Whispers of the Skyborne (Devices of War Book 3) (54 page)

“On land. He’s upset. Most of his land units are either gone or destroyed.”

“How many men?”

“Not a lot.”

According to Neira and Skah’s reports from the southern tip, Shankara had been responsible for decimating most of the Han’s land forces. That they’d also destroyed the Vash army at the same time didn’t make it any more tasteful. If I were the Han, I would be plenty upset.

“There is fighting,” Yvette continued. “Shankara is moving to the land. Ino is taking no refugees. Han is decimating Shankara.”

It didn’t sound as if there’d be much of a fight. “Does it look like a feint?”

“Like something your mother would do?”

I nodded.

She shook her head.

“Sabine. Do you know where she is?”

“I couldn’t locate her.” Yvette shrugged. “I hope she is elsewhere.”

“And if she isn’t?”

Yvette narrowed her violet gaze. “Then she is not and will be dealt with as those she chose alliance with.”

Good answer.

Du’a settled in the rafters.
I know a way to defeat the Han easily, making the islands inhospitable for them.

“What will you need?”

Rose.

I nodded. “Can you link with her?”

Du’a cocked her slim head to the side, then straightened again, ruffling her feathers with a smoky belch.
Yes.

I couldn’t understand how that was possible. Maybe it had something to do with Bob’s new program. It was my best guess, but Du’a didn’t know either, which scared her.

“Fine. Do what you have to. I want to ensure the Great Families don’t have enough numbers to regroup.”

“Do to them what they did to—” Yvette winced and tightened the red robe around her. “—what they did to you?”

“You know what it feels like, Yvie.” It was hard for me to remember that she’d only just rediscovered her family. “You thought the Hands had destroyed your Family as well.”

She nodded and looked away. “But I got mine back.”

“Maybe.”

She met my gaze, then looked away, her lips flat. “Maybe not.”

I glanced at my flight suit, wishing for the first time since I’d gained my Mark that I could have it back. It would be so much easier to fly into Ino City unseen.

But I didn’t have it. Chie was going to be our best bet in getting to the vault as she was the only one who knew its location.

We had our plan. It was time to attack.

Du’a’s words came back to me. Making the place inhospitable for the Great Families.

The Skyborne.

What would they do if they lost the Great Families? Would they choose
this
moment to destroy our world?

I needed to talk to Bob.

I strode down the hall to the holding cell we had Iszak Tokarz housed in.

He was bound to the wall with enough space to move about. He raised his head, the one empty eye-socket demanding my attention more than his cold blue gaze. “What do you want?”

“I need to speak to Bob.”

Tokarz snort. “As if I can just—” His head snapped up and his expression grew alert. “It’s about damned time. I can’t reach you.”

I didn’t know how to react to that. “We’ve been a little busy.”

“We need your nanites to work faster. But whatever. Okay? What are you doing?”

I wasn’t entirely for sure I could trust this person, this star person. However, he
was
trying to save our world. “We’re attacking the Great Families.”

“You already practically destroyed them. What else are you going to do?”

“Ensure they can’t regroup.”

“Oh.” Bob paused, his expression deep in thought. Then, his good eye widened and he straightened. “Oh.”

“Right.” It was nice to see him thinking along the same thoughts. Or, at least, I hoped we were thinking along the same path. “What are your people going to do when the Great Families can’t get them what they need?”

“Well, you’re a little in luck there.” Bob leaned his elbow on his knee. “There was a, uh, problem with his latest shipment. So, he doesn’t have what he needs
to
destroy your world.”

“So, I’m not upping the time table.”

“No, but you will piss him off.”

“He’s trying to destroy my world.” I flexed my hand. “I think I’m all right with pissing him off.”

“Good. Yeah. That’s the spirit. You’re getting the nanites, right?”

I nodded. “I have a team getting them as we speak.”

“Oh, good. That will
definitely
piss him off. You
really
destroyed all the land destroyers at the mine?”

“Mine? Oh. Right. Pleron City.”

“Yes. That place, you know, with all the metal.”

His word choices were so loose, they were a little hard to understand. They lacked structure. “Yes. We did.”

“Great. Yeah. Great. Huh.” He scratched Tokarz’s black hair. “Okay, well, uh, is there anything you need help with?”

“Um, if you could help my team not get caught while they’re in Ino City?”

“Oh.” Bob’s expression brightened. “Oh! Yes. A hack. You need me to hack into some nanites feeds and keep them from blowing your cover. Who’d you send?”

“Chie.”

“Hmm, well, I don’t have her code and, if she’s on her way already, she’ll be very difficult to hack.”

I didn’t understand what he was saying.

“You need to go with them. I’ll use your code and amplify it to hack into anyone else around them.”

None of that made sense, but, if I hurried, I could probably catch up to them. It was better than standing around in the control dome, watching and listening. “Okay.”

“And, Synn?”

I turned at the door. “What?”

“Don’t die. They’re going to need you. This is only one battle. Don’t lose the war by being stupid.”

I thumped the door on my way out. Words to live by.

When Synn had issued her the order to harvest Shankara’s dying
lethara
, Keeley had thought he’d been out of his mind. He’d assigned her to the protection of Haji’s dragoons. They flew with mechanical wings, that they weren’t using at the moment, and they were all female.

All ridiculously strong, very-competent-with-weapons females. Keeley felt safer and jealous at the same time.

Wynne ran lithely down the broken fragments of Shankara’s docks, her dark hair fluttering in the dank wind.

Ife lifted Keeley by the armpits with her almost masculine arms, and helped her over the gigantic hole that had opened been ripped out of the dock.

Keeley needed to pay more attention to the world around her.

The dank, dark world around her.

The
lethara
moaned, twisting in agony.

Keeley stared at the tentacle they passed. It was in the water, but a growing darkness trailed upward like a shadow of death.

If you can’t save him, bring him to safer waters so we can harvest him.

Those words had sounded so callous before. But now, seeing the poor creature in agony, she understood. To let this
lethara
die might be an act of mercy.

Tale, the tallest of the dragoons, shouted a warning, her voice bright and crisp in the dank air.

Wynne stopped, gesturing to Keeley.

Whatever that gesture meant. She didn’t read sign.

Ife lifted Keeley higher, through a hole in the platform above them.

Keeley pulled herself up, struggling to do so.

Ife pulled herself up with almost no effort.

Braggart.

Even though she wasn’t bragging. She was just…breathing.

Ife’s dark eyes scoped out the abandoned area. “Where do you need to be, Keel?”

Her mind raced. Synn had really thought she was the best person to do this? “Uh.” Yes. She
was
the best person for this. She might not be able to deadlift her body weight, or run fast, or cut people down with a sword, but she was able to something no one else here could. She could talk to the
lethara
and help him heal at least enough to get out of these waters. She scrambled to her feet and hop-ran to the nearest tentacle. “Here.”

Pain swarmed over her as soon as her fingers touched the slimy limb. She closed her eyes, her back arching. She fought to breathe as the
lethara
fought to find fresh air, clean water.

Keeley let her head fall backwards.

Something held her.

Ife.

This way
, Keeley beckoned with her heart, her mind, and her soul.
This way.

The world shifted. The
lethara
moved under Keeley’s direction. Her Mark lifted in golden whips of light, caressing the
lethara
and offering it as much healing power as she could manage.

Keeley prayed they’d find safer water soon. She didn’t know how much more of this pain she could withstand.

In Yasu Noriko, Chie, Hitoshi, Kenta, and I stood on the
letharan
docks. We said nothing as we watched the sea race by, the poisoned spray kicking up at us. One of the falcons flew ahead, calling to the
lethara,
finding the safest path.

The tentacles of the
lethara
worked steadily, stacking several of the platforms atop one another on the far side, freeing more of its arms. I frowned, uncertain as to what it was doing.

The skies darkened the closer we got to the uncharted area of our world. A tall wall of forbidding rain and clouds rose like a wraith behind bulbous mountains that appeared like nothing more than melted rock. Nothing lived on those islands. What could live there?

We do
, Du’a’s soft voice said in my head.
If you had celebrated your spring rites, you would have been brought here to find your falcon. This is where we live.

No wonder the falcons were such worthy foes in battle. Their birth place was formidable.

Yasu Noriko picked up speed, rushing faster. The wind clutched at my breath. I dipped my head, narrowing my eyes into the onslaught.

Chie gasped and turned her face away.

Kenta followed my lead.

Hitoshi shielded Chie.

Ino’s
lethara
was revealed around the bend of a molten bay. It rose from the waters, the veins pulsing black and blue. He didn’t look healthy, didn’t look happy.

The curtain was down. No human activity could be seen in the city at all. No weapons. No cannons.

Trap. Mother waited for us. Had to be. Bob wouldn’t have been able to “hack” into their nanites yet. Would he? He’d told me I had to tag along so he could use my—I didn’t even know what. I simply thought I’d have to be closer for him to be able to do what he needed to do.

Slimy tentacles wrapped around my wrist, lifting me into the air.

I jerked in surprise.

Kenta did not seem surprised.

I couldn’t see Chie or Hitoshi, but I guessed this was part of the plan. They could have warned me.

Ino City came closer and closer, the docks gaining greater detail.

Then we were hurtling in the air, held only by our
lethara.
And, then, that was gone and we flew through the air.

My knees found purchase first. I rolled to a stop and staggered to my feet.

Hitoshi did the same.

Chie groaned behind me.

Kenta was already on his feet, his sword removed from its sheath. He spun in a slow circle.

All the buildings were gone. The huts. The shops. The people were also gone. Where? Silence met my ears. Not real silence. Ropes creaked with the gentle movement of the
lethara.
The platforms popped.

Chie’s lips were flat. She pulled her long dagger from her belt. “Follow me.”