“We do need your help,” Genevieve said. “To contact the Templars.”
I slung my bag over my shoulder and took her hand. “We’re going to the Vimana, if they capture us, we’ll be fine because Hendrix has some fascination with me and Genevieve’s parents are there, but anyone else might get killed. We can’t risk it.” I squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. “Please help the crew contact our allies.”
She nodded.
Genevieve came over and stood next to me. “And explain to Indihar why we left without him. You’re right that he will not like this.”
“I don’t like it either,” Lianhua said. “But I understand. I will stay with the Sparrowhawk.”
“Thank you.” I turned to Genevieve. “We still have to tell the captain, and he’s really not going to like this.”
We rushed up to the bridge. Everyone stood by the windows staring at the dragon, except Heinz, but he kept glancing over even as he tried to keep his attention on the controls.
The captain turned as we hurried in. “Oh, no. What do you think you two are doing?”
“We’re going after my father,” Genevieve said.
“What the hell did you just say?” The captain brushed back his jacket and planted his hands on his hips.
“The dragon agreed to take us to the Vimana,” I said. “Once we’re gone, you can stop and send word to the Templars, then come after us.”
“Are you both—”
“Insane? Maybe. But the dragon can get through their defenses; the Sparrowhawk can’t.”
“I really hate when you two make sense.” The captain shook his head. “Get out of here before I come to my senses.”
Genevieve and I ran off, once at the cargo door, I waved to the dragon, and Āgō āṁdhī tipped its wing so it almost touched the Sparrowhawk. We jumped on and climbed up onto its back. The dragon craned its neck back toward us and said, “Settle down between my shoulders. And... hold on.”
We grabbed hold of one of its spiny horns, and the dragon soared off from the Sparrowhawk, and within a few beats of its wings, the aero-dirigible was a dot on the horizon behind us. I pulled my goggles down and looked at Genevieve who had grabbed a pair before we left. The wind was too strong to talk so I held up my thumb. She returned the gesture and smiled.
Her hair whipped around her face, and her jacket pressed against her body. My hair danced over my goggles and all I felt was the constant pressure of the wind on every part that faced forward. I’d never traveled so fast through the air. The exhilaration was intense, if my nerves weren’t screaming how foolish I was, I’d have been screaming for joy. All I could do was hold on and think about what we’d do once we landed on the Vimana.
Āgō āṁdhī checked on us a couple of times. I would raise my hand to let it know we were all right. Then I saw Rodin poke his head out of Genevieve’s jacket. He squinted but reveled in the air on his face. Not me. After a while, the biting cold air felt like daggers dragging across every inch of exposed skin.
Soon the Vimana went from a shiny dot to a huge vessel plowing through the sky. The nimble Dragonship circled the lumbering but powerful flying castle. Huge propellers held it aloft, and its impressive fortifications sent fear slicing through me. As we flew closer, I saw soldiers running to the gun installations. They’d spotted us. The Dragonship rounded around the Vimana to cut off our approach.
I glanced at Genevieve and squeezed her hand. She grabbed me and tension firmed her grip. This was it. In moments we’d either be on the Vimana or realizing what a bad idea this was. Seeing the armed response of the Vimana, I really hoped the dragon wouldn’t be injured, but so far nothing had come close to hurting this majestic creature.
The Dragonship charged and hurled fireballs from its mouth. Āgō āṁdhī shook beneath us, and I started to worry it had been hurt. Then I realized the dragon was laughing. I exhaled and held on as a rumble built up deep within the dragon. More intense than the laughter, this felt like rolling thunder and the dragon vibrated as the energy built up inside. As the Dragonship flew closer, the dragon extended its neck and unleashed a column of fire. The entire Dragonship was engulfed in flames and quickly veered off. Hot waves washed over us, and my skin went from freezing to burning. Āgō āṁdhī dove toward the Vimana.
Cannons and deck guns started firing, filling the air with lead. Shells exploded around us, and shrapnel rained down around us, bouncing off the dragon’s scales. Genevieve and I huddled together hoping one wouldn’t strike us. Āgō āṁdhī banked left and then tilted to the right putting its body between us and most of the attacks.
We were getting closer to the Vimana, but it was still too far to jump safely. As we waited for the perfect moment, I pulled the rope from my bag and tied it around us. Leaning against her I yelled, “When we’re ready, we leap on the count of five.”
“Wait.” She held up a finger. “I have something that will help.” She held up the last of the silk parachutes Mr. Singh had made. We secured it to the tether between us. It would never hold us both, but would slow us down enough so we wouldn’t break our legs.
I patted the dragon’s back. Āgō āṁdhī glanced back and nodded slightly. With a tip of its wing to shield us from view, we stood up, held each other tight, and jumped.
We fell through the air until Genevieve let the parachute go. It billowed out in a whoosh and kept us feet first, but, slowed us only slightly. With a lurch, we crashed onto the wide ledge of one tier of the pyramid and tumbled across the armor plating. The parachute collapsed, but quickly filled with air again and dragged us toward the edge. If we fell, it would be all the way to the ground, so I pulled out my knife and cut the line. The silk fabric whipped out into the sky, but we remained safely on the ledge.
The dragon spun in the air and roared. Āgō āṁdhī turned and flew off as the Dragonship hurled fireballs in its wake. The scene looked as though the dragon was giving up its attack and I hoped that’s how the Golden Circle would see it. Hopefully they believed our ruse. It would give us a chance to slip in and sneak around.
I ached all over but nothing felt broken. “You okay?” I yelled.
“I think so,” Genevieve said.
“Let’s go.” We ran to nearest hatch. A metal door flush with the wall. I peered through the small round window and saw that the corridor was empty. “Here goes,” I said. I yanked up on the handle and we both pulled to pry open a door in the whipping winds. We rushed inside.
Genevieve shut the door and silence enveloped us. The raging wind lay on the other side and I could hear again. She hugged me and whispered in my ear. “We made it!”
I pulled her close and said, “That was unbelievable!”
A muffled squeak escaped between us, and Genevieve pulled back and let the little dragon crawl out of her coat. “Apologies, Rodin.” He climbed up onto her shoulder.
“Let’s find you father,” I said.
She drew her saber and winked. “Agreed, Sky Raider.”
CHAPTER 41
GOLDEN CHAINS
We stood in a corridor that arced along the outer wall of the Vimana. Though the wind outside no longer assaulted my ears, the sound of machinery echoed from every direction. Without a clear idea of where to go, we slipped down the hall, stopping at every junction to check for soldiers. Steel arches formed the corridor with sheet metal floors and walls. We found gun decks and machine gun nests on the outer ring and as we moved inward, we passed crew compartments and other rooms like a galley. Everything was empty.
On one of the middle rings of the level we explored, we found a circular staircase that wound around an elevator shaft. The sound of machinery was louder below us, and we heard voices echoing down from above. I stopped and asked, “Which way; up or down?”
“A dungeon or brig would be down, but I can guarantee the Golden Circle is at the top.”
“Agreed.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “Down there’s less chance of getting caught, but up has answers.”
“T
here is one good bit of news.”
“What?” I asked.
She pointed to a bell and striker mounted on the wall. “If they knew we were here, those would be ringing like crazy.”
“Good point.” I paused. “Let’s go down first. Let’s see everything we can before we go up and get captured.”
“Have faith,” she said. “We have to remain positive.”
“I am, but they have the Hearts, and I’m worried those demonic relics will tell them right where we are.”
“They haven’t yet,” she said. “But I agree, let’s see what this place is all about, and maybe we’ll find a way to defeat it.”
“An excellent idea.” I stepped onto the stairs and we made our way into the depths of the Vimana.
We moved quickly but quietly, trying not to draw any attention. Genevieve moved with her saber at the ready and Rodin clinging to her back with his head peeking over shoulder. I held both Thumpers out ready to smack, or blast, anyone who gave us trouble. When we reached the next level, I saw a series of numbers and letters marking where we were: Lvl 8 / Ring 4 / West.
I pointed to the numbers. “There were five main steps on the outside. Those are probably the rings. West could be which side of the Vimana.”
“If there is more than one level on a ring then that would explain the levels.”
“Now we can navigate,” I said. “Should we keep going down?”
Genevieve nodded and we descended lower into the ship. Two levels down, the walls fell away and revealed wide open spaces with huge support beams. The enormous room held giant generators and magnetic coils around the perimeter. I recognized them from the electromagnet they used to pull the comet down to London. Large cables led to two towers.
I crouched down on the stairs and pointed. “Those must be two of the four towers sticking up out of the pyramid.”
Genevieve knelt beside me. “Look there... in the center. Those are the armors we saw at the factory.”
“There are hundreds of them.” My heart sank as I looked at the rows of metal men. “How are we going to fight an army like that?”
From our perch about fifty feet above the floor, Genevieve pointed out several engineers moving about the machinery. “Let’s go back up. We’re too exposed on the open stairs,” she said.
As we moved around the outside ring of this step, we passed gun decks and realized that every hall could be closed off with thick metal doors. This area was meant for battle. We moved closer to the interior and had to pause several times, ducking into doorways to let small packs of soldiers pass. When we reached the inner-most section, we found two guards at each door.
“We must get in there. Looks like a brig.” I looked around for another way, but saw nothing.
“This way,” Genevieve pointed to a door. We slipped into a small room. “My father always says there are two ways into any place. The obvious way, and the obscured way. We need to find a way they haven’t thought of.”
“Like when I used the drain to get in the hidden palace.” I looked around the room.
“Exactly; or in this case, a shared wall panel.” She felt the inner-most wall and stopped at a seam. “Because the exterior of the palace is armor plated and reinforced to withstand a battle, and they have to carry a heavy payload— all those armors below—the interior can’t be as fortified throughout. Otherwise it would be too heavy to fly. Can I borrow your dagger?”
I pulled my bowie knife from its sheath and handed it over. She wedged it into the seam and worked it back and forth. After a few moments, a gap opened in the panel.
“It’s working!” She squatted and worked the knife into the seam at the bottom of the panel and soon it popped off. With a quick glance to see if anyone was waiting for us on the other side, she slipped through. I followed right behind her and found myself in a circular corridor with cages equally spaced. Most were empty, but in the center, in a gilded cage obviously meant for special “guests,” Baron Kensington hung from golden chains.
“Father!” Genevieve rushed over and tried to forced open the door. It rattled but didn’t budge.
He looked up and horror filled his face. “What are you doing here?”
“Shhh,” I whispered. I watched for the guards, expecting them to barge in at any moment.
“We came to recue you, of course,” Genevieve said. “Are you hurt?”
He shook his head, but we both knew he was lying. His face was bruised and one eye was swollen shut. From the dazed look in his eyes, he looked drugged.
“We need a key,” I said. “Maybe we could blast one of the guards and—
“The only keys to this cage,” the baron said, “are kept by the Inner Circle. Only one of them can release me.”
“I could try to blast it with my Thumper, but the guards will hear.”
“Do it,” Genevieve said. “I’ll kill anyone who enters.”
“No!” A stern look flashed across the baron’s face. “You’ll be caught and that won’t do anyone any good.”
“Then we will steal a key and come back for you!” Genevieve reached through with both arms trying to hug her father, but she couldn’t reach him.
“It’s too dangerous! You two shouldn’t be here,” the baron croaked, his voice raspy, parched.”
“Zerelda’s dead,” Genevieve said. “Her Heart is destroyed.”
“Good. But that won’t stop them.” He lifted his head but couldn’t keep it up. “I made it a full day running around this place before they caught me.”
“Are there any Sikh on board?” I asked. “We’ll need to free them, too.”
The baron’s head dropped. “Four of us made it onto this Vimana...”
Genevieve gripped the bars. “Are they in another cell block?”
“We were causing some damage to the air fortress when I heard... when they discovered us. He killed the Sikhs and captured me. The rest of Shah’s army is back in the valley, freeing the workers.”
I put my hand on Genevieve’s arm. I was sad for those who had died, but relieved more weren’t going to be whipped into submission by the Golden Circle.
Rodin climbed through the cage and out one of the baron’s arm. He blasted the chains with fire, but only scorched the gold. Rodin tried again, but had to admit defeat and climbed back onto Genevieve.
She tried the cage once again, and it rattled loudly. I pulled her back. “We must go. We’re making too much noise, and he’s right, we can’t get caught.”
She turned and hugged me. Placing her hands against my chest, she pushed back, and stared at me with hate and tears in her eyes. “We are going to get that key!”
I nodded.
She reached back through the bars to touch her father’s face. “We’ll be back soon.”
I took her hand and we slipped back through the wall. I put the panel back into place and stood. Genevieve wiped her eyes and stared at me, “Let’s go find my mother. We’re getting a key!”
CHAPTER 42
THE KEY TO A HEART
Ascending the stairs as quietly as possible, I twitched at every sound in the passageways, and paused with every groan in the metal. Genevieve, however, looked annoyed by my slow pace. She moved with short, quick, harsh movements, and a hardened expression.
We froze as the elevator passed on the other side of the wall. We ascended all the way to the top, but I held us back in the shadows of the staircase. The top level consisted of a round dome with an octagon base. Large curved windows started several feet off the ground and met at the top where a glass covered oculus sat.
The crew worked in a ring about halfway up, while a platform in the center was raised about six feet above the rings. Four sets of stairs, one on each side of the Vimana, led up to the platform. Several chairs were arranged on top, but only Hendrix stood watch over the crew.
“She’s not here,” I whispered. “We should check out the level below this one.”
Genevieve nodded. We slipped down the stairs and exited on the level bel
ow. I looked up and saw the same markings: Lvl 2 / Ring 2 / South.
My heart pounded in my chest as we walked down the corridor. The ring was smaller, but the doors were spaced even further apart. One of these doors might be her mother’s room; but if that was the case, the rest of these rooms belonged to the other members of the Inner Circle. We had to choose the right one.
“These look like bigger rooms, but how do we know which one is hers?” I kept scanning both ahead and behind us.
“Rodin,” Genevieve pulled him off her back and looked at him. “Find my mother.”
Rodin flew off down the corridor and we rushed after him. He circled in front of a door, and we slowly approached. Rodin landed on Genevieve’s shoulder. I tried the handle, but it was locked. Genevieve knocked and stood with hands on her hips. She had a harsh look in her eye, and I was glad I wasn’t the one on the other side of the door.
A soft French voice behind the door said, “What do you want?”
I started to say something, but Genevieve shook her head. She put her finger to her lips. I didn’t know what she was planning, but I got my Thumper ready.
“Didn’t you hear me? What do you want?” I heard the sound of the door latch and the baroness whipped open the door. Genevieve rushed in, pushing her mother back. They tumbled to the ground, but Genevieve recovered and pointed her saber at her mother. I stepped in and closed the door.
“Hello, mother,” Genevieve sneered. “I want your key.”
“How did you get here?” She looked at me and then back at Genevieve. We didn’t answer her. “You shouldn’t have come. Hendrix is angry, very angry, about what happened in the valley. We had to leave early.”
“The key. To my father’s cage. Now!” Genevieve didn’t flinch. “I can’t believe you used me.”
“I wanted you at my side.” Her mother didn’t plead, but spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “The rest was out of my hands.”
“My father doesn’t deserve to be in a cage.” Genevieve’s stern voice and firm hand would have made me talk, but her mother remained calm and collected.
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