Wings of Fate

1. Skill Sets

    Kalian leaned against a cold stone wall, running his thumb over the edge of his obsidian dagger. A Human male was bound to the chair before him, still screaming despite the gag muffling his voice. Kalian tilted his head, the only sign of interest he displayed. He kept his features blank. Frozen. Empty.

    "Do you want me to stop?" He asked in a gravelly tone. The man nodded vigorously, tears dripping down his cheeks. "Are you going to tell me what I wish to know?" The man nodded again.

    Kalian allowed his magic to fade. The pale blue glow around his hands vanished and the icy swirls in his wings shimmered. He straightened and ripped the gag from the male's mouth. Kalian flicked his chin with the tip of the dagger, then gestured for him to speak.

    "I've never heard of the village you mentioned," the man rasped.

    Kalian narrowed his eyes. "You're sticking with that story?" He raised a hand, magic writhing at his fingertips.

    "Wait, please!" The man jerked against his ropes. "I'm just a Captain. I don't have the information you want. You have to find someone with a higher rank! Someone with access to old records and reports."

    "Who?" Kalian demanded.

    "I...I don't know. A General, or, or maybe a Commander."

    "Who?" This time, his cold voice was laced with a snarl. "I need names."

    "Alesander! There's a Commander near Tower Dawn named Alesander. He might know something!"

    "Might?" Kalian tightened his fist around the hilt of his dagger. "You would send me after this Commander on the off chance that he might know something? Tell me, Human. Why did you choose to join the Ironblades?"

    "To rid the world of cruel monsters like you!" The Captain spat in a moment of bravery. "Look at you! I've done nothing to you and yet you're torturing me! The stories are true. Night Faeries are nothing but cunning demons who deserve to die!"

    "And Day Faeries are benevolent gods," Kalian murmured. "Do you believe that also?"

    "No. They deserve to die as well. All of you do!"

    The ice in Kalian's veins hardened as his anger swelled. He flared his wings and wrapped a fist around the Captain's throat, forcing the Human to meet his gaze. "Did my little girl deserve to die? A child who had never harmed anyone in her life? Did my wife? The woman who worked herself to the bone caring for injured Humans after the Soleone War?"

    "All...of you," the Human grunted. "You all...deserve...death."

    Magic surged through Kalian and a familiar dark calmness settled over his senses. He sheathed his dagger and released the Human. The man gasped for breath. Kalian stared at a spot on the wall as he situated his hands on either side of the man's face. With a sharp twist and a resounding crack, the man sagged in his ropes.

    Kalian stepped back, ignoring the crooked shape of the man's neck. He made his way out of the room, each step echoing through his pointed ears like a clap of thunder. He reached the main floor of the house and approached the first sink he found.

    Kalian scrubbed blood from his hands and face, though the warm water did nothing to help him feel clean. Guilt constricted his chest, but he ignored the feeling. He always did. He lifted his head and caught sight of himself in the mirror. Kalian studied his own features, wondering if his wife would even recognize him anymore. If his daughter would still poke the corners of his mouth up into a smile on the days when all he could do was frown.