Wing Magic by Sarah K. L. Wilson

Author:Sarah K. L. Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarah K. L. Wilson
Published: 2020-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Elsewhere in the Winged Empire...

Wing Mirala watched her bird as it made wide circles over the small patrol ship. When her gull wheeled like that, screaming in the sky in pleasure, she wished she could fly, too. Even the searing joy of riding the waves from peak to peak on the fast skimmer was nothing compared to the heights of the spirit bird. The way it soared and dipped, skimming over the spray, was elation come alive. But while the gull could lend Mirala her eyes, she was not large enough to be ridden as some manifestations were.

Mirala still daydreamed about riding her, though. Rushing through the clouds in a burst of wings and feathers and searing joy. She closed her eyes over the daydream, letting it settle into her heart for a moment and warm her spirit as it always did.

So close to Kestrel City, there was nothing of concern here. The Winged Empire had dominated these waters for four generations without a single attack from without or rebellion from within. Patrol duty had become nothing but a routine pleasure she could soak in. The sea. The sun. The wind. Bliss.

Her gull screamed and her eyes popped open.

She let them unfocus so that she could see with the gull’s eyes.

What in the ...

She blinked twice, hardly believing what her manifestation was showing her from its place high up in the sky.

A fleet. A fleet bigger than anything Mirala had ever seen – bigger than the Fleet of the Garbocco Islands, bigger than the Terns stationed in all their glory in the harbors of Kestrel City.

Her breath caught in her throat. She needed to report them and get the small patrol ship out of the way before that mass of ships swept through these seas. But the Tern Captain would want to know who had sent a fleet against the Winged Empire. He’d want more information than she had right now.

She needed to get her gull closer to see.

Her eyes tightened in concentration and her gull swooped toward the ships. She channeled courage into the bird. There was no sign of any other spirit birds over these new ships, just Kiralala and her pinkish-white spirit wings like the faint glow of disappearing dawn. No reason to fear. Kiralala was quick and could dodge any arrow launched from a ship. She would be safe up here scouting.

Mirala studied the ships, looking for a flag or a sign – any way to tell where they had come from. They were built strangely as if they had been grown from twisting vines rather than constructed of wood. Sails that rippled silver in the light seemed almost like fish skin – patterned and flashing in the sun.

She shook her head, confused, and then the captain was there.

“Wing Mirala? Does your bird see something?”

She hesitated, not sure how to report this as her bird swept in close for a better look.

“Wing Mirala?”

No flags. No markings. So strange.

Her bird swept in closer, searching, searching.

Men and women

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.