Whispers of the Skyborne (Devices of War Book 3) (36 page)

And then, the only reason I’d won a treaty between the Hands of Tarot and the Great Families had been because of Keeley.

Maybe, I didn’t know her long. Maybe, I didn’t know much about her, but we’d been close once. She’d extended the hand of friendship when everyone else had been too scared.

And, for a brief moment, I’d thought of possibly marrying her.

It had been a fleeting thought.

My tribe being blown out of the sky had erased all thoughts of possible marriage. To anyone. My only thought had been to keep her and anyone I cared about far away from me. As far away from me as I could stomach it.

I’d succeeded with Keeley a little too well. A very good friend. Fearful of a lot of things. Terrorized by a man who said he was a friend.

If I’d been Keeley, I’d probably have left me, too, but different reasons. The tantrums. Setting everything on fire in a fit of rage. Yeah. I would have left to get away from someone acting like a supreme child.

She’d fled in fear.

And, now, she was on my ship.

Haji gripped my arm and bowed his head. “Go. I will take care of things here. We do not need you.”

I didn’t want to leave my best friend when his had just died. It didn’t seem fair.

“You can do nothing here, Synn.” Haji turned and stared down at Mesi’s body. “Go.”

Feeling a little like a moron, I walked up the metal-grate stairs to the next landing, then walked through the door through the wall and into the next galley.

Keeley stood in the empty bay, clutching her bag. Her curly red hair glowed in the soft lights. She looked lost.

I walked slowly down the stairs. “Keeley.”

She spun, fright widening her eyes.

I slowed my pace as I approached her. “Doctor Carson said he’d be sending someone to set up a hospital here.” I applied a smile I hoped looked like I was sane and in control of my anger. “I’m glad you came. We have some cots you could set up. A few medical supplies.”

“I—” She cleared her throat and ducked her head, taking a step back. “I have more supplies coming via plane.”

“Oh, good.” I stopped and shoved my hands in my pockets. “Look, Keel—” I interrupted myself, unsure of what to say.

“You need a hospital. I’m here to help. That’s all.”

Which was great if she was a soldier, which she wasn’t. “I’m sorry.”

She looked up at me, her expression pinched and startled.

“I’m sorry. I was horrible. I should have had better control of my emotions. I didn’t. I scared you off.”

“I—” She shook her head, taking in a deep breath as she gripped the handle of her bag tighter. “I need to stop being so easily frightened.”

I happened to agree. “The world is changing.”

“I’d hoped it would change for the better.”

“Me, too.”

We stood in awkward silence for a long moment.

“I’m sorry about your tribe, Synn.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“I’ll, um, work on that.”

“I’ve got myself under control.”

“Until you’re not again.”

I looked toward the other set of stairs as a couple of my crew members brought cots down from the storage space. “Well, um, you, uh, you let me know if you need anything. Okay?”

Keeley nodded.

I took a step backward, then turned, retreating back up the stairs. I was pretty sure I’d just lost that friend for good.

The reports from home were not good. The Han had indeed used the tunnels to secret his forces behind Kiwidinok’s borders. How?

Neira had an idea and the thought made her sick, but the information before her was too damaging. How else would he have known how to get from the Koko Nadi all the way to Lake Chatan? There were too many tunnels. The underground of the entire area was like a maze. With any luck, he’d lost a few of his men down there.

But if she was right, he wouldn’t have.

If she was right, the nanites weren’t the key to his invasion.

If she was right, she had a traitor. One she knew well.

Neira leaned over the map table in the command room of Synn’s ship. “Drop me and my forces here.”

Synn frowned, but nodded. “The southern tip
.
”

“It will be his first attack point.”

His cheeks sank, his cheekbones standing out sharply. He raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. “Do you still want me to take the
Layal
to Lake Chatan?”

She moved the marker that denoted his ship to Lake Chatan. “Reports claim he has three land eaters, four destroyers, and something I haven’t even heard of yet there.”

Wa-sna-win had been relaying the reports for the past hour as people saw the Han’s progress through various tunnels and along the shore.

“That’s more of a land fighting unit than we have.”

She sighed in sad frustration. Anger flashed through her and she clenched one hand. “He has his ground fighters primarily located on the southern tip. That’s why I’m taking my fighters. The Umira Nuru is the only thing that might stop the Han at Lake Chatan.”

“Agreed.” He moved the marker that denoted her people to the south.

Haji nodded, massaging one shoulder. “Our unit is smaller, but we will be ready.”

“You have abilities he doesn’t,” Synn said, his voice low and solid. “You are fast where his units are slow. Use the shield men. Concentrate mostly on using the bombs, but only if there are no other civilians.”

“We are not a civilization of weaklings,” Neira said, her ire rising. “We are all trained fighters.”

“Babies are not.” His tone left no room for argument. “We heard there’s an air strike to the west. I’ll send Captain Rose to the
Najmah
where she can combine air strikes with Lt. Colonel Bennen.”

Neira stared at the map, all the markers being moved into place and wondered again how the Han had come into position so quickly. It seemed impossible.

“I’ll have the
Karida
stay central and lay down an airstrike of their own.”

Synn, for all that he could be stupid, could be impressive, too. He appeared self-confident, strong. His face. His expression. His words. He’d grown a great deal in the past few months. Away from his mother. Away from his tribe. She would never condone the blood spilt to have made this happen, but was glad of it.

Synn flicked his gaze at her, his lips pensive and straight. “Are you going to be all right?”

“Of course I am.” Neira lowered her head, breathing patience and pushing away her fear and anger. “I simply wish to be back home where I can protect my people.”

“Where
we
can protect your people.”

The ship shifted unexpectedly and they all stumbled.

“We’ve hit the storm.” Jamilah folded her arms over her chest, her face fierce. “Retract the wings.”

“Aye, Commander.” The co-pilot punched something on the dash.

Neira couldn’t hear anything, but the ride settled.

Synn straightened. “We’re nearly at your drop. Get ready.”

Rose fought the winds. The dark skies exploded in lightning all around her. If she were smart, she’d turn
Wise Girl
around and head back to the
Layal.
The storm was too fierce to fly well in.

The
Najmah
came into view as she dropped out of the storm. The
Najmah’s
smooth hull gave off a soft glow of
lethara
light, almost like a beacon as she rose back into the safety of the storm.

Safety. There really was no such thing, not in a storm like this. Too much power. Too much wind. Rose stared down at the ground beneath her feet, but all she saw was rolling ocean water.

That was good. It meant the Han hadn’t detected them, hadn’t seen them yet. Surprise was the best weapon they had.

She brought
Wise Girl
into the belly of the storm, lightning tagging her and racing along the copper lacework of her outer skin.

Rose fought off a chill, her neck muscles tightening. Too many things could wrong in here.

The
Najmah
wasn’t that deep within the storm. She waited, her bay doors open. Rose led the way and set
Wise Girl
on one of the few empty docking pads. This ship had easily four times the room for planes as the
Layal
did. The docks stretched from the rear to almost the center of the monstrous beast. Where the
Layal
had two galleys on either side for the Umira Nuru’s land units, Commander Najat had opted for more flight docks.

Rose turned off her engine. The rest of her crew landed and the bay doors closed beneath them, sealing off the ferocious winds. Rose raised
Wise Girl’s
domed cock-pit cover and pulled herself out, sliding onto the wing, careful not to damage it with her boots. While she still wouldn’t go with the stronger, metal, straight wings, there was something to be said for the fragility of her more natural dragonfly wings.

Lt. Colonel Bennen Domitius met her on the dock. His oblong face broken with a smile.

“How can you smile in a time like this?” Rose demanded, landing a bit more solidly than she would have liked on the dock. She was stiff and jittery. Not a great combination for heading into battle.

He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “I get to see you again. For as much as we’re in the same tribe, or whatever these people call it, we never get to see each other.”

They’d both spent the better part of their careers in Sky City under the command of the Hands of Tarot. All this tribal stuff didn’t make a great deal of sense to either of them. They understood orders and work.

Well, at least Rose did. “We’re too busy for social calls anyway.”

He snorted and turned them toward the main part of the bay. “
You
might be, but you like it that way.”

She shook her head wryly. He was just as busy, if not more so. He had a larger unit and he was working to build more. His plan was to have a unit of planes on ever
Khayal
. On top of that, he was the overall commander of the flying unit forces.

“You lost people today,” he said simply.

There was no use in denying it. “I’ll lose more today.”

He nodded slowly. “I’m sure we will.”

A pained frown flicked between her brows as she turned her face away.

He stepped back and clapped his hands. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun. Now, com’on, Rose. I’ve got a bottle of whiskey. How about a nip?”

Neira landed with a roll and came to her feet, her long dagger in hand. She raised her head, trying to listen past the deafening roar of the
Layal’s
engines and the howling wind. She staggered beneath the force of a gust and moved to crest the hill.

Skah met her stride for stride. “They wouldn’t have attacked, not when the storm was worse than this.”

“Why not?” Neira shouted back. “They have the might to withstand winds like this with their land eaters and such.”

“Which are at Lake Chatan,” Skah reminded her.

“Then maybe, just maybe, we’re in luck.” Though Neira wasn’t going to bet on it. Han was cunning. He knew the best time to attack would be when his enemy was vulnerable, and they were at their most vulnerable during a hurricane.

Skah hunched her shoulders and took the hill. “The caves are just over this hill.”

The caves she spoke of belonged to the Paha tribe. They didn’t connect to the Koko Nadi Islands. Why didn’t they when Lake Chatan did? The caves at Lake Chatan were further north, a great distance from Koko Nadi, so it didn’t make sense.