The Endless Skies

by Shannon Price

  I’m swallowing a cool gulp of water when there is a chirp by my ear. One of the birds has come back. I thank it in my mind, mentally severing the thread that connects us. The bird did his best, but the forest below stays still, until—

  “Rowan?”

  I look down and find a familiar head of black-brown hair and dark eyes looking up at me. “Ox!”

  A gentle smile betrays his disbelief. “Are you following me, Rowan An’Talla?”

  “Not quite,” I fire back. “One second.”

  I put the rest of my food back, painfully aware of the awkward silence. A wiser Leonodai might have planned out their lie, but well, I’m not that Leonodai. I don’t want Ox to be complicit in anything. What matters is the prince’s illness.

  The fact that I’ve left without orders … that could wait.

  Ox’s arms are around me the moment my feet hit the forest floor. He plants a kiss on the side of my head as he pulls me close. “What are you doing here?” he asks. “Did they send you, too?”

  “Yes,” I say, remembering that someone once said the best lies are short—and so is our time. “Ox … Prince Tabrol is sick.”

  Ox puts his hands on both of my shoulders, his jaw slack. “What?”

  “It’s true,” I say. “And skies, it’s worse. The kids are dying faster than the sentinels thought. One boy died after five days. Ox, that cannot be Tabrol.”

  “I know,” he replies.

  “We have to find the cure right away,” I say, the thoughts I’d bottled up during my journey spilling out of me. “We only have five days, total, and that’s if the prince holds on that long.”

  “Okay, okay,” he says. “I can’t get past the prince. I’m glad they sent more people, but why are you alone?”

  Um. “The sentinels thought sending each warrior-elect alone will help us get by undetected.”

  “Got it.” He exhales, then leans in to kiss me again. This time, the move catches me off guard, and after a heartbeat of bliss, a shot of worry races through me. What if Callen sees?

  And skies, why does it matter if he does?

  I pull back. “Where are the others?”

  “We took a defensive position on a hillside to the south,” Ox replies, tilting his chin upward in that direction. “After Exin, Sethran is taking things more slowly.”

  “Exin?” I ask, but as the question leaves my lips, I read Ox’s grim expression loud and clear. “Oh no. Skies keep him.” My mind goes to Callen. Exin was his best friend. I never saw the guy without a grin on his face, cheering up everyone he spoke to. “Well, tell Seth we need to get moving.”

  Ox exhales a laugh. “You call him Seth?”

  I pause. “Don’t you?”

  “He’s my commander. I call him sir.”

  “Okay, well, sir has also been with my sister for a decade,” I say. “Give or take a year. I know him, and he knows me.”

  “All right,” Ox says, inclining his head for me to follow. “Just don’t forget he outranks you. You have to do as he says.”

  “Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we?” I’ve already disobeyed the king and sentinels. What’s a commander?

  Still, Ox’s words sharpen a truth in my mind. My sister’s partner or not, Seth is a Leonodai commander. He is trusted for a reason. Could I convince him that my deserting was the right thing to do? Would he even look me in the eyes once he knew?

  That I don’t know. Which is why I have to do everything I can to make sure he doesn’t find out.

  19

  CALLEN

  For what feels like the tenth time this hour, I wipe sweat from my brow. “I’d give my axe for a strong ocean breeze.”

  “I’ll throw in a sword,” Sethran replies. “But at least we have shade and water.”

  We found the small stream late last night. It didn’t run as clear as one of the Heliana’s rivers, but it would do. We’re still several days from where the scholars said the cure would be, but pushing ourselves past exhaustion would be stupid. Pacing ourselves is as much in our training as fighting past our limits.

  I tip my waterskin up and am swallowing a deep gulp when Ox emerges from the underbrush.

  Then I see her. She’s got dirt on her face and mud on her armor. At her side, all six of her knives curl against her thigh like ivy grown into stone. Her hair is matted and flat against her brow that’s slick with sweat, but skies, Rowan is here. On Balmora.

  “Rowan?” says Sethran.

  “Commander Sethran,” she says, tone warm with relief. She runs toward him, and after a nod of respect, the two hug.

  “I’m surprised to see you,” Sethran says. “What are you doing here?”

  “We were sent shortly after the warrior teams,” she replies. “The situation is much worse now, sir.”

  Her next words are like a frost-in-summer impossible.

  “Prince Tabrol,” Sethran says, shaking his head slowly. “But the king and queen were keeping him isolated. How did he get sick?”

  “I guess it wasn’t enough,” Rowan replies. “We have time, but we can’t rest. Especially because the scholars were wrong about how long it takes. We don’t know for sure anymore.”

  Sethran puts his hands on his hips and turns away, thinking. “Were you sent alone?”

  “Yes, sir. To avoid detection,” she says. “The sentinels didn’t want to give more reason for the humans to attack.”

  “Are you expected to return, now that you’ve found us?”

  Rowan shakes her head. “If you are willing to have me stay, sir, I would like to stay.”

  We wait a moment while Sethran considers this new information. I catch Ox’s eyes on Rowan, but she’s focused on her commander.

  “The sentinels sent us for a reason,” Sethran says finally. “And we have to honor that reason. We’ll reduce our breaks and limit our sleep. This situation demands the most of us, and it’s time we rise to it.”

  “Yes, sir,” I reply, with Ox and Rowan as my echo. The latter’s chest lifts in pride. This is the life she wants, I realize. To serve a commander, one as respected as Sethran.

  “Rowan, do you have the energy to keep up?” Then, seeing her frown, he corrects. “Not that I don’t think you do. But you must have been up all night to catch us.”

  “I’ll be fine, sir,” is her reply.

  “All right, then,” Sethran says. Then, addressing all of us, “If anyone hears or sees anything strange, say something. And keep your eyes on the ground. If the skies are good, we’ll find the cure sooner than the scholars predicted.”

  We move east. With the night’s sleep and food in my stomach, my body is revived from yesterday’s travels—but that’s not the only thing giving me strength.

  I cannot believe she’s here. I try to push it down and out of my mind, but I can’t deny that my mood has soared. It was horrible to leave Ro, especially with what happened at the grotto. If I hadn’t confessed how I felt, this would be even better, but I’ll take awkward time with her over no time at all.

  After the four of us find an even stride, I slow my pace a little until I am next to Rowan. She’s dulled her armor, just as we have, but I sense her excitement that she is wearing it at all—here, out on a mission like she’s always wanted.

  “Hey, Ro,” I say. “I didn’t realize you were serious about your promise to come get me yourself.”

  “I’m always serious about promises,” she replies. “Besides, I didn’t come for you.”

  I blush. “Right, right. The prince.”

  “Skies. Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” she says. She touches her fist to my shoulder meekly, an offering of peace. “I’m glad you’re safe. Ox told me about Exin. I’m so sorry, Callen.”

  My friend’s name is like a sucker punch. “We were ambushed at the Cliffs,” he says. “I’m not sure how many other teams made it.”

  She walks ahead of me a little, getting between me and Sethran. “We’ll light a candle for him at the grotto when this is all done.”

/>   My heart quickens at the unspoken offering behind her words. The grotto is our place. She isn’t mad. She wants to go back, at least one more time.

  “When this is all done,” I echo.

  We fall into a steady silence, and pretty soon, I’m panting from exertion, but there is no way anything is going to slow us down at this point. With Rowan at my side, things feel right, like she is supposed to be here to help us. And skies know we need the help.

  Four days until Tabrol dies. Four days until the Heliana falls and life as we know it is lost for good.

  20

  ROWAN

  I stay ahead near Seth with Callen behind me. Ox is last, the wide range of his bow giving us some safety. He shot a pair of rabbits earlier, and my mouth waters at the thought of a meal.

  “Did you see your sister before you left?” Seth asks quietly.

  I nod. “We had a fight, actually.”

  “Oh?” he replies. “About what?”

  “Not being trusted to go on a team.” Then quickly, I add, “It was before they changed their minds.”

  “You know nothing the sentinels do is personal,” he says. “Believe me, I know it feels that way.”

  “I know.” And I do. I was surprised how much he supported Shirene’s decision to become a sentinel. Shirene loves kids the way our mother does, and I always figured she’d want to be a mother herself. Thinking of it now, I wish I’d just asked her, at least once.

  “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you found us,” Seth says, giving me a sincere smile. “Though I won’t tolerate any of the back talk that you used to give me when you were little.”

  “You were a stranger dating my sister,” I say. “The back talk was justified.”

  “So says you.”

  “Yes, I … says,” I reply, and we both laugh. “I promise to only talk back in my head, or I’ll vent it to one of them.”

  Seth looks over his shoulder. “About that…”

  Oh, skies. “Please don’t.”

  “I hear the rumors in the Hall, you know. They’re both good guys, Rowan,” he says. “But I’ll send you home if you can’t keep your feelings in check.”

  “You would never,” I reply, but his expression has shifted away from friend and back to commander.

  He pauses, and I do, too. “I mean it, Rowan. We can’t take chances.”

  “I know,” I reply. “I understand.”

  Seth resumes the lead, while I slow a little to put some space between us. My legs tremble, and the space underneath my eyes feels heavier with every passing second. The crunch of twigs behind me pulls me back.

  Callen comes up behind me, brow raised. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “Just a little tired.”

  We keep walking together, strides matched, pushing through the ferns and underbrush. The terrain rolls in uneven hills and valleys, making the journey at times more arduous. The air is still thick between Callen and me, but remembering my words to Seth a few minutes ago, I grasp toward any topic that’s not us. “What happened at the coast?”

  “The humans built up their defenses these past months,” he says. “That must be why the attacks by sea stopped. As soon as we got close, the coast lit up with gunfire. Sethran told us to dive, so I dove. Exin got shot in the leg. He told me to go,” he says. “He knew he was going to die.”

  My chest tightens. “He did his duty, Callen. We can honor him by doing ours.”

  “Yeah,” he says. “But it’s still hard to forget.”

  Ahead of us, Seth stops short and raises an arm. He motions downward, crouching as he does. I drop and go for my knives.

  A horrible, ghostly horn sounds near us, followed by a high scream. I flinch and look up in alarm, ready to run in the opposite direction, but Seth turns toward it.

  “What is that?” I whisper.

  “This way,” says Seth, walking toward the sound. “Keep low.”

  The three of us follow behind our commander. Up ahead, the forest drops off into an open valley. Below us are trees—or what’s left of them. Fractured stumps of what used to be thousands of years of magnificent pines and oaks have been left in ruin, the soil around them churned up.

  A pair of straight metal rails stretches out farther than I can see, like twin arrows fired off into the distance. On it, less than a hundred yards away, is a black machine, gleaming menacingly like a hunter over a kill and smoking like a bonfire. Humans are moving quickly around it, loading heavy crates and bags of supplies. The horn sounds again, and the machine belches black smoke into the air. The humans move faster, waving to one another frantically.

  “A train,” Ox says. “This can help us.”

  “A what?” I ask.

  “That machine. It’s called a train,” he replies. “They move humans in those boxes.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “The warriors were told of it,” Seth answers. “The sentinels keep it from everyone else because—”

  “Because that’s what they do, evidently,” I mutter.

  “Watch it. The skies are good to us. We can get on it.”

  “What do you mean ‘get on’?”

  “Those boxes slide open,” he says, pointing at the wheeled boxes behind the one spewing smoke. “We can hide inside with the cargo. Those tracks are headed east. So long as it keeps relatively straight, we could save hours—days, even.”

  “Okay,” I reply. “So what do we do?”

  He looks down at the steep ridge. “Figure out a way to get down without dying.”

  “We could go around,” Callen offers, inclining to the trees to our right. “The slope tapers off.”

  Ox frowns. “We can’t risk it leaving without us on it. I say we go straight down the ridge.”

  “And if we each break a leg going your way, we won’t even be able to get on it,” Callen replies.

  “Stop,” Seth warns. He’s in full commander mindset now, like when Shirene pulled rank on me. “We’ll go down the ridge, but carefully. Ox is right. We can’t risk it leaving. It’s our best option right now.” He looks each of us in the eye to make sure we understand. “If a human spots you, take them down quietly. We don’t want to leave death in our wake, but we have to stay alive to find the cure. Understood?”

  With a chorus of Yes, sirs, I fall in line behind Ox and Callen. The two of them exchange a glance, silently daring the other to go first.

  “Skies,” I say, pushing my way between them. “I’ll go first.”

  Stepping forward, I angle myself over the ridge, leaning so the bronze guard over my shins is parallel to the ground. Before I overthink, I push off, skidding down the ridge on my left side. Loose rocks scrape at my boot. All at once, my leg muscle gives out, and I lose my form, crashing down onto my side. The gravel slices into my skin like teeth, but I push up with a gloved hand and keep stumbling and running over the remaining rocks. I grit my teeth tightly—I refuse to be the reason the humans spot us.

  I reach the train and touch the side, thrown off by the overwhelming smell of metal. The others join me a few moments later, and Seth tells Callen and Ox to pull open the door while he and I push it from the other side. We give it a few tries, but it doesn’t budge.

  “Next one,” Seth says, breathing heavily. “Quickly.”

  We move to the next car, this one identical to the first. The humans mingle on the other side of the train. A group of them hurries down toward the front car that’s spewing smoke. I reach back for my knives. If a human sees us, I’ll have to kill him before he has the thought to sound an alarm.

  The ghastly whistle rings out once more. Ox and Callen put both their hands on the sliding door of the car and pull, while Seth and I shove it at the same time.

  “Come on, come on,” Seth mutters. I glance over my shoulder, keenly aware of how exposed we are. One good shot, and a bullet would take any of us out.

  Then, finally, the door slides freely.

  “Rowan, go,” my commander says hurriedly. With a ju
mp, I push myself up and onto the car’s floor just as he puts his hand on my back, guiding me forward. I scramble up, knee scraping against the rough, unfinished floor. The flavor of the air around me changes—grains and leather, piss and the overwhelming scent of humans. Bile rises in my stomach at the smell, but I force it back as I scoot out of the way so Ox can climb in, too. The train lurches, and the wheels start to turn.

  “We’re moving,” I say, just as Ox curses loudly. “Hurry!” I shout, reaching my hand for Callen.

  He jumps, and I pull back with my full weight. His body lands heavily on top of mine, and heat comes unbidden to my face. Callen realizes it, too, and rolls off.

  “Sorry,” he says.

  “It’s fine!” I reply awkwardly, avoiding his eyes as much as he is avoiding mine. Meanwhile, Ox has taken my place at the door, leaning out to reach for Seth. Our commander leaps in just as the train really picks up speed. With a shove, Ox slams the door shut.

  The group of us sits there, chests heaving as it settles in. We’ve done it.

  “Everyone all right?” Seth asks.

  “Yes, sir,” I reply, with the others echoing my response. Gingerly, I examine the scrapes on my leg. One or two ooze blood enough for me to see it in the low light, but as I press my hands against the others, they feel shallow. In the back of my mind, I curse myself for not having the foresight to pack any healers’ salves.

  The four of us sit in the darkness of the car, letting the uneven motion of the train rock us. To my left, Ox inches closer to me as we lean against the wall. He touches his leg to mine, and the sudden warmth of his body makes me flinch. He draws back.

  Skies I curse inwardly. He has no idea why I am so jumpy. My stomach churns with a mixture of confusion, guilt, and nausea from the moving train.

  “The skies were good to us, but let’s not get lax,” Seth says. “Keep your weapons close and be ready to disembark anytime. We don’t know if this thing will stop or turn.”