Knight of Wands (A Steampunk Fantasy Adventure Novel) (Devices of War Book 2) (24 page)

Her eyes took in the hallway, which ran the entire length of the floor. “This is a smart way to live.”

I kept my silence.

“It’s very versatile.”

“It’s natural.”

She turned to me, her eyes misted with unshed tears. Her hand shook. “It smells like home. I had forgotten that.”

I ran my fingers along my jaw, trying to figure out what was going on inside that head.

“Do you think I’m pretty, Synn?”

I tensed. What the— “You can be, I suppose.”

The corners of her full, red lips rose slightly.

“But then you open your mouth, and all traces of beauty disappear. You are ugly underneath.”

She let out a breath through pursed lips.

I waited.

“I didn’t used to be.”

I opened my mouth, but closed it again, a frown so deep on my forehead, my face hurt.

“I used to be nice.”

“What happened?” Did I really care? Yes. Sky help me, I did.

“I don’t know.”

I didn’t think that was true. I gripped her chin and forced her to look at me. “What happened to you, Nix?”

The queen I knew was nowhere in those dark eyes. “They erased me.”

I frowned. “Who?”

She pulled her chin out of my grasp and leaned against the wall, her voice a low whisper. “My family. My friends. When my Mark came, they shunned me, alienated me, made my . . . son—” She took in a ragged breath. “—fear me.”

Did knowing make her more or less a tyrant? I needed to hate her. I couldn’t afford to see her as a human being. “That’s why you decided to destroy the entire Shankara Family.”

“Yes.”

“Including your son.”

Her lip quivered. “He was apprenticed elsewhere for the season.”

I snorted. Those were probably the first true words she’d spoken in years.

She straightened her back against the wall. “What have I become, Synn?”

I blinked and said just as softly, “A monster.”

She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, her fingers flexing. “How do I fix that?”

“I don’t know if you can.”

“Was I wrong?”

I tipped my head.

“To protect my people?”

“From people who weren’t intent in harming them?” Did I have to answer that question? “Yes.”

Silence gathered around us like a blanket. People talked at the far end of the hallway, the voices growing closer. They grew quiet once they saw who stood in the hallway.

Nix noticed them, but didn’t move, barely breathed.

I remained still. She seemed to need it.

She waited until the people passed and then pushed herself off the wall. “It would appear I made a good choice in you.”

I took a step back, giving her space. “You didn’t choose me, Nix. You killed my father and then burned me alive.”

She stared at the ground. “I won’t be erased again, Synn.”

I tipped my head. “The world
will
remember you.”

Her head bobbed, the moving bits on her crown tinkling with the movement. She straightened, sliding more into the Nix I knew. “Well, I wanted to see you in your new city.” Her dark eyes scanned the hallways. “I like it, though I doubt it suits you.”

“It has its advantages.”

She didn’t move for a long moment, then nodded once and headed toward the elevator. “I’ll see my way out.”

“Make sure it’s not the long way, Nix,” I called after her. “You’re leaving, not touring.”

The grate lifted and she entered the platform shaft. Her red painted nails touched the grate as she watched me. Then the platform took her out of my sight.

I probably should have escorted her out, or sent a guard with her, but she’d thrown me off. I stared around me in surprise.

What just happened?

CHAPTER 22

RESCUE AND ASSIST

I took
the stairs back to the command center. It was a long trek. Climbing stairs is not like climbing the rigging of a ship. It’s tiring, but also, exactly what I needed after that strange conversation.

Had I missed something? Was I just being played again? What I’d seen had seemed real, but what . . . I . . .

Sky-felled woman. I had no idea what was going on with her, but the best course of action would be to get it out of my mind and concentrate on something that did need my attention.

The airships that could be in danger.

By the time I made it to the top level of my
lethara
, I was sweaty and breathing hard.

Joshua took in my appearance with an upraised eyebrow, a pair of large, brown headphones draped over his ears. “Send us the heading.”

I walked over to him. Several more people filled the space, all of them communicating in some form or another.

“We’ll be sendin’ someone out there,” Joshua said. “Can you tell if there are any survivors?”

My heart raced.

“Understood.” He took his headphones off and tossed them onto the narrow table, glaring at me. “Tell me your queen isn’t here anymore.”

I shook my head. “What do you have?”

He took in a deep breath, stood, and headed toward a board in the back with a rough map drawn across it. X’s littered the areas around the Koko Nadie islands, some of them in groups. “We were able to contact Ryo and a couple of others, and spread the word of what’s goin’ on. We have several airships down.”

“Have we accounted for everyone yet?”

“No.” He turned back to the line of consoles, his hand out.

Someone handed him the list.

“The ones who’re down, includin’ the
Kowka
and the
Jeng Fu
, have no communication. Whoever orchestrated this was good.” He drew out the last word.

I took the list from him. “How many ships have we spotted?” My eyes were on the map, looking between it and the lists. “We’re missing a lot of ships, Joshua.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “I know.”

It was time to act. “Contact the
Yusrra Samma
. I need her on the dock.” I hurried to the elevator. “I want you to be the center of communications. We need—”

“Hey, Synn.” Joshua looked chagrined.

I turned to him. “Joshua. Those ships don’t have a lot of time. If they’re taking on water, if they’re on the ground, they’re helpless. I have to go now.”

He held up a hand. “Just take . . . ” He put his hand on someone, pulling her up by her shoulder and giving her a not-so-gentle push in my direction.

I raised an eyebrow at Carilyn.

“She’s the best communications officer ye’ve go’. An’ she’ll need to be in the air.”

“What are you doing here?”

She rolled her eyes and walked toward me, her steps small as dictated by her tight, knee-skirt.

I ground my teeth. “Don’t make me regret this. Now, Joshua, pay attention.”

His eyes were on Carilyn who stood somewhere behind me. “I hate that bloody woman.”

That’s not what his face said. “Joshua.”

His gaze met mine. “Yeah.”

“Tell the other
letharan
that can relocate to do so. Contact the Leblancs. Ask for their assistance. Send an order to the
Samma’s
. I want all available ships in the immediate area to head to those coordinates. Ask any other airships to follow if they have a mind to do so.”

He quirked his lips. “Anythin’ else, oh great and wondrous leader?”

I gave him a dirty look and turned toward the elevator. “No.”

His hand fell on my arm.

I frowned at him.

He handed me my raincoat.

“Thank you.”

“Do you have any idea what yer doin’?”

“I’m saving people who need it.”

He pulled his lips in and bit down on them nodding. He stepped back, releasing me. “Right. Best get on i’ then.”

The
Yusrra Samma
arrived as I stepped out of Asim City. Carilyn and I raced over to the air ship docks.

It seemed as though my message had gotten out. Airships lined the piers as additional crew leapt through the raging winds.

“Guard your jellies!” I bellowed above the gathering crowd of airmen. “Choose only those you trust!”

I didn’t wait to see if anyone heard me. I pushed my way through the press of people to the
Yusrra Samma
and gestured for the loading platform to be lowered.

Someone grasped my arm. “El’Asim!”

Carilyn took the offensive hand off me and it around the other man’s back. “Name your intentions,” she growled.

I stared at her incredulously. “Let him go.” I turned to the man still forced to kneel. “Marko Dudyk, what do you need?”

He pulled himself out of her grasp, and towered over me. “You will stop this. You have people in a frenzy over unsupported data and a gut feeling.”

I wasn’t backing down. “I have confirmed communications. We have sightings of downed airships. Some are in the water. Two appear to be on land.” I took a step toward my ship. “If you want to stand here and pretend everything is all right, then I can’t stop you, but we are going to save as many as we can. These are supposed to be peaceful games.”

I left him glaring at my back.

I hopped onto the platform, grabbing the rope and tugging it twice.

Carilyn leapt on with me.

“No one’s supposed to die out there, Marko Dudyk. I need you to consider that in the next event you organize.”

As soon as the platform began to rise, the
Yusrra Samma
took to the air. The higher we got, the more the wind pummeled us.

My feet hit the deck. Isra was already issuing orders, letting out the sails. I headed for the command center and gestured for Carilyn to lead the way through the door.

She was drenched, but she didn’t complain. She peeled off her short suit jacket, revealing a thin, white blouse that was practically see-through thanks to the rain.

I cleared my throat and reached for the closest jacket I could find.

The man I took it from started to say something, but stopped, his eyes glued to her chest.

I thrust the jacket at her.

She didn’t say anything as she put it on. “There are a few of the ships I wasn’t able to get into contact with.” She walked toward the back wall and pulled out some ancient gear I’d never even seen before.

I frowned at her. “Just get in touch with them if you can and get us bearings. Is someone in contact with Joshua?”

Sammi, one of my communications officers and a girl I’d grown up with, raised her hand, but didn’t stop listening to the headphones.

I walked to her and waited. She peeled the headphone away from one ear.

“We’ve found another,
sayyd
.”

I nodded. “I want one airship assigned to each one that’s down. We don’t need chaos down there once we hit. We’re already battling a storm. We don’t need to be dodging each other as well.”

She put the headphone back over her ear, and pressed a button, speaking into a square mic.

“How many ships do we have on the assist?”

“The entire El’Asim Fleet,” Amber, Zara’s old friend, answered, “the Kowka Fleet and several others I’ve never heard of.”

It was still odd to issue orders and demands of people who used to pick on me as a kid. “Good. I want to stay under the storm. We need spotters on the water. There are a lot of airships still unaccounted for.” There was nothing more I could do in here. I headed for the deck. “Let’s find a way to keep them sky-worthy.”

The rains slowed to a drizzle, almost a mist, but the winds beat against us. Isra watched the sails, issuing the orders to keep our masts safe while using these winds to our advantage.

I walked up the stairs to the quarterdeck, leaning over the rail, my eyes on the water. They churned. If there was an airship down there, I had no idea how they’d survive. The waves were vicious, chomping down like a sky cat with its prey.

I could see several white bubbles of
letharan
traveling through the waters close to the surface. They moved nearly as fast as we were.

A large sky cat vessel pulled even with us, a tall man in a gray long coat standing calmly on the quarter deck. He saluted with two fingers.

I returned the gesture and went back to my search.

“
Sayyd
,” Isra said, stopping beside me. “Let the others search. You have other things to do.”

“Like what?” I muttered over the wind. “Look pretty?” I straightened, watching the waters further back. “We need as many eyes as we can spare, Isra.” I grasped her arms and set her out of my way. “Just because I am the leader, does not mean I’m above looking.”

Respect shown through her eyes, even as she shook her head and grudgingly followed suit.

“Keep your attention on the sails, Isra.” I ran down the stairs and ran to the starboard rail.

A woman approached me. It was Amber. “We have communications coming in from several of the vessels in the air, and several of the
letharan
who have arrived at the wreckage.”

I continued to scan the waves.

“The
letharan
are taking as many survivors as they can. Most of the ships are in bad condition. The survivors have asked us to save their ships. They’re refusing to leave them.”

“Give the order to save the ships if we can. With these winds, it might not be possible. How far away is El’Asim Station?”