Whispers of the Skyborne (Devices of War Book 3) (51 page)

Not them, necessarily. The Skyborne.

“And,” Jamilah demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, “who is this Bob?”

I had forgotten that not everyone in this circle understood the real battle. “There are people who fell from the stars on our planet.”

Najat pursed her scarred lips. “Gods?”

“No. People. They flew through the stars in a ship. That ship crashed here and was damaged. They cannot breathe our air.”

“I don’t understand why I care,” Najat said bluntly.

I searched for the words that would bring this point home quickly. “The Skyborne gave us our Marks as a way of controlling us. The Great Families are the ones easiest to control. The more mixed our bloodlines are, the harder it is for the Skyborne to control us.”

Yvette pulled her head back in confused disgust.

“They need metal to rebuild their ship, but our pleron is limited and not strong enough for what they need.”

“Then,” Yvette asked quietly, “what do they intend to do?”

“
They
are going to destroy our world.” I had to make sure they understood who the real enemy was. It wasn’t the Great Families. It wasn’t Ino Nami. Bob said point blank that we could kill her and none of his people would even care. That had to mean something. The Great Families were nothing more than puppets.

Neira rubbed her eye with her two middle fingers, then raised her face to the sky.

Ryo knelt, plucking a wet leaf off the ground. “We have already faced a great deal of death, of blood, of battle. We have lost people we loved and cherished.”

Skah watched him, her expression relaxing around the mouth and eyes.

He looked up, staring at everyone around him. “Isn’t it time we took back our right to live?”

“It’s more than that,” I said. “It’s more than how much we’ve lost already. If we lose, we will lose it all. So, it doesn’t matter how much we lose, until we’ve lost it all, until everyone has lost it all, it doesn’t matter.”

Haji lifted one shoulder. “We are no good on a water battle. Land? Yes. Water? Useless.”

Rashidi, leader of the shield unit, scoffed at him. “You might not be, but, I assure you, we are.”

I chuckled at his scorn even though the mood bore no humor.

“There is no need for that,” Yvette said. “Their base is on an island. The air is bad. The water is poison. The terrain is rocky.”

Du’a popped her wings and settled on the boulder beside Mudar.
We know these islands well. That is our home.

Neira looked the falcon, her eyes wide.

I frowned.

The others around the group stared at the falcon as well, their Marks rising with the power of their element.

Everyone’s Mark except my own. Mine still hadn’t started working again.

We can guide you and support you.
Her beady eye pointed in my direction.

Was there something going on that I didn’t understand? I looked to Neira. “Are we agreed then?”

She shook her head in negative. “I suppose we are.”

Aiyanna shivered, looking over the vast landscape before her. She needed to get to the sea. She didn’t know how she knew that or what she would find once she got there. She only knew that she had to get there.

The death of Hehewuti had shook the very foundations she’d built her entire life on. She realized how stupid she’d been to do so, but Hehewuti had seemed so formidable. Aiyanna hadn’t thought anything could destroy her.

A bomb had, though. A bomb. And Hehewuti had allowed that bomb to find Enhnapi. Why? Why would she allow that? Why had she sacrificed herself like that?

Maybe, Aiyanna was giving the high priestess too much credit. Perhaps, she hadn’t been able to see so clearly into the future. Perhaps, she hadn’t seen her death coming. Perhaps, Tarot had decided Hehewuti’s time of guidance had come to an end.

Tarot. Or the Skyborne.

Whatever the reason, the one solid structure in Aiyanna’s life was now missing. What did she have now?

A man she loved but who could not truly love her back. Not in the way she wanted, at least.

A faith system she didn’t know if she entirely believed in anymore.

A war she no longer wished to fight.

She sank to the ground, the wetness from the storm instantly dampening her pants.

Was she really so unsettled over one death? One. She’d lost one person. One.

The others had lost so many. Countless. Was she really so weak?

She buried her face in her hands, unable to shed any tears, the frustration and self-flagging beating away her sorrow. Hehewuti had been someone to look up to. She’d never offered the comfort of a mother. She’d never offered the love of a teacher.

Why, then, was she filled with such hurt?

Because the war had finally touched her.

She raised her face to the brilliant sky, staring at the pocked surface of Kel’mar.

The war had finally touched her.

She let that sink in.

Through Tarot, she was supposed to offer warmth, guidance, and love.

Three things she’d never truly experienced herself.

A bug buzzed at her ear.

A bird trilled. Another answered.

How could she expect to offer things she’d never experienced? How could she think to guide people through loss when she’d never lived through it? She was so untouched, so alienated and alone.

How could she be a priestess and so unloved?

Why was she thinking of these things now? Now, of all the times?

Because she saw how Zara’s death had affected Synn. She’d tried to help him through it, but had failed miserably.

And then, she’d seen how Ryo had reacted to Oki’s death, and how Synn supported Ryo, not through tenderness. Not through support.

He simply met Ryo’s gaze and they’d shared something.

Something she would never have.

Shared love. Shared loss. Shared anger. Shared betrayal.

She breathed air. She did not exist in the world around her.

She did not touch it. She watched it.

She did not feel it. She listened to it.

She did not experience it.

Swallowing, Aiyanna stood, straightening her shoulders with slow resolve. Was that truly what Tarot wanted? He had thrown her into this life, tossed her out of Sky City, out of the prison of existence she’d known her entire life. Did Tarot now wish her to live? Not beside those she was meant to guide, but with them?

How could she hope to guide them when she couldn’t meet their gaze with that same note of understanding that ran so deep in each of their souls?

Someone walked up the slope toward her.

Nix. She was naked, her soft, dark hair flowing over her breasts and down her back. She walked softly, paying attention where to place her feet.

Aiyanna took in a deep breath. Tarot’s hand was always guiding, but never forced a person to do anything other than what felt right. If Tarot wanted her to experience, then it was time she started to live. She knew Synn would be angry with her for bringing Nix back to him. The programmer—Bob—had said Nix was important. Aiyanna believed him. She didn’t know why. She just knew this was their chance to live.

Live. Experience. Feel.

Nix stopped, raising her brown eyes to meet Aiyanna’s gaze.

They both sighed as if gathering their own resolve.

Yes. It was time to live.

I
STOOD IN THE COMMAND
dome of the
Layal
watching the progress of our advance in awe.

The
Maizah
sailed above us, her antennae rising into the air to provide the latest bits of information. Ryo’s
Basilah
rode to my right, Najat’s
Najmah
to my left. Qamar’s
Karida
kept point while Rajah’s
Jihan
followed in the rear. I couldn’t see his ship, but I knew she was back there all the same.

We were a powerful sight to see.

The crews worked to repair each ship as needed. For instance, Jamilah’s crew worked to install real landing gear. Ryo’s crew was working on a shield they could use while shooting. Keeley and Doctor Carson worked on the
Karida
to implement what Doctor Carson called a multi-med unit system.

Neira had left Enhnapi in Kiwidinok to heal. Yasu Noriko hurried just beneath the ocean waves. The turquois water rippled over the glowing yellow and green hood of their
lethara.

What kind of leader would Chie be? We were headed into battle, though, we had crippled them. Shankara was down and the Han was hurting. What else did they have in their hide out? Were they able to regroup, man-up, and meet us with a strong fighting force?

I hoped not.

Bartolo Cruz and the Ga’a’dool sailed on top of the ocean in sea vessels that looked a lot like old air ships, their sails full. They were the slowest vessels in our convoy, and we had to keep our speed down for them.

Yes. Our force looked impressive. Would it be enough?

I took in a deep breath, clasping my hands behind my back. I listened to my ship creak, listened to her groan.

I didn’t know. We went to face the Great Families, or what was left of them. A frail and failing force.

But the real enemy was the Skyborne. Would taking Ino’s nanites be enough? Or would the other programmer decide the world was too tough, the resources too out of reach, and then destroy our world?

No. The real battle had to be ending the Skyborne. Crippling them, buying more time to destroy them. The real enemy.

But how was I supposed to do that?

Skah closed the door gently behind her and leaned against it. She knew how much Taileh meant to Neira. She was there when Taileh had left. Part of Skah was unsure of what to say or what Neira needed. Whatever it was, she would gladly give it.

Was Neira aware of how much Skah loved her?

Doubtful. Neira was the leader of the greatest massing of tribes the known world had seen. Even Synn didn’t realize just how strong Neira was, didn’t realize how many
letharan
trailed behind them, how many ocean skippers. Thousands of warriors followed in their wake, willing to protect their leader.

In case the great and powerful El’Asim failed to keep her safe.

Right now, though, it was up to Skah to ensure their leader’s heart remained intact.