Whispers of the Skyborne (Devices of War Book 3) (34 page)

Oki swallowed her sorrow and raised her smile to the sky she could almost see. “I want to die free, Chie. Let’s go.”

Aiyanna frowned, puzzled as she watched Oki, Chie, and Hitoshi walk toward the elevator platforms. She’d never seen such a mixture of stunned disbelief, sorrow, and excitement at once.

Fingers wrapped around her arm.

Aiyanna spun and stared directly into Hehewuti’s harsh face. She swallowed to contain her verbal assault of surprise. Instead, she raised her palms to her face. “High Priestess.”

Hehewuti raised her hand with a sigh of impatience. “I must return soon, but I want you to continue your work with Synn El’Asim. He is an important player in the times to come.”

Aiyanna looked away, her lips tight with the emotion conflicting in her chest. She wanted to obey her priestess’ commands as she always had, but it felt as though she were being asked to manipulate Synn, and that felt wrong.

“You love him.”

It wasn’t a question. Aiyanna licked her lips and returned her gaze to her priestess and mentor. “Yes. I do.”

The high priestess’ hard face softened, and a breath of a chuckle escaped. “That is good. I am pleased.”

“But you ask me to play him as though he were a stringed instrument.”

Hehewuti tipped her head to the side, reminding Aiyanna of a wise tree more than a wizened woman. “We each of us guide those around us, and are guided by those we surround ourselves by. You are doing no harm. You are ensuring his safety, the protection of those he claims, and are guiding him onto the path of a man instead that of a tyrant.”

Sometimes, it didn’t feel that way, especially now with the information about the nanites and the programmer.

“I know.” Hehewuti bowed her head. “But rest assured, you are doing a great service. Keep him open to the programmer. There is much information he can share with you that you will need.”

“High Priestess.” Aiyanna clamped her lips shut to the question she dared not voice.

“Yes?”

Aiyanna took in a breath to voice her question, but her mind fled from it, refusing to give it shape in the form of words.

“Your Mark,” Hehewuti guessed.

“The programmer said the nanites were connected to it. Am I—” She shook her head, confused and frustrated. “Are
we
being controlled by this programmer? The other one? Is Tarot anything more than a manifestation of their programming?”

Hehewuti tipped her head to the side and thought about her words before speaking. “We cannot know for sure, Yanna. Not really. I choose to believe that Tarot is real, or, at the very least, our own intuition giving us insights into the world around us.”

“But my Mark, Priestess.”

“It is unique, yes? Like Synn El’Asim’s. Like Anixandra Shankara’s?” a

It felt foreign to hear Nix’s full name spoken out loud. She’d been Nix for so long. “What does that mean?”

“It means, Yanna, that you are part of the key the programmer gave us to save our world.”

“But doesn’t this all sound…” Aiyanna struggled for the word.

“Preposterous?” The high priestess smiled and cupped Aiyanna’s cheek. “Not when you’ve lived with this knowledge for as long as I have.”

And how long was that, exactly? Hehewuti had been high priestess for as long as Aiyanna could remember. The woman had to be ancient, yet she didn’t look any older than forty? Maybe?

The high priestess dropped her hands. “We are nearing the end. If we are very, very careful, we will survive. If you lose Synn, if we lose Nix, if we fail to listen to the programmer, we will all die.”

Aiyanna flinched.

Hehewuti nodded. “Yes. Nix must live. She is key.” She released a deep breath. “You need to be on the
Layal
when she leaves. There is a plane on the docks. If you leave for it right now, you will make it.”

“What?”

“Synn will need you, but so will Nix.” The high priestess pushed her toward the elevator platform. “Keep her close, Aiyanna. She has her own part to play in all of this.”

Aiyanna clamped down on the words she wanted to say.

“We need her!”

Oh, how Aiyanna wished they didn’t.

I
WALKED WITH
H
AJI AND
the rest of his team to the middle of the meadow, carrying as much of the broken equipment that we could. The
Layal
towered high above us and was attempting to make it toward the ground without crashing into it. The
Khayals,
like the
Sammas,
were never designed to touch the earth.

The
Layal
dwarfed the massive trees and the large meadow. I’d known she was a large ship. She was the largest ship I’d ever seen, had ever heard of. But to see her beside the mountain and to feel the mountain shrink beside her took my breath away.

The storm was a far and distant memory. The air was heavy with moisture, but the winds still blew making it bearable. Lash had had to retract the wings due to a lack of space. The motor units were pointed to the ground, kicking wet leaves, mud, and other debris into the air. The bay doors opened.

With a nod, I grabbed the handles of the sling we’d rigged to carry Mesi’s body and led the way onto my ship. I leaned into the press of air from the motors. It was difficult to breathe. Once past the bay door, the way went a great deal easier. I walked further into the galley and gently set my end of the sling on the ground.

Mesi’s head lolled as if she were merely sleeping.

I ducked my head, breathing past the lump in my throat. The rest of Haji’s unit filtered in, some dragging their gear behind them. How many more people were we going to lose?

As many as it took.

The Skyborne were threatening to destroy our world. If we didn’t stop them, we would all die.

Haji’s lips were open, his eyes rimmed with red as he stared at Mesi’s still form.

My heart hurt for him. Haji might be my best friend, but I was Mesi had been his. I clasped his shoulder as I walked by, and re-entered the meadow. I stopped Briac. “Do you have everything?”

The burly man twisted around to peer into the meadow behind him, his plow squealing with the movement. “Yeah,” he said, twisting back and moving toward the ship, each step vibrating the ground around him. “I think we got it all.”

I took in a deep breath and raised my eyes to the sky. My ships. Well, a few of them. The
Basilah
and the
Najmah
were in sight, just off the western coast. The
Maizah
would be much higher in the sky, barely more than a pinprick of shadow from this elevation.

Someone ran across the meadow at a full run.

I narrowed my eyes, recognizing that form. Neira. I’d never seen her run. Must be urgent. I walked to meet her part way.

She skidded to a halt, her breath sharp. “Kiwidinok.”

“What?”

She gulped a breath and tried it again. “The Han. He’s really at Kiwidinok.”

I grimaced. Of course. Why hadn’t I seen it? We had won. The Han’s forces had retreated. I grabbed her elbow and guided her to the
Layal
. “We’ll take my ship. It’s faster. Gather your people. We leave as soon as they are ready.”

“Keeley!”

She raised her head, but didn’t do much more than barely scan the growing crowd. She pressed a wad of bandages to the stomach wound of the woman before her. “I need you to hold this in place.”

“Will she make it?” the man with her asked.

If that woman was the only one needing medical assistance, the answer would probably have been yes. However, she was far from it. While her wounds were severe, even if she had Doctor Carson operate right now, she might not make it. Keeley gave the man a bare smile. “We’ll try our best.”

His look fell. He knew exactly what she’d really just said.

Keeley’s heart twinged, but she didn’t have time to think much past it. She grabbed one of the assistants and pointed to the woman. “Put her with the other critically injured.”

The boy nodded, set down the bandages in his arms and set to moving the wounded woman.

Strong fingers dug into Keeley’s arm. “Keeley!”

With a sigh of frustration, she stared daggers up at Carson. “What?”

He pushed her in front of him, weaving them through the press of wounded and those trying to help. “Synn’s movin’ out with the entire fleet and leavin’ Enhnapi behind.”

“What?” Keeley twisted, trying to look up at Carson.

However, in doing that, she bumped into a man hobbling on one foot, his other wrapped in blood soaked bandages.

Carson didn’t give her any time to assist the man.

“The Han is attacking Kiwidinok. Lady Neira doesn’t have bloody time to waste waitin’ on Enhnapi to reach it, not with his ships so much faster.”

“Surely the storm—”

“If Synn thinks he can make it there in this storm, then trust him. He’s not going to do anythin’ to endanger his people.”

“Other than go to war.”

“To protect a land being invaded.” Carson stopped and faced Keeley directly, pressing closer than was proper. “Look,” he said, bowing his head, his forehead nearing hers. “I have to stay here. I can’t leave with the fleet.”

“But if they’re going to war, they’ll have casualties.”

“I have those here.” He raised his head and took a half step back. “I need ya to go with him.”

She shook her head, her mouth open.

“Stop it. You have to face him sometime. He’s a good man, Keeley. He wouldn’t hurt you, not intentionally.”

She closed her mouth tightly, staring at Carson’s blue shirt under his blood smeared apron.

“We will follow as quickly as we can. Set up a trauma center on the
Layal.
The Umira Nuru’s men don’t take up as much space as the other units do. Plus, knowing Synn, he’ll be closer to the thick of it, meaning people will have an easier time bringing their wounded to you.”

“Meaning I could get shot.”

“Possibly. Trust Synn. He’ll have a plan.” He twisted her around and pushed. “Take a few assistants with you. Take some of these people who aren’t wounded and are only helping.”

She staggered through the press of people.

He kept shouting orders at her. “Take what supplies you think you’ll need.”

As if she had any idea what she would even need.