Fall of Sky City (A Steampunk Fantasy Sci-Fi Adventure Novel) (Devices of War) (33 page)

“Tired enough to help?” Beat, bash, bash, bash, clank, clunk, roar, beat, beat, bash, growl, silence. My breathing was very heavy now. “Or just tired enough to complain? Could we trust their intel? Or would they be feeding us bad information in hopes of gaining a reward with the Hands?”

Ryo widened the circle, his chest heaving, sweat glistening along his bare arms. “We’d have to try it out.”

I took an opening, swooped in, and ran back out, twisted, feinting right, dodged left, and then brought my swords up. That caught him by surprise as I took his sword and twisted it. He nearly lost his grip, but managed to dance away, his blade still in hand.

“Do you know a place we might try?” I asked, my eyes searching, seeing only him, his past movements and those he hadn’t made yet, scoping out the scene around us. Chair. Table. Lamp. Chair. Long table. Chair.

“I might,” he said with a grunt as he came in for another attack.

I ran, leapt onto the chair, along the short table, to the other chair. It toppled as my feet left it. As my foot found the long table, I twisted and pushed off, gaining the element of surprise, height and the added bonus of gravity on my downward swing. This time when my blades twisted around his, his sword skittered across the floor, my swords at his throat and abdomen.

He raised his eyebrows. “Nice move.”

I grinned and took my swords from him, stepping away. “Thanks.”

“Where’d you learn that?”

“Onboard an airship.” I grinned like a fool, remembering. “You learn to use your surroundings to your advantage.”

“You should and can do that anywhere, Synn,” he said, sounding like the older brother as he bent to retrieve his blade.

I found my sheaths and put my blades away, strapping one to my belt and setting the other aside. “Where is this place you had in mind?”

“There’s a city we trade with often. We’ve protected them several times. I’m sure they could help. I could tell the navigator to take us there. They’re close.”

I nodded. “
Letharan
?”

“Yes.” His sword was along his back, his hands free. “What are we going to do with the intelligence after we get it?”

I shook my head, heading to the hallway that led to the corridor. “I don’t know. I would love to take out as much of their fleet as I could, but I know we don’t have enough people to do any real damage. We’d be like a hornet to an airboat.”

“Then what, little brother?”

I looked at him as we entered the bright corridor, the floors and walls in shades of green, the walls ensconced with
letharan
light. “Let’s take this one step at a time. Let’s gather the information and supplies first, then see what we can do after that.”

He grinned and clapped my shoulder. “You’re sounding more like a leader and less like a younger brother every moment. I may not be needed after all.”

So that’s why Mother had sent Ryo. He had the most experience in a leadership role than any of us.

I just hoped it would be enough. After all, we were going to have to make the kind of decisions our parents couldn’t.

Father of Sky, how I hoped I would be enough.

CHAPTER 29

I AM NOT PRIMUS

We were
traveling toward the
letharan
city of Egolda, which wasn’t as close as I’d thought. When you’re in the middle of a large expanse of water where it’s just you, distance is relative.

Joshua got his sonar running, and we started scanning the sea floor. We ran a few experiments and discovered how they were able to see us through their sonar. It was amazing, but our decks below ricocheted the sounding ping. After some discussion, we decided to have our
lethara
fully encapsulate us. There were disadvantages to that. Number one, the air wasn’t as fresh. We were closer to the medusa, which was technically his space. The other one was that we couldn’t move as fast.

But at least we were closer to being invisible. Not quite. Sonar could pick up just about anything, but if they did pick us up, they’d see a citiless
lethara
and would hopefully leave us alone.

We also took that time to study the submersibles.

They traveled in packs of ten to twelve, and they had explosive weapons they used to clear their way. They preferred staying close to the sea floor. It was easier to remain undetected. As the Leblancs traveled out of our city to do some reconnaissance, they discovered that the submersibles were nearly impossible to see through the mud they were kicking up.

Approach was difficult as well. According to Yvette, who had figured out how to join them in their underwater voyages, it was like breathing dirt.

The underwater breathing masks that the scientists used in the observatory didn’t work in a lot of mud. They clogged almost instantly. Yvette took a set and manipulated it, using her Mark. They were at least better, but if they spent too long down there, the gel still clogged. It was, however, easier to clear underwater. The swimmer just had to remove the mask, swish it through cleaner water and reapply it. It was a much better solution.

It was time for our attack and salvage run.

We were tracking one particular group. We called it the pack of nine because of the Nine of Cups logo on the tail fin of each submersible. So far, we’d found the pack of one, three, eight and nine. If the Hands were anything, they were predictable. We knew there would be a pack for each card in the deck of Cups.

By that time, we had reached the city of Egolda.

As there was nothing that Keeley, Haji or I could do in the attack on the submersibles, we decided to travel to the city and see what kind of information we could glean.

Knowing that there were rewards on our heads, we needed disguises. Well, not Haji, thankfully, but Keeley and I did.

Keeley didn’t spend too much time with hers. She just braided scarves into her hair, making it look more pink and blue than red, and changed into a dress of different colors. I didn’t know where she’d gotten the clothes from, but she did look different. Truth be told, she looked like an Nefertarian witch.

I realized after going to my apartment and ransacking my trunk that someone had been thinking for us. There were clothes in there from several different regions. Well, if Keeley was going to go with Nefertarian, I’d go with it too. My clothes were the colors of dirt. I kept my sword strapped to my belt. The Nefertarians used the same swords we did. Haji was able to loan me a ragged red scarf and a hat, and that seemed to make the disguise complete. All my Marks were hidden.

But I felt ridiculous. I could have been Haji’s brother or cousin, not his best friend.

I tried to remember that was a good thing.

Our
lethara
docked, lowering the cityscape, and we got out, feeling the rain of the sea waters as they poured off of him.

Kala was low in the sky, but Kel’mar loomed large and red over us. I paused, closing my eyes, and just let it wash over me. Dear Sky, the sun felt good.

Their dock was a lot different than the one in Ino City. For one, the only vessels were other
letharan
and airships. There were several ships I recognized, but they were flying different colors. With a long sigh, I filed that away for later. It looked like this city had fallen to the Hands and was no longer a part of the Family. I’d have to talk to Ryo about that later.

On the far side of the dock were two airboats.

That confirmed my suspicions. Egolda was under the watchful protection of the Hands.

This could be a good thing, but we had to be careful.

I murmured this to Haji and Keeley. They looked around and finally saw what I’d seen.

Haji cursed under his breath and led the way. “I’ve been here before. I know a place we can stay for a few days.”

“A few days?” I asked. I doubted we’d have the luxury of a few days.

Keeley nodded. “Our
lethara
needs to dock with an elder. He’s still growing. We’re stuck here and need to make the best of it.”

I turned and looked back at him. Sure enough, he had several tentacles in the air, connecting with several of the larger
lethara’s
. “Great. Well, let’s see if we can survive until then.”

After staying so long under the ocean, the power of Kala hurt my eyes. The light below the ocean’s surface was more at the strength of Sang.

But the air. Oh my Sky. The air tasted so much sweeter. Granted, we were still very close to the ocean. Egolda’s
lethara
was low due to the smaller
letharan
at his docks, but his was real air. And that?

I turned toward the wind as it whipped through what little hair I had peeking out from under my hat. That was wind. Father Sky, how I’d missed the touch of the wind.

Haji led us away from the noisy docks. There were many people unloading large crates and several more loading them onto their vessels. There was lots of yelling and shouting, but they were all speaking languages I knew and understood.

We had to walk up several rope bridges to get to the city of Egolda, which rose many stories into the sky. It was smaller than Ino City, about half its size.

Haji led us further and further up into the middle section of the city. The wind was easier here and the air sweeter. What I wouldn’t give to go to the highest reaches of the city to just…breathe.

We were on an entire platform of nothing but hostels. Haji walked around, poking his head into the commons room and then moving on to the next one. Keeley and I followed. I didn’t know what he was looking for.

But I knew what I was seeking.

Guards of Tarot…and they were everywhere; in the black and red of the House of Wands, the green and gold of the House of Coins, the blue and silver of the House of Swords, and the teal and gold of the House of Cups.

The people of Egolda seemed nervous. They hawked their wares and their ales, but they never looked one of the guards in the eye, never tried to catch their attention.

The guards themselves watched everyone, their hands on their swords. Their eagle eyes saw everything.

Haji left another hostel and led us to a thin alleyway, his eyes darting through the crowd. He pulled out a poster. “I’ve been looking for these. They’re everywhere.”

I picked it up and looked. There was a picture of me, and next to me were Keeley and Joshua. The only person missing was Yvette. Hmm. It appeared as though Queen Dyna still thought her spy was working for her. Was she?

I quelled that whisper of doubt, knowing that I would have to ask the question and assess the answer. I couldn’t just let it slip. I didn’t have that luxury. There it was again. Luxury. A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought that, but now? Oh yes.

I rolled the poster up and shoved it in my pocket. “Okay, well, we need to speak Nefertarian. Keeley, if you stumble, people will know. So you’re deaf. You don’t hear what people are saying, and we’ll have to sign for you.”

“That seems the safest thing to do,” Haji agreed, his eyes wide. “We really need to work on that.”

“I am,” she whispered. “I am.”

A group of three guards headed in our direction.

“You’re deaf,” I reminded her, and stepped out of the alleyway, acting as though I hadn’t seen them, and headed away. “We need a room and then we need to get information.”

Haji nodded. We’d nearly made a full circle of the hostel platform. He picked one and disappeared, Keeley and me right behind him.

But we never made it through the door. A hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me.

I put a hand on Keeley’s arm to keep her still and quiet as I turned toward the guard with an open expression. “How can we help you?” I asked in Nefertarian.

“Speak Handish,” the guard demanded.

“Help you how we can?” I asked, messing it up on purpose. Just because everyone knew how to speak Handish didn’t mean everyone was good at it.

The guard in green rolled his eyes and took a step back. “Papers.”

What? “Papers?” My heart raced. Uh oh. “Papers we no have.”

“Then it’s back to the docks with you.” He grabbed my arm—

But someone shoved his way in between us.

A man with a large round belly, wearing a mostly white apron and hat, held up his pudgy hands. “He doesn’t speaka gooda Handish, yes? He does not understanda the papers.” He turned and grabbed my vest, sending me a warning with his small green eyes, and turned back to the guard, an envelope in his hand. “Herea are his papers.”

The guard took in a deep breath. “Damn foreigners don’t know how to sky fearing speak.” He opened the envelope, read the papers and then peered around our burly savior to me. “Rajak nor Sabor?” His eyebrows rose.

I grinned and nodded.

He turned to Keeley. “Nasa nor Sabor?”

She’d been looking somewhere else, and she pretended not to hear him.

I turned to her and signed while saying, “The guard is talking to you.” I had no idea what my hands were saying. Probably not a thing, but I tried to make it look good.

Her expression opened and she turned to him, waving.

“What’s wrong with her?” the guard demanded.

“Door nail as she is deaf, sir,” I said with a shrug. “But she must my sister monkey poo, so to do what can I dance.” It was so hard to keep a straight face through all that.