Calling the Change (Sky Raiders Book 2) Read online

  CALLING THE CHANGE

  MICHELLE DIENER

  CONTENTS

  About Calling the Change

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Other Science Fiction by Michelle Diener

  Excerpt of Dark Horse

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Also by Michelle Diener

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  ABOUT CALLING THE CHANGE

  He rescued her despite impossible odds—Garek has rescued Taya and the rest of his village from the sky raiders, but their return home doesn't bring easier times. The sky raiders aren't simply going to go away—they still need the shadow ore they came for, and they want the ships Garek stole from them back. But they aren't the only threat . . .

  First she was in danger from the aliens who abducted her, now she's in danger from her own people—Taya's been rescued, but she isn't home a week before she's taken again, this time by men who walked the walls with Garek. They've taken her as a consolation prize of sorts, having failed to get hold of Garek himself. They think Taya's value to the people they're working for is her relationship to Garek, but they are wrong . . .

  Garek and Taya never gave up on each other before, even when the distance between them was impossibly far, and they aren't giving up on each other now. As Garek searches for her, and Taya engineers her escape, they discover the motivations behind the new attacks on them are darker than the endless reaches of space they've just escaped from.

  ONE

  Up until last night, Aidan of Juli had been an ally.

  Taya would have even said a friend.

  Now he blocked their way, standing between Taya and Garek and their quickest way home.

  Guards stood around the sky craft which sat on the castle's wide guard walk, ready to sound the alarm in case sky raiders were spotted. The sky raiders had already snatched back the other sky craft Garek had stolen from them two nights ago, but for now, this one was safe.

  And inaccessible.

  Juli's guard master, Vent, stood by Aidan's side, and he'd brought about ten guards to stand with him, forming a wall of leather breast plates and swords.

  Garek set down the box of shadow ore he'd been carrying.

  The guard holding the other end of it followed his lead and then groaned with relief as he straightened.

  The boxes didn't have that much ore in them, but they were filled to the brim with water, and Taya knew from personal experience how heavy they were.

  Behind them, the two guards carrying the other box did the same.

  Neither side said anything but movement caught her eye, and Taya looked over her shoulder to find the three guards who'd helped them with her boxes had stepped to the side, so they weren't standing toe to toe with their own, their gazes on Vent, waiting for orders.

  She turned back, and stood with feet braced apart. Ready for anything.

  Garek seemed relaxed; his arms loose at his sides, his gaze steady and calm on Aidan. Waiting.

  Some of the guards began shifting in place, uncomfortable, and Vent looked sidelong at Aidan, impatience in the scowl on his face.

  “The liege said--” Vent spoke loudly. Everyone had to, up here on the guard walk. The rage of the river below the castle wall, and the thunder of it as it fell down the cliffs to the lake below, made speaking quietly a losing strategy.

  Aidan made a chopping motion with his hand, cutting the guard master off. “My father can barely stand up. So rather say Dartan said.” Aidan held the Vent's gaze for a beat, and then lifted a brow. “And since when is the word of Dartan better than my own?”

  Vent shut his mouth with a snap.

  “Why allow your guards to help us bring our things up, and then prevent us from leaving?” Taya asked Aidan.

  “Because the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing,” Vent said, disgust in every word.

  That, Taya could believe.

  They had arrived in Juli two nights ago--in triumph, some would say.

  They had brought the liege's son, Aidan, home.

  They had rescued the Illy and the Kardanx taken by the sky raiders.

  But even before the sky raiders had surprised them all as they were disembarking, had swooped down to wrest back one of the sky craft by force, she'd sensed the undercurrents here.

  There was no clear leader.

  The liege had been so drunk the night they'd arrived, he couldn't walk a straight line, and his mind was confused.

  Under those circumstances, she could easily see how conflicting orders could be given. Probably every day.

  “So what does this mean?” Garek spoke for the first time, unruffled and steady. He shifted, the movement so subtle it was hard to even pinpoint what he'd done, but he was suddenly a little in front of Taya, standing between her and the guards ranged against them. “Do you really want to go this route, princeling?”

  Aidan flicked him a nervous look, and Taya decided he hadn't lost his mind, after all. He would know almost better than anyone here that Garek could sound calm a moment before unleashing chaos.

  “Dartan heard you were leaving, and wanted me to keep the sky craft here.” He spoke reluctantly, as if he sympathized with his father's councilor, but wasn't fully behind him. “I didn't know which way you'd take to get to the craft, so I came here directly.”

  They'd planned to load the shadow ore and then send a messenger to let Aidan know they were leaving. They hadn't hidden their intentions, and they wouldn't have left without saying goodbye. Taya decided Aidan had let the strange tension and suspicion that permeated the castle like the stink of a dead levik affect him.

  “The sky raiders know it's here, and they'll be back to take it, just like they took the other one.” Garek looked up, almost as if he expected to see the sky raiders above them.

  “I agree, but I've got an idea about where we can keep it.” Aidan glanced up, too.

  “We made a promise to Kas,” Taya said, although she knew the princeling had been there when it was made. “We're going back to Pan Nuk. Today.”

  She couldn't wait to get out of here, away from the feeling of edgy disarray that had seeped into every corner of the water city.

  She wanted to go home. Wanted to be among her own things.

  She'd only had time for a quick reunion with everyone from Pan Nuk two nights ago, and she wanted to hold her nephew tight and hear all his news. She wanted to wear her own clothes, wanted see how much damage months of disuse had done to her dye machines.

  She wanted to leave so badly, she had to force herself to take a deep breath and not react too aggressively
to this nonsense Aidan was throwing their way.

  “What do you plan to do against the sky raiders when they come for the sky craft in Pan Nuk, and possibly take the whole village you just rescued back to Shadow? What army will you use to stop them?” Aidan asked her, his voice low and intense.

  “What will you do?” Garek challenged. “All your guards together couldn't stop them two nights ago.”

  “Neither could you.” Aidan's voice rose.

  And that was true, too. Garek had been the only one harmed, shot down by the sky raiders with a weapon that made white lightning, and felt like being boiled alive. Taya had been exposed to its full effects once, when she was first taken, and she never wanted to experience it again.

  Garek paused a moment. Nodded. “I was taken by surprise.”

  “Why are you even arguing with them?” Vent asked Aidan, even though his gaze was fixed on Garek. “This craft needs to be under the liege's control. They can't take it, the idea's ridiculous.”

  Taya folded her arms, waiting to see what Aidan's reply would be.

  He knew he was in a hard place, because he took his time.

  “It's not that simple, Vent. We wouldn't have the craft at all if it weren't for Garek. And while I've watched him pilot it, I'm not confident I wouldn't crash it if I try. He's the only one who really knows what he's doing when it comes to flying the thing. It's worthless to us without him.” He looked at Garek. “And his good will is worth a great deal, too.”

  “His good will?” Vent's snort was unequivocally disbelieving. “Who the hell is he, then?”

  “My future general.” Aidan spoke softly. He held Garek's gaze, and Taya knew he was trying desperately to keep Garek's cooperation, while following the edicts of his father's councilor.

  “You're right.” Taya realized everyone had forgotten about her, because every gaze jumped to her with surprise when she spoke. Only Garek seemed unaffected.

  Because he never forgot about her. Ever.

  She slid him a small smile, and while his face didn't change, she saw the warm laughter spark in his eyes. He wasn't worried about this confrontation, she realized, or there'd have been no humor in him at all. He'd be all business.

  He must think that even if it came down to a physical confrontation, he'd win.

  “What am I right about?” Aidan asked, snapping her back to the conversation.

  “You're right that it's going to be difficult to safeguard the sky craft. The sky raiders know it's here, though, so moving it to Pan Nuk temporarily can't be a bad thing.”

  “I told you, I have an idea where to hide it--”

  “That isn't going to work.” Vent spoke stiffly, as if loath to say the words and give any ground to her and Garek. “I checked earlier. There's not enough room.”

  Aidan frowned. “How long do you plan on staying in Pan Nuk?”

  His question drew an incredulous growl from Vent. “You're going to let him--?”

  Garek ignored the guard master. “A few days.”

  Vent narrowed his eyes. “If it gets taken--”

  “If it gets taken, you're no worse off than you were before.” Taya didn't like his tone.

  Vent looked at her with open hostility. “Where do you fit into all this, little girl? I heard some strange stories about you, about spears that float, but looking at you now, I tend to think that white light the sky raiders used made everyone see things.”

  Beside her, Garek went still.

  Taya shrugged. “I may be little, but I'm no girl.” She tilted her head at Aidan, eyebrows raised.

  “Will you stop insulting these two, Vent? You don't understand anything.”

  Vent crossed beefy arms over his barrel chest. “So explain it to me. This one,” he jerked his head at Garek, “at least looks like he'd be useful in a fight. But this one doesn't look old enough to go into a tavern by herself, let alone tell the liege's son what to do.”

  Aidan looked up, as if to find strength, and then suddenly took a step closer to her and Garek, bringing up a hand to shield his eyes against the glare of the morning sun off the bank of clouds to the west.

  “Sky raiders?” Garek looked up too, and his mouth formed a grim line.

  They must still be far out because Taya couldn't see them yet.

  “Move out the way, Aidan.” Garek's gaze switched back to the princeling.

  “A few days? You promise?” Aidan moved without protest.

  “A few days.” Garek leapt onto the ladder up to the pilot's door. “Get those boxes loaded.” He disappeared into the craft, and the door at the back of it lowered.

  Aidan picked up one side of a box himself, and Taya followed him and the three guards as they ran up into the belly of the ship, making sure none of the water in the boxes leaked out.

  If it did, they really would lose the sky craft--in a fiery crash. The only thing protecting the sky craft's systems from the shadow ore in the boxes was the water that surrounded it.

  “Try to make my case to him.” Aidan grabbed her hand as the other guards ran back out. “It was a mistake to confront you like this, but that's how things are done here and--”

  “Here's a tip.” Taya looked straight at him. “The way things are done here isn't working very well.”

  The ramp started to rise and Aidan swore and ran down it. He was forced to jump from at least a meter in the air to get back onto the castle wall.

  Garek lifted the craft up before the door had fully closed, and Taya waited in the back to make sure it did before she stepped through to the pilot's deck.

  “Which way are they coming from?” she asked him, going straight to the window and trying to look up.

  “Nowhere.”

  She turned, surprised, and saw Garek was grinning.

  “Aidan made that up?”

  He shrugged. “Or was mistaken. I wasn't going to argue.”

  He lifted them high above the city, and she caught her breath at the sight of it, the light glinting off the water as it tumbled and foamed down on either side of buildings cleverly built in terraces from the top of the waterfall to the lake below, with the castle perched at the top.

  Then he sent them into a steep dive, to fly low over the wide lake created by the river as it left Juli behind it and carved a gentle, curved path toward the sea.

  Taya looked back at the city--the castle towers were all that were visible now--and smiled.

  Maybe Aidan was still their ally, after all.

  TWO

  Garek wasn't used to adulation.

  When he'd been guard master of Pan Nuk, he'd been considered annoying and largely superfluous.

  There had been no sky raiders in those days, so he had been largely superfluous.

  It had given him time to woo Taya though, and long afternoons of free time to spend dallying with her in the meadows above the town.

  He'd taken the general annoyance as an acceptable price for what he'd gained.

  When he'd had to leave to do his guard service in Garamundo, he'd been just one more grunt in a sea of them, until his strength and abilities had been noticed. Then he'd been a tool to those in power, and considered a threat by his commander as he worried Garek would be offered his job.

  In this new reality, though, one where he'd rescued all those in Pan Nuk who'd been taken by the sky raiders, he was now the hero of the hour.

  Even Kas, Taya's brother, had warmed to him.

  And he'd never thought he'd see that day.

  He put the sky craft down outside Haret, and someone must have been watching for them, because they hadn't even climbed down the ladder before a mob seemed to sweep out of the gates, all smiles.

  “No problems?” Kas asked as Garek dropped to the ground behind Taya.

  “Some.”

  A lot of people must have been listening to him, because the noise died down.

  “What problems?” Kas's eyes went to Taya, as if to check she hadn't been hurt.

  “The sky raiders swooped down on us as soon as we
arrived in Juli. Took back the other craft.”

  “Are the Kardanx safe?” Min had come up beside Kas, and her face was tense as she asked. She was half Kardanx, had grown up with them, and if Garek were to guess, still thought of them as her people.

  “They were already out of the ship and safe when it was taken.” Taya told her. “They shot Garek, threatened to shoot him again and kill him if I tried to stop them, so we had no choice but to let them take it. At least it was empty.”

  “And you think . . .” Kas's voice trailed off, and he looked up.

  “They'll be coming after this one, sooner or later.” Eli spoke up, the big, burly farmer looking upward as well.

  “Yes.” No sense in softening the blow. After what most of the Pan Nuk villagers had been through, they didn't need coddling.