Reading the Wind (Silver Ship) (42 page)

Sasha smiled at me. “Better than the townies. They’re whining to go home. Stile is on your side, and Hunter, and most of us roamers.”

I put a hand on Sasha’s soft, dark head. “It’ll be okay. Hunter will keep them here. He promised us.”

Sky finished wrapping up the berries and handed the compact package to me. “I don’t know. There’s more people grumbling about work than doing work.”

I tucked the berries, jerky, and some water into my small traveling pack. “I know. You do more than your share of the chores.”

Sky gave me a wan smile. “We’ve always helped protect the town. This is only a little worse.”

“If nobody attacks us today, we’ll hunt tomorrow.”

Sasha’s eyes flicked to the table. “That would be good. The townies will be unbearable if they get hungry.”

“I know.” War preparation had turned out to be less about weapons than food. “I’ll find you two tonight, and we can plan some games for the kids, keep them busy and happy.”

Keep the kids happy, and you kept the adults happy. Most of the families had been sent off with bands farther away, but we’d kept Eric the Shoemaker, since he was good at designing and making things, and he had two daughters. One of the doctors stayed with us too, Doctor Hij, and he and his wife had three kids.

Sasha lifted a hand to my waist, where I wore the sash she’d knotted for me. “Stay safe,” she said.

I ruffled her hair one more time, and she beamed up at me, her face alight. “I will,” I said. “You stay safe, too.”

“I wish I could go with you.” Sky frowned at me, one hand on her hip. “I understand why the townies want to go home. I’m trapped inside this cave.”

“I know,” I said. She deserved to go, but we couldn’t take original humans. Sky would never be able to keep up with us. “We’ll take you hunting tomorrow.”

She narrowed her eyes at my answer, unsatisfied. “Will you be back before dark?”

I nodded. “Sure we will. See you then.” It had been a good move to keep those two here—they were both very good with people, and in spite of their teasing, they cared about the townies. I turned one more time on my way out. “We’ll call if anything happens. Listen, okay?” Liam carried one of the rare earsets, and the camp had one, too.

Sky jerked her head toward Sasha. “This one has listening duty right after breakfast. I’ll be sure she pays attention.”

I laughed. One of the most important jobs, and one of the most boring. Good thing Sasha was patient.

Kayleen and Liam stood where I had left them, holding hands and gazing out in the general direction of the town. I wriggled in between,
savoring the smell and feel of them. We were seldom alone together. Kayleen worked the nets everywhere, traveling, and Liam and I stuck in the cave and around the lake, hunting and studying weapons and data buttons.

At least we would be together and alone today.

After scrambling down the path from the cave, we fanned out along the High Road. Kayleen led us quickly down, her feet almost a blur. A light wind full of blooming redberry scent and dust cooled our sweaty faces.

We threaded through the old rock fall and stopped at View Bend, the best overlook for Artistos. Here, the High Road curved out, its edge near a sharp drop down to the Lace Forest, and then Artistos below. Kayleen led us to the overgrown rocks between the road and the steep drop-off.

Two hours had passed since we left the cave, and the sun now warmed our backs and cheeks. The night-closing flowers along the edge had opened like bells, and the summer’s growth of trip-vine waved ominously around our feet. We looked down on Artistos.

A thin tendril of smoke curled up from one of the common kitchens. A handful of people moved slowly about the apple orchard, tending trees.

The crippled, old, and crazy. Left behind to tend crops. The culture guild, monitored by a handful of townspeople and roamers who’d volunteered to stay. From this distance, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Kayleen pursed her lips. “I don’t like people being down there.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and she turned to fix me and Liam in her gaze, her blue eyes wide. “They’re coming.”

I glanced toward the ribbon of sea brightening the horizon beyond Artistos, beyond the Grass Plains. Sunlight glinted off a pair of skimmers. No, three skimmers.

I squeezed her hand, whispering. “Now what? What can we possibly do?”

She shook her head. She closed her eyes tightly, gone searching for them in the nets. “I can’t feel them.”

Liam spoke low and forcefully into the earset. “Three enemy skimmers above the Grass Plains. A few moments from Artistos.”

I took a deep breath to calm my stomach. The day was bright and blue and green, and a little gold. Everything below us sparkled with hope and peace—except for the sun on the three skimmers. Tears sprang to my eyes.

The War Council had ordered us not to participate directly in any defense.

The tiny figures in the apple orchard scattered, running for the metal shop and the storage buildings.

Two skimmers slowed and looked ready to land. The third climbed. The cave! I grabbed Liam’s arm. He mouthed the word “no,” then spoke into the earset. “Ware the cave. One headed toward you. Go deep.”

The
Burning Void
fit inside the Cave of Power. But the invaders’ skimmers were bigger. So if everyone went deep inside they might be okay. We’d drilled for it.

One of us should have stayed behind.

Hunter was there. He’d keep people safe.

My blood raced and my heart pounded in my ears, and I stood trembling, waiting, adrenaline coursing through my body, demanding action.

The higher skimmer circled, while the other two landed in the un-harvested hay fields out beyond the hebra barns. So it was protecting the other two. Maybe it wasn’t going all the way to the cave. I glanced at Liam, who shook his head. He whispered, as if the noisy faraway skimmers had ears. “Let them hide. They’ll be safer.”

Figures climbed out of the big skimmers. Kayleen whispered, “Ten each. That’s twenty. Plus whatever’s in the other skimmer.”

More than half their total force. They were serious. Except they hadn’t brought the
Dawnforce
. Surely, they couldn’t wipe out the town with three skimmers. Or could they?

The third skimmer continued to circle. It didn’t land. At one point in its circle it came close to the High Road, still below us, but too close. Kayleen murmured, “Please don’t see us.”

Someone came out from Artistos to meet the mercenaries, walking slowly, his hands open. He or she fell before they even got close.

Kayleen gasped and my tears slipped free. But anger followed them—a hard, hot anger that demanded voice. I bit my tongue to
keep from screaming both at what was happening and that I couldn’t stop it.

The invaders moved through town in two groups. Two more people fell, silently, surely killed. I flinched each time. Once, three people rushed at the invaders. “Fools! Hide!” Liam hissed.

But no one heard him.

They died, too.

Birds sang all around us. The sun shone on our arms and haloed Kayleen’s red hair and people below us died.

I held my breath. Liam spoke quietly into the earset, relaying what he saw. “One group just went into the science guild. The second one is walking through Commons Park. They’re heading for the amphitheater.” The invaders crossed the street and went into the park.

One of them fell.

They all turned together. A body fell from the canopy, landing at the feet of the invaders. The mercenaries leaned down and helped their fallen comrade stand, and they all kept going, ignoring the body on the ground. Apparently the death hadn’t bought us anything.

“Look,” Kayleen whispered sharply, pointing.

I followed her finger, saw the invaders who had gone into the science guild. Every one carried something. Smoke curled up from the roof of the Guild Hall. I ground my teeth while tears stung my eyes again. So much knowledge there. Our main computers. Gianna’s best telescope. The special chair Steven had made for Joseph so many years ago.

“The granary,” Liam said. A second fire, in our biggest food storage area, where the grains and gathered grass and dried corn were all stored. We’d taken much of it to the cave, spread it among the bands, but more than half remained.

It burned well.

A silo erupted, flames shooting into the air. From above like this, it looked like a giant candle.

Liam kept narrating into the earset. “Both groups are heading back to their skimmer. The third one is still in the air. The north granary and the Guild Hall are burning. The Guild fire could spread.” The granaries all stood alone, but the Guild Halls stood in a row just across the street from the park. Liam grabbed my hand, holding it
tightly, and I held Kayleen’s, my gaze glued to the scene in front of me. The two skimmers rose up and streaked toward Little Lace Lake.

“Where are they going?”

“I don’t know.” Liam watched the third skimmer, which stopped circling and followed the others.

W
e watched the skimmers veer into the hills where our people were scattered. I said a silent prayer for everyone’s safety, including special ones for Sasha, Akashi, and Mayah. And Stripes.

Below us, smoke rose from Artistos, a scent of war carried up to us on thermals. “Can we go down there?” Kayleen asked. “Maybe we can help someone.”

Damn our promises. I started down, and they followed, all three of us running. From time to time I looked up over my shoulder but the sky stayed clear.

Halfway down, Liam grabbed my arm, stopping me hard. I turned, panting. He pointed to his earset. Kayleen, ahead of us, stopped and came back. Liam nodded, color bleeding from his face. His right hand started to shake, and Kayleen took it in hers. I put my hand on top of hers. Whatever it was, we were together.

“Have you seen my dad?” Liam queried whoever was on the other end of the earset. He paused, then said, “Okay—we’ll go. I’ll report in”—he glanced down at Artistos—“in an hour. Can everyone report then? Thirteen hundred hours?” He nodded and his blue eyes flicked to meet our gaze. His free hand came up and covered ours. His voice shook. “They split up and went after three places. The cave, and two bands.”

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

He blinked back tears and cleared his throat, his face a mask of controlled fury. “There’s no list of the dead yet.”

“Are Akashi and Mayah okay?”

“Mom’s hurt. Not badly—it’s her wrist—and they haven’t seen Dad yet. But he was in-between bands, so they think he’s okay.” He swallowed and glanced up at the sky and back down at us. “I’m sure he’s okay.” At the bottom of our pile of hands, his fist clenched, a hard rock inside our clutching fingers, and his hand on top of mine squeezed hard. “There’s more.” He pulled his hands free and gathered us both into his arms. “Gianna. They killed Gianna. And a few at the cave, but no one there has reported out yet.”

Not Gianna. We needed Gianna. She was our best scientist. My friend! Who else? “Sasha,” I said. “Sasha had radio duty.”

“Apparently she’s not talking. Maybe she’s okay.” He glanced downward. “Look, we’re closest to Artistos and no one is reporting from there. I said we’d check and report back—see if we can help. The skimmers are gone.” He looked at Kayleen.

She lowered her head and closed her tear-filled eyes. When she opened them again, they didn’t quite focus right. Her voice squeaked out. “They’re gone.” She ran her hands through her hair and shook her head, hard. “Let’s go.”

But Sasha. And Gianna. And Liam would want to be with Mayah. I glanced down at Artistos, torn. In war, who the hell got to do what they wanted? When had I, ever, anyway? I took off down the hard-packed path to Artistos. The others’ footsteps pounded behind me.

We passed Little Lace Park and plunged down the gentle slope to Artistos. Wind brought the brown-gray smoke of the Guild Hall and granary fires to us, like a stink of burning dinner spiced with things never meant to burn. It stung my eyes. At the edge of town, we stopped, looking frantically around. Where to go?

“I’ll check the park,” I said, swallowing, breathing hard from the run, tasting the sharp, acrid smoke.

Kayleen grabbed my hand.

Liam barked, “We stay together.”

“Then follow me.” I took off for the park, knowing we’d seen a body drop there. It proved easy to find. Rory, an older man with a lame foot and a rattle in his chest, unable to move far in life. Maybe that was why he’d climbed a tree.

One of Rory’s legs bent backward at the wrong angle and a white shard of bone protruded from just above one wrist. He must have
fallen on it. A small pool of blood blackened the grass under the break. His empty eyes gazed upward from a face set in a slightly surprised expression. I knelt by him, touching his cold skin. His hand wasn’t yet stiff, and felt cool and heavy in mine. I shivered. Death was familiar in Artistos, but Fremont had not killed this gentle old man.

When I was a little girl, he had made me a toy doll from winter-sticks and I had kept it until spring, dressing it in tiny clothes Therese had helped me fashion from scraps.

Kayleen pulled at my shoulder, her voice agitated. “Let’s go. Let’s find survivors.” I let Rory’s hand slide from mine, squeezing it gently, and pushed myself up. Kayleen’s face was as white as the corpse at my feet. Liam looked past us, then yelled, “Hello!” and took off running, calling back, “Come on!” over his shoulder.

We raced across the street, and over to the burning Guild Hall just as a corner of the wooden roof crashed inward.

“Here!” a frantic voice called. We ran toward it, making out a knot of about fifteen people surrounding Stile. Firelight glinted on metal buckets as a tall man handed them out. Two hoses snaked out from a hole in the road. The grate that had once covered the hole rested to the side, serving as a staging spot for buckets filled from two spigots set into a metal box and linked to the town’s water system. We’d planned for fires, drilled every year for fires, but never, ever, actually fought one in town.

Stile called out, “Kayleen, Chelo, Liam. Can you help?”