Whispers of the Skyborne (Devices of War Book 3) (11 page)

She scrambled to her feet, cursing, not for the first time, the tight constraints of her kimono. If only she’d been given to the El’Asim, she could wear clothing that allowed freer movement. But, then, she would also, most likely be dead along with her sister.

Kenta opened the door and reached for her hand.

White dust fell atop Oki’s head from somewhere above the door.

Waving her hand in front of her face, she grabbed her husband’s hand and ran from the cell. “What is the plan?”

“Synn.”

What? No. He would not. “How? Is it safe for him? He’s not good at planning.”

“He answered our call. He’s with your mother now, buying us time, but we must hurry.”

“And the guards?”

“Taken care of. For now.”

She hurried, her small steps rushed in comparison to his long strides. Could it be possible? Could she hope?

He took to the stairs and began the ascent.

The world shifted, knocking her into the cool wall. She grasped at it, trying to make sense of what was happening. Such sudden movements didn’t occur on a 
lethara
, especially not of this size. Something was—

The floor caught her. She stared numbly at the ceiling, watching the pulsing veins of light in the columns. Someone called to her, but he was so very far away. The cool floor calmed her. Her heavy head fell back, releasing its fight to remain upright. She released one long, deep breath.

And the world went still.

H
ITOSHI PRIED HIMSELF OUT OF
the shadows as I exited the Family building. “You survived.”

I stumbled as full control of my own body was suddenly restored to me. My Mark hissed and rose around my neck, the smell of singed, sweaty cloth assaulting my nose. I spun and stared up the face of the family building.

Hitoshi blinked, his one hand raised, the other on the hilt of his belt knife. “Should we leave now?”

I nodded, my mouth agape. What had just happened?

“Did things not go well?”

“Define ‘well’.” I turned and headed for the docks. “Tell me Oki has been freed and that we can take off as soon as we get to my ship.”

He was quiet for a long moment as he kept pace with me. His legs were longer as he was a good head taller than me.

I, on the other hand, was starting to breathe harder but I didn’t care. I swept through what had once been the arena area. It was a large, barren space now. I took the adjoining bridge in two steps.

“What spooked you?”

I didn’t know him well enough to confide in him. For all I knew, he could have been a spy.

A spy.

Oh, I needed Du’a and her ability to speak to rest of the crew. Why had I left her on the ship?

You thought I would truly leave you alone?
Her voice settled my nerves in no small part.

I breathed a sigh of relief.
Tell the crew to keep the Ino segregated. Ino Nami admitted she was sending someone to sneak aboard the ship.

Be calm, Synn. We already suspected as much. I’ll set the falcons out to watch for anything suspicious.

Thank you.

What happened, Synn?

I didn’t have words quite yet, so I sent her what I felt, the terror, the confusion. The voice.

A warm blanket of understanding settled over my emotions.

I blinked slowly and swallowed.
Thank you
.

Always.

Bonds. I wracked my brain. Something was going on, something important, and it had to do with bonds. I had been bound to Nix, and then bound again to a falcon I should never have been able to bind myself to. To a
lethara,
who by all rights, should not bond to me either. But it was more than Du’a and my
lethara
. I could join with the other falcons as well. I simply spent more time with Du’a. She was more confident, less scared.

And that voice. That had felt like a bond.

What had she meant about the power of my Mark? How was it connected to everything?

I slowed my walk and glanced at Hitoshi out of the corner of my eye. “Explain to me how things got to this point.”

“I don’t—oh.” He nodded. “The city. Oki.”

“Yes.”

He bowed his head, his lips flat. “Shortly after Asim City left the games, things changed. At first, it was small things. Ino Oki did not say much or tell us what was going on. However, we could all see things were not right.”

I hoped he’d get to the meat of the story before we made the docks.

He led the way over a platform bridge.

“Then people started disappearing.”

“Who?” I glanced at the elevator platforms. They might get us to the lower levels faster, but it was too easy to get pinned in, and that was the one thing I didn’t want to happen.

“People who supported you, and those who voiced their agreement with Ino Nami’s retirement of command.”

Both eyebrows shot up. “She wouldn’t.”

“She did.” Hitoshi skirted around a group of older women crossing the walkway in front of us. “Get to the ship now. We are out of time.”

One of the three women nodded as they hurried away.

What few people remained in the streets worked faster. A few stood, frowning at us and their neighbors.

A man in the blue and turquoise uniform of the Ino guard slipped along the shop fronts, heading back to the heart of the city. He was easy to see in the nearly empty streets.

We were running out of time. Though, why? Ino Nami knew what we were doing.

She wasn’t going to make it easy. What would happen if we were captured fleeing the city? We’d all be executed. And she’d have control of my newest ship. That couldn’t happen.

The docks were quiet. I could make out small groups of people hiding behind barrels and boxes, stacks of nets. The smell of the sea hit my nose with a heaviness that hadn’t been there earlier. The storm was shifting, getting warmer. With the icy air above and hotter air below, the storm was about to get more volatile.

Du’a,
I called.
If Captain Rose hasn’t removed herself from the fight yet, tell her to do so now.

Yes.

There were times when I wished her communication skills were a little more giving.

The port side galleys weren’t nearly as full as I had originally thought they would be. Hitoshi’s expression grew pensive as he searched the thin crowd.

A man in the clothes of the El’Asim directed them down the stairwell that led to the lower catwalks, living quarters, and cargo bay.

I gripped Hitoshi’s elbow. “If Chie has made it, she will be below.”

A man I didn’t know touched my arm. “Thank you, El’Asim.” He hugged his daughter closer to him, resituating her in his arms.

I nodded at him and gestured for him to follow the other refugees down the stairs. I wasn’t doing this for his gratitude. “Where is Oki?”

Hitoshi licked his lips, his eyes still searching. “Kenta should be here. I heard word he’d succeeded in getting her out.”

I released the seal to the door leading to the command dome. “I want word as soon as Chie and Oki are on board.” I closed the door behind me, sealing it shut, then took the stairs two at a time. I burst into the command dome.

Everyone remained focused on their tasks.

Jamilah looked up from the navigation table. “Do you have Oki?”

“Waiting for confirmation.”

She quirked her lips and looked pointedly through the glass. “Ino is dropping her curtain. We have to leave now.”

A
lethara
had a veil used when above the ocean to protect against storms and such, and a curtain. The curtain was thicker and wrapped all the way around the city, blocking off any route of escape. We had to get out while the curtain was still up.

I swallowed. “Communications, tell me we have Oki.”

The officer nodded, the headphones over his ears, and spoke into the microphone in front of his lips.

I watched the slow progression of Ino’s thick curtain. “Where is Captain Rose?”

“Disengaging as directed, Admiral,” Jamilah said. Her shoulders were tight as she stood, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes glued to the lowering curtain. “We’re running out of time.”

“Not quite.”

“Sir,” the communication officer said, his tone brusque, “the cargo hold is secure. The extra weight has been distributed.”

I nodded. “Secure all hatches. Prepare to seal her up.”

He repeated my commands into his microphone.

The portside door opened then shut with a sucking noise. “The refugee flow has stopped,” the man said as he spun the wheel to seal it.

The communications officer looked up. “We have Ino Oki, sir! And a woman called Chie?”

“Excellent. Close the galley and dock doors.” My eyes remained on the scene just outside the dome. I peered over the nose. The dock was nearly empty. A few workers stared at us bemused.

“Sir?” Lash pointed to the curtain.

Ino’s thick curtain touched the raging ocean waves and sank into the water.

I walked over to the pilot seat and gripped Lash’s chair. “Take us down.”

“What are you doing?” someone shouted. “Are you mad?”

“Communications,” I barked as we lowered toward the awaiting sea. All we had to do was go under the
letharan
wall. “Are all hatches sealed?”

“We could use a monitoring system for that,” Jamilah said, more to herself than to me.

We could.

The waters within the
letharan
walls were peaceful, quiet, and calm. Inside the protections, the wind didn’t batter the water. It should make the submersion easier.

Should.

“Who is at the atmospheric panel?” I asked.

“I am, sir. Ichito, sir.”

“Ichito, I need you to bring the pressure of the ship up.” I gritted my teeth as Lash eased the
Layal
into the waters.

The blue water rose outside the dome. A quarter of the way up. No leakage in the command dome. Yet.

“Pressure’s staying steady, sir,” he answered.

“I don’t care about steady!”

The water was nearly at the halfway point when the wings met with it. The
Layal
kicked, shuddering momentarily.

“Wings, sir?” Ghaz asked.

“They should work in the water.” At least, that had been my design intent.

The
Layal
smoothed.

Ghaz remained glued to her seat, her hands assisting better than I had expected. She did not come off as confident, but when her hands controlled a ship, it appeared she could handle herself.

Fully submerged, the control stick stopped bucking in Lash’s hands. I leaned over Ghaz and hit the button to release the
Layal’s
tails. A stick disengaged from the co-pilot’s panel. “Use this instead. Control the tails.”

A blue world enveloped the glass dome.

“Are the seals holding?” I asked.

Communications answered. “The cargo bay is holding. There was a slight issue with one hatch, but they’re working to secure it.”

“Ichito, pressure?”

“Rising, but steady.”

I looked through the dark blue water, trying to see the curtain of Ino City.

“Should I start the propellers, sir?” Jamilah asked.

“Just work the tails for now.” There. Straight ahead, I could barely make out a slight fuzziness glinting back a faint light, the reflection of the city lights. “Do you see that, Lash?”

He nodded.

“See if you can take us underneath it.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Is anyone following us?”

“No, sir. None.”

“None,” I muttered to myself. That didn’t bode well. We were in the water. This would be the time we’d see the LeBlancs if they had joined forces with Ino as I predicted.

We cleared the curtain wall without further incident.

“Why didn’t Ino Nami send anyone after us?” Jamilah asked.

A bolt of lava pierced the raging waves overhead, slicing the water directly in front of us.

Lash pulled on the controls with a grunt. “I think we figured out why. Ideas on what to do?”