Fall of Sky City (A Steampunk Fantasy Sci-Fi Adventure Novel) (Devices of War)

by Blooding, SM

  I was about to clear the building and make it to the corner when someone stepped around the building and stopped, folding his hands behind his back.

  Varik.

  I stopped three steps away from my goal, the device in hand.

  “What do we have here?” he asked.

  I was never good with small talk.

  His gaze fell on the device. “You’re going to blow up the Librarium, are you?”

  I’d let him think that if he wanted to.

  “You know I can’t allow you to do that.”

  “Are you going to stop me?” I asked, taking two steps further. I slapped the device in place and pushed the button.

  He chuckled and pulled something out from behind his back. It looked like a metal stick with a red, blinking light. “This will ensure that your devices don’t go off.”

  Fear slammed into me, which told me two things. Haji was gone like he was supposed to be, and I was screwed. “What is that?”

  “A communication jamming device. You didn’t honestly think you jammed our signals on that refueling station, did you?”

  Chills ran down my spine in quick succession. “Actually, yeah.”

  He threw his head back and laughed.

  I took a good hard look at him. He looked like an old man. His shoulders were slumped, and he moved sluggishly. I lifted my chin. “You’re not looking so good, old man. How are you feeling from the last time you thought you could take me on?”

  He lowered his head and gave me a half smile, pushing his black trench coat back from his hip where he had a pistol. “I’m a bit better prepared this time.”

  I glanced from it to him. “You really think that one pistol is going to be enough against me?”

  He raised a single brow. “Let’s find out, shall we? Who do you think is faster? My hand on my gun or you taking off your shirt?”

  I pulled off my goggles and flight cap. It felt good to feel the wind on my face. I called on the elements around me, dipping into my fear and allowed it to fuel me. Lightning crackled all around. “Okay.”

  His hand leapt, pulling the gun out almost before I could register what had happened.

  Lightning lava filled my hand, lashing in his direction as a ray of fire hit me in the shoulder.

  He fell back, staring at me in surprise.

  I patted my shoulder, putting out the fire. The skin tightened and healed under my flight jacket.

  “You didn’t bare your Mark,” he said with surprise.

  I grinned and crouched. “I’m not a Hand, Varik. I’m Family. We don’t need to bear our Marks to use them.”

  His eyes flared as he raised his pistol again.

  I maneuvered him into the courtyard behind the Librarium, lashing out with the lightning lava, herding him where I wanted him to go. I needed more room, an escape route.

  He saw what I was doing and tried to stand his ground, but he couldn’t heal from fire the same way I could.

  The heavens unleashed, dumping sheets of rain on us, immediately drenching us both.

  He raised his gun and pointed, pulling the trigger. A short burst of flash shot out, but it didn’t even get close to me.

  I straightened and shrugged, a smile on my face, eyeing my escape route. “Looks like you lose this time, Varik,” I shouted, my words spraying water from my lips. “Water cancels fire.” I saluted him and headed toward my exit.

  Only to find it cut off by a large group of people wearing turquoise and gold, their Marks bared, their expressions set in determination.

  I turned and headed for another break between buildings, but faced more from the House of Cups. Their hands reached toward the sky.

  The rain slowed and came to a stop.

  I swallowed, surveying any other viable escape route. The only other possibility lay in the Librarium itself. All the other openings were blocked by people baring their Marks and calling on their elements.

  It was time to stop playing nice. I ripped off my flight coat and shirt, baring my Mark as well, allowing the leashes of lava to leap off my chest, back and arms. A wall of water encircled me, pressing in close, sizzling against my lashes. They were trying to drown me, but I had enough heat in my body to keep the water off indefinitely. At least I hoped, though I had to admit that the air was getting exceedingly thick. Water was not the best element I could fight against.

  I could hear nothing over the sizzle and gurgle of the water. Seeing was nearly impossible as well. There was so much water and fog. I couldn’t cut a clear path to see through. I knew where I needed to go. I doubted the Librarium had gone anywhere yet, so I just kept plowing my way through the constant stream of water toward my goal.

  Hands cut through the fog and latched on to my arms, long nails painted red, a face appearing through the clouds as the water parted, beads of it resting on her ruby red lips.

  Nix.

  I was immediately assaulted by all the things I’d pushed back, blocked. She’d banished all my walls, invaded my mind. Pain enveloped my very existence. I couldn’t think about escape, of leaving her. I only felt deep sorrow for every moment I’d lived without her by my side.

  You are mine.

  Yes.

  No! I breathed, my knees bent, the lashes of my Mark lax and laying useless on the ground. I pulled from deep inside, my eyes never leaving hers. No! I ground my teeth and forced my knees to straighten, to pull myself from her grasp. She had no hold on me. I did not want to be her pet. I. Was. Not. Hers!

  Her nails dug into my arm, breaking the skin, drawing blood, her will tangling with mine, fighting for control.

  The Librarium shivered.

  We stood on the steps leading into the building Ryo was trying to transport. I didn’t know how, but I knew that he wasn’t expecting to get a queen with the building. Ino wouldn’t be prepared for that.

  The building shook again, sending Nix stumbling into me.

  I caught her and fell back, letting gravity and my weight pull us off the stairs and onto the grass.

  She fell to her knees and twisted around to see what was happening.

  The multicolored building shook, the stone cracking, and then it winked out of sight.

  Nix scrambled to her feet, searching the area. As soon as her hand left my arm, I felt like myself again, the walls back in place, my thoughts in my head. “Where did it go?” she screamed. “Where did it go?”

  I grinned and pulled myself to my feet. “It’s gone, Nix.” I bowed and backed away, my leashes of power rising around me. “We win.”

  Anger fell over her features as she advanced on me.

  I wasn’t letting her touch me again. Whatever bond she had on me ended with touch. I cocked an eyebrow, saluted, and turned running in the opposite direction. With my lashes of lava clearing a path, it wasn’t hard to make it out onto the street.

  I headed toward the closest airfield, which was the one we’d landed on. Haji should have made it to Keeley and Joshua who were on the other side of Sky City. Any minute now—

  There!

  A loud explosion rocked Sky City. Everyone, including me, stopped and turned to look at the rising mushroom cloud that quickly dispersed.

  I pulled my lashes of power back to my body. “Get to the air fields,” I shouted.

  Mayhem erupted as everyone scrambled, screaming to find a way off the city.

  Someone grabbed my arm, his green and gold uniform plastered to his body. “How can you take down the entire city? There’s no way to save everyone.”

  I stared into his thick face and patted his shoulder, skirting around him. “We’re only taking it down. We’re not trying to kill anyone. If you want to escape, head to the airfields. If you just want to survive, stay.” I pushed my way through the crowd. “You’ll be fine.”

  People didn’t care that I was wanted fugitive number one. They only knew they were going to die and that they needed to get off of the city as quickly as possible. People pressed against me, glancing in fear at my blackened Marks. I could
n’t have them out, not in this press of people. I’d hurt someone for sure.

  I was pushed past the first opening to the airfield, but managed to maneuver myself to an alleyway that I narrowly ducked through before being sucked further down the street.

  I was almost there. Almost.

  I cleared the hangars and stopped, assessing the situation. The dragonfly I’d parked was no longer there. As a matter of fact, most of the aircraft were in the process of taking off. The air was heavy with traffic, with the whirring of many engines. I couldn’t hear myself breathe.

  There!

  I spied a flyer with no one around it. I hoped that it worked and had not been abandoned. There were still other aircraft on the tarmac, but I didn’t know how to fly any of them.

  A shout went up as several people spilled from the hangar behind me, screaming, clutching notes and other things close to them as they fled. Fire shot through the doorway close on their heels.

  I frowned but didn’t stop running. We had talked about destroying the labs, but had decided against it after we’d planned to take the Librarium instead. Had someone had some extra time on their hands?

  I climbed into the cockpit of the flyer and started hitting switches, buttons and levers, going through the start-up sequence. The engine buzzed, ready. I flipped the switch for ignition.

  Nothing.

  Oh, Father of Sky!

  I hit it again. Still nothing.

  Dang it. I scanned the field and spied another plane, this one bigger, a two-seater. Maybe I could figure it out. I was running out of time.

  The city shifted, planes skidding with their chock blocks. People stumbled, panic building in the crowd.

  We were in trouble.

  I scrambled out of the flyer, running as soon as my feet hit the ground.

  I was knocked onto my chest. I blinked and rolled, heat rising on my back. I raised my head to see what had hit me. My eyes grew wide with alarm.

  Nix. She looked pissed.

  She was right on me, fire lashing from her fingertips, Varik by her side. Smoke rose from her hair and leapt from her eyes.

  I back pedaled, calling on my Mark, scrambling to get out of her way or out of her sights.

  She reached out with a hand that was more fire than solid flesh and bone and grabbed me by the neck.

  I was overwhelmed with pain and an unrelenting need. Her will fought to overpower mine. I clawed at her hand around my throat, trying to break free as she pulled me to my feet and then held me, dangling in the air, rage spilling from her eyes, twisting her face.

  My mistress was unhappy.

  Mistress?! No! Dirt sucker!

  I pried at her fingers, pulling them off one by one.

  I was not going back! I was going to survive.

  If not, I was going to die free!

  I called on my Mark and lashed out, whipping my lava around her, but I couldn’t quite get myself to touch her with it.

  Okay, fine. If I couldn’t hurt her, I was going to use the power to get away.

  With one final burst of power, I broke out of her hold, landing on my feet. I stared at her in surprise. This was the one woman who had a power over me I couldn’t explain and didn’t understand. I wanted nothing else than to hurt her, lash out with my lava, mark her as she’d marked me.

  But I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

  Glancing around, I saw no other exit. No planes I knew how to fly. No time to learn. I was out of options.

  She watched me, a victor’s smile lacing her lips as the city shifted again.

  I wasn’t going to live as her slave.

  I spun and ran toward the edge of the city, meeting no resistance. I got to the edge…

  …and leapt into empty air, the ocean rushing to meet me.

  At least I was free.

  CHAPTER 39

  NOT THE ENDING I WAS EXPECTING

  I would love to say that my dying thoughts were noble; hoping that my surviving friends and family did well with their lives, that they survived and were unharmed, but that would be a lie. The only thing going through my mind was, “For the love of dirt, I don’t want to die!”

  I repeated it over and over again. It was a really long way down to the ocean. Some of my other thoughts were, “Was this really worth my freedom? Is dying better than a life as an instrument of the Hands, or of her?”

  Before I started praying to gods I’d never had faith in before, I was plucked from the air by a tentacle.

  A tentacle? What?

  Supported by the medusa of two large letharan, Sky City floated high above the ocean. As the tentacle brought me to the observation deck of Ino City, I realized Joshua’s calculations had been incorrect, or…

  Something else had gone wrong. The letharan cities were the only things keeping Sky City alive and out of the ocean a couple hectometres below.

  The walls of the observation deck were drawn. I hadn’t realized they could be removed, as I never thought this level would be above the ocean. The pool opening was nothing more than a hole in the brightly tiled floor.

  Lightning laced the sky above us, the clouds no longer surrounding Sky City, and thunder almost immediately followed, rumbling in a constant roar of percussions that seemed to have no end. The sky was angry.

  As soon as my feet hit the tile floor, someone from Ino met me, saluting and standing tall. “Sir,” he said in my language, “your mother is in command and has requested your presence.”

  I nodded and headed for the elevator, my heart trying to regain its place in my chest.

  The elevator opened to the command floor high in the medusa. Joshua’s equipment was everywhere. His radar, sonar, communication panel. The man himself was nowhere to be seen.

  Mother looked up as soon as I entered the area. She motioned toward someone who left, his head bowed. She grasped my face and brought my forehead to hers. “How are you, my son?” she asked in my language.

  I frowned. She’d never called me her son. What had happened? And why was she speaking my language in her city? I hesitantly took her face in my hands, but it felt odd. I had never been shown this welcome at her hands and had never given it. I pulled out of her grasp. Well, I tried.

  She held me a long time before finally pulling away. Her gaze raked my face. Concern and worry washed over her expression before she blinked and it was gone, replaced by the stone mask of a leader as she turned away. “Your friends are continuing to check in,” she continued in Adalic, which puzzled me. We were in Ino City where Sakin should have dominated. “Several of them managed to return to your refueling station.”

  I followed her to the communication station. “Who has checked in?”

  She handed me a list.

  Haji, Yvette, Joshua and several of the others from the original crew who had volunteered. “Keeley? Where’s she?” I asked in Sakin.

  Mother shook her head. “She hasn’t checked in yet,” she continued in Adalic.

  I gave up and continued in Adalic, unsure as to what was going on or why she was showing me the respect of speaking my language. “Where is Ryo?”

  “Here, little brother,” he said in Adalic, a grin on his face as he clapped me on the shoulder and presented me with a shirt. “Here, I thought you’d appreciate some clothes. I see you had to show off.”

  I returned his grin and covered my Marks. “It seemed appropriate.” I turned serious, looking at my mother. “What is Ino City doing here? What other cities do we have? I thought you said the Families were hiding and could not join the fight.”

  “And in our mind, little brother,” Ryo said instead of Mother, “we’re not. We’re rescuing them after you took out their city’s ability to navigate.”

  That made sense, but something ticked in the back of my mind. We were never supposed to destroy Sky City, only warn them. “What other Families joined you? I didn’t know there were other letharan as big as Ino City.”

  Mother flicked her eyebrows and did something with the communication panel. “Sh
ankara and Furst.”

  My body went absolutely still. I grew up believing that both Families had been wiped off the face of the planet, and Nix truly believed she’d obliterated the entire Shankara Family line. “What made them come out of hiding now?”

  She looked up at me from her stooped position. “Your courage, young El’Asim.”

  “And,” Ryo said, pushing his way into my line of sight to stare at the radar, “I told them they were cowards and needed to show the world we are not as low as the Hands claim we are.”

  I shook my head. “If Nix finds out there’s an entire Shankara City—”

  Mother shushed me with a wave of her hand. “Nix thinks she is a great deal more powerful than she really is. She’s nothing more than a spoiled child taken in by priests who elevated her sense of self.”

  I shook my head. “I think you underestimate her.”

  Mother reached up and cupped my cheek. “And I think you overestimate her because you fear her and her control over you.”

  I shook off her hand, my mouth open to ask another question.

  “How was that, by the way?” Ryo asked. “I’m assuming you’re the reason for the major explosion, why Sky City is falling uncontrollably from the sky.”

  I smashed lips in negation. “I met with her, fought her, but that explosion wasn’t me.”

  He frowned.

  As did I. “Why are you here if you didn’t know Sky City was going to fall?”

  “Ino Kilak had a premonition,” Mother said, her voice low, her breath long, “right before she died.”

  Oh. I blinked. I didn’t know what I felt about that. Relief, a little, but also guilt for feeling relief. She’d been one scary lady.

  The radio buzzed to life. “Ino City, this is Asim Station.” That was Joshua’s voice.

  I stepped up to the console and pressed the button to speak. “Joshua, this is Synn.”

  “Oh, for the love of dirt, lad, you scared the piss right out of me!”

  I chuckled and pressed the button. “I need a report. What happened up there?”

  There was a pause after I let go of the button. He finally came back on with a static start. “There were explosive charges already set up, Synn.”