Chapter 39 The Skybreakers

Hours passed, so fast. I must’ve spoken to every single person in that village. Even Balar, mostly healed, was back in good spirits. He was only courteous to me. Truth be told, even if he didn’t fear the living daylights out of me, I knew. He liked me, from the moment I had rescued him and the others. When he’d smashed through those palisades. Take away the trying to kill me and my best friend in the Beast Warrems, then hell, I liked him too.

He said nothing about me going around the village with his sister. Seemed even to approve, if I was reading him right. My head was spinning, a pleasant dizziness.

Finally, it was just Ayla and I alone in her tent. Of course, there were no photographs, but there were personal effects. There was an intact horn from a deer, that looked as though it had been oiled. There was a bow, carefully and wondrously maintained. Her furs had been gathered not simply for warmth, but from all kinds of animals. Beautiful together.

As I looked around, the low glow of the campfire from outside, I thought this place, this home was more beautiful to me than any penthouse in London. Any townhome in the countryside. I’d have traded it all for this tent made from animal hide, Ayla’s head resting on my chest.

I found myself running my fingers through her hair. She didn’t seem to mind.

‘When you first came here,’ she said, after a time, ‘you said it was about a Gate. What did you mean?’

It took me a moment to remember. Seemed like a lifetime ago. ‘Oh. I…’ My eyes pressed shut. How did I explain this? Hard, but I wanted to be honest. That felt important. ‘This isn’t my home and…I was trying to find a way somewhere else.’

‘Is that why your people come from the sky?’ She adjusted her head slightly, her fingers on my chest. ‘You do not choose to come here? You are made to?’

My mind went back to that day. Looking over my sister’s medical bills. The curtains closed, the MMO idling on my computer. Everything grey. Then that light, that voice. Falling. Falling. Then…Larry trying to kill me.

It seemed absurd to think of now, but that was how it was.

‘I didn’t get a choice,’ I admitted, ‘and I was taken. But honestly? I’m glad I was. I’m glad I’m here.’

‘Why? Was your home so bad? Were you unhappy?’

‘It…there were people that mattered to me,’ I admitted. ‘One person, really. But other than her, my sister, there wasn’t anyone. My life…it wasn’t a happy one. I never felt like myself. Here, I do.’

She adjusted herself, propping herself on her elbows and staring hard at me. ‘You matter to me.’

‘You matter to me, too.’

And then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, as if I had done it a million times before, rather than doing it for the first time, I reached up and kissed her.

The next time my eyes opened it was still dark. I wondered what had woken me. Maybe it was the unfamiliarity with my situation. A beautiful woman beside me, no, the most beautiful woman beside me, and the most amazing time spent with her.

My heart was still. My body relaxed.

But my mind. Fuck. I wished I could just turn it off sometimes. Ayla stirred. I should have just stayed there with her. For the first time in my life, it felt like I had everything I’d ever wanted. A place that made sense. People who actually valued me.

But the truth was my mind had been made up long ago. My body just hadn’t wanted to believe it.

I got dressed, doing my best not to wake her, and headed back into the village. I had no idea what time it was, but checking my HUD I saw it was past 2am. I expected all the campfires to have dwindled to embers, and was surprised to see one was still intact. Going over, I saw Miggy, Balar and Oma surrounding it.

‘Reave,’ said Miggy, at my approach.

‘Why are you guys still awake?’ I asked, stifling a yawn.

‘Because there’s a lot to do,’ said Miggy, ‘tomorrow we pick the new chief. Ayla’s father is stepping down.’

‘Miguel will become the chief.’ Less than twenty-four hours ago he had tried to kill Miggy. I actually wasn’t surprised. I guessed from Balar’s perspective he was just trying to protect his village, his people. He needed to know Miggy was capable of that. Now he did.

Just took one mortal duel to figure out. Sticks and stones, I guessed.

‘Congratulations,’ I said. Miggy nodded appreciatively, and Oma too looked serene.

‘Balar will be my second,’ he said, turning to the big man. He gestured to me. ‘Tell him what you told me.’

‘The vandals are mobilising. They are amassing at the foot of the mountain to the south.’

‘Why?’ I asked.

Stolen novel; please report.

Balar’s features turned grim. ‘It can only mean war. That is all those savages understand.’

I knew they weren’t savages. Not all of them, but this was Balar’s world. His word, and clearly Miggy trusted it.

‘Enemies on all sides,’ said Miggy. ‘The Skybreakers grow stronger by the day, and now the vandals.’ His eyes flickered, the glow of the fire in his eyes. ‘We need to unite with the other tribes. Alone we’re vulnerable. Together, we can secure the valley.’

There must always be a Warlord.

My mind drifted back to those words. I stared at Miggy, even as Oma looked to me.

‘With the Reaver with us, we are unstoppable,’ said Balar confidently. I smiled weakly. Oma continued to stare, not taking her eyes off me.

She knew.

The Skybreaker settlement was the largest I’d seen by far. At a guess, I’d have said the settlement held at least two hundred. It was where I’d have guessed it would be located, north near the mouth of the river, in a wide, flat plain. It was close to a nearby forest, a good supply of lumber from which they had harvested extensively.

They had wolves, too. These were not dogs, these things were huge, though not as large as the ones who had hounded me in the starter area. As I approached the gate to the Skybreaker village, they barked at me, though their handlers soothed them.

The guards at the gate seemed unsurprised to see me. They knew who I was. I wondered if they knew why I was here.