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13
SILAS
Kiango and Emberwere already buried beneath the covers and talking drowsily when I returned to the room. I walked straight past them and into my own room, shutting the door before they could ask me anything at all.
I shouldn't have gone after her. I shouldn't have kissed her. I was a Guardian now. There was no excuse. I hadn't meant to kiss her at all. I just wanted to thank her. But as soon as I was alone with her, I was drawn in.
I'd seen her staring in the baths. I knew she had more than a passing interest in my anatomy. But there was something else there, and it had been growing between us for some time, even if neither of us could give it a name. But I was the one who foolishly acted on it. And she had tasted so damned sweet, like a mix of honey and that wine we'd been drinking. Her lips were irresistible, and she’d let me in. She didn't pull away. She remained steady as I gave in to my hunger.
I fell asleep, and I was dreaming of her when I woke up to shouting just outside my door.
"Open up!" Kiango yelled, banging furiously on the door. "Get out here!"
I kicked the blankets off and ran the three steps to the door, throwing it aside before he could assault it again.
"What's happening?"
I half expected to find attackers in his room. But all I could see over his shoulder was Ember's terrified face staring out the window, and on the other side of the glass, the glowing red swirls of a storm.
"We have to go. Get dressed."
I didn't need to be told twice. I could see the storm towering over the palace and the fields, filling the courtyard with an eerie orange-red glow. I grabbed my belt and weapon and pulled them on, and let the scaly armor come over me. Staring down Re'Utu's infernal anger, I was grateful for the thin film covering my eyes, making it possible to see without being blinded.
But I had only one thought. Anya. She was out there, unprotected.
"Silas, you're with me. We have to get to the ships. Ember, gather the residents, take them downstairs. The sanctuary should be safe. And keep an eye on Trydan! We don't know what he's capable of."
To my astonishment, Kiango stopped for only a brief peck of a kiss on Ember's cheek before he turned and ran. I didn't hesitate. I took off running after him, down the hall and down the stairs as many as I could take at a time, leaping off the bottom few to hit the ground running once more. Ahead of me, Kiango's thundering steps provided the drum beat to which my heart pounded.
Down in the hangar, I looked around wildly at the waiting ships. Imrys's ship was already out of the bay, and there were two other open spaces where the destroyed ships belonged. The remaining three ships offered little in the way of hope. They were battered from their previous battles with the storms, scorch marks marring their shiny surfaces.
Kiango ran to his ship and climbed in, turning back to me before he pulled the door closed behind him.
"I'll see you in the air."
I blinked stupidly as I stared at the two remaining ships, not sure what I was supposed to do.
"Follow me, kid!" a man ran past me and slung the first ship's door wide open, waving me inside.
I did as I was told, hauling the door closed behind me. As soon as it was shut, I went to join him, hoping to get off the ground immediately, but when I got there, my jaw dropped.
"Damn it! What happened in here?" he yelled, slamming a fist down on the console.
The main ignition bank was a mangled mess, as if someone had taken a hammer to it. The engine status screens were shattered, too. There was no getting this ship off the ground.
"Come on. We have to try another one," I said, tugging on his arm frantically.
I knew it was no use. If Imrys had done this, he wouldn't have left any of them untouched. He knew what he was doing, and he meant to see it through.
All the same, we dove into the second ship and surveyed the damage. As expected, someone had been in here. I cried out to Re'Utu to give us a chance, to forgive us for angering Him.
"Hang on. I think we can make this work," the pilot called to me.
It appeared that Imrys had run out of time. The hammer lay forgotten on the floor and the console was still mostly in one piece. At least the main screens were still in one piece, and while the ignition button was dangling, the pilot grabbed the wires and set to work.
I went back to the door, preparing to pull it closed. Kiango's ship was already gone, and I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he had gone to meet the storm. But when I peered out into the hangar, I was astonished to see someone else running straight toward me.
Anya.
