by J D Cowan
“Down in the hold,” Case answered with a thick voice. His beard nearly muffled his voice. “Focus on the fight!”
Another roar sounded. Six men brandishing spears and bows swooped in beside Jason and his comrades.
More guards raced down the skydeck. They would be overwhelmed soon.
Case slashed a lizard man that nearly fell on Jason.
“Keep alive!” Case shouted. “It does not take more than one foolish move to lose your head.”
A spear drove for Jason’s eye. Jason twisted and stabbed, piercing the chest of his aggressor. The enemy howled and dropped.
“Thanks for the advice.”
Case smirked. “You can thank me when we escape this place.”
“What is taking them so long?” Matthew asked Alain.
“Patience,” Alain said.
As if the universe heard his question, a harsh hum burst from below the deck. Purple smog-like steam billowed out from under the ship like a train whistle. The ship shifted and rumbled, lifting from the dock. The entire body of fighters slid as the airship rose up from the arm. The vessel floated in the air and turned towards the opening.
They shot forward. Several of the lizard men lost their footing and fell to the docks and over the railing. The airship drifted out of the skydeck and towards the open sky. Alain and his men charged the three remaining lizards and easily slew them.
The men on the deck shouted victory as the ship flew over the mountain range into the burgeoning daylight. But Jason didn’t join in. A high-pitched alarm sounded over the skydeck.
Jason caught sight of the opposite mountain range. The large castle at the peak loomed over them all. A sudden chill bolted through his blood. A dark force awaited up there.
Down in the port across the range several larger ships lifted from their arms. He counted at least five below in addition to the ones coming out of the skydeck behind them.
A pit grew in Jason’s gut. The pursuit began, and they were totally outnumbered.
Chapter 6
Big Wreck
Cannon fire sprayed over their ship and across the harsh yellow sky. Matthew ducked for cover, and the vessel shook with the force. Missiles shot up from the ships rising out of the mist. The airship turned to port and away from their attackers. Ordopha clung to the wheel and steered towards the mountain range.
Matthew put his sword away and let out a hard breath. It took a moment for him to realize that both he and Jason were not supposed to be there. But that ship had, quite literally, sailed. He would just have to make the best of it and hope they would live through this bad choice.
Jason gestured toward the airships rising out of the city’s skydeck. They weren’t out of this yet.
“Why are you here?” Bran asked. He scratched the back of his square head. “I thought you were to make your way to the Mirror Gates?”
“When was I supposed to do that?” Matthew replied. The two of them were in this now, for better and for worse. “Enough of that. How far can those things follow us?”
Case growled. “They are leading us away from the city. I don’t understand why.”
“Maybe they’re leading us somewhere,” Jason said. “Should we fire back?”
“No point wasting what little ammunition we have down below.” Case instantly dropped his cold grimace. “You have potential, boy. Sloppy swordsmanship, yes, but you have a fire only matched by Alain.”
“It wasn’t that good.”
“It was not,” Alain agreed. “Hold your tongues. They are gaining.”
“Keep moving!” one of the men exclaimed. “We are almost out of these mountains.”
Cannon fire exploded above their heads. The vibrations caused several of them to hit the deck.
“Keep your tongue tight,” Alain barked. “We don’t need more bad luck drawn to us.”
The ship picked up speed toward the horizon, sailing across the jagged mountain range and the wool blanket of fog. Yet the ships did not speed up in pursuit. They slowed.
Matthew shouted, “Something’s wrong!”
Black smoke steamed in place of the formerly purple energy. The ship shook and rumbled down below in the engine area. Clouds rushed up to meet them.
“Inside the hatch!” Alain yelled back. “We’re falling!”
The lot piled inside except for Alain and Matthew. The two hovered by Ordopha as she twisted the wheel. The ship barely budged under her direction. It darted in a straight path towards the black rock ridges below the mist.
“I’m going to land it as best as I can,” she said, her knuckles white. “We have lost the power in the flight crystal.”
Alain swore. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Get underground!”
“We’re not leaving,” Matthew replied.
Alain braced himself against the wheel as they dipped lower. “Ordopha, leave this to me. I’ll make sure we make it safely.”
“Not on your life!” Her fiery glare flashed at her brother and Matthew. “You go with the others. I will make sure we land. I learned to fly this behemoth! This is my mission. You will not take this from me.”
Alain threw up his hands. “If you will not be moved then I will stay by your side.”
“Just leave.”
This time Matthew swore. “You’re both idiots.”
Wind screamed past them in their descent. Ordopha repeatedly pulled back on the lever beside the wheel, but nothing changed. The angle of descent steepened. She aimed their ship between the rising peaks ahead. Tall rock bases whipped by them. Wood screeched as the mountain stone scraped against the sides of the ship. She slammed the same lever repeatedly. The ship groaned. It slowed slightly, but not nearly enough.
Finally, Matthew could wait no longer. When it was clear she made no further change to their velocity, the two of them jumped forward to drag her away. The ship rocked, Alain stumbled, and Matthew seized his wrist. As the mist swallowed them, only the vague view of a quickly approaching rock bed remained. Within seconds they would crash. Before she could protest, Matthew took Ordopha by the waist and drew her close.
If the bracelet worked on the swords earlier, it should work on them. He used his power, and Castor screamed in his mind while his flesh burned.
The impact shook the foundations of the deck. Rumbling boards broke underneath them.
The airship split into stone as it smashed into the mountain below, wood spraying everywhere. The mast cracked and toppled over, and the wheel tore free of Ordopha’s grip. Pieces of the ship broke off, grinding into the ground and flinging boulders upon the deck. Matthew let Castor roar as falling rocks buried them completely.
The wood bent and shattered. Shouts rocketed around Jason’s ears. Groans creaked in every direction. One of the women lost her grip on the post and tumbled through the twisting ship. He reached out and clasped her close. Pollux raged as boards slammed against his body.
The large vessel shook, throwing everybody about like spare change in the washer. Some of the swords and spears stored below flew loose and crashed into wood and bodies. The bottom of the ship squeaked, sending stone up from the opening below.
Finally, their momentum gave, and they stopped. The sudden change in speed caused everyone in the hold to fall over each other.
Jason landed on top of the girl, his arms on either side of her head and his knees just missing striking her. She looked up at him. He let out a breath as Pollux’s power faded.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
She looked at him with watering brown eyes and nodded.
He helped her up and scanned the ship interior. A large hole punctured the rear and mist flooded the insides. They were all lucky to be alive. Ordopha had saved them.
Realization dawned on him—where was Ordopha? Matthew and Alain were also gone.
Jason ran out of the open hole in the ship, stumbling over the destroyed ship parts every third step or so. He could see no signs of anyone in the fog.
Bangs like hammers
against steel rang off miles behind them. Just as quickly as the pounding arrived, it ceased. Was it something hitting the ground? Was it Matthew?
“Hey!” he yelled out into the wide expanse. “Matthew! Are you there?”
His voice bounced around the jagged coves and sloping ledges of the gorge. No matter how many times he called out the mist absorbed his exclamations. Had he lost his last link to Earth?
A soft airy patch of wind floated twenty feet above him and swam downward. It drifted toward him like smoke from an upside down flame. The intangible form broke up and solidified into three solid shapes inches from the ground. The trio gasped for air.
Matthew and Alain landed feet first on the dirt. The latter’s bulging eyes and hard breathing betrayed his attempt at a cool posture. Ordopha clung to Matthew’s shoulder, shivering.
“I—what,” she stuttered. “Matthew, was that Castor?”
She stared him in the eyes a moment too long before glancing away. Alain coughed and groaned, shaking his head. Matthew let the two of them pull away before he answered.
“It was the only way to be sure the two of you weren’t smashed into pieces.” He gestured to the broken remains of the vessel behind Jason. “Turns out that it was a good decision.”
Alain rubbed his watering eyes. “How did you transform with us?”
“I don’t know, but it works with my clothes and weapons so I thought it would work here. But if you two went down to the hold, I might not have needed to do it. Is everyone okay, Jason?”
The boy slowly began to speak, but Alain ignored him.
“Someone had to make sure we landed safely,” Ordopha’s brother replied. “None of us understood how to use the ship.”
“Ordopha, when did you learn that the magic was going to leave the flight crystal? That’s what happened, isn’t it?”
Her attention focused on the ship behind Jason, she took a moment to reply.
“I apologize, Matthew. I only suspected it when we began to lose height. We were told Lord Nieto’s magic covered these entire mountains. It appears that is a lie.”
“You are the only one of us that learned to pilot one of these,” Alain said. “How did you not know the limitations of the craft?”
“I have never once heard of any!”
“That might be why they let us take it,” Matthew mumbled.
“Why are you here?” she asked. “You were to return home. This is not your concern.”
He grunted. “And yet, here we are. Now we need to find a new way back to get the bomb out of the both of us.”
“Just you. There is no bomb in me.” They stared blankly at him as he explained what Marguerite had said. “We have her in the ship, though. We can make her tell us anything.”
“That witch.” Matthew rubbed his knuckles. “What’s her game?”
Alain shrugged. “A monster is a monster.”
“Do you suppose she let us take that ship?” Ordopha asked. “But then, why take us out of her comfort zone?”
“Are you three done yet?” Jason interrupted. “Either way, we’re out of the city. Drop it.”
“You’re right.” Matthew clapped a hand on Ordopha’s shoulder. “Good flying. Just be sure to work on your landings for next time.”
The four returned to the ship where two of the prisoners met them at the opening.
“Case is dead,” one of the men said. “Rubble buried him while he tried to protect Jules. Please help me bury him.”
Jason’s throat dried instantly. Case? The large warrior who saved his life? He didn’t even stop to consider Case as they crashed. Now all he could see in his mind was the goofy grin on the bearded man’s face. And he was gone.
“I’ll help.”
Matthew yelped. His body became smoke and snapped forward. His smoky form blew into Jason, making them one being again.
“Sorry,” he said. “I guess there’s a time limit to be separated.”
“That’s not good.”
Alain jumped. “What happened to Matthew?”
“Inside my head,” Jason replied. He put up a hand for concentration. They apparently couldn’t hear Matthew inside his mind. “You’re scaring them, Matthew.”
“I can’t get out again. Looks like it takes energy to be separate. I’m tapped out.”
“Forget it. Alright, I’m ready.”
The two younger warriors entered the broken ship where the survivors all crowded around Case. He lay face up with a flat expression. Broken barrels and shattered blades lay all around the split floor, some stained with Case’s blood. Jason had not even seen the carnage inside before running out to find Matthew. They truly were all lucky to be alive. All except for Case.
The mangled look on the larger warrior’s face drove a knife into his heart. Jason held back his grimace as he watched the corpse. Not only did they have to bury him, but they also had to leave as soon as possible. He could not rest. He could not reflect on his deeds.
Did they come so far from the castle to die before nightfall? Perhaps Case was the lucky one after all. Jason fought off the notion as he moved to bury the dead.
They scrounged around for supplies in total silence for nearly an hour. Matthew tried not to think about the reason, though he could figure it out even inside Jason’s head.
The diggers piled rocks and loose dirt on Case. The prisoners said a few prayers to the God of the Land Beyond Sunsets. They mentioned something offhand about the body crumbling back into the Earth. Did their corpses not rot? He couldn’t find a way to ask. Not one of them had a bad word to say about their fallen friend and a few let tears flow. Matthew had never understood this sort of thing.
Matthew had left home long ago. He’d been alone since. No one ever bothered him, and he had no inclination to bother them. He lived in a city where his life could end at any moment, so why worry about it? But as he looked at Bran and Jules pile dirt onto Case’s body, he began to do just that. Eventually, he would be just like Case. He might even be there before sunset. Without knowing why he suddenly had the urge to see his parents again.
But that could never happen.
When they finished and too much time had passed he decided to cut in on the awkward quiet. Something lurked nearby. What it was he couldn’t be sure, but a vague feeling swelled inside him. He whispered his concern into Jason’s mind.
“What was that?” the boy mumbled.
“You haven’t noticed it? The atmosphere is heavy.”
“It’s pretty foggy.”
“No, I mean that the longer we’ve been here, the more I’m sure something’s approaching. Don’t you feel it?”
“No,” Jason replied. “But I also haven’t been listening. Bit busy here.”
“Ask Marguerite if she knows anything about what’s out here.”
Marguerite sat beside her guards, bound with chains. She kept an eye on the grievers. She remained quiet the entire service, not even shivering from the cold.
She looked up from her torn dress at Jason’s approach. The corners of her mouth began to upturn.
“What’s out there, Marguerite?”
“Why should I say? That silly girl brought us out of the range of Lord Nieto’s magic and nearly killed me. Whatever is out here is beyond His power.”
“I didn’t ask that.” Jason concealed his disgust behind his warbling voice. The anger shook Matthew from inside the boy’s head. “I asked what you left out here to catch people like us.”
“We left nothing in this wasteland. There is plenty to catch mice without the need to send cats.”
“Lying isn’t doing you any favors. Spill what you know.”
“I owe you nothing, Jason. You owe me some respect, even if I am your prisoner. I am still a lady, and I gave you that bracelet you currently threaten me with.”
“You also put a bomb in Matthew. Tell us how to disarm it.”
“He has about a week left. Do not worry. Might I remind you that I didn’t put one in you?”
“W
hat else is out here that would stop us? Didn’t you say something earlier in the castle about frogs getting in?”
Her lip trembled for only a second. Jason seized on the pause.
“Are there frogmen out here? Are they working for your king? Come on. This Nieto can’t be worth dying for.”
He bit the inside of his cheek as his fists balled. Matthew understood his anger. She was responsible for this entire situation and still insisted on messing with them. Jason’s trembling arm pulled back.
Before he did something stupid, hands grabbed his shoulder.
Alain’s eyebrow raised as his hold tightened. “Are you aware of whom this woman is?”
“Marguerite Stohl,” he growled out. “One of the pawns who brought us here.”
“No. This is Queen Shaula, wife of the Great Sorcerer King. We require her alive in case of bargaining, but that is all she is worth to us, and she knows it. Do not expect to get any worthwhile answers from her.”
Jason stuttered. Matthew also found it difficult to fully comprehend. Why was she on Earth if she was more than a secretary? He asked Jason to ask his question.
She answered with a shrug. “This is a project I have more than a little investment in. And I am one of the few with enough power to keep even holders of the Gemini Bracelets at bay.”
“Not without your magic,” Jason said. “You’re as weak as a newborn pup.”
“I suppose I am.” Her smile remained.
“Forget her, Jason. I saw ridges above this embankment when we fell from the ship. We should look for shelter before dark. If there is something out here, we don’t want to meet it.”
“I don’t know, Matthew. Everyone’s still out of it from Case’s funeral.”
“We’re pretty dry on energy right now. Getting into a scuffle now is a bad idea.”
Jason thought for a minute then nodded. “What’s your suggestion?”
“There’s a better path some ways back. Less chance of being found.”
“That’s as good a plan as any.”
“Are you speaking to Mr. White?” Shaula asked. “Can you ask him how he escaped the cell? I am curious about that.”
