by Henry Vogel
“What are you doing, Nist?” I cried. “All that traffic will do is slow us down!”
“Indeed it will, Your Highness. But the Pauline is small and nimble. I can fly through it,” Nist replied. “But those great tubs chasing us will have no chance of keeping up with us inside that tangle of airships. If they try to follow us, we’ll be long gone before they can ever get clear. If they go around, it will give our boiler pressure time to rise.”
Tearing my eyes off of the swirling mass of ships before us, I looked back at our pursuers. Nist was right. One airship swung ponderously to starboard, flying around the knot of traffic. The other ship went to port, giving the ships their best chance of catching us when we got clear of the other airships.
Nist’s hands flew over the Pauline’s controls, guiding our little ship in and out of the much larger ships around us. Shouts and curses rose in our wake as the Pauline skimmed so close to some ships that I could have reached out and touched them.
Tristan approached me. “Highness, Nist has bought us a little breathing space with this move. It would be wise to use that time to plan our course once we’re free of these other airships.”
“You’re right, of course.” Tristan should not have had to remind me. I had let myself get caught up in the excitement of the moment. “Do we even have a choice? Our safest course will be to head for the Mordanian naval squadron north of the city.”
“That would be the safest course for us, Your Highness,” Tristan said.
“But?”
“Is that the course a raider crew would choose? Tristan said. “Especially a crew who had, supposedly, been chased across the desert by that same squadron?”
I smacked myself on the forehead. “No, of course not. What was I thinking?”
I had been thinking like a princess, and that was a real problem. Mistakes like that would get my husband and Martin killed! With David at the forefront of my mind, I forced myself away from proper princess thinking. It was time to start thinking and acting like a criminal!
But what would a raider crew do in this situation? Approached from that point of view, the answer was simple—they’d do whatever it took to get away from the airships chasing them while also avoiding the Mordanian naval squadron.
“Tell Nist to set whatever course he thinks is best for both escaping our pursuers and steering clear of the naval squadron,” I said. “I trust his judgement.”
Tristan grinned. “An excellent idea, Highness. Do you have any idea what we’ll do after we get away?”
“I haven’t got a clue, Tristan,” I replied. “But that doesn’t concern me at all. If I haven’t figured out what we’re doing next, you can bet our enemies will be in deeper darkness than we will.”
As Tristan relayed my command to Nist, I smiled to myself. Tristan had said exactly what I had needed to hear. By letting myself get so wrapped up making plans, I had abandoned my one real strength. It was time to stop planning and start reacting.
“Good instincts are nothing more than your brain working at top speed. Your subconscious mind analyzes situations faster than your conscious mind,” Rob had told me. “Go with your gut, Your Highness. It will serve you well.”
A minute later, we flew clear of the worst of the dockyard traffic. At the same time, our pursuers rounded the knot of airships and closed in on our path from both sides. Nist opened the throttle and the Pauline drove toward the narrowing gap between the airships!
Chapter 16
David
Six guards escorted Martin and me to the cell I shared with Raoul. The guards took yet another circuitous route from the throne room to the dungeon. If nothing else, I had the beginnings of an excellent map of the inhabited part of the tunnels.
At any time during the walk, Martin and I could have taken the six tunnel rats with little trouble. The guards had never seen either of us Boost. They would be counting on their swords and superior numbers, neither of which would be anywhere near as useful against the two of us as they thought. But escape was not my plan—at least, not yet. And either Martin was waiting for me to make the first move or escape wasn’t his immediate plan, either.
He did, however, play the part of a wronged visiting dignitary with convincing outrage.
“I demand to be taken back to King Rat this instant! Before entering this wretched warren of tunnels, I arranged for safe passage to meet with him. I insist he honor that safe passage!”
One of the guards smacked Martin’s back with the flat of his blade. “Watch your tongue, raider! King Rat always honors his deals. You wanted safe passage to His Majesty. You got to your meeting safe and sound. Your deal didn’t say nothing about safe passage away from him!”
“It most certainly did include safe passage out of these tunnels. I was not born yesterday!”
“Like I said, raider, King Rat mostly honors his deals.”
The guards all laughed at this display of tunnel rat humor.
“This is outrageous!” Martin actually sputtered as he spoke. It was an impressive performance. “I am not some low–life beggar to be treated as King Rat pleases! I am—”
“Going to get in that cell and shut up,” the guard said. For emphasis, he prodded Martin with the tip of his sword.
The guards chained Martin and me to the same wall. When the cell door swung shut, blocking the guards’ torch, we were cast into absolute darkness again. Through the door, we heard the guards laughing and mimicking Martin’s outrage as they walked away.
“Well, that was an unexpected development,” Martin said. “Still, I suppose matters could be worse.”
“Who’s that?” Raoul’s sleepy voice came from the darkness. “Rice? Are you back?”
“Yes, Raoul, I’m back.”
“Raoul?” Martin asked.
“Bane? You came to save me, too?” Raoul’s voice cracked with emotion.
“David, why does Raoul think I’m here to rescue him?”
“He thinks I’m here for the same reason. Raoul’s been down here a long time, at least a couple of months.” I shrugged, then realized no one could see it. “I think the darkness and isolation have affected his perception of reality. Knowing Raoul, he’s probably got crazy voices in his head telling him we’re here for him.”
“Doesn’t that just beat all?” Martin said. “Still, I suppose you could call his presence a good omen.”
“Having Raoul inflicted on us is good? This must be some new and hitherto unknown definition of that word.”
“David, surely you watched enough old adventure vids to know you can’t have a dungeon escape without some crazy prisoner tagging along for comic relief.”
“Ha! So you are here to rescue me!”
“Shut up, Raoul,” Martin and I said in unison.
“I watched a lot of adventure vids, Martin. Isn’t the crazy prisoner supposed to know some secret the hero can use to emerge triumphant?”
“Okay, our situation isn’t an exact match with the vids. But that was the best spin I could put on Raoul’s presence on such short notice.” Chains clinked in the darkness as Martin changed positions. “Why didn’t we jump the guards on the trip down here, David?”
“I want our escape to be more awe inspiring. I can’t just clear out of here, I’ve got to make sure King Rat can never terrorize the city–states into doing his bidding again.”
“Okay, I can see the sense in that idea. What’s your plan?”
“Plan isn’t really the word I’d use for it. It’s more of a scheme...”
Chapter 17
Callan
Traffic thinned around us and Nist angled the bow of the Pauline up. The two ships angled their bows up as well. Just as quickly, Nist dropped the bow of our ship, angling down toward the city below. The pursuer to port angled down while the ship to starboard didn’t alter its course. They had our path covered regardless of what angle Nist took. But how were they communicating over such distances?
My gaze was caught by flashes of movement from the sh
ips. Men waved flags on the decks of both of the airships. They must have signals to coordinate their actions. Now that they had our likely paths covered, I wondered what else they might be signaling. Fly faster, me fine lads! It sounded like a line from an air pirate story, so probably not. Dibs on the girl in the veil! That sounded like a line from an air pirate story, too, but it still sent a shiver down my spine! I decided it would be best to stop thinking about the signals.
“Nist,” I called, “are we going to get past those airships before they can cut us off?”
Nist eyed the closing airships for a second or two then shook his head. “No, Your– um, I mean, no ma'am.”
“Back in my room at the palace, I told you I needed a daring pilot, Nist.” I tore my gaze from the converging airships and looked at Nist. “So please tell me you’ve got a daring plan to elude those ships and get us out of the city.”
“Of course he does, Callan.” Tristan’s voice boomed heartily, an adventurous twinkle lighting his eyes. “After all, I taught the lad everything he knows!”
“We’re all going to die!” cried Milo, emerging onto the deck after stoking the boiler.
Tristan struggled to keep a straight face. I laughed, amazed anew at the courage and wit of my companions.
“I do have a plan to get away from those ships and daring doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Nist said over my laughter. “You should all hold on to something.”
I caught one of the stays with one hand and gave a mock salute with the other. “Aye aye, sir!”
“You’ll want to use two hands, ma’am.” Nist never took his eyes from the other two airships.
A smile played across Nist’s face as his hands flew over the Pauline’s controls. My pilot’s face had the faraway look I knew meant he was about to do something that bordered on foolhardy. I grabbed the stay with both hands and then wrapped one leg around it for good measure. A quick look aft showed that Milo and Tristan had done the same.
Our pursuers had changed their courses again, with one ship coming up from below us and the other coming down from above us. The flags no longer flashed and crewmen lined the rails of both ships. We were so close I could see individual crewmen clearly. One scratched his nose. Another leered at me with a toothless grin.
“Nist? Shouldn’t you be doing something?” I tried to keep my voice level, but even I could hear the rising note at the end.
“Almost, ma’am.” Nist adjusted the ailerons and braced himself. “Now!”
He spun the wheel hard to port with one hand and worked the ailerons with the other. The Pauline swung up so sharply our keel brushed the rigging of one of our pursuers! I heard cries as some of the other ship’s airmen were knocked from their perches in that rigging. The remaining crews of the pursuing airships gaped as Nist leveled the Pauline and shoved the throttle wide open. With a roar, our ship surged away from the two ships. Too late, the captains of those ships remembered their courses. In a chorus of cries from the crews, the twang of taut rope snapping, and the crash of splintering wood, the two ships smashed into each other.
My heart raced, adrenaline surged through my veins, and the whole world seemed sharper and more alive. Was this what David felt when he Boosted? I struggled to hold onto the feeling, but it faded as quickly as it had begun.
Milo was the first to regain his voice. “That. Was. Amazing!”
Free of pursuit, we sped toward the edge of the city.
Interlude
David is Thirteen
I pulled my pad out of my pocket and answered the vid call.
“Hi, Art. What’s up?”
“A bunch of us are going over to Steve’s to play some games. He got the new Virt Box for his birthday and he says it’s fusing fantastic.”
That sounded great, more than great, but I shook my head.
“I wish I could, but I’m going over to Mr. Hart’s. I’ve got to help him with a few chores, stuff he can’t do on his own any more.”
Art rolled his eyes. “Is he going to tell you more of his stupid stories?”
“You didn’t use to think Mr. Hart’s stories were stupid.”
“Yeah, when I was seven. Then I grew up and realized Mr. Hart just made all that stuff up.”
“I think there’s some real truth behind the stories. But even if he did make them up, we all loved listening to them.” I paused for a second. “You know, he asks about all of you whenever I visit. It would make him real happy if you guys came with me.”
Art held up his hands as if they were old fashioned measuring scales and looked back and forth between the hands.
“New Virt Box or old man’s stories.”
He repeated that several times, moving his hands up and down each time. Then he brought one hand up and left it there. “Virt Box. Sorry, David, stories lose.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I thumbed the call off, pocketed my pad, and headed for the door.
“Where are you off to, David?” Mom called.
“I told Mr. Hart I’d come by and help him do some stuff around the house.”
“You just want him to tell you more stories so you can dream about meeting a spacebabe of your own!”
Why are little sisters so annoying?
“Shut up, brat!”
“Sandra, don’t tease your brother. David, don’t talk to your sister like that.” Mom glared for a second to drive home the point, then she smiled at me. “I’m proud of you for sticking by Mr. Hart, son. I know it means a lot to him, too. Dinner’s at seven.”
Walking across the street, I couldn’t help but turn my gaze to the clear, blue sky. Two of the moons hung in the sky, visible reminders of all that lay out there, beyond the sky. Whether Mr. Hart’s stories were true or not, he had been into space. He’d walked on other worlds. Even if he’d never met a spacebabe, he was living proof that the galaxy still had room for adventures.
That was the real reason I liked visiting with him. I still thought his stories were fun, but just knowing Mr. Hart had done all of that real stuff gave me hope that I could do something extraordinary with my life, too.
He answered the door before the bell had stopped chiming. He craned his neck a bit, looking to see if anyone else was with me.
“None of the other boys wanted to come along?”
His broad smile never wavered, but his eyes dimmed a bit.
“They’re all studying for a big test in school tomorrow.” The lie came easily, just like the other lies I told when he asked why no one else came to visit.
“Well, shouldn’t you be studying, too, David?”
“Nah, I’ve got that stuff down cold, Mr. Hart.”
“You always were a smart boy.” He backed up a couple of steps. “Well, come on in and let’s get started on those chores. I don’t want to keep you.”
“There’s no rush, sir. I’ll stick around as long as you need me to help out.” I gave Mr. Hart a smile. “And, as long as I live across the street, I always will.”
Chapter 18
David
“That is your plan?” Martin asked.
I couldn’t see him in the darkness but imagined him shaking his head in dismay.
“No, that’s my scheme. There’s a reason I told you I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a plan!”
“I like it!” Raoul sounded chipper. We must have been more entertaining than the voices in his head. “I especially like the part where you kill the King Rat for mistreating me so badly!”
“There, if Raoul likes the plan it can’t possibly succeed!” Martin said.
“If you’ve got a better plan, I’m all ears,” I said.
Martin was silent for a while then asked, “What makes you think it’ll work?”
“The tunnel rats don’t know about Boost,” I said.
“So we Boost, jump the guards, take their weapons, and disappear into the tunnels,” Martin said. “Then we make a few hit–and–fade raids and watch for a chance to take out King Rat. But what do we do with Raoul?�
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“We take him with us,” I sighed. “Not even Raoul deserves to be eaten alive by a tammar. Besides, he’ll warn the guards if we don’t take him.”
“And I can fight with you!” Raoul added.
“Only if we’re truly desperate,” Martin said. “I guess we’d better get started. You want to go first or should I?”
“It’s my idea, so I ought to be the one to try it first.”
I stood up, wrapping links of the chain about my arm and wrist. In the light of the guards’ lantern, the chain had looked old and badly rusted, as did the bolts holding the chain to the wall. I put my right foot against the wall next to the bolts.
Boost!
As adrenaline flooded my system, I threw my weight and all of my Boosted strength into pulling the chain from the wall. I thought I felt the chain give a bit and really wished I could see what effect I was having. Then I brought my left foot against the wall, as well, keeping myself up solely through the force I exerted against the wall.
With a shriek of tortured metal, the chain stretched and broke. I had just enough time to tuck into a ball before I hit the floor and rolled into the far wall. I dropped Boost.
“Ow.”
“Good job, lad! I trust nothing is broken other than the chain?”
“Just a few scrapes and bruises. Your turn, old man.”
A moment later, Martin crashed into the wall next to me.
“Ow, indeed. At least we’re free.”
“Which one of you is going to break my chain?”
“We’re not breaking your chain, Raoul.”
“But David said you were going to take me with you!”
“Yes, I said that—and I meant it. But we’re just going to unlock your chains with the key we take from the guards.”
A sigh sounded in the darkness. “Oh.”
