“Every fifteen minutes or so, I’d say. I documented all the movements in this table.” He pointed to a piece of paper pinned onto the wall, with a list of times on it.
“Perfect,” Sukina said. She scanned the piece of paper. “Looks like we have about ten minutes before we go. You counting, Faso?”
Faso looked at his pocket watch. “Sure, but maybe I should take a look first, verify you’ve got the figures right?”
“No need,” Sukina said.
The mayor was also looking at his watch and he’d pressed the button on the top to start the chronometer. “I agree. Miss Sako seems to have her head on her shoulders as usual.”
“More up her own behind,” I heard Faso mumble, loud enough for me to hear it and for Sukina to be out of earshot. I ignored him, of course. We all knew who was the one here who had his head up his behind and there was no need to reiterate it.
Instead, we waited patiently and silently, my heart thumping in my chest and my arms and legs trembling. Every so often, the mayor would offer me and Sukina the teleperiscope, so we could have a good look at what was happening out there. I saw the redguards pass, smoke trailing behind from their cigarettes. I then saw an automaton swing around the corner of the town hall, wait there for a few minutes and then storm forwards on its spindly brass two legs, its posture upright and scanning the territory as it moved. Then it spun around the corner again and disappeared out of sight.
“Now,” Faso said and placed his pocket watch in his inside pocket. I stepped back from my place at the teleperiscope and the mayor opened the door for us. Sukina left first, her pistol at the ready. She stepped out sideways, keeping her eyes on the doors of the town hall. I followed, then Faso. I drew my gun and Ratter took a place on Faso’s head with its front feet wrapped around Faso’s temples for support.
We moved forward. Sukina signalled me to go on, while she guarded the behind. I hadn’t a clue what Faso was doing. But I didn’t want to check, instead staying focused on getting to those doors ahead of me. I peered around the corner, then ducked back around to see the automaton just turning the next corner ahead of me. Fortunately, it wasn’t facing in my direction, otherwise it would have spotted me well before I spotted it.
“We have two minutes,” I said to Sukina.
“That’s enough time,” she said, and she took another swig from a hip flask. On the door was a cast-iron, fifteen-strength padlock. Sukina took hold of it and snapped it off in her hands.
On the other side, Sukina closed the doors.
“I can’t see,” Faso moaned. “My secicao’s run out.”
Sukina passed him the hipflask and he took a swig from it.
“Don’t you have some special glasses?” I said.
Because his face was drawn in heat signatures, I didn’t see the snarl flash across his face, but I knew it was there, nonetheless.
Strangely, nothing awaited us inside, which gave me the creeps. I expected to see turrets lined up on every wall, a line of automatons looking down upon us from the mezzanine, a force too strong to fight off.
“Pontopa, I can hear your anxiety again…” The voice came in the collective unconscious.
“Sukina, how?”
“Someone’s here… Charth…”
“What? Why?”
“Try to still your mind, Pontopa. They can’t be trusted.”
“Easier said than done,” I thought. In the heat of the moment, I’d forgotten what I did to keep my mind calm in Fortress Gerhaun the other day. Then, I had the genius idea to repeat that single phrase in my head. Easier said than done. Easier said than done. Easier said than done. Like a child counting to one hundred, if I just kept saying that, how could I possibly think anything else?
“That’s one way of doing it.” Sukina’s voice seemed distant now. “Now, let’s get downstairs.”
“Wouldn’t that be exactly what they’re expecting us to do”? I asked. Easier said than done. Easier said than done.
“Yes,” Sukina telepathed. “But Charth just warned me that a lot worse is waiting for us outside the front door.”
“And you said we couldn’t trust him…”
“This time, I guess we have no choice.”
“Hello, darling,” this was now Francoiso’s voice inside my head. “If I’d realised before our little run in at the Southlands that I’d bump into you again so soon, I would have had least packed some cologne.”
“Shut up, brother…” This time, it was the dry, lifeless voice of Charth.
“Oh, come on, let me at least have a little fun.”
“We have a mission to be getting on with.”
“Getting jealous, are we?”
“Brother…”
“Fine, fine. Okay, the both of you, go downstairs and rescue your parents. You’re going to meet some resistance, but you must escape.”
“So, this is the channel you’re going to use?” Sukina said. “No need for private conversations with Charth?”
“Oh, brothers like us should never keep secrets,” Francoiso said.
“And remind us again then why we should trust you?”
“Darlings, darlings. You know the king was pretty angry after your escapade at Fraw. Then, when word got out what you did to the Mammoths, he was furious. You destroyed his dream of his perfect utopia and now we’re trying to talk him out of becoming a brutal warmonger like his father. But for now, if you’re killed here, he told us he’d be happy. If you’re taken alive, he ordered his loyal officer to hang you in the town square at the break of the next dawn. Neither of you are any use to Finesia dead, and we’d rather you came to the palace on your own free will.”
Finesia again. These guys must have been on drugs or something. But honestly, if that drug gave you the ability to become a dragon, then it would be great to meet their supplier. Or at least that’s what I was thinking at the time.
“Come on,” Sukina said out loud and she moved forwards.
Faso trailed behind us as we made towards the mezzanine, down the east wing, towards the staircase that led to the old dungeon. Three hundred years ago, this led down to a torture chamber, where errant earls would try to extract information from their subjects. But some guy, I can’t remember his name, eventually decided to install some bars and turn it into a prison.
It was pretty dusty on the spiral staircase and I had to hold back a sneeze. Faso let one out full blast though and I turned to him, gave him a harsh look of contempt.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I can’t control bodily functions.”
Once we reached the bottom, I was blinded by a white light. It took my eyes a little time to adjust to the old-fashioned medieval torches through my augmented sight. Then, I saw Mamo and Papo, huddled on the floor in the cell together, Mamo sleeping against Papo’s shoulder and his head resting on hers. The bastards had removed the beds.
Papo opened his eyes. “Pontopa… You shouldn’t have come.”
“Shh, Papo,” I said. “We must get you out.”
“How did you get in here? We’ve not seen a guard and not had food, for two days. I thought they would let us die here.”
“Mr Wells, stand back,” Sukina said. She stepped forward, looked at the lock. Papo woke Mamo up, then dragged her to the far wall as she was just about to open her eyes. She saw Sukina first, who was just drawing back her fist towards the cage lock, reeling back a huge punch. Her fist connected, and the lock span backwards, hitting the wall just next to Mamo’s head. That caused Mamo to jump. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Sukina Sako,” she said. “You…”
“She’s here to rescue you, Versalina,” Papo said.
I ran to my parents and wrapped my arms around Mamo, buried my head in her shoulder. Then came a voice again in the collective unconscious. “Pontopa, darling, you’re sweet and all that.” Francoiso said. “But there’s no time for sentiments… Watch out! Behind you.”
The wall opposite the cell collapsed, crumbling into dust and gypsum.
Out of it, swarmed ten or so machines that looked and buzzed like hornets. They spun out in all kinds of directions. Some pursued Faso, some me, some Sukina, some my parents. I felt something sting my arm, then I rubbed to see a dart there. Ratter hissed, shot into the air, extended some wings into a glide and then let out a flame that brought a few of these things down. But I was already feeling dreary.
“Dragonheats, they’re better than I thought,” Francoiso said. “Wellies, augment! You must get out alive.”
Sukina nodded, took hold of her first hip flask, knocked back her head and tipped some down her throat. She wiped her lips, steadied herself on her knees, her other hand facing outwards. She passed the hipflask to me. “This will combat the sedative,” she said. I must have drunk almost a quarter of the flask.
I still felt bendy legged, but somehow a little clarity returned to my mind. Mamo was already drifting off, Papo fighting it a little, not letting his eyes close for more than a split second. “Mamo, drink,” I ordered and passed Mamo the flask. She opened her eyes then stood up a little as Papo poured the remainder of the flask down his throat.
“You didn’t leave any for me?” Faso said. Amazingly he looked pretty perky. “Lucky I have Ratter to defend me from those things.”
I turned to see the swarm regrouping. They took formation just in front of the wall where Faso had just stood. “We have them,” Charth said. “Stay back.”
The earth beneath us rocked and then the wall exploded. Bricks and rubble flew out, one almost hitting Faso on the head. All that was left of the room was a dusty smoky hole, and pile of dust that created enough of a ramp to get outside.
“Dragonheats!” Papo slurred. He was virtually falling asleep. “We must get out.”
He moved towards the hole, pushed himself out. A gunshot, Papo screamed. Came back in, his hand stained red and clutched to his shoulder, his breathing heavy. He collapsed against the wall. “The snipers…”
“Damn you people,” Francoiso said in the collective unconscious. “No one has to die… Don’t let anyone out until we give the signal.”
“How many of them are there?” Sukina asked.
“Fortunately for you,” Francoiso replied. “Cini didn’t have the resources to post any more than one sniper automatons in the hills. The villagers thought there were more, of course. But that’s Cini for you: always making things seem worse than they actually are. Its sights are now trained on you though, so you have to be careful.”
The bastard. He’d tricked the entire village. “Stay here,” I said to everyone and Sukina nodded. Mamo had already torn the sleeve off her blouse and was wrapping it around Papo’s wound.
“Now,” Sukina said, “it’s your dragon’s turn.” She sang a song that shimmered through the dust and the collective unconscious. Something from lullabies I’d heard as a child and since forgotten.
A roar came, and then the glint of Velos’ armour as he sailed past the hole. First came another gunshot, and I couldn’t help but poke my head out of the hole and see what was happening. The Gatling guns on Velos armour echoed to life, sounding like two massive distant power-drills. Then, came an explosion from the hills.
“Lucky I activated his armour before we left,” Faso said.
“That armour’s some impressive work,” Francoiso said in my mind. “I must ask your boyfriend there to make one for us sometime.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I snapped back. Then… “And why exactly are you helping us again?”
“Pontopa Wells, there’s no time.” This wasn’t Francosio’s but Charth’s voice. “You have two minutes until the remaining snipers reload. King Cini, must never hear we were here, do you understand? Or I’ll hunt your parents down and destroy them personally.”
“You didn’t tell us what you want from us.” Sukina said in the collective unconscious.
But I could already feel the connection to Sukina fading.
“Goodbye, darlings,” Francoiso said. “I’ll see you soon, under quite different circumstances.”
I scanned the sky for signs of black dragons, could see nothing. Then I remembered to sing the song. But Sukina had already done it for me. Velos turned in the sky, then his massive form started to hurtle towards us. Papo now had slumped against the wall, a dark red mark on his shoulder, Mamo’s sleeve wrapped tightly around it. His face had gone pale.
A gust of wind came from the outside and Velos landed. “Come on, Mamo, we must get Papo onboard. Before reinforcements arrive.”
Mamo knew what to do. She took hold of Papo, draped him over her shoulder. “Come on, you big lug,” she said, and she helped him up the ladder and then rested him on the back – Faso’s – seat. She turned to face him, her legs straddled over the armour, facing Velos’ tail.
Faso looked at them for a moment, then shrugged and climbed up to the central seat. “You and Sukina can share,” he called down to us.
“I can take position at Velos’ neck,” I said. Kind of glad that I wouldn’t have to sit on his armour. He’d have to keep his head straight, which he’d hate, but I’m sure he’d rather that than me falling off.
“Very well,” Sukina said and she climbed into my seat. The armour tapered out a little at Velos’ neck, so I could again feel his skin against me. It was now like I was riding a much thinner version of him. But Velos didn’t do anything to complain.
We took off into the air and a voice came every so faintly in the collective unconscious. Charth’s. “Head east through the forest in which you made camp,” he said. “You won’t bump into any reinforcements that way.”
“Goodbye, darling,” Francoiso’s voice even fainter now. “See you in Slaro…”
My heart sank as that connection to the collective unconscious was lost. I turned back to Mamo. “I’ll fly Velos to Doctor Forsolano’s.”
“Good idea,” she called back. I turned to see her face almost as white as Papo’s. “Just get there fast…”
“I’ll try, Mamo,” I hollered back. Though I knew Velos had to be careful. Then I passed Sukina my hip flask. I doubted I’d be needing it for a while. She passed it back to Mamo, who took hold of Papo’s nose then poured some secicao oil into his mouth.
The forest rolled up before us and then we entered a cloud. It became cold all of a sudden and I wrapped my shawl around my neck. It was around an hour from here to Doctor Forsolano’s. Hopefully Papo would survive the ride.
21
Doctor Forsolano’s House was surrounded by a canopy so dense that we couldn’t land any closer than five kilometres away. There was a clearing that he’d made so that Velos could have somewhere to land whenever we needed it. He thoroughly believed in sustainability. He and his nurses collected herbs and other remedies from that forest, but he was also careful not to damage the ecosystem there. To cut down even a single tree, he’d always argued, could readily destroy his trade.
Doctor Forsolano was an old friend of Papo. They met during the dragonheats and fought together against some of the rebels – although, fortunately neither of them had had to fight any dragons. Forsolano was a medic and he’d treated Papo’s minor injuries three times during the wartime. Then later, he’d mended Papo’s leg after his jockey accident. In return, Papo had supplied wine and later one of my blends of secicao, both of which served as effective pain relief.
As a result, we now saw Doctor Forsolano as part of the family.
Fortunately, the doctor had spotted Velos’ armour from a distance and so had hurried over to the landing point thinking that Cini had sent automatons to burn his place down. He and his two nurses always carried a foldable blue stretcher with them. So, they were ready to rush Papo to Doctor Forsolano’s home as soon as they saw him, which they did so without a word.
Doctor Forsolano and one of the nurses carried him. Everyone else kept up pace, even though our legs objected. The after-effects of the secicao had now worn off, which created a huge drain and any one of us (other than Papo who was drugged up on it) could have collapsed and
fallen right asleep. It didn’t help, of course, that those automaton wasps had also injected sedative into us. But the secicao had largely broken that down at this point, which is why we weren’t all dead to the world.
Eventually, we made it to Doctor Forsolano’s house – a two story cottage with a high roof and long dangling eaves. We went inside and Doctor Forsolano rushed Papo into the downstairs bedroom that he kept reserved and cleaned as an emergency room for patients. He instructed us to stay out while he dressed Papo’s wounds. One of the nurses, a pretty lady just a little younger than me with blonde locks waited with us outside the room.
“Doctor Forsolano thinks he’ll be okay,” she said.
“And he’ll work damn hard to make sure so, I know,” Mamo said with a nod.
The nurse led us to the living room. Doctor Forsolano didn’t have a taste for sofas and so Mamo, Sukina and I each sat in a soft pink armchair. Faso took the brown rocking chair by the roaring fireplace, which suffused the room with a soft warmth. The nurse went out to make us some tea after refusing Faso’s request for secicao.
“I can tell from your eyes, Mr Gordoni, that you’ve had quite enough of that lately,” she said, causing Faso to scowl.
The nurse left us there and Mamo turned to me. “Pontopa, are you all right, dear? What happened down there? Your father and I were worried sick. King Cini said you’d killed someone in Fraw. Is it true?”
I shook my head. “We didn’t kill anyone, Mamo.” At least I didn’t think we did. “We’ve trusted the king this far, but he’s not a good man. In many ways, worse than his father. He’s good if you stay on the good side of him, but what he’s doing to this world… It’s terrible.”
Mamo smiled. “I believe you, dear. I know what it’s like to have to fight. But I can’t help worrying about you.”
I leant forwards and took Mamo’s hands, the skin dry and cracked after the last forty-eight hours or so of dehydration. Fortunately, the nurse brought in a big carafe of water and a teapot, alongside four tiny cups with intricate dragons painted on them in blue, and some biscuits with jam in the centre. She placed the tray down on the heavy marble coffee table at the centre of the room.
Dragonseers and Airships Page 18