“If you were, you wouldn't be stealing this. You'd have permission.”
“True.” Garek moved his finger up again.
“What are you doing?” Aidan was nervous now, leaning close to the massive window and angling his head so he could look out. “You're going higher.”
“Yes.” Garek looked at him directly for the first time.
“What's going on, Garek? Who are you working for?”
Garek shook his head, looked at the dials under his fingers again. “No one.”
For the first time, his former colleague straightened away from the wall. “You're doing this on your own? I know the powers that be in Gara poisoned any goodwill you might have had when they forced you into another year, but stealing their sky craft seems an odd revenge.”
Garek glanced up at him again. “Who are you working for? Or is the bribe you're offering me out of your father's purse?” Just behind Aidan, through the window, he could see the sky darkening as they flew upward, and he felt the first uncomfortable lurch of fear. Because beyond it, all he could see was darkness.
Aidan jerked at the comment on his father, and then, sensing Garek's change in mood, turned and looked out of the window. Went very still as they angled up through the deepest indigo blue. “What do you know about my father?”
“He's rich.”
Aidan gave a low laugh. “Out of everything you choose to say about him, you pick the one thing he most dislikes about his position.”
Garek didn't respond, he could feel the craft shuddering a little under him, and he focused all his concentration on keeping his finger steady on the acceleration lights.
“I've watched you from the moment I arrived at Gara.” Aidan turned back for a moment then faced the window again. “I kept my eye on you, and paid others to do it when I couldn't.”
Garek raised his brows in surprise at that.
Aidan pressed a hand against the clear window. “In the year I've known you, you haven't once given a hint that you're mad. And I tend to believe you're working alone. No liege could have found you and recruited you to do this in the six days since you left Gara. So what are you up to?”
Garek found he didn't want to tell him. He had never trusted Aidan before, because he had the cocky sense of entitlement of a rich boy who would always escape the consequences of his misdemeanors. His offer of a bribe and his deal with Falk had deepened Garek's mistrust, because it told him Aidan was in someone's camp. And his attitude and confidence indicated he was high up in the hierarchy.
Given he was the same age as Garek, that was unlikely unless he was family to whoever he was working for.
Much though Garek hated Garamundo, he would not support someone trying to bring down West Lathor's liege. There would only be suffering for everyone if that happened.
If Aidan was working for another liege, then he was a spy who'd spent a year studying the way Gara's Guard worked and exploring the city. It was clever, and it was a betrayal of every guard who'd walked the walls with him.
“At least tell me where we're going.” Aidan only spoke again when they broke free of the air that wrapped around Barit like a comforting blanket, the air that Garek understood, and controlled. It was disorienting to leave it behind, and still, nothing would change his plan.
“We're going to find the people the sky raiders have taken.” Garek kept his gaze on where Barit curved away on the horizon. He'd keep them within sight of Barit until he had no other choice but to strike out in another direction.
He needed to find a people-stealer or the big ship Falk had hypothesized was up here.
Aidan didn't respond, and eventually Garek flicked his gaze his way.
“Why?” Aidan slid down to sit against the wall, and for the first time since Garek had met him he looked truly serious. The slightly amused, condescending attitude was gone.
“One of the people they took is very important to me.”
“You thrust us off Barit in a rusted hunk of metal to rescue one person?”
Garek lifted a brow. “Firstly, I didn't invite you along. I'd planned to do this alone, but you forced yourself onboard. And secondly, no, not just one person. Since I'm going to the effort, I'll try to rescue everyone if I can.”
Aidan covered his eyes with his hands. “How could I have missed the fact that you are mad?”
Garek's lips quirked. “I'm not the person who forced his way onto a sky craft as it was being piloted for the first time by someone who didn't know what they were doing.”
Aidan let out a bark of laughter. “I thought you were stealing it for another liege. I couldn't let it get away.”
“You were willing to risk your life to stop another liege getting some small advantage?” Garek moved his gaze away from Aidan, his eyes back on the horizon as he looked for a big ship. “I don't care who has control of what.”
“What do you care about?” Aidan's question was soft.
Garek shook his head. “None of your business.”
“It is my business now. Whether you like it or not, I'm in it with you.”
There was a thin edge of temper in Aidan's voice.
“I'll tell you what I'm doing,” Garek said. Aidan was right that he had little choice. “But if you cause trouble, or endanger my plans in any way, I will kill you.”
Aidan gave a quick laugh at that, and then stared at him through narrowed eyes. “You mean that.”
Garek caught the flash of Star light off something in the distance and turned the sky craft in its direction. “Oh, yes. I mean it.”
Chapter 15
As Taya approached the pile of newly hacked ore, she hunched against the underground chill. It cut through the thin fabric of her tunic, and she decided from tomorrow she was bringing a coat. Now she was back in the dark, cold tunnels, she missed the warmth of the forge fire.
Pilar had offered to go in her place again, give her another day with Quardi, but she'd refused. There was no reason why she and Pilar couldn't swop permanently; in fact, they got another strong back with Pilar in her place, but she had brought herself to their attention too many times already to make a fuss.
She squared her shoulders as she approached the growing pile of rock the men had hacked off the main seam. The feeling of disorientation was getting less, but she avoided the pieces that had too much shadow ore on the surface. She was less able to handle the skin contact than she was the pieces where it was buried deeper in the rock.
Noor had made good on her promise to weave a headband, and the shadow ore needles nestled out of sight in its thickly embroidered bands. When she'd put it on, the skin on her scalp had prickled with awareness and she'd wanted to rip the headband off, but she'd grown more used to it as the day wore on.
And she'd prevaricated long enough.
She hitched up the shoulder of her tunic, a soft tassel weave from the east, ran hands grubby with sweat and dust down her sides, and then hefted a rock from the pile.
“All right?” Min lifted her own rock.
She gave a nod. “Better.”
Min had been withdrawn since they'd discussed the assassins, and as they made their way up the long passage Taya walked as close behind her as she could. “I shouldn't have said what I did last night. I didn't mean to worry you.”
“No. It's good you did.” Min was breathless as she carried the heavy rock up the sloping tunnel. “I hadn't thought the assassins might also be taken by the sky raiders, but why not? I wouldn't be able to tell. When the sky raiders hit me with that lightning and I dropped to the ground . . . ” She stopped talking for a moment, and Taya shivered with her. She would never forget the agony, the white-hot, terrible pain of that moment.
Min shook herself free of the memory. “When they grabbed me and put me in the ship, there were already fifty or more Kardanx in the holding room. I recognized some people from the village, but there were so many strangers, the men who'd been watching me could have been standing right in front of me and I wouldn't have known. It can't hurt
to be wary.”
“More wary than we are already?” Taya shifted the rock in her arms to get a better grip. But Min was right. They had adjusted to the dangers here. They knew the threats, and this was a new one.
One more thing to add to the list.
The tunnel curved sharply ahead, caused by the broken-down mechanical diggers' strange and erratic digging patterns. A side shaft, one of many, branched off from the main route up ahead--evidence of the sky raiders' failed attempt to get at the shadow ore without the forced labor of the people of Barit. This shaft always made her shiver though, as it blew cool, damp air out into the main thoroughfare.
As she and Min passed it, she steeled herself against the chilly fingers that seemed to reach out from the darkened entrance, and then screamed as real hands shot out of the shadows and grabbed both Min and her around their waists.
She was thrown with great force down the passage and landed hard on the rough, rocky floor.
She hit her head on something--probably the rock she'd been carrying. She got her elbow beneath her and, in a daze, tried to lift herself up. She couldn't work out where she was in the darkness.
A groan came from main tunnel, a mournful moan, and for a confused moment she thought it was someone else who'd been hurt.
“Get back, Taya.” Min smacked her with wildly waving hands, and then got a grip under Taya's arms and pulled her deeper into the tunnel as the groan became a shriek and then a rumble as rocks and soil collapsed in front of them.
The weak light coming from the side shaft's entrance winked out.
A few small stones landed on Taya's feet, and she shook them off. Her head pounded as she struggled to sit up straight.
“What happened?”
“Ketl, and one other, at least. I only saw the two of them, but there could have been others.” Min pulled her back a little more as what sounded like two or three small rocks crumbled from the ceiling and fell with sharp cracks onto the floor. She couldn't see anything in here. It was utterly dark.
“But what did they do?”
“They destroyed the props that were holding the entrance to this tunnel up. The poles were probably already close to collapsing anyway. I caught a glimpse of them and they were almost rusted through, but just before it all came down, I saw Ketl swing something at one of them.”
Taya shuffled on her behind until she hit the wall, then leaned back against it. “If no one saw them, they'll pretend to know nothing about it. No one will wonder why the props gave way, the only mystery will be why we were down here in the first place.”
“Even if some people did see Ketl, do you think he'll care?” Min's voice was bitter.
“He'll care.” She reached out and patted Min's leg, which was pressed against her side. “You think Kas won't make a fuss about this?”
“Maybe.” Min's voice was grudging. “But if Ketl managed to make sure no one was around, your brother may not realize we're gone until it's time to go home. And then they'll have to look for us. Dig us out. Do we even have that long?”
Taya took a deep breath and sneezed as the dust got up her nose. “I think there's air coming from somewhere. I can feel it blowing on my skin.” She licked her forefinger and lifted it up, felt the chill of a breeze coming from the end of the tunnel.
“I can, too.” Min's tone had calmed from panicked to thoughtful. “You think there's a way out?”
“We've got nothing to lose. I just wish we had a light.”
“Me, too.” Min reached down and helped her to stand. Taya's head was still thumping and her left side started to burn now she was upright. She ran a hand down her tunic. The fabric had been ripped and torn and she sucked in a quick breath as her fingers brushed over weeping grazes along her side.
“Do you think the sky raiders can see us, with that machine they have?” Min had started moving, and Taya limped after her.
“Maybe. That's a good point. They certainly knew who sat out in protest the day they shot Quardi. They must have some way of distinguishing which blob of light is which.”
“So they'll know Ketl and his friends were here, and that they threw us in.”
“I would guess, yes. They may know already, or maybe they only look at the screen when they realize something's wrong. We mostly behave now, so they haven't had to keep such a close watch in a while. But they should be able to see where we are. Unless . . .”
“Unless?”
“Unless there is a lot of shadow ore in the rock that came down, in which case, their equipment might be useless. Have you noticed that the big outside screen doesn't show much detail where the men are mining. Not like in the passageways.”
Min sighed. Then cried out in pain.
“What is it?” Taya stopped and carefully extended her hand. She eventually touched a rough, rusted surface.
“I hit my shin against something. I think it's a digger.”
Taya could hear Min hitting the digger with her palms, feeling her way, and she trailed her hand more gently in Min's wake.
“Dead end.” Min's voice caught.
“Not completely dead. Can't you feel the air flowing in from somewhere?” Taya refused to accept they were trapped here.
If only there was some tiny glimmer of light so she could see.
She brushed up against Min and moved past her, then came up against the cold hard stone wall that was the end of the tunnel. It was rough and jagged from the work of the digger, and she was careful as she ran her hands down it, slowly getting lower until she was crouched in front of the digger's spiky tracks. She extended her arm out slowly and then shuffled left until she was at the tunnel's midpoint, wincing as the movement tugged on her scraped and bleeding side.
“Here. The air is coming from here.” She leaned forward, and where she expected to find the tunnel wall, she found nothing but air. Hopeful, she inched forward, and eventually found the edges of a fissure in the rock face.
“There's a crack. I don't know if it's wide enough for us to fit through.” She rose carefully, aware the digger's scoop might be directly above her, and pressed herself against the opening.
She had to turn sideways, and the sharp, rough texture of the rock snagged and pulled at her tunic, scraping the skin that wasn't covered as she forced herself through.
It hurt, and panic gripped her for a moment when she thought she was stuck and wouldn't be able to go either forward or back.
“Taya?” Min's call, frightened and uncertain, stiffened her resolve and she pulled hard, felt the skin at the back of her shoulders give as she stumbled out into a wider section.
It still wasn't spacious, but at least she'd keep from being scraped and battered if it stayed this wide.
“Taya?” Min's voice rose.
“Here. It's a tight squeeze and you may bleed a bit, but it gets wider.”
“All right.” Min's words exhaled in relief.
Taya could hear her pushing her way through the narrow space.
“There's a bit where I thought I was stuck, but I managed to get through,” Taya said into the dark when she thought the sounds were more panicky than they had been. “I just lost some skin, that's all.”
With a grunt of effort, Min collapsed into the wider pocket of space with Taya, and Taya helped her up, holding her close in a hug.
“We made it.”
They stood quietly for a moment, and Taya turned her head left.
“Do you hear water?” It explained the cold, damp air that was blowing down the tunnel at them.
“Yes.” Min shivered, and Taya didn't blame her.
The water in this place was dark and strange.
“Hold onto me,” she told Min, and started walking toward the sound, running her hands along the passage on both sides so she could feel if there were tunnels branching off it and testing the ground in front of her cautiously with each step.
The tunnel kinked left then right, staying more or less the same width, like a jagged fissure in the rock.
Min had
grabbed hold of the fabric of her tunic near her waist, and Taya could hear the quick in-and-out of her breathing.
She was glad she wasn't in here alone.
Time seemed to be elastic in the dark, and she didn't know how long they'd walked when Min finally started talking.
“What was your life like in West Lathor?” Min's fist had loosened a little, so she was no longer holding onto Taya's tunic with a death grip.
“The work I did, the friends and family I had around me, were good.” That was what Taya'd held on to for two whole years.
“I hear a but . . .”
“Someone important to me had to leave to complete his year in Garamundo.” She shrugged, and then was angry at herself for making the gesture. It wasn't okay.
“You sound angry.” Min hesitated.
“I am angry.” She shook her head. “The sky raiders appeared for the first time near the end of his year, and Gara made him stay.”
“He was serving his conscription? My father mentioned this. I have a feeling it's why he moved to Kardai. To escape this service.”
That made sense to Taya. If Min's father hadn't wanted to serve his time with his liege, he would have had to run. She'd wondered why he'd moved to a place which reviled anyone who could call a Change. “Did he not want to do it at all, or did they try to extend his time?”
“I don't know. I do know he was very angry about it, the few times it was mentioned. It upset him so much, my mother and I avoided it.”
“I understand that anger.” She could say no more about it. She knew well enough anger would solve nothing. But until the sky raiders had grabbed her, she'd clung to the belief that patience would be her salvation. She could out-wait Garamundo.
Now that had been taken, too.
“When is he due to be released?” Min asked softly.
“Around about now. Any day now, he'll return to Pan Nuk, and find us all gone.” He'd look for answers. Hopefully find Luca and take care of him. It was the best she could hope for.
Given the sky raiders' focus on efficiency and speed, she had long ago worked out they would not take the time to return them to Barit when they had enough shadow ore.
Sky Raiders Page 9