“Saskaya’s new weapon.”
“Oh?”
“When I was destroying Sentinels in The Walled City ruins, Saskaya asked me to pry out the laser eyes and anything attached to them.”
“I imagine that was harrowing. Considering one nearly killed you.”
He feigned indifference, yet I know how much courage that task required of him. Was this part of his reluctance to come and rescue me? He was afraid of the machines, and couldn’t admit it to himself? If the kitchens hadn’t been destroyed, and Bashir hadn’t spent every day for a year trying to smash his way out of a cell, I might have been safer than any other Auralian. I can see the logic, from a certain angle.
If he hadn’t slept around and then tried to conceal the fact, and if I hadn’t starved, I might be able to forgive him for leaving me there. But he did, and I did, and there’s no changing what happened, now.
“Sas adapted the beam. One of the old rocket launchers we stole from the pirates has a similar diameter bore. If this works, we’ll have the firepower of a Sentinel, but without the hackable automation.”
“Incredible. Why are we testing it here?”
Lorcan peered around the rock formation we’re hiding behind. “Pirates have been using Summertide Atoll as a base of operations. We’re a thousand kilometers from the closest place for them to resupply. There’s no fresh water source other than rain. No food apart from what you can pull from the sea or shoot down from the sky. Everything has to be brought in. Can’t swim. The water’s full of sharks. Can’t use large boats because of the shoals.” He gestured to the northeast. “Skía bring in supplies and new recruits every few days. Used to be every day. Now it’s more sporadic. We think they’re running out of money and easy recruits. If we can stop them from bringing in any more supplies—”
“Then the ones already here will leave. Or die, trying.” I squeezed his shoulder. Partly as an excuse to touch him. “Excellent work.”
“Let’s see if Saskaya’s invention fires or explodes, first.”
“Has it been tested?”
“At Marsh Hollow. We shot at the cliffs to cover the Sentinel bodies with rocks.” He indicated that I should follow him over to where Keryn and Tovian were examining the dull green tube of the launcher. This isn’t my area of expertise, so I hung back while Lorcan added the lens. When he finished, a blue light flicked on from inside the tube.
Keryn knelt to check the aim. Then Tovian. Lorcan made an adjustment.
“Now what?”
“Now, we wait.”
The sun rose high in the sky. It’s not as humid out here on the cliffs but I’m taking a lot of sun. I tucked myself under patch of shade to call Raina. “Hi.”
“I’m so glad you finally called.”
Uh-oh.
“What’s going on?”
“King Humayun wants Laila back. He’s sending Hallie’s cousin, the one with the yacht and the helicopter. They’ll be here any day. If we don’t surrender Laila, he’ll send warships.”
“Shit, indeed.”
“He’s super pissed that he’s only dealing with me. I’m not queen enough for him.” I could practically hear Raina’s eyes rolling, all the way from River Bend.
“The guy doesn’t like dealing with women as human beings, much less authority figures. What does Laila want to do?”
“She’s fourteen.”
“So? She’s not brainless.”
“Laila wants to stay with her sister for not-great reasons. She doesn’t have to go to formal school, and she has this titanic crush on my brother.”
I rubbed my temple with my free hand. My knuckles scraped against the teeth of my skull helmet. I took it off so I could press the phone more comfortably to my ear. “I’m sure Humayun loves that.”
Raina snorted.
“Fortunately, he doesn’t know. Yet. He’s cut off Hallie without a cent. Same thing he did to her mother when she left,” Raina said. “If Laila goes back, she’ll never see her mother or sister again. If she stays, her father will disown her. It’s not an easy choice. She’ll probably be married off within the year if she goes home, though, and not to Damir, of course.”
