Another collision in the back ranks, sir, a bit of ruffled wings, but nothing worse, the messenger reports in hushed tones to Commander Durien. The commander, an old and feral looking cat fae, simply snorts in response, his large wings not missing a single beat.
Of course there was another collision. There's been nothing but them all morning. If I could find the man who hosted last night's celebrations, I'd both thank him and curse him. Everyone is wobbling like their wings just dried. He snorts again, louder this time. At his side Malis and Rinalraldi, the advising veterans of the unit, both spare him a look.
Tired fools tripping over each other again, nothing to concern yourselves with, ladies, Durien explains in a scornful tone, his voice loud enough to carry across the air despite the sound of wing beats which seems to fill the air with a humming background noise that cancels out the sounds of casual conversation.
Thank you for the report, Branson, but seriously stop bringing me these. I know half the unit can't even see straight, but they've no one but themselves to blame. This will teach them to go to bed at a decent hour. We fly at dawn regardless of what we celebrate the night before.
With that, the messenger sketches a salute and drops his speed to fall back. Rinalraldi turns away, seemingly uninterested in the minor accidents. Malis, however, drops lower and close to the commander.
Noticing her, the commander sighs.
What is it, Malis? You never approach me unless something is on your mind.
The brown dragon fae nods, her bangs flopping on her forehead to give a momentary glimpse of her middle eye before concealing it again.
Sir, I was just wondering if you plan on engaging us in heavy combat today or not.
I'm no fool, Malis! I have been commander longer than you have been flying; I know that we can't handle heavy combat today. I do know if we don't let the troops know this behavior isn't tolerated, it will only happen again later. So I will put us into combat, but not hard enough to destroy the unit. Just enough to make sure the lesson sticks.
Gasping, Malis gapes at the commander for a moment, before snapping her maw shut. Her autumn colored wings flutter at an astoundingly quick speed for a moment before she can control them.
You mean to say you're going to risk the lives of some of the unit just to teach the others a lesson?
Don't you try shoving your morals on me. This is what's best for the unit as a whole.
You'll be risking lives!
They risk their lives every day, they know what they are getting into when they sign up. Last night they knew what they would have to do in the morning, but they stayed up late anyway. Consider it culling the weak. Would you trust a weak Faerie to guard your back?
This is not the sort of risk they agreed to take, they thought they would die fighting for their people, not to teach naughty children a lesson.
They just assumed this wasn't the risk they'd take. Which further proves that they are idiots.
But, sir---
ENOUGH! I am the commander here and by the will of the Queen I order you to shut up and move back into your proper flight position.
For a moment Malis seems to flounder in the air as the command takes hold. There is a fraction of a second of hesitation before her mouth snaps shut and she flies back into position with a sudden jerking motion that sends all her silks fluttering. From her place to the right of Commander Durien, she glares at him, her large green eyes filled with hatred and a promise of dark things to come.
He simply glares back.
I know that you feel you are entitled to your opinion, but your moral beliefs are not welcome in my unit. Because the Queen lets you off your leash to go out and fight does not mean you are suddenly free. I'm bound to the Queen, if she wills it, my command is as good as hers. You seem to forget that.
You are a powerful weapon. But remember, Nightmare, you are only a weapon. A well trained dog to fight at our command. I don't respect a sword for being sharp; I respect its creator for making it sharp. Remember your place, girl.
With dead silence at the head, the army unit continues onward_ heading towards a distant battle field. Below them spans nothing but a seemingly endless forest. The flight carries on smoothly from that point on as the messengers stop reporting minor collisions and just keep the incidents to themselves.
After some time has passed, sudden increase in the pressure of the air startles the army unit. Voices shout out across the ranks, most asking the same question. The sound of wing beats increase as people struggle to adjust without hitting each other.
What was that, the commander hisses, his tail swishing about anxiously.
Defensive positions! he yells,
I want everyone on the lookout for a magical ambush!
Malis was in a defensive stance before he even ordered it. Around her the sky is clear and there is no sign of any natural or magical cause for the pressure.
And yet the pressure continues to grow. Around the Faerie army, the pressure builds until the fae's ears start to pop. They begin howl out in pain or frustration,some pull out their weapons and slash aimlessly at empty air or turn on their companions in frustration. It is as though the very air is trying to crush them and they are helpless to prevent their deaths.
There is a great roaring from the forest below and out springs a hoard of Nightmare Fae. Malis draws her sword just as quickly as they appear. The Commander is screaming out, trying to form ranks, shouting orders to the groups. He turns to shout an order to Malis, but she doesn't respond. The Faerie Queens compulsions to live and to fight are so strong in her mind that she couldn't have heard the Commander even if she wanted to.
Chaos erupts as the Nightmare engage the unit in combat. It becomes obvious that the growing air pressure, and the sorry state of the fighters, are too much for the Faeries to handle. They begin to drop out of the sky, one by one, their bright silks making them look like falling stars.
Around Malis, though, the opposite is happening. Despite the growing pressure, she is moving so swiftly her wings, silks, and swords are all a deadly blur of autumns colors. A circle slowly grows around her as the Nightmare move to avoid her deadly blows, seeming content to let her chase them around. Chase, she does, the Queen's commands still yelling in her to kill. Still unwilling to face certain death, Nightmare begin to back away further and small pocket of retreating forms run from wherever she moves. It is the only advancement made by the Faerie army.
Still the constant pressure increases from the air. The ambushing Nightmares seem free of the effects, but Faeries continue to fall, either killed because of their inability to fight both the air and an attacker. It seems for a short time that the battle is equally matched, especially with the devastating attacks from Malis, but it becomes increasingly obvious that the Faeries stand no chance. For every Nightmare felled by Malis, another 5 Faeries fall
Finally, Malis' sword begins to slip. Pausing her pursuit of Nightmare to adjust her grip, she blinks heavily once, twice, and a confused look spreads across her face. Then her wings collapse around her as she tumbles downward.
From above her, a Nightmare takes notice of her fall and dives towards her.
Before she passes out, she whispers into the wind,
This is it. The end. I am free.
Well hello! Welcome back to the world of the living, soldier!
Malis awakens to find herself laying in a bed in a large tent. There are other creatures in other beds, all with various injuries. They all appear to be soldiers of the Nightmare.
She also notices that the binding magic that held her enthralled to the will of the Fae queen is gone. There are no orders in her mind to follow, her body does not move in any way she does not tell it to. The Faerie queen's voice is finally gone.
Before she can shout her excitement, the voice she woke to speaks again.
That was pretty stupid of you to go into battle without putting up your protection. You fell almost as soon as the fight started.
Malis looks around to find the owner of the voice, but cannot see anyone talking to her in any direction.
You know, you look so much like a Faerie, I almost let you fall. You really should do more about making that eye of yours visible. If your hair had not blown away from it as you fell, I would have ignored you entirely.
Finally, Malis thinks to look up for the owner of the voice. There she sees him, hanging upside down from one of the support poles of the tent. He is hideous, a perfect example of the Nightmare in the truest sense of the word. His taught, sinewy muscles are covered in grayish-blue scales, and she can see fur around his neck of the same color. His face is some sort of strange, vicious lizard with the ears and nose of a bat, black eyes, and many rows of sharp, black, terrible teeth showing through his grin. His wings are folded around his body like a cloak of gray-blue leather. The black claws of his feet grip the wooden beam securely, but it is clear just looking at them that any creature caught in the grip of those wicked claws stands little chance of surviving.
You are very lucky I caught you when I did, soldier. Because you forgot to put up your magical protection, your heart and lungs were crushed by the pressure of the storm. If I had taken any longer to get you to the healers, you would have stayed dead.
The Nightmare creature paused for a moment, then spoke again.
As it is, our attack was successful even with your blunder. We wiped out the whole unit, including the commander and advisers. We did let their messengers go though. After all, someone has to tell the horror stories. As he explains this, his grin broadens with glee.
Emotions flicker across Malis' face as she comes to grips with her situation. Confusion turns to sorrow mixed with fear which gives way to joy, quickly covered with a carefully neutral face. Slowly, she inches away from the Nightmare before her, moving up into a sitting position in the bed. One hand goes to her chest, wincing as her newly healed body protests the movement.
I... I... is all she can stammer, stunned, but slowly recovering her wits.
That's great to hear, she mumbles slowly, trying to think of something to respond with that wont instantly give her away.
A great victory. I don't know how I could have forgotten my protect. I'm grateful you caught me, thank you. Her hand casually moves to her side only to find her sheath empty of its sword. A wave of panic washes over her and she tries to formulate a plan.
The Nightmare creature continues to grin unsettlingly as he looks at Malis. After a moment, he speaks again.
Of course, nothing comes free. You owe me now, silly forgetful soldier. I did save your life, and life is such a precious thing is it not? He trails off with this last statement as he shows his teeth with a smile that suggests he might be joking, but probably he is not.
He continues to stare into Malis' eyes, waiting for her response. He waits only seconds before a creature in another bed shouts.
MALIS! I KNEW I RECOGNIZED YOU! THAT IS MALIS IN THAT BED! GET HER OUT OF HERE! THAT IS MALIS, THE FAERIE QUEEN'S PET NIGHTMARE! GET HER OUT OF HERE, TAKE HER TO THE GUILLOTINE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF US SHE HAS SLAIN?!
The creature continues to shout as armed guards enter the tent and approach Malis' bed.
From the beds around her, Nightmare begin to stir and yell, either in confusion or because they know her reputation.
Malis springs into action, adrenaline coursing through her. Crouching down, she pushes off the bed with her hind legs, launching herself into the air with a cry of pain as her body protests the sudden movement. Frantic, she spins in the air, looking for an exit. Each way is blocked as soldiers come rushing into the tent to investigate the yelling.
With a sudden look of fierce determination, she throws herself to the floor, aiming for the space where the tent meets the floor. With a burst of strength, she pulls up at the heavy tent material, yanking several stakes up off the ground. With another cry that is a mix of pain and hope, she throws herself into the opening.
Outside she is momentarily dazzled by the bright sunlight and the unfamiliar settings. Everything around her is decorated in dull colors of brown, black, and red, so unlike the bright airy colors of the Faerie Court. The people, also, are different, though she's seen others like them many times on the other end of her sword. Realizing that this place has nothing but enemies for her, she throws herself into the air, straining her aching body for height. She gets perhaps five times her length into the air before a nearby cat Nightmare with abnormally elongated canines and matted brown fur gives a growl.
Malis! You traitorous dog of the Faerie Queen he shouts, jumping to the sky and unfurling huge black bat wings.
Malis tries to change her course to no avail. The cat slams painfully into her side, knocking her off balance. His claws latch onto her silks as he tries to get a hold around her, yanking her downward. Struggling to free herself of his grasp, she swipes at him, her claws rending deep gashes into his hide. The cat fae yowls and gives a mighty tug, folding his own wings in.
For the second time she falls to the ground, landing painfully on her back with the cat fae above her. With her back feet, she kicks out, shoving him off of her. Hissing, she pulls herself to her feet, lashing with her tail to keep the cat fae at bay.
A movement in her peripheral vision catches her attention and she reacts just in time to dodge the stab of a spear only to find herself suddenly entangled in what be a sticky web thrown over her head. From around her, Nightmare appears, grabbing the edges of the web and pulling downward. Where the webbing touches her bare skin, it stings, causing all of the muscles in the area to spasm them go still, completely unable to move. Struggling to keep more of the netting from touching her, she yells in pain, anger, and fear as she is forced to the ground, rendered completely unable to move by the strange sticky weight of the web.
Who is this? someone shouts out. With her face huddled for protection between her hands, she is completely unable to see any of her enemies.
It's Malis, come the reply,
She's a pawn of the Faerie Queen, she follows her every command.
Is she a Faerie? someone else asks.
No, she's a Nightmare.
A cry of outrage comes from the crowd.
She's nothing like us, one person yells.
She's a traitorous dog, she willingly gave the Faerie Queen her Center's Word, comes yet another yell.
The crowd begins to yell louder, each shout melting into another. Rage fills Malis as she lays there, listening to the accusations and speculation. She feels someone hit her side, kicking her, then yowl as the webbing stings them.
Suddenly the crowd goes quiet and a voice shouts out,
What is this?! The voice is deep and commanding, obviously belonging to someone with great authority.
Captain Talvrick, it is Malis, the Queen's pet Nightmare. At the mention of her name, the crowd begins to roar to life again.
Quiet! the captain shouts,
Get out of my way! Malis hears the shuffle of feet and clang of armor as people rush to follow the command. Then she hears footsteps as the captain approaches her.
So you are Malis. I've seen you fight; I've seen you kill many of my men. How dare you show your face around here!? I hope that fool Queen knows she has sent you here to die. There is the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn.
With a fierce growl, Malis struggles against her bonds, trying to maneuver herself to face the attacker she cannot see.
Name: Malis Lee
