by Drew Wagar
‘Not long now,’ Coran said, watching them depart.
‘Next stretch,’ Fitch replied. He was looking out to sea, with Coran’s ’scope to his eye. ‘Here, take a look for yourself.’
Coran took the ’scope and trained it on the horizon.
To the sunward and shaderight, sails could now be seen along the line that separated sea from sky. The sails were a bright orange in the light of Lacaille, more than he could count.
‘A big fleet,’ Coran said. ‘I’ve never seen so many vessels.’
‘Might be worth us doing some reconnaissance ourselves,’ Fitch said.
Coran shook his head. ‘Not putting Ren and his team at risk when we have little to learn,’ he replied. ‘Besides, I want the fact that we have an aerial defence to be a secret for as long as possible.’
‘They may already know that,’ Fitch countered. ‘Those dachs had a pretty good view of the island from up there, they will have seen the machines.’
‘But they won’t necessarily know what they are or what they can do,’ Coran said. ‘With luck they may overextend themselves. We don’t need to go looking anyway. We’ll know how big a force they’ve mustered long before they reach the harbour walls. We’re outnumbered for sure, the real numbers won’t make much of a difference.’
Fitch nodded. ‘They are going to breach the walls you know. Those ships will manage ten knots in this wind. We’ve got a spell before they get here, no more. We simply won’t be able to stop all of them.’
‘I don’t think we can win this fight,’ Coran answered. ‘We can only make this island too hard and too costly to take.’
‘Depends on how determined they are,’ Fitch said. ‘They sound scorchin’ resolute to me.’
Fitch paused and adjusted his wide-brimmed hat.
‘Think they’ll treat before they attack?’ he asked.
Coran rubbed his beard. ‘Meru said that they did talk before they attacked Viresia.’
‘Had much to say, did they?’
‘Apparently not, some trial of champions, but that went to the shades soon enough. Given their religion teaches them we have to be exterminated I’m not expecting much talk.’
Fitch grunted in acknowledgement.
‘Suits me,’ he said. ‘I’d rather cut to it and see if we can take down a few of these arrogant women.’
Mel came running into the senate hall.
‘Ships have been spotted,’ she said. ‘On the horizon.’
‘We saw them,’ Coran said. ‘You ready?’
Mel nodded. ‘Aye.’
‘You don’t have to go through with this plan,’ he said. ‘We can still keep the Mobilis back.’
Mel shook her head. ‘We can do this.’
Coran nodded. ‘Time is now then,’ he said. ‘Good luck.’
‘No sign of the others, I’m guessing?’ Mel asked. ‘We’ve heard nothing on the radio.’
‘Meru and Zoella?’ Coran said, with a sigh. ‘No, nothing at all.’
‘We could do with that girl here,’ Fitch muttered, ‘to stave off the witches’ magic powers.’
‘Hopefully they are far from here, dealing with the other problems,’ Coran answered. ‘Probably best they are spared this battle …’
‘Going to get quite messy,’ Fitch observed.
‘I guess this fight has been coming for many rounds,’ Coran said. ‘A fight our ancestors lost last time.’
‘Let’s hope our descendants have something to be proud of,’ Fitch replied.
‘I’ll settle for having some descendants,’ Coran said, clapping him on the shoulder.
‘That would be good,’ Mel said, her voice hushed. She was looking at him. She hesitated for a moment. ‘I … er … I’ll be going.’
She reached to Coran and he pulled her into an embrace.
‘Be careful out there,’ he whispered.
‘I will be.’
The moment passed. She pulled back and stepped away, turning on her heel and walking off.
‘You’d better be getting ready too,’ Coran said. ‘Those weapons of yours …’
‘You’re a snuttin’ fool, you are,’ Fitch said.
‘What?’
‘That was your second chance to tell her,’ Fitch said from alongside him. ‘You’re tempting fate letting her walk away, mark my words.’
‘There’s no time for that now,’ Coran snapped. ‘The witches will be here in this stretch …’
‘There never is,’ Fitch said, shaking his head. ‘Don’t blame me if you don’t get to say all the things you want to say. Those witches are dead set intent on wiping us all out. They’re coming …’
Above them, the dark stains on Lacaille continued to grow and fester. The wind was picking up, blowing in cool from the shaderight. Coran stared into it, his lips tight and his expression set.
‘Muster everyone we have,’ Coran said before turning his gaze back out to sea. ‘Let them come.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Seas and Skies of Esurio
Round 2307, Sixth pass
The flying machine was struggling to gain height, its engines labouring as it struggled to pull itself above the rolling sand dunes. Zoella could see that many of the indicators around the controls Meru was holding were showing red.
‘Too much weight,’ Meru said. ‘I can’t get it any higher.’
‘We can’t leave anyone behind,’ Zoella replied. ‘Is there anything else we can throw out?’
‘All the food, we’ve got to keep the water … maybe the rifles … but those things are precious, we’ll need them if Amar is attacked …’
‘Rifles?’ Zoella asked.
‘Metal weapons, they shoot … kill things. Really deadly.’
‘Won’t do us any good if we don’t get there,’ Zoella said, flinching as the flying machine only just skimmed over a dune.
‘We’ve got other problems,’ Meru said, jabbing at one of the screens.
‘What?’
‘Look!’
Zoella could see that one of the screens was somehow showing an image of what was happening behind them. Their take off had been noticed. Three of the dachs were heading in their direction.
‘Oh no …’
‘They’re going to catch us,’ Meru said. ‘We don’t have the speed to outrun them.’
‘Just like last time,’ Zoella said. ‘These rifles, how do they work …?’
Meru spared a glance at her. ‘There’s no way I can teach you now …’
Zoella rolled her eyes. ‘Just think it, I can learn from that. Quickly!’
She concentrated, pushing her thoughts towards Meru.
Rifles, in the side lockers. Fitch laughing, the planks, loading the weapon, pulling back the metal stock, holding it at the shoulder, astonishment at the noise and violence, the plank exploding into fragments …
Then there was something else. Meru’s mind was wavering, images of Kiri, her shoulders bare, moving toward him.
Zoella pulled away before she saw any more.
Her again!
Something hurt within her, something was twisted and angry.
‘What are you going to do?’ Meru demanded.
‘Use the weapons,’ Zoella said. ‘Be ready to turn us so that the side door faces them.’
‘But they’re outside … in the side lockers!’ Meru said.
‘Yeah, I saw that.’
Zoella undid the safety harness in her seat and jumped into the rear compartment of the flying machine, around her the children and Ira were huddled together, holding on as best they could as the flying machine rolled from side to side. Some were crying, already looking sick with the motion.
‘Stay back!’ she called, wrestling with the doorway.
She pulled the handle as the door slid back into its open position. Air blustered around her, whipping her clothing back and forth, her hair flapping in her face. She dropped down to the floor and crawled to the opening, leaning out to get at the side lockers. Ira saw what she
was doing and braced herself against the interior, holding on as best she could around Zoella’s waist.
Zoella could see the dunes rolling past below her, the movement dizzyingly fast, the flying machine was still only a few dozen hands above the ground. She reached out into the buffeting airstream, holding on to the door with one hand and fumbling with the catches to the side lockers with the other.
Her hand slipped, she almost lost balance as the flying machine tipped and gyrated.
‘Hold it steady!’ she snapped.
‘I’m going my best,’ Meru fired back.
Zoella reached again, managing to unclip the latch on the lockers. They were hinged towards her, which wasn’t at all helpful, but she managed to grab both the rifle and the belt that came with it, yanking them back inside.
Ira was looking at her. Zoella tried to sign to her, but then sent an image of the packs of food still remaining in the midst of the children.
Throw them out!
Ira didn’t understand for a moment, her face showing astonishment and confusion. Zoella nodded and gestured at the opening.
Ira nodded and the children helped her lug the heavy containers along the walkway before pushing them out one by one through the doorway. Zoella could just see them fall, tumbling away before smashing into the ground and splattering their contents over the dunes.
We’re going to go hungry …
‘It’s working!’ Meru called, looking back from the front. ‘Getting some lift!’
As the children and Ira continued with their task, Zoella busied herself pushing the strange metal capsules into the rifle. She struggled for a moment with which way around they went, but then pushed them home one after the other.
‘Here they come!’ Meru yelled.
A shadow flashed outside, gone in moments. Zoella looked up to see a dach arcing away from them. The flying machine jolted, but Meru corrected it.
A second dach came into view, Zoella could see the rider, clad from head to foot in leather armour and a face mask of some kind. They had a bow, tensed and ready to fire. Zoella thrust out with her mind, sensing the grip of the rider. She forced a jolt. She saw the bow release, but the arrow went wild.
Then she brought the rifle around, putting it to her shoulder as she’d seen from Meru’s mind, and squeezed the flange.
The noise was terrifying in the confined space. The recoil threw her hard back into the interior. Smoke billowed about her, whipped around by the furious gale blowing about them. Zoella heard screams from the children, the flying machine bucked beneath her. Then all she could hear was a strange ringing in her ears and every other sound was muted.
The dach outside was gone.
She shook her head, trying to clear it. The flying machine was bucking around her, tossing her one way and then the other. She looked up, Meru was clutching his head with both hands.
The priestesses …
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ira stagger forward, placing one hand on Meru and gesturing out of the windows with the other. Meru recovered, grabbing hold of the controls and steadying the machine. It levelled out once more, skimming over the sand dunes with a few hands to spare.
Ira stumbled back and crouched down next to her. She pointed out of the side exit. Zoella could see the dachs turning away, trying to get behind the flying machine.
‘Turn us, Meru!’
The flying machine tilted to the right. The dachs came into view again.
Zoella reloaded and raised the rifle again. She saw the children shrink back, covering their ears.
She took her time to aim, waiting until the nearest dach was closer. She could see the priestess on its back readying a bow.
I hope it’s Kiri!
She fired. The recoil flung her back, but she was braced for it this time. Through the smoke she saw the dach rear up in the air and then fall out of the sky, the priestess on its back thrown off. Both crashed to the ground, tumbled into the sand and lay still. In another moment they were left behind.
The two other dachs followed for a moment before giving up the chase. Zoella watched as they turned away, seeking the location of their fallen comrade.
Zoella lowered the rifle, conscious of the whimpering children and her own trembling hands. She put the weapon down and stood up, yanking at the side door and pulling it closed.
The noise from the rushing air outside was cut off, leaving just the ringing in her ears.
She looked up and saw Meru glance at her.
‘They’ve given up the chase,’ he said, before turning back to the controls. ‘We made it.’
Zoella breathed a sigh of relief. Ira helped her up and she clambered into the second chair beside Meru.
‘Well done,’ he said, looking across at her.
She nodded, but said nothing, too tired to think, her ears still ringing from the loud noise.
‘We’re heading shadeward,’ Meru said, ‘The coastline bends towards Amar a little before turning away, that will make the trip across the seas as short as …’
He stopped. Zoella looked across. A series of red lights had appeared on the controls in front of them.
Meru touched some of the controls and was rewarded with several screens of text.
‘What?’ Zoella asked.
‘Not sure,’ Meru answered. ‘Sandra, what does this mean?’
The flying machine’s voice answered him. ‘Magnetic induction systems aboard this vessel are no longer receiving a full power cycle. Power cycle amplitude is decreasing. Once levels fall below safety threshold this vessel will commence running on auxiliary power. It should be safely secured on the ground prior to battery depletion.’
‘Auxiliary …?’ Zoella echoed.
‘We’ve got to land,’ Meru said. ‘And soon. You remember the Mobilis, that time we got stuck without power? That’s going to happen to us.’
‘Without power …’
‘We can’t fly,’ Meru finished for her.
He looked out of the forward windows.
They had left the sand dunes behind. The flying machine was now travelling over a barren rocky wilderness filled with jagged spikes and arid looking promontories.
‘And we can’t land,’ Zoella whispered.
Nerina and Kiri watched as the two dachs circled above Airea and then landed before them. Nerina stepped forward, seeing Rihanna pull her scarf off, allowing her red hair to blow in the wind. The second rider was carrying a slumped figure before her.
‘What happened?’
‘We tried to stop it escaping,’ Rihanna said. ‘Our powers were blocked.’
‘Blocked?’ Nerina asked. ‘These women of Scallia you spoke of, Kiri?’
Kiri nodded, but said nothing.
‘They had some weapon aboard that blew smoke,’ Rihanna added. ‘Then … killed the dach … Adrella fell …’
Nerina watched as Kiri walked over to help the other rider, and saw it was Tali. Adrella’s body was lowered to the floor. Nerina could see Kiri crouched over her, but it was clear the other rider was beyond hope. Kiri stood up and walked back toward them.
‘The fall broke her neck,’ she said. ‘You should have let me go. I could have stopped them.’
‘You know of this weapon of theirs?’ Nerina demanded.
Kiri shook her head. ‘No …’
‘Then you might have just as easily been killed,’ Nerina said, looking across to Rihanna. ‘They have escaped, we must let them go. Thanks to Kiri they know we’re coming anyway. The ships are already underway. Kiri, see that Adrella’s body is given to the flames and then take your place on the ships. We sail for Amar. Rihanna, come with me, we have much to discuss.’
Nerina and Rihanna walked away, leaving Kiri behind.
Kiri stared after them for a long moment before turning to Tali.
‘Let us see to our sister,’ she said.
Tali nodded.
‘Power cycle threshold approaching,’ Sandra announced. ‘Landing is now imperative.’
; ‘But there’s nowhere to land!’ Meru snapped back.
He had kept the machine on the course shadewards, hoping to come to an end of the rock field. Now it stretched out in all directions, unending, each rocky outcrop spikier and more dangerous looking than the last.
‘What happens when the power is gone?’ Zoella asked.
‘We run on the batteries for a while,’ Meru said. ‘But they won’t last long. We’ll have to try setting down before that.’
‘Can you do that?’ she asked, looking at the passing landscape.
Meru didn’t answer.
‘We had to throw out all the food and most of the water,’ Zoella said. ‘If we land here and can’t take off again …’
Meru looked towards the horizon.
‘Then we’ve got a choice,’ he said. ‘We can continue shadewards and hope we come to an end, we can turn back and head for the sea, or …’
‘Yes?’
‘We can try heading shaderight and see if we can reach the forests we flew over on the way down from Scallia.’
Zoella looked out of the front windows and then to the side.
‘If we go back to the sea the priestesses will find us and kill us or worse,’ she said. ‘No telling how far these rocks go shadewards. If we get to the forests there’ll be water. I vote shaderight.’
Meru nodded.
The machine banked to the left, heading away over the rocks.
‘Power cycle threshold breached,’ Sandra announced. ‘Auxiliary power enabled. Landing is now imperative.’
The landscape continued to roll beneath them as the flying machine droned on. Lacaille was to their left now, shining through the cockpit. Zoella could see their shadow on the ground, flickering up and down as the rocks flew past below.
‘Look,’ Meru said, pointing forward. ‘Is that green, or are my eyes going funny …’
Zoella squinted into the light.
‘You might be right, it’s our only shot, keep flying.’
‘Tell everyone to hold on tight and strap themselves in if they can,’ Meru said.
Zoella sent an image to Ira and turned to see both her and the children crouching down and hanging on to any available point on the interior walls.
