“What?” Sky whispered.
“I’m better for it. You saw me at a low moment and still look at me with respect. You’ve seen me cry until the tears dried up, and now you tell me I will become a warrior. I’m stronger knowing I can have emotions and still be considered a capable woman. Thank you.”
Sky didn’t respond, but playfully bumped Rana’s shoulder with her own. Rana chuckled as she shook her head. Sky wouldn’t express any more emotion tonight.
What would Jo think if she had witnessed this outburst? Jo would huff out a breath and stare at the trees until Sky put herself back together. Then Jo would probably slap her back or make an inappropriate joke to lighten the mood. Sky felt a twinge of longing in her chest as she thought of her captain and friend.
Sky shook her head. The air around them was cooling quickly, and she was done stalling.
It was time to see her family.
Two
There was no welcoming party or even a lamp to light their way as they approached the door, but as they got to the house, feet shuffled on the other side of the ers wood door.
The familiar carvings on the door filled Sky’s heart with an all-encompassing sense of belonging that she’d missed, but at the same time the familiarity made her feel displaced. Those were her people. She should belong there, but as the angry mumbles flowed from the inside of the house, Sky remembered with cold clarity that one can choose her own home.
And this was not hers. Not anymore.
Yet Sky couldn’t lie to herself completely. Being on Kore brought relief, like finally scratching an itch that was just out of reach. Sky didn’t think it came from being close to her clan, but from the moon itself. The moon was once home to the Ancients, and being back was akin to being in their presence.
A zap shot down Sky’s shoulder and into her arm before it pulsed soothingly. Apparently, Luz didn’t completely agree with Sky’s disregard for her clan, but those thoughts were for another day.
“Are you going to knock, or shall I do it for you?” Rana whispered.
“I’ll…” Sky jumped back, pulling Rana behind her in a defensive posture. The door had swung open without warning, and her father filled the threshold. His glower deepened as he took in Sky standing protectively in front of Rana.
“We will not harm the girl,” Titus growled. “Calm yourself and greet your family.”
“I am no family to her,” a familiar voice shouted from somewhere inside.
“You will be civil, Tempest. Your cousin is here on official business, and there will be no battles unless sanctioned by the elders.”
Sky wanted to wince at the way her father’s lips lifted in a sardonic grin at the mention of battle, but she kept her face neutral.
“If the family cannot handle my presence, I will take my charge and…”
“No, you will introduce the Elitian, and then you will both leave us. Your cousins have placed your bags in the guest house.” Titus shuffled back until his body was pressed against the doorframe and lifted an arm, gesturing for Sky and Rana to enter. “Let’s get this over with.”
Sky heard the edge of defeat in her father’s voice and tucked that information away as she passed him. Rana edged closer to Sky and slipped her shaking arm into Sky’s elbow as they somberly marched into the lounge.
Just like the outside, the lounge had remained the same after all these rotations. The brownish-red clay walls seemed to absorb the light of the fire nestled in the large stone hearth that took up majority of the main wall. Fur-lined chairs and settees filled the rest of the space interspersed with ers wood tables buffed to a shining gloss. Every family meeting occurred in this room, unchanged for generations. The room was filled to capacity. Every member of Sky’s family unit, barring the small children, had gathered to stare at Sky. Half of the faces were filled with contempt while a few displayed the small, tight smiles of the cautiously optimistic.
Sky met her mother’s sad gaze and looked away. She hadn’t spoken to the woman who birthed her since before the night that changed everything. The matriarch’s lack of visitation and her silent support of the family shunning Sky cut deeper than any words or violent act since. They were close once, but the bonds that kept their relationship strong had been severed. Sky had forgiven her mother many cycles before, but she couldn’t forget the lack of support.
“Family.” Sky dipped her head in a respectful nod as she made eye contact with as many of her relatives as she could. “This is Rana, daughter to Chancellor Regulus of the Galactic Consulate.”
“This is her?” Tempest scoffed, her chin lifted as she glared down her straight nose at Rana. “You said that we were hosting an Elitian of great power. I see only a weak girl.”
Sky lifted a questioning eyebrow at her father, who had stormed into the room shortly after Sky and Rana, before directing her gaze back to Tempest. Sky’s stomach rolled as she studied her formerly favorite cousin. Tempest had grown into a beautiful woman whose exterior did not match the foul soul that resided inside. Brightly colored feathers and carved wooden beads were woven throughout her wild black hair. The wavy tresses draped over her slim shoulders and concealed her pert, uncovered breasts, stopping just above the waist of her taran-skin skirt. Her deep-brown skin was unblemished except for the white stripes of paint that trailed her arms from shoulder to wrist and from her forehead to chin.
Insecurity regarding the scars that covered majority of Sky’s body and the overwhelming shame of how they got there tried to break their cage inside her mind, but the raging hatred for the arrogant woman before her contained it.
It had been many cycles since Sky allowed herself to explore those feelings, and she wasn’t going to start in the middle of her estranged family.
“I am not weak,” Rana stated, her voice soft, but steady.
Tempest snorted and the rest of Sky’s family remained silent. A few shifted uncomfortably and threw pleading glances to Titus.
“Congratulations on your engagement. Who is the lucky man?” Sky addressed her cousin. The tension in the room surged to the point of igniting, and Sky adjusted her stance to allow easier access to her weapons. Arguments in Sky’s family often exploded into violence, and she wouldn’t risk Rana being caught in the middle.
Tempest fluffed her hair, briefly exposing her nakedness. Rana gasped and averted her gaze, which elicited a round of giggles from Sky’s female relatives. Tempest ignored everyone except Sky. Her golden eyes glittered as if she kept a dire secret and was savoring the moments before she revealed it. Sky knew this look, and as a malicious grin widened Tempest’s full lips, revealing her perfect teeth, Sky braced herself for the news.
“You noticed?” Tempest purred as she ran her fingers down the painted marks on each arm. “Why cousin, I wouldn’t have guessed you of all people to care about unions since it is an honor you will never receive.”
“My future doesn’t hinge on whose arm I am attached to,” Sky replied with a shrug. “Never has and never will.”
Tempest’s eyes flared, but cooled soon after. “Not everyone is willing to defy their clan and family, but you were always different.”
Sky tipped her head in agreement. Tempest’s words were meant to be cruel, as the truth often is, but Sky had already accepted that her destiny would diverge from the path the clan had set for her.
Her future changed the moment they took her.
“To answer your question, dearest cousin, I have been promised to Beast, elder of the Bludrun clan.” Tempest smiled wickedly.
The blood drained from Sky’s face as she swallowed, forcing down the sob that desperately wanted to escape. “And you will be joined during Va’letu?”
“She will,” Titus grumbled. He lifted his hand to silence Tempest before she could eke out a sound and raked his eyes over Sky. “Unless he changes his mind.”
“No,” Sky said, her voice rumbling low. “Never.”
“While your feet are on clan soil, you will follow clan law.” Titus’s face redden
ed as he barked the command.
“I will kill him if he tries.” Sky lifted her dagger and swiped the blade over the palm of her hand. The brief sting barely registered as she lifted her clenched fist and let the blood drip onto the floor. “This is my oath. If any person, regardless of blood or station, comes after me or my charge, I will pour out my vengeance upon them.”
Tempest glared daggers at Sky while the rest of the women gasped in horror. Her male relatives narrowed their gazes at her and whispered among themselves.
“You would start a clan war to protect yourself from a man you have never met?” Titus’s voice was eerily calm as he stepped out of the shadows. “You would dishonor your family again?”
“His clan has no honor!” Sky roared. Rana pressed closer to Sky’s side, and a flicker of shame at forgetting her presence tempered Sky’s anger. “The clans claim to be superior to the Elitians, and in many ways, you are, but at the same time you are alike. You pretend their crimes are more heinous than the terrible traditions the elders refuse to abolish.”
“Our traditions are what make us who we are,” a male voice shouted.
“In that lies the problem.” Sky studied the faces before her and found none alight with understanding. Her heart was saddened that even after four rotations of absence, no one in her family had changed.
“I thank you for allowing Rana sanctuary. We will find our way to the guest house and leave you be.”
Without waiting for a formal release from her father, Sky grabbed Rana’s arm and stormed out of the meeting hall.
Traditions be damned. She was not going to allow this place to suck her back in and take what little dignity she had left. Sky refused to be a pawn for the clans anymore. No, her role in that game changed the night the priests kidnapped her under the cover of darkness.
The priests consecrated Sky to the Ancients, and that “blessing” had led Sky down a dark path, eventually transforming her into something the clans fear. Luz had explained the night she bestowed her gift to Sky, “Many will fear you, and a few will covet you, but all will need you.”
Rana followed Sky in silence as they walked the path to their temporary dwelling. She knew Rana had questions and that the desire for answers would be a burning weight in her chest, but Sky wasn’t ready. Not because she didn’t trust Rana—Sky had seen the integrity of Rana’s soul. Rana was well balanced and infinitely good. She only needed confidence and the blinders of ignorance removed, although her innocence had already begun to dissolve the moment she woke in the stasis pod. Sky hoped that by the end of their stay on Kore, Rana would be ready to accept her destiny.
With the glow from Orus hidden behind the towering ers trees, the outline of the guesthouse was hardly visible through the oppressive darkness.
Sky lifted a hand, silently commanding Rana to stop before pressing a finger to her lips, urging her friend to remain silent. Blazers raised, Sky stepped into guesthouse and flicked on the light. With practiced efficiency, she checked the small, two-bedroom dwelling for hostiles.
Rana opened her mouth to speak, but Sky cut her off with another wave as she pulled out her holodisk and connected it to Kore’s CyNet. Before she left the Kismet, Sky had asked Siaren to create a program that could circumvent a simple AI, such as the one controlling the house, and add an extra layer of protection software. With a swipe of her finger, Sky transferred the file. She waited as it merged with the AI’s programming to create a constant security bubble to block listening devices or unregistered UAB access.
Sky’s UAB flashed green.
“It’s safe to talk now,” Sky announced and tossed their bags into two piles.
“Was all that necessary?” Rana asked.
“Yes.” A part of Sky wanted desperately to reveal her deepest fears to Rana, but she couldn’t muster the energy to try. Rana would discover the darkness that tainted Sky’s past soon enough. “What you witnessed tonight is only the bottom of the hellish mountain that awaits me here. I promise to explain everything. Eventually.”
“Are we in danger?” Rana whispered. “Did I leave one foe to face another?”
“I will not lie to you. There is danger lurking in the shadows, but it comes for me. You are safe here.”
Rana grasped Sky’s hand and gave it a firm, affectionate squeeze. “You are my friend, and I will not let you face enemies alone.”
There were no words for Sky. None that she could think of to fully express what Rana’s remark meant to her. Instead, she pulled Rana into a bone-crushing hug before grabbing her bags and adjourning to her room.
Sky lay in bed that night filled with contentment and eventually relaxed, thanks to the consistent, warming pulse radiating from her mark. Her past could come. Her fears could try to overwhelm, but this time the outcome would be different.
Because Sky was not alone.
Three
“Wake up.” Sky nudged Rana and pulled at her thick, fur-lined comforter. Rana growled incoherently and tugged the blanket back up to her shoulders. An amused smile pulled at Sky’s lips. Rana wouldn’t be used to the colder climate of Kore, but that wasn’t an excuse to laze the day away.
“Get up, Rana.” Sky shook her charge in earnest. “We must eat before we are to join the warriors for training.”
“I don’t want to be a warrior anymore,” Rana grumbled. “It’s too cold.”
“You will be even colder if I have to pour water on you.”
“You wouldn’t,” Rana gasped. She sat up, shivering as the blanket fell away from her shoulders.
“I would.” Sky handed her a sweater that had been casually thrown across the pile of bags on the floor. “If I must stay on this moon, I will take every opportunity to make sure you are ready for whatever the future may hold.”
“Do you think I will need to fight?”
“If our history texts are to be believed, every dawn of change displaces the darkness through violence.”
Rana bit her lip as she slipped from under the covers and stood. “So, the battle continues?”
“The battle never ends for those who strive for justice.” Sky placed a hand on Rana’s shoulder. “But there will come a day where you won’t be at the center of the storm. Until then, you must be prepared.”
Rana sighed and nodded. “You’re right, but does the preparation need to happen before the suns warm the air?”
A barking laugh escaped between Sky’s clenched lips. “If you seek to become a warrior in record time, then yes.”
Sky left Rana to get dressed after suggesting she wear the clothes Sky had given her on the Kismet instead of the dresses Rana purchased on Lycus. The items were the clothing Sky had taken with her when she left her home four years ago. They were much too small now, and when she was alone on the Kismet she had often wondered why she held on to the painful reminders of her past, but now she was glad for it. Now, Rana would have proper attire, at least for training purposes.
Breakfast was quick, and soon the women jogged toward the sparring ring on the outskirts of the village. The adrenaline coursing through Sky was heady, and she felt drunk off the feel of her feet pounding against the dirt. She wanted to push her muscles until they ached, but Rana struggled to keep up at the leisurely pace Sky had set.
“Do the women on Leonis never work their bodies?” Sky asked.
“No. Why should they when they can perfect their bodies through surgery?” Rana huffed. “Besides, the men on Leonis would be appalled that a woman exerted energy that wasn’t centered on pleasing a man or pushing out a child.”
“On Kore, all people are expected to be at their physical peak. Children begin training at seven rotations and continue until they are old enough to request placement in the community or they choose to remain a warrior.” Sky released an excited yelp as she jumped over a fallen log. There was nothing like running in the open, dirt underfoot and clear skies above. The exercise machines on the Kismet just couldn’t compare.
“Do the women continue to work if they ha
ve a child?” Rana stumbled around the log, groaning.
“Yes, unless the family unit decides differently or if there are no matrons to care for the young.”
“What about when women switch clans? Will your cousin have to abide by new laws?”
“There are laws that apply to all clans, and those involving the rights of the individual are established across all clan borders. So Tempest will have a choice in her future. There are exceptions though. Like if some elder promises one of their children to another in an arranged union, that child cannot renege on the agreement. However, the other party can request another within the same family unit.”
“So Tempest has been offered to…Beast.” Rana looked at Sky questioningly.
“Yes, it seems in my absence he has chosen my cousin as a viable replacement.”
Rana stumbled to a stop, clutching at her chest as she struggled to catch a breath. “You’re engaged.”
“No, I was engaged.” Sky crossed her arms and looked across the field to the training grounds. A small group of warriors were already paired off and sparring.
“But he can change his mind?”
“If he so chooses, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t marry him.”
Rana’s cybernetic eyes whirled as her lips curled into a teasing grin. “Is he handsome?”
Sky shrugged. Unease unfurled in her belly. “I wouldn’t know. I have never met him.”
“What?” Rana’s brows rose until they encroached on her hairline. “Why?”
“Look. He’s a powerful elder. His clan is the largest and one of the strongest on Kore. The Erskin clan is second only to the Bludrun, and our match was expected among the rest of the elders. When families become entwined, it’s how the elders guarantee peace among the clans.”
Sky walked toward the field, not looking back. Rana’s feet shuffled as she followed. They were nearing the gate when Rana pulled Sky to a stop.
As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Page 2
