against his skin, it made him feel safe. It made him feel like he was back home.

‘Glass,’ he whispered.

‘You can’t stop us,’ Guide said. ‘Me, the dragon, my army. We’re too strong now. You’re too late. This is just the start of my revenge. This is just the start of the suffering your father has brought upon you and your family.’

‘Who are you?’

‘They called me Crow once. Remember the name, because you will hear it again before you die.’

The sword glowed, and Nimbus closed his eyes against the painfully bright light. There was the sound of rushing water in his ears, and he was overcome with the impression that he was being dragged along by the strong current of an endless river.

Then everything went very quiet, and just like the last time he had held the sword, Nimbus felt like he was floating in the middle of the ocean. For a few blissful moments, moments when it seemed like the world had ended, he was totally calm.

When he opened his eyes again he was standing in a small bedroom he immediately recognised as his own. He was stood by the side of the bed, next to a chair where the Wing Warrior armour had been stacked, but he was also lying on the bed with one hand wrapped around the handle of the Wing Warrior sword.

He smiled, and the other him on the bed smiled too.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘What did the sword want to show me?’

Around him, the walls began to splinter and fall away, and the other him on the bed disappeared. Now he was standing in a gigantic hall where twelve men were sitting at a table.

‘The dragons have done their part,’ one of the men was saying. ‘The new dragon will come, but somebody must be responsible for protecting the egg until the time is right.’

The room was silent. Eleven of the men were looking at just one. They were all looking at Cloud.

‘I can’t,’ Cloud said.

‘Mother is gone. You have no dragon to go into battle with,’ the other said.

‘Mother’s disappearance is my fault. I must make amends. I cannot sit by and watch you all go to war.’

‘You have no choice, Cloud. You must protect the new dragon, it must stay hidden, and if things go badly for us, then you must survive us, and be ready for what the future brings.’

‘What future have I got without my dragon? I would rather throw myself upon the black dragon’s claws than continue this way.’

‘There is much you are not aware of, Cloud. We have seen you with a son. He will be called Nimbus, and he will be more than we have ever hoped to be. We have caught glimpses of this future in the mists of possibilities. You would have seen it too, if only you had not been blinded by your sorrow.’

‘I will have a son?’

‘You know how the power of the swords works. Not all ends will come to pass. But it could be that you are able to keep our dreams alive, even if we perish.’

Cloud was staring at his hands. ‘I have drawn plans for a fortress,’ he said. ‘The greatest fortress the world has ever known. A place for the dragon to be kept.’

The other eleven men nodded, but before anybody else had a chance to speak, Nimbus was slipping away, drifting through layers of reality, and appearing somewhere else.

He was at the top of a mountain, and Sorrow was there, biting and slashing as eleven dragons swooped down at her. Eleven dragons, each one a different colour, a different size and shape.

Nimbus only just had time to realise he was witnessing the death of the last of the dragons, and then he was on the move again. He travelled across rivers, lakes, rocky peaks, and cavernous ravines. He walked with his father who was hunting something, following trails of blood for mile after mile.