As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Page 3

  “Time to put on a brave face, Rana. The merit of every Erskin warrior has been appraised on this field. Put away your insecurities, your fears, and become the warrior I believe you can be.”

  Sky watched the shift of emotions run across Rana’s face until she lifted her chin regally. Sky nodded in approval and resumed their journey, hoping the others would ignore them.

  Four

  Sky pulled Rana to the edge of the practice field, away from the closest warriors, and led her through a series of stretches. With the stigma attached to her mark and rejection of her arranged union, Sky had hoped that the warriors would continue their training and forget about the two women in the corner.

  But as two figures broke away and approached, Sky realized she’d been foolish to believe that confrontation could be avoided.

  Her body stiffened as the warriors drew closer. The glare of both suns blinded Sky and doused the interlopers’ faces in shadow. Rana must have felt Sky’s discomfort, because she jumped up from a crouched stretch.

  “Will they fight us?” she yelped.

  “Probably not.”

  “Probably?” Rana squeaked.

  “I can’t read minds,” Sky grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. She missed the weight of the full arsenal she typically wore and took little comfort that she was prudent enough to strap a blade to her ankle this morning. Her blazers would have been quicker and less physical than having to stab and slash her way out of an unwanted situation.

  “Sky! We heard you were back,” a deep, gravelly voice shouted.

  “Hey, hey. No need to look at us like that.” Where the first voice was gruff, this one was soft and smooth like honey.

  “Barrow? Fern?” Sky took an involuntary step forward before stopping herself. “Why are you here?”

  “Training,” Barrow’s thick brows bushed in question.

  “No, why did you publicly talk to me?”

  “Sky, we have been friends since we were children. Neither of us judge you for running away or burning down that village and we don’t believe that you’ve attracted an evil spirit,” Fern stated warmly.

  Sky studied the two warriors. Fern was just as small and her features as soft as when Sky left, but her frame had filled out with muscular bulk. Her copper hair was twisted into braids that hung to her waist, and her green eyes that shone with mirth studied Sky. Shaking her head, Sky turned to Barrow. He on the other hand, had grown at least a foot since the last time Sky laid eyes on him. Barrow had never been a small lad, but now he was a certified monster of a man. Everything about him screamed warrior, from the sharp angles of his jaw and nose to the partially shaved head. The black hair hanging over one eye had bones and feathers woven throughout tiny braids that clinked as he came to a stop before Sky.

  Rana took a tentative step behind Sky, and the motion reminded her that she had someone to protect. It wasn’t time to reminisce with childhood friends.

  “It seems the elders have kept much to themselves,” Sky said as she moved to force Rana to stand next to her. Rana’s automatic response to danger was to hide, and Sky was going to put a stop to the nervous habit.

  “There is more to your story?” Barrow’s voice boomed across the open field. Sky winced as the rest of the warriors stopped to look over at their small group.

  “Barrow, must you always yell?” Fern chastised.

  “He didn’t do it on purpose,” Sky automatically replied. The familiar conversation stirred up memories of old arguments. “Besides, he may have done Rana a favor. It seems half the warriors have decided to vacate the field. Now there is less of a hostile audience while I train her.”

  “You didn’t answer Barrow’s question, and you haven’t introduced us to your Elitian friend.” Fern smiled as she tipped her head and crossed her arms in the clans informal greeting. “My name is Fern.”

  “I am Barrow,” Barrow stated as he copied Fern’s greeting.

  “Hello, I am Rana.”

  Sky smiled at the steadiness of Rana’s voice, although the way her hands were shaking would quickly give her nerves away. As if Sky had spoken her concern aloud, Rana clamped her hands together and bent at the waist in a formal Elitian greeting.

  “And to answer Barrow’s question, there is definitely more to Sky’s story, but she will not give the details easily.”

  “Do you know her story?” Barrow asked Rana.

  “No,” Sky answered, annoyed that they were speaking around her. Rana’s lips lifted into a smug grin.

  “Will you tell us?” Fern asked. “We tried to come to you after your return, but Titus would not allow visitors.”

  Sky tilted her head at Fern. This was the she’d heard of her father refusing visitors. Sky had assumed Fern and Barrow’s family units kept them away from the poor, cursed child. The news was comforting. Although Sky never blamed them for abandoning her, it was nice to know their absence wasn’t on purpose.

  “Maybe one day I will tell you,” Sky relented. “But not today. Rana needs to learn how to defend herself.”

  “We’ll help you.” Barrow stepped forward and threw down a bulging bag that clanked as it hit the dirt.

  “You don’t have to…” Sky started. Her shoulder warmed and Sky took a breath to look inside. Her soul-scales were level, and as she considered her childhood friends, she believed her Lady was encouraging her to trust them. It wasn’t an order or even a request, but a gentle nudge letting Sky know that it was her decision, but she wouldn’t have to worry.

  “It is our pleasure to help.” Fern knelt to open the bag, pulling out various equipment.

  “She knows nothing, so we will have to start with the basics,” Sky relented. Having help would expedite the process. “I was going to teach her basic self-defense and rudimentary knife skills.”

  Barrow studied Rana and nodded. “That would suit her size and skill level, although with her augmented eyes giving her an advantage with accuracy, she should learn how to use projectile weapons as well.”

  “We should each split up with her. I can start her with hand to hand,” Fern said as she pulled out a couple of wooden knives and leather holders without looking up. “Barrow should teach her grappling and self-defense.”

  “Um…” Rana’s voice shook as her skin melted into a sickly gray. “I don’t…”

  “Rana,” Sky said, her voice warm and soothing as she placed a hand on Rana’s arm. “It makes sense that Barrow would teach you self-defense. Most attackers will be bigger than you, and learning against someone like Barrow will give you confidence if you ever must fight someone larger than yourself. I will be right here, so you won’t be alone. Plus I can give you pointers on fighting someone your size or smaller and teach you how to shoot a blazer. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Rana whispered.

  “Besides, I’m sure Barrow has heard rumors about what happened before I left. Things that the elders didn’t announce.” Sky’s voice dipped dangerously low and she felt a perverse pleasure at the way Barrow’s Adam’s apple bounced with an exaggerated swallow. “He wouldn’t dare gamble that any of them are true and cause me to mistrust him enough to retaliate.”

  Barrow nodded solemnly while Fern studied Sky with a tilted head and narrowed eyes. “You’re different,” she whispered.

  “Yes,” Sky breathed. “Now let’s continue.”

  By the time mid-cycle arrived, Rana was dripping with sweat and begging them to stop torturing her. Barrow and Fern had been patient and thorough. Sky handed Rana a jug of water and smiled. She had done exceptionally well for a first timer. Her timidity melted after a few minutes, and a determined student emerged, bold and bright. Confidence like that would encourage many to follow her leadership. Sky’s shoulder blazed at the thought. Luz agreed; Sky needed to guide Rana to discover her inner confidence.

  “You are a natural,” Fern stated as she packed up Barrow’s bag. “The both of you should join us for the midday meal.”

  “Sure,” Rana exclaimed. Her fatigue was fo
rgotten as she bounced around Barrow. “I’m famished.”

  Barrow laughed, the rich tone soothing and tender. “You earned a hearty meal for your efforts. Let’s go.”

  As the group left the training fields, Sky’s shoulder began to prickle in warning. She slowed down until Rana and the others were a few steps ahead. The pain in her shoulder grew until it would’ve been unbearable if not for an underlying warmth that took the edge off.

  “Sky…” Rana turned to Sky, her face pinched in worry. “What—”

  A terrible scream tore through the trees. Sky pulled the knife from her ankle sheath and scanned the forested area on the other side of the path. She felt rather than saw Barrow and Fern pull their own weapons and gather around Rana, leaving her in the middle of their circle.

  Rana gasped as the brambles below the trees shook. A woman ran out of the thicket, bleeding from multiple wounds. The thin slip of filthy fabric that wrapped around her body was held on by a few pieces of ripped cloth. Every warrior on the road stopped and stared at the woman as she ran directly toward Sky with her arms outstretched.

  Just before she reached Sky, she collapsed. Sky knelt and checked her vital signs. “Dead,” she whispered.

  “What happened?” Rana dropped next to Sky, gently sweeping the woman’s dirty blond hair back from her face. “Uh…Sky?”

  “Yes,” Sky mumbled as she studied the tree line. There in the shadows she saw a humanoid shape. Its eyes burned on her, but instead of feeling danger, she felt comfort. Serenity wrapped around her, and she felt a deep tug from somewhere in her stomach. Her body urged her to go to the shadow.

  “Sky,” Rana’s frantic voice broke the spell over Sky.

  “What?” Rana’s eyes were wide with fear and her lip trembled with unshed tears. “What, Rana?”

  “There’s trouble coming,” Barrow grumbled. Sky glanced over her shoulder where an angry group was approaching. She counted ten people. A few were high ranking clan leaders. Sky knew she wouldn’t be able to fight her way out of this one. She couldn’t take that many without exposing her secret. Even if Barrow and Fern stood with her, the threat of injuring one of the leaders was too great. Sky couldn’t risk it.

  Her mind whirred with possibilities. Rana’s cold fingers gripped Sky’s and squeezed. Sky focused on the woman and Rana shifted her eyes down in a meaningful, exaggerated movement. Sky followed her gaze.

  The dead woman’s empty eyes stared at the sky, tiny reflections of clouds drifting across the brown depths, but that wasn’t what put the fear on Rana’s face. Tattooed over the woman’s right eye was an exact replica of Sky’s own facial tattoo.

  “Shit,” Sky whispered. “Shit. Shit. Shit…” Sky couldn’t stop the frantic mantra. Her stomach twisted and the contents of her breakfast threatened to make a reappearance, but Sky’s throat compressed, stopping the vomit and pressing tighter until she struggled to pull in air. Her gaze flicked to the tree line. The shadow was still there, but it seemed to be in pain. It was bent at the waist and its hands were at its throat as if it felt the exact pain Sky did.

  “Get up, Sky, the crowd approaches,” Fern hissed as she pulled on Sky’s arm.

  The woman and her tattoo. Her wounds and sudden death at Sky’s feet. It was all too much. Sky couldn’t think or formulate a solution to this problem. She’d have to wing it, and that was something Sky never would do willingly.

  “We were told there was an injured woman running through the forest. Is this her?” The village leader asked. She couldn’t place his name, but Sky recognized him as the father of one of her childhood friends.

  “Yes,” Barrow answered.

  “Explain,” another man demanded.

  Sky explained everything from the moment she sensed the woman to the moment she died, leaving out the sightings of the mysterious shadow. It wouldn’t endear her to the people if Sky claimed to see entities in the darkness. The crowd mumbled among themselves as Sky maneuvered Rana away from the body. She knew they would notice the tattoo soon, and when they did, Sky wanted to be prepared for their actions.

  “Look!” A female voice barked. “That woman has the same markings as the elder’s daughter.”

  Every eye turned from the body to Sky. She lifted her chin and met their gazes.

  “She escaped the priests,” Fern stated, her voice a strange mixture of awe and anger.

  “That she did,” Sky replied. “But how? I thought they no longer existed. Besides, they don’t just let people escape.”

  “You would know that, abomination,” the village leader hissed. “There have been no surviving escapees from the Priests of Ocmus. No one except you.”

  There was a moment of silence so heavy that Sky felt she would bend under the weight of it. Then they all started talking at once.

  “That’s because she murdered them all.”

  “She carries the mark and will bring down evil on us all.”

  “The Ancients dishonor her because she has forsaken the law.”

  Rana sheltered Sky with her arms, pressing Sky’s face into a frail shoulder as if the action would shield her from the crowd’s hate-filled words.

  “Enough,” roared Barrow. “This woman is not from our clan. We must find out which clan she belongs to so she can have a proper memorial.”

  Sky removed herself from Rana’s strangling hold. Barrow commanded the crowd as if he were born to it. He had opened his mouth to speak again when the village leader interrupted.

  “Yes, I will take care of this.” He began to bark orders in Barrow’s stead.

  Sky and Rana slipped away, melting into the darkness of the forest. Sky peered into the underbrush, hoping the person who had watched her was still nearby. She wanted a better look and maybe an introduction.

  Her mark tingled with anticipation, and she knew that a meeting would happen soon.

  Five

  The women slipped through the forest silently until they were far enough from the crowd to emerge back onto the path. Sky kept a wary eye on the road behind them as she pushed Rana to walk faster.

  “Sky, you’re the closest thing I have to a real sister and I do love you. You know that?” Rana’s voice was soft, but there was a firmness underneath her words.

  “And I feel the same, Rana.” Sky knew where this was going. Before they departed the Kismet, Sky had tried to think of every contingency. One that plagued her was having to explain about her past. Having Rana on Kore would open every door to Sky’s history, and no matter how patient Rana was, she would want to know eventually.

  Guilt twisted Sky’s stomach. She would have to explain everything to Rana before telling the captain. Jo wouldn’t be angry, but Sky was fiercely loyal to Jo and didn’t enjoy keeping her captain in the dark.

  “Will you tell me why your clan doesn’t like you? I don’t need the entire story, but I want to understand.”

  Rana stared at the well-worn path, her hands clutching at her stomach as if asking Sky such a personal question was physically painful. Sky’s trepidation melted away. Rana was such a good soul, of course she felt pain at Sky’s suffering.

  “As an elder’s daughter, I always knew that there was a possibility my father would arrange for me to marry one of the other elders, but I hoped I would be free to stay a warrior of the people. Defending my clan, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. There was no room in my heart for a romantic kind of love. I loved my family. I loved my clan. What more was there?” Sky kicked at a clump of dirt and took a drink of water from her jug. She was stalling—not because she didn’t want to tell Rana, but because her past was a festering wound that was painful to poke at.

  “I was fourteen rotations when my father told me about my union with Beast. I had never met the newly appointed elder, but I heard stories of his victories in battle against the Elitians when they first annexed the moons. He was reportedly a vicious warrior and ruled his clan with a strong hand. Beast had taken his father’s position when he was just twenty cycles, and for a man of his age to take
the title of elder is unprecedented. I understood his ferocity. He had to be that way so he could keep his title, but I didn’t want to be joined with anyone.

  “For two planetary orbits, I trained harder and became the best warrior in our clan, hoping my father would change his mind. He didn’t. Instead, my father allowed Beast to watch me in secret, and he became obsessed. He started pressing my father to allow me to join with him before I reached the appropriate age. Beast demanded that no other man be allowed to touch me, and he pressured the elder council to allow him to reinstate an ancient law that forced the engaged couple to wear marks upon their skin.”

  “Those white marks on Tempest?” Rana asked.

  Sky smiled, but she was filled with sadness. “Yes. It seems he has convinced the elders.”

  “Why do the clans fear you? I mean, I’ve gathered some things. You burned down a village, murdered people, and apparently you have some evil stigmata. What’s true?”

  “All of it, except the evil part. My mark is a blessing from the Ancients, more specifically, Lady Luz. She appeared to me in a during the lowest moment in my life and blessed me with the gift to bring myself out of the situation.”

  Rana touched Sky’s face. The movement was awkward since they were both walking, but it didn’t stop Rana from tracing the tattoo over Sky’s eye. “It’s beautiful.”

  Sky snorted. “That’s not Luz’s mark. This brand is my greatest shame.” Sky tilted her face away from Rana’s hand and picked up the pace.

  “Where is your mark?” Rana jogged to catch up and then stumbled over her feet to adjust to Sky’s speed.

  “On my shoulder.” Sky pulled her at the neck of her shirt and exposed the brand. She felt Rana’s eyes tracing the pattern Sky knew by heart. A bold line ran from the muscular top of her shoulder to the base of the shoulder blade, with intermittent circles of decreasing size woven throughout the stripe. Half circles and dashes broke up the space between the rings. Inside the largest circle sat three intertwined triangles of gold.