Cloudbound (30 page)

They kept coming, circling in the high cloud, trying to see us in the dark. Our eyes had grown used to the dim light. Nearby a littlemouth pulsed on the tower over Ciel's shoulder, where she sat sobbing, holding her brother. The boy moaned. I was glad to hear the sound.

Djonn groaned and stood upright, the blisters on his hands seeping. I could see sweat across his robes where they'd tucked under the lip of his brace. The whirlwind slowed, then stopped. He stared at the cloudtop: “We can't keep them at bay.”

We'd been fools to think we could.

“You should have let me kill her, Nat. Saved yourselves more trouble.” Kirit's voice, angry and despairing.

“No,” I said. “We tried to save everyone.”
We tried.
That was my pulse, saying that.
We tried and lost.
Dix had escaped. Her guards had a new enemy to turn the city against: us. We had no answers anymore, except Djonn. We were cloudbound. My friends were hurt. It hadn't been enough.

On the ghost tower, we stood together as morning dawned.

The moment light pricked the mist, ten blackwings broke the clouds open. They dove for the ghost tower and the caves, looking for us.

 

PART FOUR

HIDDEN

 

Dark messengers flocked at Laria, awaiting orders. Black-winged guards tied chips to each kavik claw and sent them aloft. One by one, dark wings parted the breeze and pushed it away. They churned the air between towers. In Amrath's shadows, a hush, then the twang of a bow. A messenger fell, but more of the kaviks flew undaunted, then returned home to roost.

CLOUDTOP (new)

None but blackwings fly the clouds.

For safety's sake, avoid

The lowtowers and the white-spun shrouds.

COUNCIL (new)

When council speaks,

All attend; when Laws

Make, all obey.

SINTER (new)

To break a bridge,

A moment's pause, for city's sake.

Two towers middle-meet, unarmed

A last resort, for both to take.

 

24

BLACKWINGS

Aliati grabbed Ciel and scrambled to the ghost tower's edge. They launched themselves deeper into the clouds. Beliak and Ceetcee followed, holding on to the sling chair with Djonn inside. Blood had already seeped through Beliak's bandages.

Wik lifted Moc while Doran dragged Kirit to the tower edge. Together, they prepared to fly into the void below.

“Spirebreaker! Brokenwings!” a circling blackwing shouted. “You attacked a tower. Broke Laws. Kidnapped a councilor. You'll be held accountable.”

“What of Rumul, the betrayer of the city? Was he held accountable?” Kirit shouted back. “What of Dix? She'll turn on you next.”

An arrow flew past me, too close. The blackwings surged lower. They were trying to find the tower by our voices.

“Stop arguing and fly!” I yelled. I leapt from the towertop and began a fast dive, locking my wings. As the figures above receded into dim, moonlit shadows, I readied my bow. We could still hear them calling.

A strong gust curled mist skyward, and I rode it up to meet them.

The blackwings saw me coming up from the shadows and tried to turn away. My first arrow flew low, but a second pierced a guard's wing. He fought to stay aloft long enough to reach the safety of a tower ledge, his wing sliced open and flapping.

Our pursuit reduced by one, and more cautious now, I turned and flew after my retreating friends.

Aliati, with Ciel, zigzagged ahead. “Follow,” she whistled, as I came close enough to hear. Our group coalesced around her, and she flew into the depths, echoing. The wind rushed in my ears and the towers grew close around us. We flew lower than we ever had. Above us, blackwings' shadows flickered past, then disappeared, only to reappear dark and distant on our tail.

We dove again, desperate to get away. Any moment, I expected to strike a ridge of bone or a dim tower trunk, but Aliati continued to whistle “follow,” and we did, in a close formation that was more like falling than flying.

Soon the towers grew together to form tunnels and gaps, crannies and valleys. The wind grew trickier, with more shadows and fewer gusts. As a group, we wobbled and fell, then fought for balance again as we swept through gathering ridges. The light was tinted soft green. It played tricks on our eyes. I thought I saw joined towers. Walls. We passed beneath an old bridge that had calcified. From its spans, small towers dripped down, leaving arches and finials that would have been beautiful if they weren't dangerous.

Moc did his best to help Wik fly straight by staying as still as possible, but Wik's injuries made holding the boy difficult. Ceetcee and Beliak struggled with Djonn's seat, until the two closest fliers, Kirit and Doran, took over for them and eventually cut another gas-filled bag loose. Aliati spilled wind from her wings and narrowly avoided an outcropping crusted with moss. She shouted a warning, and we scuttled out of the way. Kirit, Doran, and Djonn shot up, over the ridge, while the rest of us passed below it.

Behind us, three blackwings came out of the mist, screaming at each other. They looked disoriented and afraid. Judging by their panicked shouts, their eyes had not adjusted. Mist coated their unsealed wings, dragging at them. They didn't see us as we hurtled away.

Aliati flew ahead of us, echoing, trying to scout the best wind. Beliak weakened behind her, the cut on his leg bleeding through his robe.

I could not see our other three fliers.

A shadow passed over us, moving faster than we had dared. A cry of fear broke the air, pierced at the end with agony. I spared a look up. A blackwing had struck the bone spur we'd barely missed. Now his wingset seemed paused midflight, stilled in time. Aloft, air-filled, and unmoving.

The other blackwings slowed, more careful now, then ended their pursuit and rose back up to the light.

I shouted to my friends to wait, to find the missing three, but Aliati continued to dive, drawing out the distance between where we'd last seen Dix's blackwings and us. Between us and where Kirit, Doran, and Djonn had disappeared, too.

She descended lower than anyone had ever dared, taking us with her, though I whistled “stop” until my lips ran dry.

*   *   *

Past an overgrown bridge, we saw a wide cave. Split bones littered the ledge below its mouth.

Aliati whistled “danger,” too tired to say more. I ached to land there or anywhere. To ease the tension in my shoulders, the tremors of my arms. To look for our friends. But she was right, it was too dangerous. We slowed, lacking pursuit for the moment, hoping that Kirit and Doran could catch up. We whistled but couldn't find them.

“We should go back,” Wik said, concerned.

Mist curled around our wingtips as we flew, searching. A breeze brushed my cheek. Scanning the clouds for a sign of my friends, I began to chuckle. We'd done it, attacked the tower. We'd lost everything. And everyone. The others laughed back, including Wik.

We flew lower, our laughter increasing.

Aliati flew among us, worried. “Stop. We have to go back up.”

Wik laughed. “I don't see the others. The guards. Where's Kirit? We should go lower.” He laughed harder, the sound of it high-pitched and echoing.

His laughter should have worried me, but instead, my mouth curved hard in an unstoppable smile. Ciel began laughing too, and that was even funnier. I chuckled, then joined in the laughter. Soon I was trying to catch my breath, and I couldn't comprehend why. Next to Ciel, Ceetcee wiped away a tear and smiled. Beliak and Hiroli giggled.

Aliati shouted, “We have to go back up. Now.” She whistled “follow” again.

This made us laugh harder. She sounded so serious. My sides began to hurt. “What's happening?” Tears streamed from my eyes. “Why can't we find Kirit and the others?”

Ceetcee gagged and knelt on the ledge. “Why am I laughing?” Her question was a wheeze.

“We descended too fast; the depths and the air are making you ill,” Aliati said. “You must follow me.” She grabbed Ceetcee, then prodded Wik with a bone hook. “Help me.”