The Cardinal Sky (PREVIEW ONLY)

CH: 2.1 ⤗ SKY

"Trust no one. As soon as you do, you're better off dead." ~ Jordan Argo, allegiance unknown.

☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾

Sky scooted back, out of sight.

"Wait," he called. "I'm not one of those repulsive Cardinals. Can't you tell?"

She couldn't, not really. The dirty blood-red jacket he wore looked like the uniform of their invaders, but his pants were different, a faded black. It didn't help that the aliens appeared human, but it was unclear whether it was their true form or a disguise. Even after a decade, most humans knew little about their conquerors, and she had always had bigger problems to worry about than the invaders lounging around in their fancy towers.

The first time Sky had seen a Cardinal was during a worldwide broadcast before their initial attack. The memory was etched so clearly in her mind it could have happened yesterday.

A day after the explosion on the moon, an alien signal had hijacked all streaming services and the internet. A male in his twenties, with platinum hair and silver-blue eyes, wearing a high-collared crimson jacket, made the address. The alien had said they were here to save the Earth.

People had been astounded at how human he appeared, but Sky had thought his face was too perfect.

All the Cardinals anyone had seen after had those icy blue eyes and flawless features, but they'd had very normal dark brown hair. Maybe to blend in better? Who knew? And those male and female aliens donning red uniforms didn't disembark their supersonic prowlers often, so glimpsing one was rare.

Sky peered over again. A long tear ran down his sleeve, but there was no blood. Soot peppered the top of his head. Platinum blond hair didn't make him the enemy; the color looked similar to her own.

What if he was the pilot of the stealth lookalike? She really wanted to find out, and that man had the answers. Looking around, she found nothing useful nearby to pull him up with. She sank to her knees, lining herself up above him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but could you hurry?" he shouted.

She scowled at his dirty hands, preparing herself for the physical contact. His grasp slipped, and she threw herself down. He grabbed her arm, his long fingers clamping around in a death grip.

Damn. Now, if he fell, she'd go with him. Just perfect!

From this angle, Sky could gauge his frame. He was tall, and his toned physique only added to the burden. She slammed the toes of her shoes into the ground, trying to burrow into the unyielding rock to anchor them better. The points of her elbows dug into the cliff face, taking on all his weight. Her chest flattened like a tank rested on her back.

"Climb up," she gasped.

He struggled to find a crack large enough for his boots to sink into. Sky's muscles trembled, but she lifted him. Tiny stones beneath her shifted, and she slipped forward, losing the progress she'd worked so hard to gain. He stretched out with his long right leg and finally found a foothold, shifting some of his weight and temporarily relieving her straining biceps.

It was an arduous process. The smooth, rocky surface offered little aid to his climb. Her elbows were rubbed raw when she grabbed the back of his jacket and gave one last heave, bringing him topside. He collapsed next to her. She panted and for the first time in what felt like hours, drew in a beautiful gulp of air.

"Thanks," he said between breaths.

Sky rolled away and hoisted herself into a squat, reaching along her army-green pants until her fingers brushed the top of the sheath. Slowly, she stood, sliding her hand over the familiar leather-wrapped hilt. He pushed himself up and dusted off his dark trousers. The blade zinged as she slid it free and pointed the tip at him. Just because he might be the pilot didn't mean she trusted him.

"Whoa." He held his hands up and straightened to his full height, creeping backward. He was a giant, maybe six inches taller than her. "This is quaint. You save me from falling, just so you can stab me?"

"Are you a Cardinal?" Sky asked, not expecting him to say yes, but one could learn a lot from a person's reaction—if he was a person at all.

"I already told you I'm not," he barked. "If you weren't watching, I just blew up two prowlers."

If he was the pilot, he had indeed done that. But where the hell had that ship come from? Sky dropped her machete a little—it bothered her that she hadn't witnessed him exit the aircraft.

"You flew the black jet?"

He nodded, directing his gaze over her.

She studied his body language. He appeared on edge, but he didn't seem to classify her as a threat since he kept looking everywhere but her, like he was expecting someone to jump out from behind a tree. And he was right—someone might. The Skins were bound to get here, sooner or later.

A trail of dried blood stretched from the pilot's brow to his jaw. Ash and dirt covered his face, making his pale green eyes stand out, almost unnaturally. Sky had followed the crash path, but there was much she didn't know about the aliens. The jet could be a Cardinal spacecraft she'd yet to encounter. He didn't have their signature eye color, but with their technology changing them would probably be easy. His eyes reminded her so much of someone she cared deeply about, that she had to make herself look away because she didn't want them swaying her judgement. But, if he were a Cardinal, he probably would've attacked her by now.

"Where'd you get the plane?" she asked, drawing his attention back. "And how'd you even know how to fly it?"

It's not like there were any flight schools around, and he couldn't be much older than her, so she doubted he'd learned before the invasion.

He lowered his hands to chest level. "I can't tell you. That's top secret."

"Then what about the jacket?" She motioned with the blade.

He blinked, as if just realizing he wore it. In a sharp movement, he ripped it off and tossed it over the cliff. Underneath, he wore a gray long-sleeved shirt and black vest—much like her own.

"I needed to borrow it," he said. "Look, I get it, okay. This is all very surreal, but if we don't hurry and leave, it'll be bad for us both. Trust me. More will come."

He had a point. The sky was clear, but that didn't mean it would be for long. She doubted the Cardinals would take defeat lying down. They'd likely swarm this place soon too.

He shuffled sideways. Raising her blade, Sky's gaze snapped back to him. He stilled.

"I'm not that much of a dick that I'd double-cross my savior," he spat, then added more gently, "You've no reason to fear me."

His accent was a little odd. It was similar to John's, but more refined, almost posh.

A soft whirring sent a shiver snaking up Sky's spine. She jerked her head around, scanning the clouds, but there was nothing, just the repulsive drone of a prowler's engine.

"We need to go." He dropped his arms. "Now!"

☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾☽☽☾☾⚔︎⚔︎☽☽☾☾

That's the end of the preview. Sorry. 

If you want to read more you can sign up for my ARC team at mokosmun.com, 

or it will be available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited from August 31.

Original chapter: [Sky] Chapter 2.1- Conflicted