A Dark and Stormy Knight

Message from the Author: First off, though this is an unfinished piece, I still would appreciate reviews. Secondly, I know I need to work in a description of Abner and the room they're in. Thirdly, this is a FIRST draft, so it's pretty rough and choppy in some spots. I'll change this intro as new drafts and updates are made to the text. Meanwhile, enjoy and don't be afraid to express your honest opinions!

A Dark and Stormy Knight

         “It was a dark and stormy night.” I began.
         “What? You are kidding right? Who do I look like? Charles Schulz?”
         Sigh. “Abner, the way your nose is swollen up you could pass for Snoopy at least.”
         “I have a cold.” Abner said defensively, and then sneezed. His nose was not small to begin with and all the sneezing and wiping had caused it to swell to twice it’s usual size. And it was turning a painful shade of red. He blew it with a honk that sounded as if someone was strangling a goose.
         “I can tell.” I leaned back against my pillow, took a sip from my coffee and sighed again. My patience was strained enough from exhaustion, but the King had ordered cooperation and so here I was…cooperating. “Do you want me to tell you this story or not? There are plenty of other things I could be, should be doing you know.”
         “Please Ma’am…If you don’t tell me what happened, you’ll have to talk to the Council in person. I’ve made lots of coffee,” he wheedled, “and I’ve sent my familiar out for chocolates.”
Hmm…chocolates always help after a fight. They’re good comfort after losses too.
         “Fine, but no criticizing. My story my way, no complaining. Got it? Otherwise, I’m going home. Council or no Council; I have friends to bury.”
         “All right all right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” Abner flustered and trailed off. He was technically a very skilled wizard. Skilled at the magic anyway. Not so skilled with people. I know he drives Sam crazy. Abner bent over his paper again. “Ok, so it was a dark and stormy night…except…it wasn’t. Right?”
         “Yeah, right. It hadn’t started out dark or stormy. It had been nice and clear, with a very nearly full moon and lots of stars. It was chilly of course; it is October 30th after all.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to massage away the headache that was building up in my sinuses. Contact with Cold Iron always gave me congestion. It was a kind of allergy.
         “It was about 0255 when the storm rolled in on The Wind.” I tried to peer at the paper from where I was sitting to make sure he got the capital letters in the right place and continued, “Sam had just come back from his second patrol, and we were ahead of schedule for once. If we’re not careful we get to talking and lose track of time, then we have to scramble to catch up. But tonight we were doing pretty well.
         “Anyway, Sam had just pulled up to the front of the office when The Wind came screaming down out of the North and hit us so hard the windows rattled in their casements. Sam had unfortunately, parked facing into the wind. I watched from the inside of the office as he fought to push his door open, then he had to slip clear of the car before it slammed shut again. He almost lost a finger I think. He had another wrestling match with the office door itself and finally staggered in with The Wind chasing him. It whistled around the room, tossing loose papers about and ruffled the pages of my book. Fortunately, I use one of those clip on book marks so I didn’t lose my page. Sam’s stuff was blown all over the place though.
         “I knew from the first scream of The Wind that something bad was coming and when Sam opened the door I had to shove my hand in my pocket before he spotted the glow from my ring.”
         “Wow!” he bellowed cheerfully, “That sure as hell came out of nowhere, didn’t it? That Wind is colder than a Witch’s tit! Better put your parka on before you go out there Ma!”
         “Of course, Sam.” I said neutrally, he’s always babying me like that, even though I’ve been here ten years and he’s been here about ten months. I didn’t remind him of that, because I know he means well and I wanted out of there before he began to wonder why I was keeping my hand shoved into my pocket. “Anything interesting I should know about?”
         “Nah. Place is still locked up and still no leaks. Plant Services is wandering around, cleaning offices and drinking coffee in the Q3 break room. I’d stay off the back trail though. You don’t need to catch a falling branch in the back of the head.”
         “True, but except for opening and shutting the gate, I won’t be getting out of the truck while I’m back there. And we need to know if anything blocks the service road.”
         “Let me handle that next tour. You stay away from the back trail.” He insisted and I sighed. I know I shouldn’t bother arguing with him, but I just can’t help myself. It’s the independent female thing.
         “Sam, I’ll be fine. I’m not skipping a part of the tour just because it’s cold and windy. It’s not even raining or thundering yet.” I pushed open the office door to leave as he began to protest. As I stepped out, I looked up at the boiling black clouds over head. Something dropped down, slapping into my face and it wasn’t just the stench of Cold Iron on the wind. Whatever it was, small and wriggly as it was, slipped down my neck and fell into my uniform shirt where it began thrashing around. I squealed indignantly and just about tore my shirt open so I could grab it and throw it away from me. I figured it was a spider. We get large ones around the lights outside and sometimes they have bad timing, dropping down for a tasty bug as we happen to be walking out of a door. Sam pushed the door open at the sound of my scream and nearly slammed it into my back. I pulled my hand out of my shirt—“ I broke off and looked sternly at Abner, “Why are you giggling?”
         “Me? Giggling? Was I? Sorry. It’s just…I mean…” He flushed.
         “I do wear an undershirt, Abner. Plenty of modesty protection.”
         “Yes Ma’am.” He tried not to snerk. I sighed and continued.
         “Shall I continue?”
         “Yes please.”
         “Sam pushed the door open and reached my side just in time to get an eye full of my glowing red ring and the bedraggled Sprite, as it turned out to be, that I was pulling from my shirt.”
         “What the hell?!”
         “Um, damn. Sam…We need to get back inside.” The Wind picked up. Somewhere among its screams, I could hear a different sound. Dark wolves were howling in the trees bordering the facility. The Sprite was trying to tell me something, but I couldn’t hear it over The Wind and the wolves. Plus, Sam was cursing. In Latin. I turned on him. “You’re a wizard!” he stopped with the Latin and laughed.
         “And you’re Border Patrol! Damn! You’re good girl, I didn’t spot the ring until tonight.” The Wolves howled again and we heard the snapping of tree branches. We both looked out towards the hill that’s on the North side of the facility. Unfortunately, that’s the area the node is too. I pushed the Sprite at Sam.
         “Take care of her then. I have to get out there.” Before he could protest, I drew my sword and sped away, leaving him fumbling with the little thing. Even an experienced wizard stops for a moment when a Changeling draws their weapon. I think they get fascinated by all the sparkly special effects that go with the action.”
          “Um, what does it look like?” Abner interrupted.
         “What?”
         “What does it look like? When you draw your sword and summon your armor? I’ve never seen a changeling do it before. They’re already in armor when I see them.”
         Sigh. “You want to see me do it, is that what you’re saying?”
         “Um. Yes. Please?” He looked so much like a puppy begging for a treat that I gave in. Besides, I have to admit that I like to show off, just a bit anyway. Ok, more than a bit. Struggling to my feet, I raised my right hand theatrically and cried out.
         “To arms! In the name of the King!” Golden light showered down my arm, swirling and glittering around my body. My normal clothes melted away and were instantly replaced by plate mail that seems to be made of liquid sapphire. My long sword appeared as a silvery silhouette floating just over my hand and drops into it as it fully materializes. A spear of truesilver also appears above my shoulders and drops down into its sheathe between my wings.
         Oh yes, I have wings. I am a changeling after all. My Great-great-great-great Grandmother was a Peregrine Falcon. Faeries have wide ranging tastes when it comes to love. And we cross breeds have our uses. We are resistant to the deathly touch of Cold Iron and if we’re strong enough, we can learn to manipulate the powers of nature’s magic. Fae can’t do that because they aren’t native to this world.
         Abner blinked and dropped his pen, rubbed at his eyes and then sneezed. He blew his nose with another great, goose murdering honk and spluttered out, “Wow! I think I just went blind!”
         “Thanks.” I banished my gear and resettled on the bed,  “Shall I continue?”
         “Yes, please! What happened next?”
         “Well, I left the sprite with Sam and bolted for the North end of the facility. As I mentioned before, that’s where the node is. The bloody thing is the reason I was assigned the job as a Security Guard there in the first place.
         “The Wind screamed and tore at my wings, I lost a lot of feathers. I knew flying would be next to impossible without some serious magic. Tree branches were snapping off their trunks and falling all around me. Ahead of me, I heard the Dark wolves howl and the stench of Cold Iron grew stronger. Gravel slipped under my feet, still wet from the previous day’s rain and just to make things more fun, all the lights in the complex went out. I knew they wouldn’t be coming back on, either. There was no way the generators could handle the arcane energy frizzling in the air. I slid to a stop at the end of the road.
         “Ahead of me was the chain link fence and a gate held secure with only a padlock and chain. The road continued around a left turn and ran along next to the fence. In the elbow of the turn is a little piece of wetland covered in Catstails and other marsh grasses. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw the cold glitter of Fell light that shines in the eyes of the Dark Wolves. I was surrounded. Just beyond the gate another tree cracked and broke in half. Something big was out there, I just couldn’t make it out among the trees in the dark. I didn’t have time to search for it either. I had the Dark Wolves to deal with.
         “Wrapping my wings around me like a cloak, I settled into a ready stance and turned slowly in place, searching for the largest wolf in the pack. He would be the Alpha. If I could take him out fast, the others would lose heart and probably flee after only losing one or two more of their fellows. A Dark Wolf is about the size of a Great Dane. Their fur is wiry and scratchy like steel wool. Its body is wolf shaped but it’s perpetually thin and half starved looking, its ribs are just barely visible under its coat. Their teeth are razor sharp, their bones as strong as iron and their muscles are as tough as steel bands. In essence, a Dark Wolf is a creature of living metal, brought to life by the evil magic’s of the Iron Forgers.
         “They are forever hungry for flesh and magic. Changelings are, in fact, their favorite food. I was in serious trouble. There were six of them. That was their advantage. This was my territory and I could draw on the power of the node. That was mine.
         “As I turned, I let the tip of my sword drag on the ground as I chanted, calling on the node’s power to help me quell The Wind. The wolves crouched, ready to spring and growled hungrily. The power built within me, the chant sounding louder as The Wind faded away. The night was still dark and the clouds still boiled over head but now at least I could stand straight without being buffeted by the magic driven Wind. The Alpha wolf and two of his pack mates leapt.
         “My sword grated along the gravel as I dropped to my knees and released some of the power I had gathered. The quartz stones shone out brightly in the dark and then sprouted long, lethal crystals all around the edges of my circle. The wolves howled in surprised agony as they were impaled on the crystalline spikes. Their blood ran in black rivulets down the crystal, tainting their pure white glow with the stink of Cold Iron and flickering green with the Fell power that poured out of them. Within seconds their bodies were shallow husks devoid of life and movement.  I stood slowly, staring down the other three Dark Wolves in turn.
         “Still hungry? If so, I’m right here.” I goaded them. As one they howled, turned tail and fled, bounding across the fence and disappeared into the trees. Behind me I heard a bark of laughter. I turned quickly and had to suppress a laugh of my own. Sam was leaning nonchalantly on his staff but he was still wearing a security guard uniform. Have you seen it? We have to wear these white shirts and blue pants with black stripes. Honestly we look like we belong in a marching band when we’re wearing them. And He’s standing there with that big, black nobbly staff covered in runes, laughing at me!”
         “I was not.” Sam’s voice boomed from the other side of the door. There was a thump as he kicked it open with a foot and backed into the room carrying a tray. I could see a sturdy mug and a heavy stoneware bowl from where I was sitting. Both were steaming and the bowl was giving off a heavenly smell. “I was laughing at myself actually.” he strode over to the bedside and held out the tray, “Here, eat something. You were out for a couple of hours you know.”
         “You’re babying me again Sam.” I complained even as I took the tray, “I told you, I’m fine. I’ve had lots of concussions in the course of my career.”
         “Yes I know. That’s probably why you put up with me. All that brain damage.” He laughed and strode over to a chair (Sam never just walks, he strides everywhere. Now that I think on it, all wizards stride everywhere. That probably should have been a clue.) He hitched up the hem of a rather fancy white robe and settled down with a grunt and a groan. The fight hadn’t done much good for his back.
         “Nice dress Gandalf. Hoping for a part in the next re-rewrite of the Lord of the Rings?”
         “Eat your soup smart-ass.” he responded amiably, “And finish dictating your report, would you? I dragged my interview out as much as I could but the Council is getting impatient. If you don’t get moving, they’re going to insist on sending a representative here. I sure as hell don’t want them poking around my study and I know you aren’t in the mood to answer to one of them in person.”
         I bristled, “I don’t answer to the Wizard’s Council. I answer to my King!”
         Abner shrank away, but Sam hardly even blinked, he just shrugged. “Sorry Ma, poor choice of words. Eat your soup. Dana made it for you especially.”
         I forced myself to relax. Wizard or not, Sam was still Sam--a blunt spoken, uncouth man’s man who followed an old code of chauvinism. He just also happened to be a Wizard. I scooped up a mouthful of soup and sighed delightedly. Home made chicken noodle soup could cure almost any ill.
         “This soup is heaven Sam. Thank Dana for me would you?”
         “Of course. Sit up Abner and stop cowering! She isn’t going to bite for heaven’s sakes. Finish your report Gwen, so I can send you two home for the night.”
         “Right. Fine.” I ate a bit more soup then sipped at the green tea in the mug. It had been sweetened with honey.
         “So, Sam was laughing at…Sam I guess and the Dark Wolves had either died or fled. That just left the mysterious figure lurking outside the tree line. Before I could ask Sam what was so funny, thunder cracked around us and my crystal barrier exploded. Fortunately, Sam had his own shields up, so he avoided becoming a pin cushion.”
         “Or a porcupine.”
         “Shut up Sam, I’m talking.”
         “Yes Ma’am.” He grinned.
         “Given enough time, an Iron Knight can create a storm that consists mainly of pollutants. They pull together clouds of exhaust and factory smoke, mix it with negative energy and seed a natural rain cloud with it, turning it into a Fell Storm. Everything that storm produces, the wind, the rain, the lightening and thunder is tainted.  The Rain poured out of the sky was a black oily waterfall that made me violently nauseous. That’s the disadvantage of being linked to a wellspring node, I’m a little more vulnerable to the Taint.
“Sam didn’t waver though and as I struggled to regain my self-control the Iron Knight shook the reins and prepared to charge."

To be continued...