Calling the Change (Sky Raiders Book 2)

by Michelle Diener

  He and Kas organized a roster of watchers to keep their eyes on the sky, to give him as much warning as possible if the sky raiders appeared.

  He hauled some pallets and blankets down, and made himself comfortable underneath the craft itself, hidden by the bushes but able to jump in and fly off at a moment's notice.

  Taya crawled through the bushes to bring him dinner, muttering curses as she was forced to stop and untangle her hair.

  She stayed to chat while he ate in the last, muted light of the day, made even dimmer because it had to filter through the camouflage to reach them.

  When he finished, he leaned forward, cupping her cheek in his palm. “I know you're protecting the village tonight, but get some sleep. Let the watchers wake you if they spot something. They can sleep tomorrow, you have to be in Juli.”

  “All right.” She bit her lip. “I know we promised, but is it a good idea to go back? The liege is volatile and things are out of control there. No one knows who's really in charge.”

  “Perfect conditions for Harven, Kadmine and Fabre to attack,” he agreed. “With luck, I can persuade Aidan to let us patrol the border from the air and see what the other lieges are up to. That should get us out of Juli itself.”

  She relaxed a little under his hand, and he drew her down onto the pallet.

  “What if Aidan can't control his father's advisor?”

  “If he can't, he's not fit to be liege.” And Garek would have to reassess his loyalty. But he didn't think that was the case. Aidan had proven himself on Shadow. He'd make a better liege than his father.

  When Garek had raced from Garamundo to Pan Nuk--before he knew the whole village had been taken--it had been to fetch Taya and run. Run as far and as fast as he could from the Gara town master and his political machinations.

  There would be no running for them now. Not with a real threat to West Lathor from other Illian states. He hadn't wanted to be caught up in whatever the Gara town master had planned, but he would help the liege's son protect West Lathor from attack. After all, he'd sworn the guard's oath.

  “I'm sorry we can't stay in Pan Nuk longer.” Not for himself. He'd always known Pan Nuk wasn't big enough for him, but Taya loved the people here. Had carved out a good life for herself.

  “I know we have to go.” She lifted up as he slid his arm under her and then turned so she was snug against his side, her head on his shoulder, her hand warm on his chest. “But it's good to be home. It finally makes me feel like we won. We wanted to go home so badly, for so long, and thanks to you, we managed it.” She tightened her hold, lifted her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. “We beat them.”

  There was a wealth of satisfaction in her voice.

  He ran a hand down the smooth fall of her hair, gave it a playful tug.

  “So, how close are those watchers your brother set?” Because he'd been counting the hours until he had her to himself again. It had been days since they'd had any privacy, and now, here they were, in their own little cocoon under the sky craft.

  He felt her smile against his neck.

  “I should be walking back to the village. Standing guard.”

  “They can wait for a half hour more.” He lifted up on an elbow, leaned over and kissed her, his hand trailing down her body.

  She smiled against his lips, arched up into his touch, and then pulled him down, so there was not a sliver of space between them.

  “Then we better get started,” she whispered.

  It was more than half an hour later when she crawled back out from under the ship, and he crawled out with her. They stood under the night sky, with Shadow in crescent above them, and he held her in his arms for another kiss before he made himself let her go.

  He watched her walk away, watched her turn and wave a last goodbye before she disappeared over the hill. There were sounds of shuffling around him, and he was reminded there were four watchers on duty, although he hadn't see any sign of them. Which was a good choice on their part.

  There was no possible way any of them could have misunderstood his and Taya's tryst, and he didn't want her embarrassed.

  In the distance he could hear sounds of revelry from the village. The feast they were having to celebrate being back home, being reunited with parents and children, was well under way.

  The shouting and singing drifted down the valley, and he felt a little pang for being on the outside of it.

  “Sorry you're missing all the fun,” he called out to the watchers, his gaze moving up to rest on Shadow.

  “There'll be plenty more feasts to come, now we're home,” Lynal called out from somewhere to his left, and Garek grinned.

  “You'd already be out cold with the drink anyway,” someone else called back to Lynal, and Garek heard the chuckles from all around.

  Pan Nuk was a good place. It had just never felt like his place.

  Something he and Taya would have to work out down the road. But not now.

  He crawled back under the sky craft and settled back into blankets that smelled of her. It was already more--much more--than he once thought he would have.

  WHEN HE EMERGED from underneath the sky craft at first light, shielding his eyes from the Star as it stabbed down into the valley with bright fingers, his gaze when straight upward.

  The skies were clear though.

  He called the watchers over to help him pull away the bushes and throw the sod off the sky craft's roof, then had them all climb into the sky craft and gave them a lift back to the village.

  It was time he and Taya got going.

  Aidan had stuck his neck out for them back in Juli, and he'd need them to keep their word for the sake of his own standing at the palace.

  Garek landed the craft at the end of the main street, and as he, Lynal, and the other watchers climbed out, he saw most of the village had come out of their doorless homes to watch.

  He left a new group of guards to stand beside the craft and sky-gaze for him, and walked down to the house Taya shared with Kas.

  It had no doors either, and he walked straight in to find everyone in the kitchen. Taya stood and wrapped her arms around him, sleepy-eyed and ruffled, and Kas, Luca and Min all found their breakfast very interesting for a few moments.

  “We going soon?” Taya's voice was husky and she gave a huge yawn.

  “Yes.” He leaned forward and accepted a warm hotcake from Min, who'd shared Taya's room last night, and would use it as her own while Taya was gone.

  “I'll put some of my clothes in a bag and wash up, and then I'm ready.” She reached out a hand and touched Luca's shoulder. “I'll have to bring you a present from Juli, Luca.”

  When she slipped out from under Garek's arm and disappeared to the back of the house, silence fell over the kitchen.

  “She doesn't want to go.” Luca's voice was quiet.

  “No, she doesn't. But I can't leave her.” Garek kept his voice as calm as he could.

  “She doesn't want to leave us, but she doesn't want to leave Garek either.” Kas was just as quiet as Luca had been. “She doesn't want to be apart from you, Luca, but she knows I'll keep you safe. And she and Garek made a promise to the liege's son.”

  “The liege doesn't need Taya. Not if he has Garek.” He looked at Garek as he spoke, and his eyes were filled with tears.

  Kas slid an arm along Luca's shoulder. “They do need Taya now. Remember how I told you she found out she could call a Change while we were on Shadow? A special change that helps against the sky raiders?”

  “We need help against the sky raiders, too.”

  “Remember what I told you when I came to Haret, after I found Taya and your father had been taken.” Garek crouched down in front of the boy.

  He nodded.

  “I risked everything to get Taya back. Went all the way up to Shadow to get her. I can't let her out of my sight yet. It's still too soon for me. It was just a few weeks ago I thought she was gone forever. Do you understand that?”

  Luca's mouth formed a stu
bborn line, but eventually he dipped his head in agreement.

  “We'll be back. I don't know when, but this is Taya's home. She'll never stay away.”

  Luca blew out a breath. “That's true. It's your home, too, although it doesn't feel like it because you were gone for so long.”

  He didn't set Luca straight, but he caught Kas's look. Knew Kas understood Pan Nuk hadn't been home for Garek for a long time.

  “I'm ready.” Taya was back, looking sleeker now with her hair tied in a braid down her back, wearing the guard uniform she'd found in the Stolen Store on Shadow. She was carrying a large bag over her shoulder and the small box of shadow ore needles cupped carefully in her hands, so as not to spill the water inside.

  “You want Garek and I to carry the shadow ore boxes to the sky craft?” Kas asked her.

  Taya shook her head. “I think I'll leave them here, nice and safe. I'm scared someone will steal them in Juli, and it's not safe for them to be in the sky craft for no good reason. If there's a water leak . . .” She trailed off, shrugged.

  “Maybe take two spears,” Kas said. “Just in case.”

  “We'd still have to cart them around in a heavy water box.” Taya shook her head. “I'll take my needles, and if we need the spears, we can come back for them. But I'd feel happier knowing they're here.”

  Garek gave a reluctant nod.

  The spears, knife, sword and disks his father and Taya had made on Shadow were all the shadow ore they had, other than the needles. With Juli as volatile as it was, perhaps it was better for the ore to be somewhere else.

  “Let's go.”

  He led the way, although Luca ran past him and joined his friends standing beneath the sky craft.

  Taya followed more slowly, and Min walked beside her, their heads tipped close together as they talked quietly to each other.

  He nodded as his father rolled up in his clever chair with wheels.

  “You look after her,” Quardi told him.

  He didn't bother to respond to that, and his father grinned at him.

  Kas joined them. “Try to get word to us on what you're doing, let us know when you'll be back.”

  “I'll also try to get some aid sent your way, so you can start restocking the levik farms.”

  Kas's lips twisted. “You think that will happen?”

  “We have Aidan in Juli. He'll try to make sure something is done.” And if he didn't, Garek would make sure it did, anyway.

  “All right. That would take a lot of the worry away.” Kas's gaze went to the people standing in the street, looking at the sky craft, or looking up, watching for the sky raiders. He sighed. “We have a long way to go before we'll be back to the prosperous little village we once were.”

  Taya reached them; she'd been hugging friends goodbye, waving to others. Garek took her bag, climbed the ladder and stowed her things away.

  When he looked out again, it was to see her running back toward the house, the tiny box of shadow ore needles clutched carefully in one hand.

  “She forgot her coat,” Min called up.

  “Garek!” It was Eli, waving to him from the other end of the street. He was pointing up.

  Garek lifted his head, saw, as Eli must have, the tell-tale glint of light reflecting off metal, high in the sky.

  “Sky raiders!” he shouted, and the villagers scattered.

  Kas grabbed Luca and started running. He looked over his shoulder at Garek as he swung his son up close to his chest. “Go!”

  Garek ducked back inside, threw himself into the pilot's chair.

  He had to get away. Had to draw them away from the village.

  He'd never turned the craft off, so it was mere moments before he was airborne, skimming down the valley and then banking right, making himself as obvious as he could.

  “Come after me. After me, you bastards.” He slowed down, watching them, waiting for them to notice him.

  He knew the moment they did. Saw them descend at a steep angle toward him, and he accelerated away.

  “Catch me if you can.”

  FIVE

  Taya watched the sky craft lift up and speed away and couldn't stop the cry that was ripped from her throat.

  A forgetful moment--she had left her coat, folded over a kitchen chair, and had run back for it--and now Garek had been taken from her again.

  “He'll be back. He's just leading them away.” Kas shielded his eyes and watched the horizon.

  She couldn't do the same, her eyes were clouded with tears.

  “There was only one small fighter craft that we could see.” Eli ran up, out of breath. “Just the one.”

  “Then they were after Garek's sky craft, not trying to grab us again.” Kas kept his gaze upward. “We'll have to set a watch all around the village.”

  His words snapped Taya out of her shock. She ran inside, pried open one of the boxes containing her shadow ore, and pulled a dripping wet knife from the box.

  She shoved it into her boot, grabbed up two spears and ran back outside, running behind the house and straight up the steep hill to the meadow above the village.

  Eli fell into step with her, and by the time they reached the sloping field, Kas had joined them, too.

  “Shouldn't you be down there, organizing?” she asked Kas, gasping as she got her breath back.

  He nodded. “Just wanted to see how far you can see from up here. Eli, you're more useful on the other side of the valley.” He turned to her. “You'll be all right here by yourself?”

  She nodded, taking a seat on one of the smooth boulders that lay as if thrown in a giant game of skip stone on the hillside, one spear in her hand, the other lying beside her.

  “I'll send someone to relieve you in four hours.” Kas was already running back down, Eli following with his long-legged lope.

  She hoped Garek would be back long before four hours was up. Long, long before.

  She shaded her eyes against the bright morning sun, and let her gaze follow a careful pattern across the sky.

  He would be back, and then they'd be on their way.

  She just had to be patient.

  FIVE HOURS LATER, she was too numb to feel the need for patience.

  She tried to let the soft rustle of the breeze in the long, end-of-summer grass soothe her, and realized the buzz of unease just below her skin was due to the lack of noise from the levik herds.

  They were all gone. Stolen by the sky raiders. Dead up on Shadow.

  She hadn't realized how integral the sound of them was to her sensory memory of Pan Nuk.

  She rubbed strained eyes, and bit into the warm flatbread Opik had brought up.

  Her face stung a little, burned by the Star's light even while the sharp breeze chilled her cheeks.

  She'd declined to take a break earlier when Pilar had come up to take her place, had offered to stay on watch. She was hardly going to relax at home with Garek still not back, but the food Opik had brought her was welcome.

  And the company.

  “He'll be here soon enough,” Opik said. He'd lowered himself to the ground beside her, and they both had their heads tipped back, watching the clouds.

  Taya closed her eyes and felt the burn of staring too long at the bright sky. Moisture leaked from the corners of her eyelids.

  Maybe she did need a break.

  “He'll try. But they have weapons we don't understand.” It hurt her throat to even speak the words. And she knew she was being . . . unlike herself. She was the one who always saw a way forward, found a solution. Never gave up.

  But she and Garek had just found each other again. It seemed like a blink of an eye between the evening when she'd walked up to the camp fire on Shadow and found him sitting next to her brother, and now.

  It wasn't fair that the sky raiders would snatch him from her.

  She made herself take a deep breath and opened her eyes.

  “This is Garek you're talking about, don't forget.” Opik pointed a finger up to where Shadow hung, white and gray, above th
em. “The man who fetched you in a rescue so unbelievable, he'll be a legend before the year's out, if he isn't one already.”

  Taya lifted a shoulder in half-hearted acknowledgment. “The thing is, legend or not, he's a person like everyone else. He can bleed, he can die. He can be captured.” She thought back to just two days ago, when he lay, still and helpless on Juli's castle wall, after the sky raiders had shot him with their white lightning.

  Perhaps that's why she was so afraid now. She'd seen him at his most vulnerable and had been helpless to save him.

  “Whatever your man is, he's not like everyone else,” Opik said.

  “He is.” She was tired of the way everyone here insisted on treating him differently. Of setting him to a different standard. “He is just like everyone else.”

  “No.” Opik's words were gentle. “He has always been bigger, stronger, more powerful.” He held up a hand when she turned on him, hot with indignation. “If he'd been dumb with it, or slow, maybe you'd have a point, but he's sharp as any sword his father ever shaped. He is more . . . more than anyone I've ever known, and everyone else sees that, lass, but you.”

  “I see it,” she disagreed. “I just know he doesn't like always being on the outside, resented or feared for being himself.”

  Opik stared at her for a beat, then looked up again. “Careful now, my Taya. You'll end up part of the legend yourself, you say things like that.”

  She gave a little snort of laughter.

  “It's true.” Opik snapped off a piece of grass and began to knot it. “Most see him as dangerous. But that's because he is. There's not getting around it. A dangerous beast is always going to be feared for what it is. I'm just glad he has someone like you, who loves him anyway.”

  “That's where everyone gets it wrong,” Taya said. “He's not dangerous to those he cares about, he's a protector. A warrior and a protector. He risked his life to rescue us. What you said before, about him becoming a legend for managing the impossible? That was to protect. To rescue. How is that the act of a dangerous man?”