Fall of Sky City (A Steampunk Fantasy Sci-Fi Adventure Novel) (Devices of War) (39 page)

We walked around the island most of the day until we discovered a large cave on the other side of the mountain.

We peered inside but didn’t go far as it was so dark. Haji brought out a torch with a
lethara
globe. We were able to go much further with that.

The cave turned out to be a maze of tunnels. We had to mark our path so we didn’t get lost. We soon discovered that it didn’t really matter because the mountain itself was riddled with caves. We just hadn’t noticed them because the other entrances were covered and well camouflaged.

There were other creatures beneath the earth that looked different, pale. Some were transparent and glowed. The vegetation was odd and different, too.

There were a few tunnels that had a faint smell of something not right, but they were also very warm. We actually had to take off our vests and other outer garments because it was just too warm to keep them on. There were pools of water that were fantastically warm.

I looked over at Garrett, a grin on my face. “I think we just solved your winter camp problem.”

His grin was just as wide.

The more we explored, the more we realized that the mountain and its tunnel system would become their home.

We stumbled upon a large central cave with a fairly decent sized hole in the top surrounded by other smaller holes letting in the light of Kala, which was now setting.

Garrett nodded, a satisfied smile on his face as he looked around, his hands on his hips.

“Do you think you can make this work?” I asked.

He continued to nod. “Yes, I think we can. I think we can.”

Relief washed over me. “Good. I’d prefer you were safe.”

“And you need to get back on your journey.”

I nodded, a grim expression on my face.

Garrett’s pleasant smile disappeared, his eyes thoughtful. “Synn, I’ve gotten to know you in this short time, and you’ve made me see things I wouldn’t have normally.”

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

“But you need to be careful. The Hands are very good at presenting themselves as good and making the Families look bad.”

I raised my chin in thought.

“You won’t have the support of many.” He took in a deep breath. “Let us get settled, and we’ll help if we can.”

I was quiet for a long moment, staring around the large cavern. “Thank you. But I don’t know how long I can wait. They’re destroying so much to get me. I don’t know how much more people can lose.”

“Not much at all,” was his reply.

“Agreed. Whatever happens, I need to find a solution now.”

“Good luck.” He clasped my arm.

I clasped his in return. “Thank you. You too.”

We spent the rest of the night helping the survivors settle their things into the caves. There were mixed reactions. Some didn’t appreciate the darkness, but with all the phosphorescent creatures and the moss that glowed when a certain note of sound hit it, they weren’t in the dark for long.

By the time we left, Sang was rising on the far horizon.

Keeley and I stood at the entrance to one of the caves, staring down at the crescent moon bay, the wind crashing into us in waves, whipping her hair out of her braid.

“It finally feels like we did something good,” Keeley said quietly.

It did. The stars and then the milky cloud of greens and blues of the asteroid field winked out as Sang claimed the sky. “I know.”

We watched the sun rise in silence, the sound of the island singing.

If only we could have held on to that moment.

But we just didn’t have the time.

CHAPTER 35

THIS COULD BE A BAD IDEA

We knew
we had to do something about the Hands, but we weren’t sure what. Every day brought new information about how the Hands were terrifying the people.

They were really starting to piss me off.

The compulsion was rarely a thought anymore. I almost forgot that I even had the bond. I didn’t want to go back, and there was nothing on the face of this earth that would bring me back to her. All that moaning about thoughts of possibly sacrificing myself to go back to her? Gone. The only time I wanted to see that woman was when I was either maiming her or killing her for all she had done.

More
letharan
cities fell each day. The submersibles targeted them. The only safe places now were the deepest parts of the ocean floor because the submersibles had a limit as to how far they could go. Entire tides were filled with poison. We saw the remains of dead fish and other underwater creatures everywhere we went. The poisons quickly dispersed, but Keeley was concerned that the underwater plant life might be ingesting it and feeding it to the creatures that relied on it later. That was not a great thought.

Entire schools of fish and pods of the larger creatures could be found floating in the water. The scavengers, such as the large sharks, wouldn’t even touch them. Maybe they knew instinctively.

The
letharan
cities weren’t the only ones in jeopardy. All of the air fleets were being hit, and there was a rumor that the Hands had a new weapon, similar to my pistol but much larger.

So that’s where the older copies of our plans had gone. We all cursed ourselves over that one. Though it appeared that the only one capable of operating it was Varik. Why that was when the entire House of Wands was Marked by fire, I had no idea.

Rumor was he hadn’t fully healed. The talent of healing after being burned appeared to remain with me, and I wasn’t about to share. With each attack, he had one good shot in him and then he was done. That was the only thing in our favor.

Joshua’s work with the El’Asim fleet was going well. They had devised a sort of cannon. This new weapon didn’t require harvested lightning like the handheld guns that were already available. The cannons simply required someone with the Mark to use it, and according to Joshua, it didn’t even require a lot. Zara, whose Mark was so small it could have been a freckle—not quite, but she’s my sister and I can give her a hard time about it—was able to use it. Having an entire ship filled with people who could power their largest weapon was a good thing.

But they were laying low in the wilds of Kiwidinok. They didn’t like it, but we didn’t have much choice in the matter either. The Hands had cut us off.

Everyone was anxious to find a way to stop the Hands, but they were all too afraid to do anything about it. The Hands were even attacking cities and towns under their protection after hearing rumors that they might have assisted one of the renegade Families. Things weren’t looking good for us. At all.

After counseling with Ryo, Keeley, Haji and Yvette, it soon became apparent that the person we really needed was Joshua. I radioed to the
Yusrra Samma
that we needed to meet, and decided on a location out of the way, at a place the Hands never went to. It was wild, unprotected, and had no viable resources. It was a perfect place to gather and meet without the worries of trying to hide from prying eyes that wanted to kill us and anyone who knew about us.

Our
lethara
was a slight problem. Even though he was capable of floating in the air, he always had to have contact with the water. Without that, he couldn’t survive and our rendezvous was inland by several kilometres.

We agreed to meet with one of the other vessels in our fleet that wasn’t as high profile.

I had forgotten that in all our travels, Keeley and Yvette had never been on an airship before. When we rose from the ocean, water falling off our
lethara’s
medusa in sheets, the
Zarifa Samma
didn’t dock. There was really no need. They lowered the landing platform, the rigging swinging out over the side, and I leapt on without a single thought. It felt good to have something other than rigidly solid ground under my feet again.

Haji joined me, going to one knee, his hands on the platform. He didn’t do well with heights.

Keeley and Yvette stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

Ryo laughed at them in good humor and hopped aboard, reaching across the gap and steadying the platform by grabbing the knee wall next to the girls. He motioned for me and Hajito help.

“Don’t ask me.” The whites of Haji’s eyes almost glowed with fear. “I am not going anywhere near that edge.”

There was nothing to hold on to except the knee wall and Ryo already had that. I motioned to the ship to bring us in closer. They did, but an airship wasn’t designed for tight maneuvers like that. They were built to ride the wind, wherever the wind might take us. That we didn’t crash into the
lethara
or its platform was amazing. I stepped onto the stable platform of our city, keeping the other foot on the shifting deck, and held out my hand to Yvette who was the closest.

She hesitated, giving me a look like I was crazy.

“Come on!” The ship shifted, and I was about to do the splits before it corrected. “You’re going to pull me in half.”

Ryo just laughed and shook his head, straining to pull the lifting platform closer.

Yvette rolled her violet eyes and jumped across, her arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance. Keeley joined her, her eyes closed, and immediately sat down.

That was probably for the best.

I managed to pull myself back onto the landing platform and motioned to the ship to pull us up.

Keeley wouldn’t open her eyes.

Ryo wouldn’t stop chuckling.

Luckily, over the past several weeks, we’d been able to get the girls to stop wearing ridiculous dresses and to wear something more practical. I shuddered to think what it would have been like to try to wrangle them aboard the ship with ten layers of skirts. Keeley complained that she felt naked.

But Yvette really enjoyed it. Which was so unlike the girl I’d met just short of a year before.

It might have helped that Haji appeared to appreciate her pants or the shape of her legs. They were getting closer together as the weeks went on. I wasn’t sure what was happening. But it wouldn’t be a bad thing if their Families married. That would be a good alliance.

I kicked myself. Great Sky Father, had I been drinking the water or something? Why was I seriously thinking about marrying off my best friend to gain an alliance? What was happening to me?

As soon as my feet touched the deck of the
Zarifa Samma,
relief swept through me. I was home. This wasn’t my ship, but this was
a
ship and that was close enough. Finally, a place that made sense, with rules and creatures I understood. I knew what the dangers were up here, knew how to react, what to expect. I could win up here.

I didn’t wait for my friends. I headed immediately to the fo’c’sle. The air was thin, but it wasn’t cold enough to require a face shield. The rain was light, the mist heavy, the air fresh. I couldn’t see the sky, but the clouds were just as wonderful. We lifted off, our
lethara
dipping closer to the ocean’s surface. The wind ripped through my hair, tugging at my clothes, reminding me of happier times when things made sense and worries were few.

I eagerly scanned the horizon for the El’Asim fleet. They were staying low, the copper strands of their masts gleaming in the sunlight. The Hands had a station of sorts located not far off the coast but high in the sky. Isra had instructed all ships to remain at or below tree level.

The red sails and white jellyfish clouds of our armada crept into view, hovering just over the tops of the massive trees.

“Oh my,” Keeley said next to me. I hadn’t even realized she’d joined me. “That’s amazing.”

I smiled and nodded in agreement. Yes. It was a beautiful sight. Home.

The land below us was green and massive. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. There were small plumes of smoke, but no evidence of farming civilizations or large cities. It was wild and massive. This was the largest land mass I’d ever seen.

Why had we never come this way before?

All was quiet as the
Yusrra Samma
sailed toward us, dwarfing the
Zarifa
as they floated beside one another. I went to the deck, moving out of the way as people trimmed the sails and prepared for a passing. Ropes were released from the sails.

I hopped onto the railing and grabbed one, giving it a tug. Someone in the rigging answered by providing more.

Keeley stood at my knee, staring up at me in horror. “You can’t be serious.”

I grinned and nodded, offering my hand. “It’ll actually be safer if you do this on your own.”

She wobbled on the railing, a bubbling shriek filling the air. “I’m going to fall!”

I gave her the rope and wrapped her hands around it. “This is your lifeline. Hold on to it, and when the others catch you, you can let it go.”

She trembled, her green eyes wide. “You want me to go over on my own?”

I pressed down on her fingers. They were nearly white. She wasn’t letting go for anything. “All you have to do is swing over. We’re close.”

“Can’t they get closer?”

I chuckled, one foot slipping on the rain slick rail, but my hands already held another rope. “We’re as close as we can get. Close your eyes, Keeley,” I murmured in her ear. As soon as they were, I pushed.