by Martha Wells
“Can you do a charm-” Emilie began.
He shook his head, interrupting, “There's no way they would believe this room is empty, and they'll be able to hear us-”
“To make them think there's a door here?” Emilie finished, determined to be heard. “It's dark, and the way this doorway is angled-”
“Yes!” He grabbed her shoulders, startling her so badly she almost slapped him. “Not a door, we can't do that, but another fire barrier! It might work, just long enough.”
Daniel plunged down the stairs again, calling to Dr. Marlende, and Emilie waited tensely. After a moment, he reappeared again, with Rani and Dr. Marlende behind him.
Emilie stepped back into the room. The only Cirathi left were Beinar and one other man, anchoring the ladder. She hadn't heard any screaming or other commotion, so she hoped that meant no one had fallen.
Rani stopped, looking around the darkened room. She was breathing hard, and Emilie couldn't tell if she was wounded. She said something to Beinar in Cirathi, and nodded at his answer, then she squeezed Emilie's shoulder and started for the ladder. “We are almost there, Emilie.”
“Almost,” Emilie agreed, following her. She thought there was still plenty of time for everything to go hideously wrong.
At the window, Emilie leaned around Beinar to look down. Merpeople had gathered below, agitated, obviously trying to figure out what to do about the airship. Others had climbed to the top of the nearest tower, and one tossed a fishing spear at the cabin, though it fell short. “It's too high,” Beinar muttered to Emilie. “So far they haven't brought out any spear guns.”
“They are probably shooting at the Queen's people with them,” Rani said grimly. She spoke to the other Cirathi man, taking his place at the ladder. He started to climb.
Emilie watched anxiously. The merpeople on the other tower cast a few spears, calling out angrily, but the man climbed rapidly, all the weapons falling short. Emilie let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and looked back at Daniel and Dr. Marlende.
Daniel stood at the doorway, his head down in concentration, Dr. Marlende standing silently behind him. “Dr. Marlende can help him do the charm?” Emilie asked.
“He hopes he can. Daniel's magic is different, apparently,” Rani said, watching them worriedly. “Emilie, you climb now.”
“Oh.” Emilie had somehow managed to ignore the fact that she was going to have to climb the ladder too. Telling herself it wasn't as bad as climbing down the narrow tube into pitch darkness, she came around to grab the rungs and start the climb.
She found immediately that the big difference between this ladder and the one down through the island was that this one was horrifically mobile. It swayed, the chain links clicking, the wooden rungs creaking and turning under her hands. Keep going, keep going, Emilie chanted mentally. She looked down, saw the ground and the angry merpeople, and almost vomited. She looked up at the dark airship looming hugely above her and that was somehow worse. She forced herself to go on, ignoring the shouts from the merpeople on the other tower, refusing to look at them in case that somehow improved their aim or spurred them to throw hard enough to reach her.
When someone grabbed her arm she choked back a yelp, but it was Seth. He dragged her up and onto the airship's catwalk.
Emilie found herself clinging to the railing, the wind tearing at her hair, her legs trembling violently. She couldn't believe she had made it. And why weren't the others following her?
“Where are they?” Seth demanded. “What are they doing?”
Emilie shook her head. “They can't- They're blocking the room off with an illusion, but if the merpeople realize what it is-” She couldn't see the front of the tower from here, but the merpeople on the ground suddenly turned and ran around the curve of the walls. “Oh hell! Someone must have figured out the tower wasn't on fire-”
Then the ladder suddenly jerked as a figure climbed out the window. It was Dr. Marlende, followed closely by Beinar.
Emilie watched, gripping the slender railing. They were almost up to the airship when Daniel started to climb. He had his head turned, shouting back down to the window, as he climbed. Then suddenly the ladder came loose, swinging free.
Emilie gasped in horror, but an instant later she saw Rani was hanging onto the end. She pointed wordlessly, and Seth swore. He turned, leaned into the doorway to shout, “Up, lift her up!”
Dr. Marlende reached the catwalk, pulled himself up, then turned to reach for Beinar. Below, Daniel had stopped climbing to cling to the ladder as it swung wildly. Merpeople hung out the window of the tower now, casting spears. They came within a hairsbreadth of Rani and Daniel, but the ladder's motion confused their aim.
Beinar reached the top, but hung on to the strut of the railing, waiting for Daniel. The airship was lifting up, slowly and ponderously, and Daniel had started to climb again.
Seth and Dr. Marlende were looking down at Daniel and Rani, exhorting them to hurry; Emilie kept watching the merpeople, looking from the window to the roof of the nearby tower. It took us too long, she thought, holding them off, getting the airship over here. They've had time to- She saw the figures in the window make way, saw someone holding the long shape of one of the projectile weapons. She yelled, “Look out! Gun! There's a-”
Daniel was nearly to the catwalk, Rani just below him. Rani ducked down against the ladder, but Daniel looked wildly around. A bolt glanced off the ladder near his hand and he jerked away, lost his grip and hung by one hand. Beinar, holding on to the strut, stretched down to make a grab for him. And the next bolt struck Beinar in the neck.
Emilie froze, a sob of dismay caught in her throat, as he slumped forward. Dr. Marlende flung himself flat on the catwalk, reaching for him, but Beinar tumbled off and fell. Emilie looked down, unable to help herself, and saw his body strike the ground, far below now.
Rani scrambled up the ladder, reached Daniel and pulled him back up. Seth crouched down, and he and Dr. Marlende hauled Daniel up. Rani swung up after him. The airship was well above the towers now, turning away into the dark. Seth and the others dragged up the ladder, Dr. Marlende helped Daniel through the door. Then Rani caught Emilie's arm and pulled her inside.
The cabin was dark, lit only by the soft glow of small electric lights set under the windows. The floor under Emilie's feet was soft and oddly textured, like a cork mat. The Cirathi were silent with shock, standing numbly at the windows. They must have seen everything.
Rani drew the two nearest into a hug, and someone sobbed quietly. Emilie knew if she stood here another moment, she would burst into tears. She turned and started toward the bow of the cabin.
It was too dark to see much, but she made her way past a few boxes and bags of supplies, stumbled into a padded bench, then down a short corridor lined with wooden cabinets. It was very quiet, as though they weren't in motion at all. The only indication that this was a vehicle was the faint vibration traveling through the floor from the propellers at the rear of the cabin. It was very strange.
She came out into a small round room that was mostly window, the glass curving around to form a wide port looking out into the darkness. Two small side windows were propped open, allowing in a cool breath of air. There were more lights here, set low just above the consoles of knobs and dials. They were small and tilted down, to illuminate the controls but not dazzle the eyes of the operators.
Dr. Marlende stood at the small wheel, with Seth and Mikel. Daniel was crouched on the floor, his face buried in his hands.
Emilie rubbed her forehead, trying to collect her thoughts. She asked, “Do you know where the Sovereign is?”
Dr. Marlende said, kindly, “No, my dear, I was going to give Rani a moment to steady herself before I asked. Do you know?”
“Yes.” Emilie closed her eyes, recalling their position when they had arrived at the island yesterday. Yesterday? She thought in surprise. It feels like a week. “When we came up to the island, the Dark Wanderer was behind us. The Queen's fl
eet was toward the end of the island, off the starboard side, and Rani thought she saw the Sovereign there, so that should be...” Eyes still closed, she pointed.
“Ah, thank you, Emilie, that is exactly what I need to know.” Dr. Marlende turned the wheel, and made an adjustment to one of the knobs, and the floor tilted slightly under her feet.
Emilie nodded, pushing her hair back. It was saturated with sea salt and sweat, and felt like a dry tumbleweed perched on her head. “Is Charter going to be all right?”
“He should be,” Seth told her. “Cobbier took him back to the bunk room to tend his shoulder.”
That was good. Daniel was still on the floor. Emilie felt she had to do something about that. She crouched down in front of him, pulled at his wrists until he lowered his hands and looked at her. She could see his face in the instrument lights, and it was tear-streaked. She said, “It wasn't your fault.” It was everyone's fault; it was no one's fault. Blaming Daniel was as bad as blaming Beinar, for being brave, for being the one who tried to help all the others, for being the one Rani sent upstairs with the younger Cirathi, knowing that he would take care of them.
Daniel shook his head mutely, and Emilie felt a flash of anger. If she could take this without breaking down, he could damn well take it too. “We don't have time to coddle you,” she said roughly. “We need you. Now get up, wipe your face, and do your duty.”
Daniel blinked, then glared at her in outrage. He pulled away from her and stood up. Emilie got to her feet.
Seth and Mikel were staring at her, startled, while Dr. Marlende's attention was studiously on the controls. Daniel turned away, folding his arms and gazing grimly out the port.
Rani stepped through into the cabin then. “We are heading for the Sovereign?” she asked. Her voice sounded a little raspy, as if she had been crying. She dropped a comforting arm around Emilie's shoulders, and Emilie leaned against her solid warmth.
“Yes, Emilie's given us the last position you noted for it,” Dr. Marlende told her. He frowned down at a dial. “We should be passing over the outer barrier now.”
Emilie heard the distant roar of falling water; they must be climbing out of the canyon. I'm flying, she thought suddenly. Another thing she had never expected to do. Maybe I'll have time to enjoy it later. “How will we contact them? If the Queen didn't take any more hostages, maybe they can just run away from her.”
Dr. Marlende nodded to Seth. “Try to raise them on the wireless.” Seth turned, but Daniel said quietly, “I'll do it, sir.” He moved to a cabinet on the far side of the cabin, opening it to reveal a small wireless set.
Seth didn't comment, but exchanged a look with Mikel, and Emilie thought they were both relieved. Daniel adjusted some dials, and the wireless began to hum. He started to tap on the telegraph bar.
To Rani and Emilie, Dr. Marlende explained, “The concentration of aether in the air makes it difficult to get through over long distances, but at this range we should be able to reach them.” He added, with a slight edge to his voice, “I assume Lord Ivers has returned to the surface by now, which is unfortunate. It would perhaps be more satisfying to deal with him here, out of reach of the Menaen authorities.”
“Lord Engal probably thinks so too,” Emilie said. “Lord Ivers kept sending men to shoot at him.”
“I had no idea the philosophical community had degenerated into internecine violence, but apparently it has,” Dr. Marlende muttered. He craned his neck, looking out the port. “Ah, there's the Queen's fleet.”
Emilie and Rani went to the side to look out. Below them in the darkness were hundreds of little flickering lights, illuminating the large oblong shapes of the big barges, and the smaller darting rafts and boats. In the faint light around the smaller craft, Emilie caught glimpses of waves and a sandy beach. “They're going ashore there.”
“Yes, Ise was right,” Rani said thoughtfully. “They are attacking the island.”
“That must be the Sovereign!” Mikel said. “Here, to starboard.”
Emilie went to his side and saw it immediately. The Sovereign's electric lights had a steady yellow glow, completely different from the fishoil lamps of the other ships, and they reflected off its metal hull. It was one of a group of ships lying just off the concave shore of a cove area, outlined by the lights of the smaller skiffs and rafts that had drawn up along its beach. Seth said, “That cove has a passage in through the canyon wall, to a small protected harbor where the nomads leave their boats. There's a stairway down to the valley floor.”
“Yes, it must be the site of the main attack,” Dr. Marlende said. “She must be using the Sovereign to block any attempt at escape. Hopefully Engal wasn't forced to give them any rifles.”
Then Daniel said, “I've got the Sovereign!” The wireless was now clicking back at him. Seth stepped to the cabinet and picked up a pencil and pad.
“They're very glad to hear from us,” Daniel muttered, his expression preoccupied as he hurriedly translated the code into words.
Dr. Marlende said, “Tell them we've recovered all our companions from the nomads, including the Cirathi and young Emilie here, and that my daughter is not being held hostage by the Queen. Ask if they are free to break away from the fleet.”
Seth scribbled down the message, converted it to code, and showed Daniel, who tapped it out on the wireless. The answer came quickly, and after a moment Daniel translated, “They're free to break away, if you're certain the Queen doesn't have Miss Marlende and Emilie. She was threatening to kill them unless the Sovereign cooperated.”
Dr. Marlende glanced at Rani and Emilie. Rani said, “Lord Ivers has her, we are certain.”
Dr. Marlende nodded to Daniel, who tapped out a brief assent. The reply was longer in coming. Seth translated it, saying, “They say if we can distract the ships around them, they should be able to break free.”
“Tell them to expect a distraction in the next few minutes,” Dr. Marlende said, and turned the wheel.
The deck tilted under Emilie's feet as the airship turned, angling down. She managed to catch herself on a console without turning any of the knobs. She retreated to the doorway where Rani was holding on. Emilie asked, “Are you going to use magic to distract them?” She was thinking the illusory fire could be very effective dropping out of the sky.
Dr. Marlende took the airship into a long dive. “I hope we don't have to. I'd like to conserve my resources for the moment. But I think the flares should suffice. Seth, could you...?”
Phosphorus flares proved even more effective than bright illusions, as Seth, Rani, Mikel, and two other Cirathi tossed them off the catwalk. They ignited directly over the Sealands’ ships, lighting up the sky and causing confusion and terror. Emilie and the others watched from the windows as one long warship sideswiped another and broke off a whole bank of oars. She lost sight of the Sovereign, but then realized that in the midst of the chaos, it had doused its electric running lights and must be steaming for the open sea.
Emilie hurried back to the steering cabin in time to hear Daniel's report from the wireless: “The Queen's naval commander forced them to abandon the Lathi before the battle, and they anchored it off a small island a few miles from here. They're going to retrieve it now before the Queen's forces get re-organized enough to order a pursuit.”
“Oh, I don't think they'll pursue us,” Dr. Marlende said, bringing the airship around for a pass over the other section of the fleet. “The Nomads should take this opportunity to counter-attack. I know Prince Ise has forces hanging back to the south. I should think they'll all be quite occupied for a while. Tell the Sovereign to meet us-”
The wireless interrupted with a sudden series of clicks. Daniel frowned, startled. “That's not...” He scribbled hastily on his pad, then checked the code book. He looked up. “A ship called the Philosopher's Quest?”
Emilie shook her head, baffled, as Daniel hurriedly transcribed another message. Then his jaw set, and he said grimly, “It's a request for assistance. From Lord Iver
s.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They met up with the Sovereign hours later, as the eclipse was passing away across the sea. The spot they had chosen was a low-lying island some distance from the Nomads' fortress. As the airship reached it, Emilie could see the Aerinterre aether current in the sky, the solid band of heavy gray cloud with the translucent column stretching up from it, vanishing high in the air.
Not having to worry about navigating shoals, the airship had arrived first. Dr. Marlende lowered it far enough to drop the ladder, so Seth, Cobbier, Daniel, and a few Cirathi could climb down to the pebbly ground and secure the anchor cables to several squat but sturdy trees. The Sovereign was only a short time behind them, and it soon arrived, towing the Lathi. They waited impatiently on the beach as the steamer anchored and sent the launch ashore.
Kenar leapt out of it before the boat reached the beach and waded in the thigh-deep water. Rani met him halfway and they flew into each other’s arms, and Rani swung him around and nearly knocked him off his feet. It was the most romantic thing Emilie had ever seen in her life, and her eyes welled up with tears. All the other Cirathi gathered around, waiting excitedly for their chance to greet him. Emilie knew the happy moment would end when Rani had to tell him about poor Beinar.
Lord Engal waited more decorously until the launch had actually been drawn up on the beach, before he climbed out and strode up to shake hands. “Dr. Marlende, I presume.”
“You presume correctly, sir.” Dr. Marlende greeted him gravely. “Thank you for sending young Emilie to our assistance; her arrival was quite timely.”
Lord Engal eyed her with exasperation and, she was startled to see, some fondness. “At this point, it hardly surprises me.”
“Now if we can just extract my daughter from Lord Ivers,” Dr. Marlende continued.
“Yes.” Lord Engal frowned, shielding his eyes to look into the distance. “If what he said was true, which is rather a big 'if,' since the man is an inveterate liar and criminal-”