The view in her mirror changed sharply and she looked up to see that the entire tail of the plane had torn free leaving only a ragged ring of melted metal around the cabin just behind the hatch. Lorenzo hung limp, his arm still caught on the rail, his face turned down toward the clear view of the sea below, and the deck of the warship beneath them.
Taziri slammed the yoke down and the Halcyon gently, ever so gently, nosed over and leveled out, gliding on wings clinging to their last bolts and rivets. The engine sputtered and coughed, the pistons misfiring and stuttering as they gasped for fuel. Her feet rested on loose and useless pedals no longer connected to the tail of the plane, which was falling back to earth in a blazing comet of molten steel.
She eased the plane down a bit and felt the wings bite into the wind and the Halcyon began to glide. The engine banged once and fell silent.
The distant chatter and thunder of the warship’s guns reverberated distantly through the air. Taziri held the yoke very still as she craned her neck to see the ship far below and behind them. The remains of the Halcyon ’s tail had transformed into a bright glowing fist and it punched down into the warship’s deck with a thunderous boom. Men screamed and steel screamed. A column of black smoke rose from the jagged hole in the deck.
We did it. We got them. It’s over. We’re safe. Menna’s safe.
She clung to the yoke and sat rigidly in her seat, fighting to keep the Halcyon as level as possible. The whole airframe shuddered and rattled. With the engine no longer belching heat back into the cabin, the cold quickly seeped into her seat and back and neck. She shivered, but she didn’t dare let go the controls to put on her flight goggles.
They were falling slowly but steadily. She held still and focused on breathing and watching the coastline get closer and closer.
We’re not going to make it.
The Halcyon coasted down and she planted the pontoons on the foaming waves. The plane skipped and shook over the water and then plowed into a sudden halt. For the first moment, she just sat in her seat and felt the plane rocking around her. Then she pried her hands off the yoke and stumbled back to the remains of the hatch. The twisted wreckage of the missing tail had already cooled and dimmed to a smeary ring of black and gray. She knelt beside Lorenzo and slipped his arm free of the rail and rolled him onto his back.
One bullet had grazed the side of head. A second had punched through his right thigh. The floor was sticky with his blood.
She cradled his head in her lap. “I’m sorry.”
His eyes fluttered open. “Me too. This hurts. A lot.” He tried to smile.
She peered at the wound in his leg. “It doesn’t look too bad. Missed the artery.” Taziri gently pulled his long black hair out of his face. “Your wife was right about you.”
“She usually is. About what, this time?”
“That you’re very, very lucky.”
Day Eleven
Chapter 30. Lorenzo
Sunlight streamed through the open window with a fresh breeze that smelled faintly of roses and sea salt. It was a bright, airy room with tiled walls painted yellow and orange. The bed was soft and the pillow softer. Lorenzo explored the bandages on his head and then around his hip. As far as he could tell he still had all of his fingers and toes, and that was a good start.
Down past his feet he saw a woman sleeping in an old leather chair. He smiled. “Hello, captain.”
Taziri woke slowly, blinking and yawning. She smiled back. “Hello yourself.”
“How long have I been here?”
“A day or so.”
He grimaced. Qhora. “What happened?”
“There was a lighthouse nearby. The keeper saw the whole thing and telegraphed the authorities in Tingis.”
“Telegraph.” Lorenzo shook his head. “I’m starting to think we could really use one of those in Espana.”
“You’ll want at least two, I think. Anyway, there was a whole armada of cruisers and rescue ships out there in less than an hour.” Taziri stood and stretched in front of the window. “One of the coast guard boats picked us up and brought you back here to the hospital. You’re fine, by the way.”
“Good to know,” he said. “And the warship?”
“It took most of the day and night, but it sank right where we hit it. Deep water, apparently. The stone burned right through every deck and destroyed the engines and left a string of breaches straight through the whole ship. They couldn’t seal off the leaks, so they abandoned ship. Some made it back to Espana on their own. The others were picked up and they’re being questioned down in the harbor.” She dragged her chair over to his bed and sat beside him. “How do you feel?”
“Alive.” Lorenzo exhaled and felt the slight ache in his side under the bandages. He glanced over at her, wondering what was different about her. “You showered, didn’t you?”
She smiled and nodded. “Second thing I did after I got home.”
“And the first?”
“My husband.”
He laughed. “Well, you look beautiful.”
She blushed.
“Well, you do. I feel safe saying so since my wife is in another country and probably can’t hear me.” He sat up a little higher. “I suppose the skyfire stone is gone forever now.”
“It may be at the bottom of the Strait, but it’s not gone. There’s a strange warm current running through those waters now. And there’s a rumor that fully cooked fish are washing up on shore. It’s attracted quite a few picnickers and should be a very profitable new tourist destination by the time spring comes around.” Taziri grinned.
“Well, it’s nice to know something good came of it all,” he said dryly. “After all that running and fighting and worrying and dying over that stupid rock, all that trouble, and now it’s just gone. Just like that.”
“It did stop a war, you know. That’s something. It probably saved my family and everyone else in Tingis at the very least.”
He nodded. He tried to feel good about that.
Thousands of lives saved. That’s a good thing. But still, that stone might have made a difference in Espana for generations. It could have been placed in the canals under some poor city and brought heat and life to an entire province. It could have become a limitless font of wisdom if I could have learned to speak to the souls resting inside it.
Who knows what good might have come from it? And what did I do? I threw it into the ocean.
Lorenzo reached up to wrap his fingers around the triquetra medallion on his chest. “Sorry, sister. I…I’m sorry.”
The image of the dead nun appeared by the foot of the bed. It was not the swirling, vaporous shape of a ghost, no dim shade outlined in silvery aether. Ariel looked quite sharp and distinct in her ancient robe and hood, but discolored and transparent like a reflection in a dark window. She nodded and smiled. “I’m sorry, too. But you’re still alive, Lorenzo, and I think the world needs you more than that rock right now. It’ll be all right. You just need to have a little faith.” She bowed her head and faded away.
Lorenzo glanced at Taziri. “You didn’t see or hear any of that, did you?”
She frowned. “Any of what?”
“Nothing, never mind. Oh! Have you heard from your friends yet? The other officers who went south from Madrid, did they ever make it out of the country or do we need to round up a search party for them?”
Taziri’s face darkened. “They did show up last night. They hired a fisherman to sail them across the Strait from Malaga.”
He smiled. “Well, there’s some good news. They’re all fine?”
“The Italian woman, Nicola, is fine and my lieutenant, Kenan, is fine. But Major Zidane didn’t make it.”
Lorenzo bowed his head and made the sign of the triquetra. “I’m so sorry. What happened to him?”
“I don’t know. They’re debriefing Kenan and there’ll be an investigation.” She waved toward the window. “There’ll be a mountain of paperwork and headaches to deal with. Isoke almost cried when w
e dragged the Halcyon up onto the airfield.”
“I take it this Isoke built the Halcyon?” He nodded. “Please offer her my sincerest condolences. It was a magnificent machine. It saved us all.”
“I guess so.” She leaned her cheek on her hand. “You’ll probably be out of here in a few days. Will you still go to see Prince Valero?”
“Absolutely. Someone has to speak for all the people who nearly died here, and it needs to be one of us, not one of you. If men like Magellan continue to control our country, then it won’t be long before this all happens again.” Lorenzo squeezed his medallion and felt the unnatural warmth of the metal against his skin. “The wars in the New World almost destroyed Espana. We lost so much. Men, ships, wealth. God only knows how Magellan found the money to build that monstrosity of his.”
“Just be grateful he didn’t think to armor it against super-heated meteorites.” Taziri smiled. “You know, we’ll need to come up with a name for this new metal of yours. Perhaps espanium? Or maybe lorenzium?”
He laughed. “Dear God, I hope not. I’m sure the scientists will come up with something a little less ghastly.”
“What about aetherium?”
Lorenzo nodded. “Why not? That sounds genuine enough, and it won’t bring any of your tourists to my house for autographs.” He turned his medallion over to look at the discolored patch along the bottom edge. “There’s a legend about something like this. In ancient times there was a magical metal called orichalcum, a reddish gold more precious than any gem. I wonder if this is what they were talking about?”
“Could be.”
“You know, the city of Tartessos is built on the ruins of another, older city. The old city of Atlantia was destroyed so long ago that no one remembers why. There are a dozen different stories about earthquakes and tidal waves and fires.” He held up the medallion to the light. “You don’t suppose the entire city was destroyed by a lump of aetherium, do you?”
“Entirely possible. A magic metal that falls from the sky? I’ll bet every place in the world has a myth or legend about this stuff.”
“You’re probably right.” Lorenzo’s smile faded into a frown. “You’re right. If this aetherium has been falling from the sky all over the world as far as the Incan Empire, then there should be stories about it. It should be known. It should even be common. But it isn’t. It’s a myth, barely even a memory. Why is that? Does it all end up lost or destroyed like the skyfire stone? I mean, where has all the aetherium gone?”
Taziri raised an eyebrow. “I think that’s a question for another day. Get some rest. I’ll be back in a little while and we’ll write a little note to your wife. A friend of mine volunteered to fly up to Madrid to deliver your mail for you.”
“You have another plane?”
“No, just a good old-fashioned airship.” Taziri smiled.
“That sounds lovely. Thank you. And can you do me a favor?”
“Name it.”
“Go give that daughter of yours a hug from me. And tell her I’m sorry I kept her mother away for so long.”
Epilogue: Taziri
“What?” the Marshal General muttered to the colonel next to her. “No, we’re not going to wait for her again. I want to get out of here on time for once. Are you ready? Fine. Let’s just start.” She cleared her throat and projected her voice across the room. “I hereby call to order this hearing to review the events of investigation 1875-F-08. Captain Taziri Ohana?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Taziri nodded from her seat. On her left, Kenan sat with his hands folded in his lap and a dark frown troubling his face. On her right, Major Isoke Geroubi sat rifling through her papers, reading them carefully with her one good eye, the one that had survived the fire. Someone had said once that the scar would look dangerous and sexy, but Taziri couldn’t quite see the allure of her friend’s eye patch. “I’ve reviewed the case files to date.”
“Yes. I have here your request for certain information regarding Major Zidane. You understand of course that I cannot release that information to you in writing, but I can provide you with some answers here today, behind closed doors.” The general leaned back in her seat and poked one of the stems of her gold-rimmed glasses into the corner of her mouth. “Let’s just walk through the events of last month and try to fill in the gaps as we go. Now, we know that Lieutenant Agyeman was flying the Halcyon when you arrived over Valencia. You then took the controls when you sighted the Espani warship, Arkangel. This panel agrees with your decision to inspect the ship and to report it to us on your return to Tingis. Were you still in control of the aircraft when it was fired upon, captain?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“But you were unable to avoid the ship’s fire. You then succeeded in landing safely away from Valencia, disabling the aircraft against capture, and leading your passengers to a safe location with a Mister Lorenzo Quesada.”
“ Don Lorenzo, general.”
“Mm hm. You did this over the objections of Major Zidane. Also a good decision on your part. However, it’s at this point that the story falls apart for us, captain. While the major and Lieutenant Agyeman proceeded south to alert us to the danger of the warship, you led your passengers several hundred miles farther north to assist Mister Quesada in his search for a religious artifact. Is that correct?”
Taziri took a slow breath to collect her thoughts. “Yes, ma’am. Major Zidane, Don Lorenzo, and I were in agreement that the Espani military would pursue us with the intent to arrest, interrogate, and possibly execute us as spies. With no other assets or options, I agreed to accompany Don Lorenzo to Zaragoza where we hoped the remote location would prevent our capture. It was certainly not an ideal course of action, but at the time it did seem safest for our passengers.” She frowned. I hate talking like that. I sound like a damn machine.
“And you were pursued by an agent of the Espani military, so it would seem your concerns were justified. But you then left Zaragoza, with your passengers, and spent several days climbing through the Pyrenees Mountains where two of your passengers, a Mister Dante Aligeri and a Miss Shahera Zahd, were killed by the military agent.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And that occurred while you and Mister Quesada were, quote, fighting a pair of giant hairy ape-men, unquote.”
Taziri nodded.
“And then you pursued the military agent back to Valencia where you recovered the Halcyon with the assistance of Mister Quesada’s wife, while Mister Quesada recovered his religious artifact from the agent.”
“I thought it was my duty to ensure that the military did not acquire the artifact, which appeared to have military applications.”
“And that was your professional assessment of the object, as an engineer?”
“It was.”
Major Geroubi looked up. “From the evidence collected, I agree with the captain’s assessment about the object. The so-called skyfire stone.”
The general squinted up at them and glanced back down at her papers. “At any rate, you then proceeded south to Tingis. The events that followed in the Strait are not in dispute, there being hundreds of eyewitness accounts on file. Now, regarding Major Zidane. Lieutenant Agyeman?”
Kenan cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am?”
“When you discovered the Arkangel near Gibraltar, the major swam to the ship by himself to attempt to disable the vessel, according to your report. This panel is well aware of the major’s service record and we have no difficulty believing that the major would attempt such a thing, regardless of the possibility of success.”
Kenan smirked and shook his head.
“You also stated that you disabled several navigational buoys around Gibraltar in the hopes that the Arkangel might be damaged by running aground.”
“That’s right. I mean yes, ma’am.”
“And the next morning, the Arkangel proceeded south from Gibraltar toward the Mazigh coast at flank speed, crashing through several commercial fishing vessels and freighters before being destroy
ed by Mister Quesada’s so-called artifact. We’ve had several officers from the Arkangel testify that Major Zidane did indeed board the warship and enter the engine room, but he only managed to damage a single control panel before he was subdued and incarcerated. One of the engineers has stated that shortly after the Arkangel set sail, it accelerated out of control, but no one has offered an explanation for why that happened. And in the confusion as the ship was sinking, apparently Major Zidane was left in his cell, and drowned.”
Kenan shrugged. “From my boat, I observed the Arkangel leaving its anchorage. I saw it run through the shallows and breach its hull on the rocks, per my design. I believe that the crew realized that the ship had only a short time before it sank, and so they set out across the Strait at full speed in the hopes of using their weapon before it was rendered useless. The fact that they crashed straight through those other boats tells me that the damage to the hull may have impaired their ability to steer the ship as well. I also believe, from studying the Arkangel ’s course, that it was incapable of turning fully west toward Tingis and that it would have run aground had it not been destroyed by Captain Ohana and the…artifact.”
The general leaned back. “Captain Ohana, your opinion?”
Taziri cleared her throat. “Ma’am, I have no doubt that Kenan disabled the buoys, and it is possible, however unlikely, that the Arkangel was seriously damaged while leaving its anchorage. But from what I observed in the Strait, I believe the Arkangel suffered a critical systems failure. Something very specific, something internal. If Major Zidane did damage one system before he was captured, I would guess it was something minor. Something no one thought to check before setting sail. Something like an oil pump. Without oil, any number of gears or drives could have overheated, locked, and shattered. That could have caused the ship to accelerate out of control and impaired their ability to steer.” She saw Kenan staring at her.
The general nodded. “So, you believe Major Zidane succeeded in crippling the ship, which led to its destruction, or would have led to its destruction had you not intervened.”
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