Knight of Wands (A Steampunk Fantasy Adventure Novel) (Devices of War Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

angular, my shoulders wide.
    I looked . . . intimidating. When had I become that?
    My lip curled as I took in the black and red uniform. Pin-striped pants, red shirt, black vest. The long coat and top hat remained on the bed where I left them. I tied my hair back in a low queue and shook my head at what I saw. I looked like a Hand.
    My stomach roiled. What had I been thinking to allow myself back into the Hands’s control?
    Dyna.
    I pushed away from the mirror and walked toward the large, open window.
    The door opened. A person dressed in the colors of the House of Swords—pale blue and silver—walked in carrying a tray of food. He set it down without so much as a glance in my direction and left.
    The door didn’t click. I wasn’t locked in.
    I went to the food tray. Vegetables, fruits, cheeses. But did I dare eat it? Would they continue in their attempt to drug me?
    I tried to tell Dyna that you were not a threat, but she will need proof of it herself. You will have to do that .
    I massaged my dull-throbbing head and stepped through the window onto the balcony. I needed to learn the rules of this game. Somehow, I needed to get smarter. Why was I constantly asking myself how I got myself into situations? Why was I always agreeing to things before I had all the details? Father would be so disappointed.
    My heart twinged.
    Would he?
    I let my mind drift as the salt sea breeze drifted over and around me. I could see a small courtyard below and high stone walls. I had no idea where we were, what the state of the city was.
    A flock of white and gray land birds flew overhead, screaming at one another. The wind was filled with the scent of dirt, plants, and something else, something spicy. I knew that scent. I knew where we were.
    The wispy clouds were high above us. Sky City was still resting on the ocean’s surface. I couldn’t tell by the movement. It was impossible that the ocean was this still. I didn’t feel even the slightest shift.
    Where were the Families? How was the El’Asim fleet? Was Isra doing a good job in leading our people? Were they following her? Was Zara, my El’Asim sister, helping? Was she learning to lead?
    What would happen to the El’Asim if I took up the knighthood? Who would lead them?
    I shook my head. Zara could not, and would not. She’d made it quite clear since we were children that she loved the skies and loved the fleet, but would never lead. The El’Asim would be hard-pressed to follow her, a woman, but at least she carried Father’s blood.
    Isra Um’Bente did not. She had been my father’s second, and mine though I’d never made it official. It was only a matter of time before the people revolted, found a new leader, a male.
    What about Ryo?
    I bit off that thought. Mother would never allow her oldest son to leave Ino City and lead another tribe.
    However, if I wasn’t there to do so, there might not be another choice. I would have to plead my case and hope she understood. Oki was already in training to lead the Ino. They preferred a matriarchal rule.
    I had to find a way to keep the Families safe.
    Was being here the safest thing for them?
    I recalled the damage the Hands had brought to the people, whether they were under the protection of Tarot or not. The Hands hadn’t cared who they’d damaged in order to retrieve me. Letharan cities had been destroyed. Land cities had been wiped out. Several airships in our fleets were gone.
    Yes. It was safer for the Families if I were here, but what kind of damage would I create by allowing myself to fall within their power?
    That thought terrified me.
    Look what I have brought you today, people of Sky City. The greatest, most powerful Mark we’ve ever seen .
    Oh, yes. To Nix, I was a trophy.
    To Dyna, I was a tool.
    I closed my eyes and rested my head against the stone. This couldn’t end well.
    “You haven’t eaten.”
    I jerked my attention to the middle of the room.
    Queen Dyna stood there, her tight, leather uniform gleaming in