The Skyfall Era Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Matt Larkin

  The thought sent a shudder through her, and Naresh sat, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m here.”

  She leaned into him, nuzzling against his skin, before she spoke. “Naresh … I’m so sorry for the things I …” Her voice was breaking. How could she even put into words the things she’d done? She’d maimed the man she loved, accused him of stealing from her. She’d betrayed him. “I never meant to …”

  “I know.” His voice was dry, almost emotionless. Sweet Chandra, he shouldn’t forgive what she’d done.

  For a while, he just sat there holding her, then he kissed her forehead. “What are you thinking?”

  Chandi sighed. A lot had happened in the Iron Palace, and they hadn’t had time to talk of it all. And Pohaci had … “Did you tell Pohaci to kill Rangguwani?”

  “Of course not.”

  Much as the man may have deserved it, she was glad her husband hadn’t set out to assassinate him. It just wouldn’t have been the same Naresh. But he was still there. Even given what the Amrita had done to him, he was still her Naresh.

  “She did what she felt she had to,” he said. “On the way, she worried about leaving an enemy behind. I can’t blame her for taking the opportunity.”

  Nor could Chandi. Pohaci had been an assassin. Maybe Chandi should be grateful the other woman had done the things Naresh couldn’t or wouldn’t. If they’d left Rangguwani alive, he might have come after them again. From the way Naresh had tossed about the men in that hall, Chandi would be surprised if many of them recovered.

  And if he’d taken that much Amrita, what else might he be capable of? “I’m glad it’s gone.”

  “What?”

  She should be glad it was gone. The thing had damn near destroyed her. Now, there was no more Amrita. She couldn’t be sure if anyone lived who knew how to make it, but all that had been made was gone, now. “The Amrita … I couldn’t stop myself.” She shut her eyes, trying to stop the tears she felt building there. “I couldn’t … I still need it so much, Naresh. It scares me.”

  Instead of speaking, he rubbed his hand along her back again. “Shh,” he said, at last. “Fear nothing, anymore.”

  “Not lunacy?” How could she let herself fall into that again? Her Blessings had become so strong now, and she couldn’t stop drawing them. She was trying, so hard, to stop. But she couldn’t.

  Naresh held her arms and pushed her away to look into her face. “You won’t go lunatic, Chandi. You know the risk and you face it. It’s only in trying to deny that it’s happening to you that you will fall prey to it.” He sighed. “And I guess now I also face that risk.”

  “We should avoid using the Blessings,” she said. Sweet Chandra, the very thought soured her stomach. Those Blessings made them godlike.

  “That may not be possible, Chandi. I took the Amrita because I had to. Because the things that are happening are bigger than me, or you, or our desires.”

  And that was the thing. She couldn’t let go either, even if she wanted to. She’d promised Pohaci she’d go with her to Swarnadvipa. And since the werecrocodile had brought her husband back to her, it wouldn’t do to break that promise. “My homeland is under assault from the Witch-Queen.”

  “And mine from Rangda.”

  Chandi cringed. “Rangda? She’s not dead?”

  “I don’t think a spirit can die, Chandi.”

  “And Ratna?” If Rangda survived, maybe her cousin did as well. Could she still save her?

  “Rangda is still in her. But her body seemed … dead, rotten.”

  Chandi shut her eyes for a moment. Ratna. No matter what the girl had done, no one deserved her fate. Chandra, preserve her soul. Say that she had been returned to the Wheel of Life to be given another chance.

  “I have to go with Pohaci. She needs something from Swarnadvipa.” Chandi took her husband’s hand. “Come with us. Rahu is in Malin now. We need your help to save my people from him. And there’s still the Witch-Queen, and now Rangda …” She had never heard of anything like what Naresh had done in the Iron Palace, but how could even he face Rangda? It was like their entire world was unraveling around them.

  “Rahu? Surya’s glare. I suppose I should have known. What can we do?”

  She wished she knew. “Naresh … Swarnadvipa was my home.”

  “All right. I’ll come with you.” He smiled, just a little. “I wouldn’t want to leave your side, anyway.”

  She leaned on his chest, pushing him back down to their cot. “Then don’t.”

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE

  It was strange to have Chandi back. Part of Naresh couldn’t let her out of his arms, and part of him felt like she’d never left. Maybe that was why they were together. They’d become such a part of each other’s lives that even time and distance was a transitory barrier between them.

  She had gone to gather supplies for their journey, and Naresh now stood before Kertajaya, outside the Shrine of Sacred Flame. “I only need the ship for a few weeks, at most,” Naresh said. Kertajaya always made everything so damn difficult.

  “It’s too dangerous. The Lunar waters are more hazardous than ever, and we cannot afford to risk a single ship. Much less our sole Arun Guard.”

  Naresh grunted. The last Arun Guard, now. Lembu Ampal was probably dead. Naresh hadn’t intended to kill the big man, but neither did he hold back. Lem had chosen to serve Rangguwani, even to be a part of Chandi’s abduction. And the state they’d held her in—Lem should have stopped it. And he hadn’t. Still, Naresh had never heard of one Arun Guard killing another. He’d called the man brother.

  But a brother should never have let that happen to his wife.

  “We’re not going to lose your ship, Pak Kertajaya.” And he certainly wasn’t planning to die, either. “Swarnadvipa may be dangerous, but it’s also in danger. You can win support by aiding them in their struggle against the Witch-Queen.”

  “If Rangguwani is dead, then now is the time to move on Daha. The bastard made my capital, my city his throne. The Iron Palace belongs to me, and I want it back.”

  “So raise your army and move on it,” Naresh said. “In the meantime, we’ll take a ship and secure Swarnadvipa. We cannot allow this Witch-Queen to consolidate her power there.”

  “The Witch-Queen is no longer on Swarnadvipa,” Semar said. The fire priest stepped out of the shadows of his shrine. Somehow, Naresh wasn’t surprised the man had eavesdropped on them. Semar always knew more than he should. “She sails for the Astral Temple.”

  “The Tianxians hold the Temple,” Naresh said. And Tua Pek Kong wouldn’t let the Malayadvipan queen anywhere near it. “They’re still theoretically Pak Kertajaya’s allies.”

  “And tell me,” Semar said, leaning against the shrine and fixing Naresh with his gaze, “do you think that Fire-Lances will be enough to stop her black magic? She’s coming with an armada she’s been raising for years. Rangguwani’s death, though it may serve your cause, also leaves a void in the Isles. Many of the people are now leaderless. Can you imagine a better time for a foreign queen to sweep in and lay claim to all before her?”

  “All the more reason we must move on Daha,” Kertajaya said. “If we retake the Iron Palace, we show people we can fill that void. Lend me Firewalkers to take control before some upstart Moon Scion tries to replace his fallen lord.”

  Semar now turned his unnerving gaze on Kertajaya. “And what would you do with them? Burn all around you? Turn them on your own city? On the people you claim to want to rule for their own benefit?”

  “Igni, you speak to your rightful king,” the man said.

  The fire priest smirked. “Are you king by right? Who gives you this right? The bloodline of Solar kings? But the Solar Empire has fallen. You have appointed yourself the Ratu Adil, but then so did two other men—both dead. You presume to command loyalty without earning it, Kertajaya.”

  Kertajaya’s hand drifted toward his keris. Naresh narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of the man, shaking his head once. The king
glowered, but released his sword.

  “Semar, perhaps you should help Pak Kertajaya,” Naresh said. “If we end the chaos in Daha quickly, we can present a more united front against the Witch-Queen.” And Rahu. And Rangda. Surya say that the Amrita had made him strong enough to face her.

  “Then you must aid the Tianxians,” the fire priest said. “You cannot allow the Witch-Queen to claim the Astral Temple for her mistress.”

  “Mistress?” Naresh asked.

  “Surely you know to whom the Witch-Queen prays? If she takes the Astral Temple, what will she do with it?”

  Rangda. “You want me to help the Tianxians hold the Temple? They’re invaders, too. Choosing not to fight them is one thing, but helping them solidfy their position? They’ve taken something that doesn’t belong to them.”

  Semar nodded. “They have indeed.”

  Surya’s glare. “And if Rangda takes it from them …” Whatever the Demon Queen wanted the Temple for, it wouldn’t be good for the people of the Isles. It would probably be bad for the entire world.

  Naresh felt himself clenching his fists and forced himself to release them. He truly had no choice. Semar was right. Whatever else happened, he couldn’t allow Rangda or her Witch-Queen to take the Temple.

  “And will you help Pak Kertajaya take Daha?”

  The fire priest shrugged, pushing off the shrine and taking a step toward Naresh. “As you wish.” He nodded at Chandi as she approached, earning himself a glare, then disappeared back into the temple.

  “What was that about?” she asked.

  “I need to prepare,” Kertajaya said, and departed, as well.

  “Walk with me, Chandi.” Naresh led her down by the river, holding her hand. Her skin was warm and smooth and all he’d ever need in his life. And he was going to have to leave her again.

  “Will he let us use his dhow?” Chandi asked, while they stood looking out over the riverbank.

  “Yes. But you and Pohaci will have to take it without me.”

  Chandi tightened her grip. “What? Why? We just got back … I …” She squeezed his hand so hard it hurt.

  “The Witch-Queen is moving on the Astral Temple. Semar told me I need to stop her, that she serves Rangda. I’ll join Tua Pek Kong and aid his defense against her armada. It’s the only way.”

  “Oh, so you’re listening to Semar now!” She pushed him, and he took a step back. “I need you, too. Swarnadvipa needs you.”

  “Now is the perfect time for you to investigate there, while the Witch-Queen is away. Probably the leyaks will be gone, and even if they’re not, you’ll never have a better chance.”

  She bit her lip before speaking. “No. I’m not leaving you. I’ll come to the Temple with you and we’ll defend it together.”

  He’d known she’d want to try that. And he’d spent the walk here trying to think up a reason she’d accept, for refusing her aid. “It’s too dangerous.”

  And the hands were on her hips. Not the reason she was going to accept, obviously.

  “Chandi, you shouldn’t be using your Blessings. Not now, not until you’ve got control again. You worry about lunacy? Thrusting yourself in the middle of war would shorten the road there. Besides, you may never have such a chance to search Swarnadvipa for whatever answers you seek as this. Everyone’s attention will be on the battle.”

  “Including mine! You think I can let my husband sail away into danger and face the Witch-Queen alone?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Sooner or later, he was going to have to face Rangda. Taking on the Witch-Queen would be good practice with the Blessings. “Chandi, I’ll meet you in Swarnadvipa as soon as I’m able. Please, trust me.”

  “I do trust you. I’m still not leaving you.”

  He grabbed her arms. “For once please listen to me and do what I’m asking! Take Pohaci and do what you need to do. I want you safe, away from this battle, so I can do what I need to. And you have to do what you need to do. Yawadvipa may already be lost, and we have to act quickly, or lose Swarnadvipa as well.”

  Her face fell, and she bit her lip again. “Fine,” she said at last. “But you better take care of yourself.”

  He kissed her on the cheek. An ache he couldn’t express built in his chest until he thought he’d explode. But he couldn’t show her. She would only insist on coming into danger at his side. “You know I will. Come on, let’s get your ship loaded.”

  Her touch lingered on his arm for a long moment.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR

  Seaspray broke over the prow of the Long Awaited Dawn. Landi’s husband had painted a mermaid there, despite her objections. “Ah, my lady, it’ll be good luck you know,” he’d said. Now she stood on the bow in the early morning.

  It was chilly, and though the rains hadn’t started yet today, they would. Landi could tell from the sky. Dark clouds hid Surya’s face, leaving her chilled.

  “My dear, you should really reconsider this course of action,” Ben said. She hadn’t heard her husband approach. She smiled without turning around. “Bukit is dangerous these days. In fact, Bukit is rather dangerous most days. One might think the Lunars like it that way. You know, a bit of mayhem and death to keep the Solar riffraff away?”

  “If Malin is there, I have to go there.”

  “Ah,” Ben said. “But that’s a big if, is it not? It was just a sailor’s rumor he was there. Sailors are notoriously untrustworthy, you know.”

  Landi turned then to look at Bendurana, unable to keep the wry grin from her face.

  “Well, not me, of course. You told me I was your heart, my dear. And if you can’t trust your own heart, who can you trust? And right now, your heart’s saying forget Malin. He’s probably hiding in the rainforest somewhere, chasing down small animals. Just the way he likes it. We’d look much more heroic sailing off into the sunset together.”

  As much time as they’d spent searching for Pohaci, she hadn’t turned up. Probably she had left long ago. But the rumor of Malin was enough to make her sail for the Lunar homeland, and despite her husband’s objections, he would never stop her.

  “I have no choice, Ben.”

  “Ah, my dear, we always have choices. Did someone force you to wear that red baju today, or did you choose it? Look at me, I’m choosing to stand here with a beautiful woman. You could argue I have no choice, because a hero always has to have a beautiful woman, but nevertheless, I chose you. Out of all the fish in the sea.”

  Landi rolled her eyes and looked back at the waves.

  “Why do you need Malin so badly, anyway?” Ben asked. “Why does the dragon want him?”

  “Tioman was …”

  The dragon was complex. Sometimes, sorting through her tumultuous emotions to find the truth was difficult, but the dragon had once believed herself human, at least until a storm had nearly killed her. And in that human life, she had been married to Malin, of all people. Malin, the weretiger servant of Rahu who had caused so much devastation across the Skyfall Isles. Perhaps he had turned to the Lunar War King thinking his wife dead, as she had thought him.

  “Fate is never kind, Guardswoman,” the dragon had said. “Ironic, sometimes just, and often surprising. But never kind.”

  Tioman had been determined to find a mystical orb to reunite her soul with Malin’s—at least until Landi had told her the man yet lived. Now, she wanted nothing more than her husband. And Landi could not blame her. After all, she herself would have done anything to get back to Ben.

  And the dragon had kept her part of the bargain. Landi’s husband now stood on the ship behind her, trailing his fingers down her back. So Landi had to do anything in her power to fulfill her oath.

  And that meant sailing to Bukit.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE

  Rangguwani had claimed his people had secured Bukit. That meant the old capital made the perfect place for Chandi and Pohaci to start their search. Once, this place had been Chandi’s home, and she dreamed of no other. But it was so long ago. Both tim
es she’d returned, she’d done so in battle.

  They walked along the beach beneath the cliffs leading up to the city itself. Once Mahesa’s family, House Indu, had reigned over the harbor here. But Little Mahesa and his father Gantangan were dead. Even their former Macan Gadungan, Sunten, might have fallen when he fought Naresh. Little remained of their House, and the palace looked ill-kept. Would all the once-mighty Houses of the Lunar Empire end thus? Broken and fallen. Maybe it was what they deserved, for centuries of lies and oppression.

  She paused by a twisted tree just behind the Palace of House Indu. “We used to climb this tree, Mahesa and me. Once, we even got Ratna to try it. She only got up to this branch.” She pointed to one about fifteen feet of the ground. For Ratna, it had been an accomplishment.

  Pohaci looked up at the tree. “I remember this place, too. I killed a man right by that rock.”

  Was she serious? Chandi looked at the other woman’s face. Sweet Chandra, she was. “Well then … we should be going.”

  The rains fell lightly as they climbed the narrow cliff path up to the city, but Pohaci didn’t complain. This way could be treacherous, even when not slick with rain, but the werecrocodile seemed to know it well. Chandi had thought most people avoided this way. Malin had shown it to them as children, but more than one careless Lunar had broken his or her neck trying to take this shortcut.

  Chandi couldn’t keep the hurry from her step after she crested the ridge. Bukit was a short walk from the cliff, and the last time she’d seen the place, it had been aflame. Now, no fires burned, and someone had cleared away some of the rubble of the Hill Palace. How could Malin have ordered that place burned down? She’d grown up there. The damn tiger had destroyed it on a whim.

  She glanced at Pohaci. She’d almost forgotten the woman loved him.