Sky Raiders

by Michelle Diener

  “Aidan?”

  “Vent, it's me. Tell the guards to lower their weapons, unless they want to explain to my father how they came to shoot his son.”

  “You're really in that thing?”

  “I really am. Call Dartan up here. I won't come out until I'm sure no one has anything sharp aimed at me and my friends.”

  “Your friends?”

  “I didn't steal two sky craft on my own, Vent. Aside from anything else, I can't fly both of them at once.” There was a lighthearted note to Aidan's voice, and Garek guessed the princeling and his father's guard master were old friends.

  A booming laugh reached them. “Weapons down.” In contrast to the laugh, the order was sharp.

  “You want to come over here, see it's me?” Aidan asked him.

  “Might do.”

  Garek saw a shadow detach itself from one of the guard houses along the wall and walk toward them.

  A big man, he carried no bow in his hand, although he had a sword strapped to his waist and he walked with confidence.

  “What Change does he call?”

  Aidan looked over at him. “Earth Change.”

  Garek nodded, keeping his eye on Vent as he walked around the side of the ship.

  “Up here,” Aidan called down to him, and leaned out.

  “It looks like you,” Vent said. “But how on the Star did you come to be in one of these abominations?”

  “Long story.” Aidan swung his leg out, stopped about halfway down the ladder. “You called Dartan?”

  Vent nodded. “Come down, no one's going to shoot you, or they'll be thrown off the wall.”

  Aidan dropped out of sight, and Garek powered down the engines to an idle.

  “What are we going to do with the shadow ore?” Taya had come back into the chamber, dropping to a crouch beside his chair and looking up at him.

  “You want it out the transporter?”

  “I don't want someone to make off with it. Wherever it is, it needs to be safe, and I'd prefer it goes with me.”

  “Then it goes with you. We'll get Aidan to organize people to carry it to whichever room we get to sleep in tonight.”

  She nodded. “You think it's safe to stand?”

  He didn't know. In Gara, he'd have said no, but that's because Utrel, the guard master he'd served under, was as slippery and untrustworthy as a slither.

  “You can come out,” Aidan called from below.

  “Let me be sure,” Garek whispered to Taya. He stood, drawing air around him, ready to step into the inbetween in a moment, and moved to the door to look down.

  Aidan was standing beside Vent, but as Garek began to lean out, the princeling stiffened and turned.

  Garek turned with him, saw a small entourage had appeared at the head of the stairs. They stopped dead at the sight of the transporters.

  “It's safe, Dartan. We stole the transporters from the sky raiders.”

  A man in the small crowd stepped forward. “Aidan?”

  Aidan walked toward him. “Yes. I've had some adventures since I saw you last.”

  Garek saw Dartan flick his gaze to the transporters again, narrow his eyes at the sight of Garek, and then focus on Aidan.

  “I'd be very interested to hear it. Can you shut down the noise?”

  “When we're sure no one is going to shoot us by accident.” Garek kept his tone cool.

  “And you are?” Vent was the one who asked the question, and Garek guessed he was blurring a little at the edges, because the guard master was tense now, where before he'd been much more at ease.

  “Garek. I walked the walls of Garamundo with Aidan.”

  Vent relaxed a little at that.

  “He's saved my life more times than I can count,” Aidan said, and Garek flicked him a surprised look.

  He supposed that was true, but then, if it wasn't for Garek, he wouldn't have been in danger in the first place.

  “Do we have the word of the liege all will be safe?” Garek asked, and Aidan winced but said nothing against the demand.

  Dartan looked between the two ships. “How many are we talking?”

  “Eighty Kardanx in that one, just three of us, me included, in this one,” Aidan told him.

  “Kardanx?” Dartan frowned.

  “We let the Illy that were captured off at their own homes, but we won't let the Kardanx keep the transporter, so they had to come with us here. I promised them accommodation until we can organize them passage home. I'm sure you'll agree it better to have both ships under our full control at all times?”

  Dartan blinked at that, but then gave a slow nod. “I see the sense in that. They will be accommodated.”

  Garek walked back to his chair, opened the back ramp, and switched the transporter off.

  Dom must have seen that as the signal all was safe, because Garek heard the ramp on the other transporter lowering, and the Kardanx began to emerge slowly from the back.

  The pilot's door opened, and Dom climbed down.

  When he reached the ground, his legs were unable to support him, and he collapsed.

  He'd been in that chair for a long time with only a short break on the Endless Escarpment. Garek dropped to the ground himself and ran over to him, helping him to his feet.

  Two of Dom's friends took over, slinging his arms over their shoulders as they half carried him to the knot of Kardanx gathered near the stairs.

  “You did well,” Garek called after him.

  “Never want to hear an engine again,” he called back, and Garek grinned.

  Aidan stood with Dartan, his attention on the Kardanx as they were welcomed and invited down the stairs.

  “Taya needs to keep the ore close,” he murmured in Aidan's ear when at last the princeling's attention swung his way. “Can you arrange for someone to carry it to our room?”

  “You can have my sister's quarters, seeing as she's no longer here.” Aidan called four guards over and gave them instructions.

  The palace was close to the wall, almost part of it, and there were covered walkways leading to it. It was a whimsical building, with slender towers and courtyard gardens, and it looked pretty in the moonlight.

  Dartan gave one last command to a thin woman who seemed to be his assistant, and then made his way over to them.

  “My father?” Aidan asked, softly enough only the three of them could hear.

  Dartan glanced at Garek. “He's fine.”

  “Garek knows all my secrets, Councilor. How is my father really?”

  Dartan sighed. “He alternates between raging at you and your sister for leaving him, and accusing you of trying to take away his power.”

  “So, the same as before, then.”

  Dartan shook his head. “He's worse now. He's been drinking more. He had long stretches of being clear-eyed, but now . . .”

  He trailed off, and Garek looked in the direction of his gaze.

  A man in a big coat, too heavy and thick for the weather, was being helped along by two guards on either side.

  Aidan went stiff beside him. “Father.”

  “I heard my son was back, traveling in strange vehicles.”

  Aidan moved forward, bowed. “I have taken part in a daring rescue and have stolen two of the sky raiders' craft in the process.”

  “Stolen. Hah. You always were a thief.” Spittle flew from the liege's mouth, and Aidan took a step back, his face blank.

  After everything they'd done, after all they'd been through, the princeling did not deserve this public humiliation. And the liege was the thief here. He had stolen the hope of West Lathor by refusing to step down.

  “Stealing from the enemy is usually considered a good thing.” Garek let his voice carry a little.

  Aidan shot him a look that told him he would pay for his interference later.

  “From the enemy?” The liege frowned at him.

  “Unless you consider the sky raiders our friends?”

  There was silence as everyone waited for the liege to respond
.

  “You're trying to trick me? What is this?” The liege frowned at him, and Garek saw his eyes were watery and unfocused. He was deep in the drink.

  “This is your son, and two sky craft from our enemy.” Garek knew from experience there was no talking sense with someone this far into a bottle of firebrand.

  “Ah.” The liege seemed to find the answer acceptable. “Good. Carry on!” He waved a hand in the air and then pivoted on his heel, almost falling over in the process.

  The guards grabbed him, and ushered him away.

  “Can't you switch that cursed transporter off?” Aidan snapped the question at him, rubbing above his ear as he held Garek's gaze, fury and embarrassment in his expression.

  They had both decided not to show the Kardanx how to start the transporter or shut it down, only how to fly it. An extra measure to ensure no one could force Dom to fly to Kardai, but that meant only Garek could turn it off.

  He inclined his head, allowing the show of temper without comment. “I can.” He looked for Taya, saw her standing on the ramp, speaking to the guards assigned to move the ore, and satisfied she was safe, walked toward the craft.

  He had almost reached the ladder when a noise made him look upward, but before he could focus on the night sky, the most indescribable pain enveloped him in a sheet of white light.

  And then nothing.

  Chapter 48

  Taya watched the guards take the strain as they hauled the long wooden boxes down the ramp. Her shards were in a small box of water, even though she'd carried them without protection in the transporters many times.

  No one had wanted to take the chance when it wasn't necessary.

  The box was no bigger than her palm, and she carried it down herself, lifting the lid and grabbing them in her fist when she stepped onto the wall.

  She flicked the water off them, stuck them in the deep pocket of her coat, and as she withdrew her hand, was blinded by light.

  She had to close her eyes to stop the lights dancing in front of her vision, and when she opened them, Garek was lying on the ground, and a small sky craft was hovering over Dom's transporter.

  A circular door opened underneath the sky craft and a sky raider dropped out, dressed in the same thick padded suit with a helmet that they'd worn when they'd invaded the camp.

  Instead of falling, he hovered, and she saw there was a pack on his back that made a humming sound.

  She moved slowly to the side, to where the guards had dropped the boxes, and opened the lid of one.

  She called, and the shadow ore rose up from the water, two long spears of it. It was so much easier to do than when she'd called the Change on Shadow, they rose higher than she meant them to.

  “Stop.” The hiss of the sky raider had her lifting her head.

  “Go ahead, shoot at me.” Taya adjusted the spears, so one was above each shoulder.

  “I will shoot him.” The sky raider pointed to Garek. “He's still alive now, but he won't survive a second hit at this strength level.”

  Taya drew in a breath. They knew. They must know. Somehow the sky raiders from the Endless Escarpment had managed to let them know she had shadow ore, that it would rebound on the shooter. “Then you will die.”

  “I think you would prefer to save him than kill me.”

  “What do you want?”

  Behind her, she could hear shouting, could hear Aidan giving orders. She ignored it all.

  “I will take back this ship. If you do not throw the xjila, then your friend will live.”

  While he'd been speaking, the sky raider had lowered himself down to the open pilot's door, and with a strangely athletic twist, landed inside the pilot's cabin.

  “If you or your friend in that sky craft shoot at me, you know what will happen, but if you shoot at anyone else, I will have no hesitation at throwing these spears at you. And you know the likely outcome of that.”

  “We will have the gytrin aimed at your friend until you can no longer see us. So be warned. If you throw, he will die.”

  They were at a perfect impasse. Taya itched to go to Garek, but she stood, spears vibrating at the ready, as the door of Dom's transporter closed and it lifted in a hover, and then shot straight up into the sky.

  The sky craft followed more slowly, rising directly above Garek until it was swallowed by the night sky.

  She ran to him, forgetting the spears were still above her shoulders until she knelt at his side. She set them aside on the ground, felt his pulse.

  Aidan was beside her a moment later.

  “Alive?”

  She nodded.

  “We should have realized they'd never give up so easily.” He looked upward.

  They should have, but they had all thought they'd lost them. The sky raiders must have been following them, or found them again on their way back from Harven.

  “Let's get him settled.” Aidan called over more guards, and Taya scooped up the shadow ore spears and stood when they lifted him up.

  Everyone was staring at her, either sidelong or openly, and she frowned in confusion.

  “You called your Change.” Aidan tapped one of the spears with a finger. “No one has seen anything like that before.”

  She'd forgotten to hide it, but there had been no time, anyway. And with Garek's life at stake, she didn't care. She'd do it again without a second thought.

  She shrugged.

  “There was no choice, I understand that.” Aidan waved at the guards standing beside the boxes. “I'll make sure the ore goes to your rooms. But Taya. Don't speak about it if anyone asks.”

  She frowned at him, but he looked so serious, she gave a nod and then followed the guards carrying Garek.

  She thought she'd be happy to be here. She'd enjoyed her visit before, enjoyed the beauty and the uniqueness that made Juli a city to be proud of, but there was something wrong.

  The liege was unable to walk in a straight line. There was tension among the guards, she got that just from the few minutes of talking to them, and the administrator, Dartan, seemed to have a permanent frown on his face.

  Taya realized she just wanted to take Garek and go home.

  Chapter 49

  Garek woke to the sound of someone getting out of the bath.

  There was a soft splash and then the rustle of drying.

  He must have been hearing the sounds for a while, he realized, because he felt in no danger.

  He knew it was Taya, that he was safe.

  He had been hit by white lightning. That was his last memory, and he forced himself to unclench his muscles as anger at himself swept over him.

  He should have known the sky raiders would never be so easily defeated.

  It could have been Taya shot. Or she could have been taken again, while he lay unconscious.

  But that hadn't happened.

  He used that knowledge to calm down.

  A fire crackled in a nearby hearth, and he felt the gentle heat of it warming the air.

  He lifted his lids slowly, saw Taya, with her back to him, pull a gown on. It fell to her waist and she tugged it over smooth buttocks and wriggled her hips as she smoothed it down, then her hands came back and she twisted her hair up and pinned it on top of her head.

  He must have made a sound because she turned, her eyes going straight to him.

  She ran to him, throwing herself beside the bed he was lying on and gripping his hand.

  “You're awake.” Her voice was a quiet whisper.

  He hauled her up, lifting her over his body and into bed with him, and she snuggled in close, her hold tight.

  “How long was I out?”

  “All night.”

  The light coming through the window was gray, and he angled his head, saw it was overcast and threatening rain. The sound of the waterfalls drifted up to the window.

  “What happened?”

  “They must have been following us. Waiting for us to land. They took Dom's transporter.”

  “Did you use the shadow o
re?”

  She shook her head. “I was going to, I had it ready, but they said they'd shoot you again. That you'd die if they did it a second time.”

  He went still, thinking it through. “They'll be back for the other transporter.”

  She nodded. “They will be. We need to hide it.”

  She was right. And they couldn't hide it just anywhere. It had to be away from any new victims the sky raiders would be tempted to scoop up.

  Because there was no way they would easily abandon all the equipment and time and effort they had put into the mine and camp on Shadow.

  “What else? Where are we?”

  “We're in Aidan's sister's old rooms. I haven't spoken to anyone but Aidan since you were hit. But there's someone outside the door, as if they're keeping watch or guarding us. I'm not sure which. But I decided to treat them as friendly and asked for a hot bath when I woke up, and I got one, so maybe they aren't watching us.”

  “Or maybe they are, but they're being polite about it.” Aidan would want to keep both him and Taya happy, but Aidan wasn't in charge here.

  That job was held by a liege who had fallen down a deep hole.

  “There are strange tensions here. Everyone is nervous and I don't believe it's our arrival. I think it's been that way for a while.” Taya shifted, getting more comfortable.

  “Did you see the liege when he came up?”

  “Yes. He looked buzzed.” She looked up at him for confirmation.

  He nodded. “Buzzed, and dark with it. Some get happy when they're that drunk, he had an edge. He came across as petulant and self-absorbed.”

  “He wasn't like that before.”

  “No. Aidan looked in pain when they spoke. I think his father is not the man he was. And Aidan needs to step up before he does any more damage to West Lathor.”

  “So we have trouble on two fronts.” She didn't sound worried, though. She sounded resolute.

  He grinned, bent and kissed her forehead. “Maybe three. Don't forget the other Illian provinces looking to take West Lathor for their own.”

  “This isn't over by a long way, is it?” Taya nestled her head under his chin.

  “No. I have the feeling this is just the beginning.”

  None of it mattered, though. He had her back and safe. Everything else, they could handle.