by Jason Kent
"He's not getting far!" Kate shouted to Sparrow.
The sprite turned and saw what Kate meant.
"Garrett!" Sparrow shouted. She tried to untangle herself from Kate.
Garrett pulled himself up and took in the steel rope as it played out. He raised his bow but the line reached its end before he could fire. The cable pulled tight and airship shuddered. The rake screamed out into the darkness.
"Coming back!" Kate shouted and scrambled to her feet.
Merrick appeared in the mist accompanied by Ross and Georges.
Kate was relieved to see they were all right. She felt a pang as she realized the earlier scream must have come from Captain Paavo. Unfortunately, now was not the time to mourn. The survivors opened fire at once.
Subjected to yet another bout of withering fire, the rake finally decided it had its fill of airships and humans. It arched its back and turned away from the damaged Katrin. As the skyrake put more distance between itself and its tormentors, the harpoon cable pulled taut with a loud twang.
"Get back!" Sparrow shouted.
The cleat holding the ship-end of the harpoon cable snapped free. It whipped through the night air. Trailing along behind the rake, the cable twisted away from the upper deck. And right into the airship's broad starboard propeller.
Kate gasped as the steel cable was caught by the spinning blades. The cable twirled around the prop and pulled the rake inexorably toward the propeller. Kate turned, unable to watch. She could hear the rake pump its wings as it thrashed and attempted to break free. But the beast's fate had been sealed when she fired.
The airship rocked as the giant rake and massive propeller collided. A brief screech of stressed metal joined the scream of the rake then all fell silent. Kate looked over the side. The propeller blades were sheared off and the prop drive was jammed with coils of the steel rope. Kate did not clearly see what was left of the rake before the dark shape of its body disappeared into the mists hugging the ship.
"Someone's about to get a big surprise down there," Ross remarked.
Georges looked at each of them and did a quick head count. A sound behind them caused him to spin around. He raised his rifle, ready to fire, but stopped short when Andrea came out from behind one of the ventilation ducts nearby.
"Is it gone?" Andrea asked, her voice quavering.
"Thanks to Kate," Georges admitted and lowered his gun. He looked back at the ruined propeller. "Let's check with Dagger and see how badly the airship is damaged."
Kate looked up. The gas bags hissed as helium leaked from shredded bladders. She hurried after Georges, glad to find Merrick at her side.
"Whatever we do, we'd better do it fast," Kate murmured.
Jonte's eyes flew open and he grunted in pain. He wanted to scream but dared not, afraid to draw the attention of any of the other Watchers. Until he could determine which of them was complacent in Knowl's betrayal, Jonte would keep his investigations closely held. A stabbing pain shot through his arm and detoured his train of thought.
The Watcher grabbed his shoulder and gritted his teeth. The pain was nearly unbearable. He fell back onto the chaise lounge set near the middle of his meditation cell and curled into a near fetal position. He was surprised by the tears which sprang to his eyes. Jonte's mind reeled. What could cause such agony? Then he had it.
"The skyrake," Jonte hissed.
As one of the Select, Jonte shared an open mind with the intelligence of the great being Knowl. Knowl's abilities seemed to know no boundaries as it plumbed details of the past, cast an all-seeing eye on the present and offered glimpses into the future. Jonte explored many threads of consciousness and delved perhaps further along less traveled paths then his brothers. Normally, the Watchers gained knowledge by tapping into experiences as witnessed by others. Theirs was a third hand view of events and likely occurrences. They were voyeurs to the past, present and future. The Select interpreted these events and guided the Tallinn people to ever greater glory. Jonte was not content with his observer status though. He needed to find another way to take a part in events.
What Jonte did was not forbidden; at least not specifically. He kept his excursions into the minds of other sentient beings to himself. Jonte figured Knowl was aware of what he was doing, but the great tree had not made any move to stop him. After all, was this not what Knowl did to gain its insight? Pull the thoughts of billions of beings together and synthesize what it learned into a broad, coherent story across space and time? The other Watchers treated such 'intrusions' as taboo and avoided them. Instead the others relied on Knowl to act as a sort of filter between their minds and the actual observers of an event. Jonte grew tired of watching. He wanted control.
Jonte craved power over the situations he observed. It did not take him long to realize he could occupy the minds of those he was linked to in the present. A little experimentation taught him how to not only link but take over a mind, to impose his will and inject his desires into another being. It was exhilarating and he felt like a god every time he performed the feat.
The skyrake was his first attempt to use another being as a tool to do his will. He had to stop the Earthlings from reaching Knowl. Jonte was not sure if they would be the ones to attempt the fiery destruction of Knowl he glimpsed in earlier visions. Originally, he planned to capture and interrogate the rebels. But, they were now on the same planet as Knowl. How they found their way here, Jonte did not know. The very existence of Knowl was one of the most closely held secrets of the Tallinn. They were too close. Now, Jonte simply wanted them dead.
Jonte looked down at his arm. He had been linked to the skyrake when the harpoon buried itself in the creature's hide. Jonte sensed the pain and confusion in the animal's mind and decided he had no further use of the beast. Before he broke the link, the skyrake had been pulled into the airship's propeller. The skyrake was confused as to what was happening; Jonte did not take the time to help the creature figure it out. The rake's wing was torn off just as the Watcher managed to disengage from the skyrake's lesser mind.
The pain eased a bit as Jonte's mind adjusted to being back in its familiar body. The wing...arm...was still there, whole and healthy. Jonte sat up and flexed his muscles. The limb still ached but the pain had receded to a tolerable throb. He was not sure how long the effects of the mind link would last, he could not compare this experience to anything else he knew of. Jonte pondered what might have happened if he were still joined when the skyrake was killed. He was sure the beast was dead. Either the loss of its wing and blood killed it or the fall to the ground had. He looked at his arm once more and considered himself lucky. He looked around. Perhaps he would have died here in his cell. The Watcher pushed the thought from his mind. He would ponder the matter later. Jonte was not about to ask any of the other Select their opinion on the matter.
He at least managed to damage the airship the rebels were aboard. Of this much he was sure. Jonte sucked in air as his heart beat faster with the thought of shredding the blimp and tearing into the steel shell of the ship. He caught himself. Were these the feelings from the skyrake's mind or his? A thought struck Jonte. Was this why such a joining was not recommended? Could one lose themselves in the primal urges of another creature? Jonte stared down at his claws...hands.
Jonte looked into the mirror and was surprised to find his glowing eyes gazing back at him. He blinked, not sure who he expected to find there. The dark eyes and snout of a skyrake?
The Watcher took a deep breath. Perhaps it would be best if he stuck with more prescribed methods of attaining information from Knowl. He moved to his window and looked out over the expanse of grasslands separating the outer fortress, where his room was located, from Knowl. A mist hung in the low areas but the half-moon at least let him see the dark outline of the great tree where it rose from the center of the field.
The rebels were coming. Jonte had tracked them to the airship after he detected the unusual purchase of the entire passenger compartment from one account. Not unhea
rd of, but very, very odd. A little further exploration revealed the ship called Blade Redeemed grounded nearby. The destination of the airship was a matter of record.
Jonte thought the plan with the skyrake was genius. He planned to intercept the airship and eliminate the threat without revealing what he suspected to be a conspiracy among his own kind. When the immediate threat was removed, Jonte planned to turn his considerable talents to uncovering the traitors in his midst. But, plans change.
Jonte could not sense the rebels directly. He needed to pick up their trail. Again either by following the destruction left in their wake or by some other means. Jonte gazed out into the night at The One.
Knowl knew of the interlopers, Jonte was sure of this. But, whatever the great being knew, it was not sharing everything with the Watchers. At least not this Watcher, Jonte thought.
Jonte curled his hands into fists. He looked down at his fingers and imagined they were the skyrake's claws. He was not going to be happy merely stopping the interlopers, Jonte intended to tear them apart.
Chapter 17
Reboot
Merrick followed Kate to what remained of the airship's bridge. What was left of it anyway since the skyrake had torn the front half of the control room away. He imagined it now lay twisted in an unrecognizable pile of steel and polished brass somewhere in the dark fields far below them. He laid a hand on Kate's shoulder.
"Hold up," the sniper said and pressed ahead of Kate. He had no intention of letting Kate go through any doors before him, even if there were supposed to be a friendlies in there.
Georges, Sparrow and Andrea were already inside the wrecked deckhouse. Merrick turned to Garrett and Ross who stood out on the open deck.
"Each of you take a side," Merrick said. "We don't need any more surprises. Sir, if you would take port side. Ross, stay put." He directed the pilot to his assigned post at the door on the opposite side of the bridge. Merrick should not technically be giving orders to a superior officer, but Garrett did not protest. Neither of them seemed keen to be taken unawares after the fight with the rake. Surviving a viscous fight was Merrick's specialty. Sergeant Ross and Lieutenant Garrett had seen the sniper in action often enough to know if he wanted you to do something, there was a good reason. They did as he asked.
Satisfied their flanks were secure, Merrick stepped halfway through the door, took stock again and motioned Kate inside.
They moved to stand near Dagger. Not too close though, the flooring ended in splintered ends only a half meter in front what was left of the airship's control consoles. Dagger maintained a solid grip on the ship's massive wooden steering wheel. From the way her muscles strained, it was obvious she was having trouble with the controls.
"Having fun?" Dagger called over her shoulder. The comment was aimed at her younger sister, Andrea.
"Yeah," Andrea scowled. "Great vacation, sis."
"How bad is it?" Georges asked.
"Nice," Dagger grunted. "Direct and stupid." Before Georges could reply, Dagger pointed at the broken windows and out into the open night sky. "We're missing half the bridge and I think that skyrake took out one of our propellers. Who got off the lucky shot?" She twisted around and stared at Merrick.
Merrick was holding his rifle across his chest. He used a single finger to point in Kate's direction.
Dagger's eyes narrowed as she looked from Merrick to Kate's face.
"Huh," Dagger grunted. "Good job, Princess." She looked Kate up and down as if appraising her from some new perspective then turned her attention back to the dark sky.
"You're welcome," Kate muttered.
"Touchy," Dagger laughed. "It's just really hard to steer this hog when bits of the ship have been eaten."
"Any idea where we are?" Georges asked.
"Now that's a good question," Dagger snorted. She flung a thumb over her shoulder. "No idea. Should be a chart room back there. See if you can figure it out. I'm taking us lower to get back below the clouds and see if I can spot some landmarks."
"Shouldn't we go up?" Kate interjected. "At least until we figure out where we are. What if we hit a mountain?"
"I would love to gain some altitude," Dagger snorted. "But, in addition to losing a prop, we also seem to be losing buoyancy. The gas chambers, you know, in the big blimp-thing which keeps us from crashing into the ground, seems to have rather inconveniently sprung several leaks. Between losing our lift and not being sure how much longer the rest of the air bags will stay in one piece, I'd rather be closer to the ground than higher up."
"Down it is then," Sparrow said. She turned and headed for the chart room. Kate and Georges followed the revived link sprite. Merrick followed Kate.
The chart room was actually an alcove set into a paneled hallway which led away from the back of the bridge. As the others leaned over the large map tacked down to the plotting table, Kate took a few steps down the corridor and looked in the first door. She found a tidy cabin complete with bed, desk and a washroom. Brass instruments and bound books were secured by sturdy leather straps on the wooden shelves built into the paneled walls.
"Captain's cabin," Merrick said.
Kate jumped.
"Sorry," Merrick apologized. He explained, "A ship's Captain usually has a cabin located near the bridge. He could stay here while he was on duty or if he felt he needed to be closer due to bad weather. Paavo also probably has a more spacious cabin down below."
"It's just steps away," Kate remarked and followed the path Captain Paavo would have taken to get to his bridge with her eyes. "I wonder if Paavo was back here when the rake attacked."
Merrick shook his head. He did not know.
"He was a good man," Kate whispered.
"He died trying to protect his ship and his passengers," Merrick added. "What more can you ask of a Captain."
The sound of papers being shuffled drew Merrick's attention back to the chart table.
"You sure?" Georges asked. He straightened up from the table and looked at Sparrow. Concern etched his face. "I'm not sure we can navigate this airship so far."
Merrick looked over the Colonel's shoulder as Sparrow tossed a grease pencil into a basket secured to the edge of the table. She had updated their position from the last marks left by the now-departed crew.
"Save us a lot of time to stay aloft," Sparrow suggested. "Even if we land now and look for another ride, I'm not sure we have the time."
"If you're right, we'd need to fly over four hundred klicks," Georges replied. He looked down the hall and past Dagger. Since she dropped the airship below the cloud deck, an inky horizon was just visible through the destroyed front of the bridge. "Do you think we can hold this thing together for that long?"
"We have to make it work," Sparrow insisted.
"Kaali," Kate announced and jabbed her finger on the spot where Sparrow's greased arrow pointed. "We need to get to Knowl before the Fleet arrives."
"Why not just level the entire area?" Sparrow asked. "End of story. We head back to the Blade and get out of here."
"Only if they hit the right tree," Georges said.
Merrick did not offer his opinion. His eyes met Kate's and held them. Hers glowed with the strange inner light which had been with her ever since they escaped from the ironclad. Kate's eyes flared suddenly. Merrick knew this meant she received some insight from the being called Knowl. Merrick nodded to Kate to encourage her. If she was getting some critical intel from the big tree himself, now was the time to share.
Kate cleared her throat. Georges and Sparrow turned to face her.
"We need to get to Knowl before anyone does anything."
"Getting closer would allow us to identify the appropriate coordinates," Georges said. "Then we could call in the bombardment."
"Not just close," Kate clarified. "There with him."
"Close alright," Sparrow mumbled.
"And what happens when we cozy up to Knowl?" Georges asked.
Kate looked from Georges to Sparrow.
"I
don't know."
Georges nodded slowly and looked back at the map. Merrick knew by now the Colonel was used to getting only enough data to allow them to determine the quest's next move. Merrick also knew Georges did not like operating under such conditions. But, when the only other option was to turn tail and run, Georges went with what information at hand.
"Okay," Georges announced. "Let's see what we can do to keep this tub afloat. It's our best chance of getting there with our time constraint."
"We need a way to navigate," Sparrow said.
Everyone looked around the chartroom to no avail.
"I think the rake took care of our compass," Sparrow sighed and gestured out at the wrecked bridge. "And I don't see any back-ups."
"Wait!" Kate exclaimed. She rushed down the corridor to Paavo's watch quarters.
Merrick took long steps to keep her in sight. He was beginning to understand protecting Kate would not be an easy task as she tended to go off on her own like this quite a lot. If only he could have the insight of a Watcher to keep up with her. He found Kate standing on the Captain's neatly made bed. She wrestled with the strap on the top shelf and freed one of the brass contraptions. Kate held the shiny brass object up for Merrick to see.
"I think our Captain has visited Transom Station," Kate beamed.
The gyronav clicked and spun in her grasp as it adjusted to its new position in Kate's hand.
Merrick scratched his head and gave a rare smile.
Sparrow looked in through the door and spotted the gleaming gyronav in Kate's hand.
"That'll work!" Sparrow exclaimed.
They were able to keep the airship aloft through a combination of Dagger's flying skills and Sparrow's intimate knowledge of the engine room controls. Dagger's contribution came as no surprise to Merrick. Garrett spotted her for a few hours but Dagger insisted on flying the airship whenever she was on the shattered bridge. Sparrow's miraculous work in the engine room was another matter.
