Sky Raiders

by Michelle Diener

  “I don't know, either.” Fayda sat down, crumpling like a limp rag.

  Taya watched him, cynical about his every move.

  “We don't have the same ideas on public and private life, but we are facing an enemy that cares nothing for either of us. Can't we put our differences aside for the time it takes to get free?” The man who spoke was another of the three who'd come last night.

  “That's well said.” Taya spoke up. She smiled at the speaker. “As long as you realize that it is you who will have to put your differences aside. Not us.”

  Garek understood why Taya was provoking them. She wanted to test how firm their commitment to cooperation would be.

  But while he didn't think what she'd said was all that inflammatory--Kas had said much worse--the words were no sooner out of her mouth than the man lunged at her, hands out.

  Garek reacted without thought, even though he wasn't as strong here as he was on Barit, he was still strong enough. He lifted the attacker up at least two feet, out of reach of Taya.

  It was only after he'd lifted the man that he saw the shadow ore needles, hovering in what looked like a swarm at Taya's attacker's throat.

  There was a moment of almost incomprehension as everyone processed what happened.

  “She shouldn't have spoken like that,” Fayda said, standing, and Garek was so angry at his deflection of responsibility, implying the attack on Taya was her own fault instead of making his man take responsibility for his own actions, that he slammed Fayda back down.

  The prayer man hit the log he'd been sitting on and then sprawled onto the ground as the momentum toppled him over.

  “Where we come from, men take responsibility for their lack of control. We don't shift the blame to our victims.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath from some in the crowd, and Garek wondered how many had enough intelligence and insight to have understood this a long time ago, and had simply never spoken up.

  Silence stretched out, and then, surprisingly, a stream of water, a single arc, as if from a spout, came from the direction of the river and hit Fayda in the face.

  Garek noticed Taya looked sidelong at Aidan and then tried to suppress a smile.

  Fayda coughed, struggling upright, and then dragged himself back on the log.

  His eyes were fury itself.

  Perhaps not the peace they had hoped to foster when they'd come over here. He also found it strange that no one had mentioned Ketl.

  He'd thought about not bringing it up, but perhaps it was better to put it in the open as a lesson of how far he was prepared to go.

  “Let him down,” Fayda said at last.

  “I'm waiting for something first.” Garek looked at Taya, and she met his gaze and gave him a smile so true and pure, he lost his hold on her attacker for a moment, then grabbed him again.

  From the looks around him, the Kardanx took that as an intimidation tactic, not the loss of concentration of a man in love.

  He didn't set them straight.

  “What is it you're waiting for?” one of the other men who'd come with Fayda last night asked. The one who'd verbally attacked his own prayer man.

  “An apology, you idiot.” Dom laughed. “Do you still not understand she is a valued member of their group, and neither she nor they will tolerate an attack on her?”

  “I . . . apologize.” Taya's attacker spoke to Garek, not Taya, so Garek turned him in the air, the shadow ore needles following the movement in a show of precision from Taya he was astonished and proud of, so that her attacker was facing her directly.

  “Try that again,” he suggested softly.

  “I apologize.” His voice was monotone, and most definitely not sincere.

  The needles moved forward slowly and touched the man's skin without breaking it.

  “I don't believe you,” Taya said.

  “You'll never get a genuine apology from him. He killed his own mother, his wife, and his three daughters in the name of the Mother religion. Saying sorry for a mere attempted assault is not something he's capable of.” Dom's words fell like blows on the man. He flinched and closed his eyes.

  Tired of it all, Garek dropped him without warning, and watched, entranced, as Taya's needles flew up and landed in her open palm.

  “It seems you insist on making it easier and easier for us to leave you behind,” he said. “It will be safer to leave you--the less people we have to move, the better.”

  “We will abide by your plans and rules. And Dom will not be touched again.” The man who had argued with Fayda last night looked around at each face in the crowd, and Garek had the sense control had just been wrestled away from the prayer man. “You have my word. My name is Jona.”

  “Good.” Garek caught his gaze. “You should know, I had a run-in with Ketl this morning.”

  A murmur swirled around the gathering like a breeze stirring leaves.

  “Did you, now?” Jona's gaze didn't waver from his.

  “He threatened to tell the sky raiders I was here and to reveal my rescue plans. And it wasn't just a threat. He actually called out to them.” Garek broke eye contact with Jona and looked around. There wasn't a person who wasn't staring at him. “When he called them, I killed him.”

  Another murmur.

  “I have traveled a long way, and put myself in danger every step of the way to get here and save my people. I would like you to realize that if anyone thinks to jeopardize that in any way, it will be the last thing they ever do.”

  “Ketl died of a seizure, he wasn't killed by you.” The man who'd tried to hurt Taya had pulled himself to a sitting position, a sneer on his face.

  “A seizure like this?” Garek asked. As he pulled the air from the man's lungs, as he watched him scrabble at his throat and then writhe on the floor, he wondered if he was going to stop.

  Taya touched his arm, and to his surprise, he did let up.

  The man choked and sobbed as he hauled in breath after breath.

  “Warning received?” Garek's voice was quiet.

  “Warning received.” Jona's face was pale. “Who are you?”

  “The future general of West Lathor, and the most powerful Changed in the history of the Illy,” Aidan said, and Garek sent him a quick, frowning look.

  “We'll let you know our plans in a few days, when we've found out what we need to know.” Kas's voice seemed to cut through the tension, bringing everyone back to a semblance of calm. “Until then, carry on as usual.”

  Jona shook his head. “You have a warrior who can literally steal our breath. Nothing will ever be usual again.”

  Chapter 33

  Garek had drawn Taya into a dark corner and kissed her goodbye until they were both breathless before he forced himself back to the fire place to gather up the provisions and equipment his father had assembled for them.

  Leaving her when he'd only just found her again was a physical pain in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

  He used leather straps to fashion rough backpacks for both himself and Aidan and then Aidan stood beside the river and compacted the water on the choppy surface into stepping circles so they could cross it without getting wet.

  Everyone agreed that moving toward the mine and from there to the tower on the opposite side of the river was the safest way for them.

  The sky raiders only ever patrolled the camp side.

  Taya took his hand, eyes glittering with tears he could see she was determined would not fall, and squeezed. “Be careful.”

  He squeezed back. “You, too.” He leant in for one last kiss and then glanced over her shoulder at Kas.

  They exchanged a look.

  It was the first time they had both been in accord when it came to Taya, and Garek couldn't help the quick grin that escaped. Kas would watch over her, with his life.

  Kas raised his eyebrows in return, but Garek thought there might have been a hint of a smile on his lips, too.

  Garek straightened and Aidan gestured with his hand to the water. Garek c
ould just see the large circles of calm the princeling created, and he used them to run across the water.

  Aidan did the same, and then, with a wave to everyone on the other side, they plunged into the darkness.

  Garek had only gone a few steps when he realized he needed to have one last look over his shoulder.

  Taya stood on the bank, silhouetted against the camp fire, as if standing watch.

  She lifted up her hand, brought it to her lips, and, although she must think he was long gone, most certainly couldn't see him, she blew a kiss after him anyway before Kas drew her away.

  Garek caught it in the air and pressed it to his heart before he turned back. And didn't care that Aidan had seen that.

  “Was she your childhood sweetheart?” Aidan's voice sounded wistful.

  Garek kept his attention on the ground in front of him.

  Although it was flat, small, sturdy tufts of vegetation grew haphazardly across the landscape, tripping them up in the darkness. Their long, thin leaves were also sharp enough to cut skin.

  “I've known her my whole life, but I wouldn't call her my childhood sweetheart.” Garek remembered her as an adorable child, but he'd had little to do with her, considering her far too young to be interesting to play with. “She's two years younger than I am, and I was always big. Big enough to play with the older children.”

  “And her brother most likely steered her away from you.” Now there was a teasing edge to Aidan's voice.

  Garek snorted out a laugh. “Kas was town guard when I first called the Change. He moved on to town master later, and I took over town guard duty, but as part of my training, when I was eighteen, he sent me to work in all five of the towns in our region. He was right, I did learn a lot on how to be a good town guard by observing all the different methods of doing it, but I'm pretty sure he also did it because he thought Taya already had a soft spot for me.”

  “Did she?”

  He had never told her, he wasn't sure why, that he'd always known who had put that pillow and blanket over him when he'd shown off as a cocky sixteen year old and collapsed in the street.

  The sweet smell on the pillow beneath his cheek, the gentle touch of hands that tucked the blanket around him.

  Oh, yes. He'd always known who it was.

  “I'm not sure. She was always happy to see me, sweet and generous, but I think she was like that with everyone.”

  He thought of his two years in the various small towns near Pan Nuk, although he'd come home nearly every two weeks for Kas to find out what he'd learned, give him a day or two of training, and then send him back.

  He'd bedded his first women in those towns, relieved to experiment with people who hadn't toddled around with him since before they could both walk.

  And then he'd come home for good, as Kas was appointed town master and he was called back to take up Kas's position, and on that very first day, when he'd knocked on Kas's door and Taya had opened it, laughing at something Luca called to her from the kitchen, he had fallen irrevocably in love.

  Thank the Stars, thank every single one of them, that she had fallen in love right back.

  “I know now why you turned down any relationship with the women in Gara's guard, but how did you keep them so friendly with you after saying no?”

  “Because, interestingly enough, they respect a man who's committed and faithful to his lover.” He knew there was an edge of sarcasm in his voice, and he fought to rein it back. It wasn't for him to judge Aidan and his dizzying array of bed partners. “Also because when they were with me, they weren't subject to the harassment they received from Utrel and his chosen few. Another issue your father should know about and sort out.”

  The law of the Illy was clear. Since the Day of the Women almost one hundred and fifty years earlier, when every woman had put down her work, no matter what it was, and gathered silently for a full day in town squares across the country, refusing to do anything, grinding the entire country to a halt, the law had been unequivocal. Everyone was treated the same.

  “I know it. I heard you threatening a few of the guards who took Utrel's harassment as an excuse to follow his lead. I sent a dispatch about it to Juli.”

  “And?”

  Aidan shook his head. “Nothing.” They walked for a good five minutes before he spoke again. “I'm going to have to overthrow my own father when we get back, aren't I?”

  Garek thought he already should have done it, but then, he knew how complicated families could be.

  “Yes.”

  They found the tower just after the sun rose, almost walking straight past the steep hill in the half-light as they powered over the rough ground as fast as they could.

  They'd skirted the the mine site after midnight, moving beyond it quickly even though Garek would have liked to have gotten closer and seen more of it, how it all worked.

  But it would not do to be seen by the transporter in the morning light, and so they used the darkness while they could.

  It was the sound of the far-off roar of the transporter bringing the day shift that had pulled them from their focus on the ground. Garek had paused a moment and turned back to look, even though there was no way he could see it, and had spotted the hill to their right.

  “You think that's it?” Aidan asked him.

  “If it isn't, it's elevated so we can see what the alternatives are,” Garek said.

  They drank some water and shared some of the fruit Quardi had packed, and then set off, walking for another half hour before they reached it.

  There were a few smooth rocks lying at the foot of the hill. They looked out of place, mottled thickly with veins of dark purple ore.

  Shadow ore, Garek thought as he picked one up and smoothed his thumb over it.

  He guessed they had been dropped by Min or Taya.

  He put them carefully into his pack and then left it in the shade of a rock. Aidan did the same.

  The climb was steep. They had to pull themselves up rocks by finding hand and footholds, but the morning air was still cool, and they reached the top in less than fifteen minutes.

  And there was the tower.

  It was made of metal similar to the stuff the sky craft he'd stolen from Gara was made of.

  It had been here for a while by the look of it. Parts of it were rusted away almost completely, just as Taya had said.

  To bring this down would be risk free.

  No sky raider would think sabotage was at work for even a moment when they saw it.

  The little gray dish at the top of the tower made a whirring sound and moved a little to one side, and Garek wondered what it was tracking, or doing.

  He crouched to look at the little glass fronted box at the bottom, and saw the lights flickering behind it.

  “When the dish moves, the lights dance around more energetically. When it's still, this one,” he tapped the corner of the glass cover, “blinks at a steady rate, but as soon as it moves, look--”

  He moved back so Aidan could see.

  They stared at the lights, looking up and back down at the box a few times to confirm.

  “What does that mean?” Aidan sat back on his heels, his gaze going upward.

  “I think information is being sent when it moves.” Garek felt like he was feeling his way. “I don't know what information, but they wouldn't have built this if they didn't need it, so when we're ready, we can bring it down, smash the box.”

  “And then?” Aidan leveled his gaze at him.

  “Then they send someone to find out what's happened. My guess is a transporter with one of the guards in those suits.”

  Aidan tipped his head to one side. “And when we jump them?”

  Garek smiled. “Well, we know how to open those suits, and the sky raiders can't breathe the air.” He shrugged. “It will rid us of some of them, probably gain us a transporter.”

  “So, what now? We just leave things the way they are?”

  “It didn't take us that long to get here. If we go back to the mine
now, find those rocks for Taya, we could be back in camp before the day shift even finishes.”

  “We're eating something first,” Aidan said.

  “Sure.” Garek rose up, led the way back down the hill.

  “And don't think I don't know why you're in such a hurry to get back to camp by tonight.” Aidan sounded distinctly grumpy.

  “Wouldn't you rather be back at camp by nightfall? It'll be more comfortable.”

  “That's not why you're in such a rush,” Aidan said.

  Garek grinned. “When you worship a higher power, princeling, you worship a higher power.”

  “You're never going to let me forget that, are you?” Aidan muttered, but Garek could hear him chuckling all the way to the bottom.

  Chapter 34

  Taya had hoped Garek would be back by the end of day shift, but had forced herself not to expect it.

  It made sitting in front of the fire now, with his arm pulling her close, all the more wonderful.

  “That little box at the bottom lights up when the dish moves,” Garek was saying. “We watched it for a while. I think when it does that, it's sending information somewhere. How, I don't know.”

  “So if you destroy it, they'll come looking. How quickly, I wonder?” Kas asked.

  “If they don't come immediately, what will you do?” Luci, the town master of Cassinya, the Harven village that had been taken like Pan Nuk, sat with them. A short, dark man sat beside her, one of the Dartalian traders who had also been scooped up in the sky raiders' abduction.

  “We wait until they do.” Garek shrugged. “The plan is to kill whoever comes and take their sky craft, whatever that is. The rest of you will need to be ready when we return with it, to help us take the other one.”