The Lady Fair swung over the wall and headed straight for the tender car. As she drew near, the crew lowered four long ropes for River to attach to the corners of the boxcar. River heard shouts echoing down from the ship as Rowena ordered the crew to reverse the propellers and hold steady. River caught the first rope with both hands, and went lurching to the nearest corner. She threaded the heavy rope through the eyehook, and quickly pulled it into a slipknot. As soon as that was done, she went for the second. River caught the rope, pulled it to the opposite corner, and secured the knot in seconds.
“Kreg!” shouted a voice behind her. Stop!
River spun around, her hand instinctively going for her revolver. A Vangar warrior pulled himself up onto the roof. He rose up before her, a full eight feet of solid muscle with biceps the size of her thighs. He looked her up and down, and smiled as he tossed his battle-axe to the ground.
“Vakul et treja!” I am going to enjoy this!
In a flash of movement, River drew her revolver and fired. She hit him in the chest, and heard the telltale sound of lead striking bone. The Vangar, more surprised than anything, stared down at his chest as blood gushed from the open wound. He snarled, took another step towards her, and River fired again.
Her nerves were rattled, and the second shot was less accurate than the first. It struck the Vangar on the right shoulder, barely penetrating his heavy fur cloak. This only seemed to make him angrier. He lunged at her, grasping with hands large enough to crush her skull. River stumbled backwards. She inadvertently placed too much weight on her ankle, and it went out from under her.
River landed flat on her back, and the revolver slipped from her grip. The Vangar roared with laughter as he stood over her. River pushed up on her hands; tried to crawl back away from him, but he bent down and caught her by the throat. His powerful grip closed her windpipe, and River frantically struck out, punching him in the face. She struck only a glancing blow. The warrior’s reach was too long. He held her at arm’s length and smiled as she swung in vain, her fierce blows only grazing him.
River felt him choking the wind out of her, and she changed tactics. She clawed at his hand, trying to pull free of his grip. She kicked at him, and dug her nails into his wrists. None of this had any effect. Like all his kind, the Vangar had superhuman strength and ferocity. River had shot him twice, and the warrior had hardly seemed to notice. Darkness closed in around the edges of her vision. She felt a tugging movement as the Vangar shifted his weight. The boxcar was moving, she realized. Rowena was trying to lift it with just two ropes attached.
No! River thought. Rowena didn’t understand the risk she was taking. The starfall contained enough energy that even a small vial of it could burn for an entire year. The tender car contained gallons of the pure, undiluted element. If the boxcar fell from a sufficient height, the impact would be enough to ignite the starfall and blow up the entire mountain!
River struggled furiously to free herself, but it was hopeless. The Vangar’s grip was like a vice on her throat. She kicked and clawed at him, but already stars were flitting through her vision. River felt herself losing consciousness…
Chapter 16
River heard a grunt, and the Vangar’s grip loosened. She sucked in a gasp of air and simultaneously pushed away from him. As she fought loose, River dropped to the railcar. She landed hard, gasping for breath. River looked up to see the tip of a sword protruding from the warrior’s chest. He slumped forward and toppled over the edge of the roof. Kale appeared behind him.
“Having trouble?” he said with a wink.
“Thanks,” she said in a gruff voice, and immediately began to cough.
“Take it easy,” Kale said. He caught one of the ropes dangling from the ship and began knotting it around the third eyebolt. River caught her breath and scanned the area for her revolver. It was lying at the edge of the roof, a few feet away. As she crawled over to retrieve it, River glanced over the edge and realized that they were hovering several feet off the ground.
A shout up ahead caught her attention, and River lifted her gaze to see several more Vangar warriors racing in their direction. She pushed to her feet and lunged for the last rope. She pulled on it, tugging it toward the last corner, only to realize that the rope had been twisted around one of the others. She couldn’t secure it until it was untangled. River went limping in that direction, but Kale grabbed the rope out of her hands.
“Sit,” he ordered. “I’ll handle this.”
No sooner had he said the words than a flame-haired Vangar crawled over the edge of the roof behind him. River’s eyes widened and she reached for her revolver. Kale saw the look on her face and turned just as the Vangar slashed at him with a hand-axe. Kale leaned back to avoid the blow, and bumped into River. They both went down in a heap.
The Vangar leapt forward to finish them off and Kale kicked out, knocking the attacker’s legs out from underneath him. The Vangar dropped, and in an instant, Kale was on top of him. River had her sights trained on the two warriors, but she knew it was too risky to take a shot. Frustrated, she climbed to her feet and limped back out of the way. She latched onto a rope at the far corner, waiting for an opening as the boxcar under her feet tilted and swung precariously.
The two men struggled, the Vangar’s greater size and strength matched only by Kale’s fury. Kale wrestled the axe from the Vangar’s grip. He tossed it aside, and the massive warrior responded with a brain-smashing punch to Kale’s forehead. Kale reeled. He tumbled backwards and then caught himself on one of the ropes with an outthrust arm.
The Vangar lunged for his axe as Kale drew his sword. He went on the offensive with a furious downward blow, but the massive warrior brought up his axe handle to parry the attack. The Vangar spun around, slashing at Kale with a dagger that seemed to have come out of nowhere. The blade struck him in the arm and Kale lost his grip on his blade. The sword clattered to the roof and slid out of reach. Blood gushed from Kale’s open wound.
Kale was furious now, and he threw his rage into an all-out attack. He drew his second sword and drove forward, hammering blows down on his opponent. Step by step, the Vangar retreated back to the edge of the boxcar. Kale’s sword was a blur, but he couldn’t seem to break through his opponent’s defenses. Just as it seemed that Kale had the upper hand, the Vangar turned the tables.
As Kale lunged at him, the Vangar caught onto the nearest rope and swung himself out over the edge. Kale’s attack went wide, and he stood precariously balanced on the edge of the roof. His arms flailed wildly as he stared at a thirty-foot drop straight to the ground. The Vangar flipped around to land heavily behind him, and grinned as he brandished his axe.
“Kreg!” River shouted in the Vangar tongue. The Vangar spun around and River plunged the blade of Kale’s abandoned sword deep into his chest. He stumbled and fell to his knees, coughing blood. River pulled the blade free, and the Vangar toppled over the edge, landing with a heavy thud on the ground below. River latched onto Kale’s vest, dragging the warrior back onto the roof. He bent over with his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.
“Well done,” he said between gasps.
“What are you doing here? I thought you went back to the ship.”
“They got the message, didn’t they?” He reached for the last rope, untwisted it, and took it to the corner. River glanced around and realized that they were now a hundred feet in the air. The Vangars were scrambling for their airship. In the distance, she saw columns of smoke and flame rising up from the lake.
“The explosions,” she said. “That was you?”
“Seemed like a good idea,” Kale said with a shrug. “I figured burning their ships would get their attention, and maybe even set them back a year or two in their plans.
“Or infuriate them,” River said.
“Oh, I was counting on that.”
A rope ladder unfurled next to her, and River glanced up to see Rowena smiling down at them. She waved, beckoning the couple up.
“Ladies first,” Kale said. River grinned, waiting for him.
“Oh, you meant me,” she said after a moment. Kale didn’t think it was funny. The warrior glared at her as she started to climb.
They had barely made it back onto the Lady Fair when Rowena’s watchman shouted, “Ship in pursuit! All hands on deck!” Pirate leapt onto her shoulder as River hurried to the port side to get a clear look at their pursuers. The pain in her ankle had subsided enough to carry her weight now, but she moved cautiously. As she reached the handrail, River leaned out and saw one of the Vangar airships gliding over the treetops, racing towards them at full speed. She glanced at Rowena, who was standing at the front of the deck.
“Do you have any cannons?” River said.
Rowena shook her head. “A few muskets and some sabers. We never needed any weapons, until now.”
“It wouldn’t do any good,” Kale said. “These people don’t even know how to fight.”
“We’re sitting ducks,” River said. “That ship will have cannons, maybe even something worse. If they pull broadside, they’ll blow us out of the sky.”
“We can’t outrun them,” Rowena said. “Not carrying that tender car.”
River leaned closer to Kale, lowering her voice. “If we crash, or if the Vangars hit that boxcar, our next stop will be the moon.”
Kale’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t even thought of that! What are we going to do? We can’t just surrender.”
“I have an idea.” River turned to Rowena. “Stay ahead of that ship. Whatever happens, don’t let them get broadside. Kale, stoke the burners. We have to outmaneuver them. We’re going to need all the lift we can get.”
“What are you going to do?” he said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a minute.”
River returned to the starboard side and tossed the rope ladder back over the edge. She looked down at the boxcar swaying back and forth beneath them, and beyond it, at the rugged slope of the mountainside a thousand feet below them. River felt the familiar uncomfortable churning in the pit of her stomach. This time, she ignored it. She set pirate on the rail, crawled over, grabbed onto the ladder, and began her descent. Within seconds, she was back on the roof of the tender car.
River settled her weight gently on her ankle and then hurried to the front. She located the steel ladder bolted there, and lowered herself over the edge. At the bottom of the ladder she paused, trying not to look at the sweeping view of the mountainside falling away beneath her.
Perched at the front of the boxcar, River steadied herself with one arm wrapped around a steel rung of the ladder. She reached around the corner, blindly searching for the door latch. She located the lever, lifted it out of the lock, and pushed the door open. The door made a shrill squeaking sound as it slid back. River reached awkwardly through the opening around the corner, and felt around inside the boxcar for a handhold. Her fingers closed onto a structural support bar welded to the inside wall. River steadied herself, trying not to think of what would happen if she lost her grip, and kicked free of the ladder. She swung around the corner and pulled herself inside, landing with a thump on the wooden floorboards.
River winced as a jolt of pain shot up her leg. The car swayed beneath her, and she almost lost her balance. She lowered her center of gravity, latched onto the wall, and waited for the throbbing in her ankle to subside. The wind whistled around the tender car. It gusted in through the door, throwing coal dust into the air, stinging her eyes. River held her breath, trying not to inhale the noxious particles as she slid the door shut with one hand. She latched it securely and stepped away from the corner, at last scanning the darkened interior.
Two large metal vats rested at the front of the car. One, she already knew, was entirely empty. The other was perhaps one third full. At the beginning of their journey, the Iron Horse’s supply of starfall had been at full capacity. Now they were down to less than twenty gallons. River limped over to the cabinet on the inside wall, and pulled it open to reveal several vials and containers. She chose one of the larger ones, and closed the cabinet. River bent down, opened the spigot at the bottom of the second vat, and filled the vial. She plugged it with a small cork, and tucked it into her belt.
Her mission completed, River steadied herself as she pulled the door back open and saw the mountains stretching out beneath her. Steeling her nerves, she reached around the corner and caught the ladder with one arm. Reversing her previous movements, River swung herself around the corner, and found a foothold on the bottom rung of the ladder. After a brief struggle to pull the door closed and latch it from her awkward position, River made it back to the roof without further trouble. She caught the swaying rope ladder and made a quick ascent back to the ship.
By the time River was back on solid footing, the Vangar airship had closed its lead to a few hundred yards. River could clearly see the cannons being readied on the starboard side. Ignoring the looks of the crewmembers around her, River raced below deck and threw open the door to the steam engine’s main burner. She emptied half of the vial into the flames and then leapt out of the way as a flash of fire shot past her. The massive flame filled the room, charring the overhead beams and singing the eyebrows of a nearby sailor. Pirate, who had followed her down the stairs, let out a loud hiss as he leapt onto her shoulder and dug his claws into her back.
River kicked the door shut and flipped the lock into place. Instantly, the pressure in the boiler chamber doubled. The relief valves started whistling like a roomful of teapots. River adjusted the valves, increasing the pressure in the burner as far as she dared without risk of explosion. The flywheel put on a burst of speed, and the propeller shafts whined noisily.
“Watch the pressure!” she shouted at the engine operator, who was still wiping the soot from his face with a piece of sailcloth. “If that gauge hits four hundred pounds, it will explode. Do you understand?”
He nodded mutely, his eyes wide. River raced back up to the main deck. She saw Kale on a narrow perch halfway up the main mast, just below the main burner. She called out to him. When she had his attention, River held out the vial so he could see it, and then threw it at him.
Kale panicked. As he saw the vial come tumbling through the air, it occurred to him that if he dropped it, the starfall might just blast a hole right through the bottom of the ship. He released his grip on the ropes and lunged for it with both hands. By the sheerest luck, he caught it. At the same time, he tripped on something. Kale went tumbling forward, right off the perch.
Fortunately, Kale’s right leg had been positioned between two ropes. As he fell, the ropes twisted around his ankle and Kale suddenly found himself hanging upside down, with his cloak dangling down beneath him, choking at his throat. There was an ear shattering Kaboom! Kale flinched as a cannonball went whistling past his head, missing him by no more than two feet.
“Hard to port!” Rowena shouted. The starboard propeller revved up with a whining sound, and the Lady Fair began to turn.
Kale flew into action. He tucked the vial into his shirt and swung himself around, latching onto the nearest rope. With feverish speed, he pulled himself upright and began the struggle to untangle his leg. He heard a chattering sound next to him, and glanced sideways to see Pirate staring at him expectantly. Kale glanced down at River.
“Do it!” she shouted. “Give it to him!”
Kale dug into his shirt, and produced the vial. Pirate snatched it out of his hand and stuffed it into his shoulder pack. With a huff, the raccoon went scrambling up the ropes. Pirate expertly flipped from one rope to the next, swinging gently with each landing until he reached the height of the central burner on the main mast. The coon reached into his pack, withdrew the vial, and tossed the entire thing into the burner.
River groaned. “Not the whole vial!” she shouted.
Pirate, having no clue as to what he had done wrong, and feeling quite satisfied with his accomplished task, scurried back down the ropes. He paused next to Kale to make a chattering so
und that sounded suspiciously like a scolding, and then continued confidently on his way.
Once Kale had finally managed to untangle himself, he crawled back down the mast. “What happens now?” he said to River.
“We’re outrunning them, but they can still fire on us, “River said. “We need altitude.”
As if in response to her comment, the vial Pirate had tossed into the central burner suddenly exploded. Green flames shot ten feet in the air, and the Lady began to lift so quickly that River’s legs almost went out from under her. Her stomach flipped, and she latched onto a nearby rope to steady herself. Kale’s face went white. The ship lifted vertically for several hundred feet before slowing down. As they regained their balance, a quick glance around the main deck revealed a dozen deckhands pulling themselves back to their feet. Rowena was clutching the tiller wheel with both hands in a white-knuckled grip.
“Coming about!” she said. “Hard to starboard!”
She spun the wheel, and the Lady Fair turned with such sudden force that everything not tied down went rolling across the deck. All River and the others could do was hold on. Apparently, Rowena had found a way to modify the steering links, giving her direct control from the helm. River made a mental note to ask later how she had done this.
The ship came about, still climbing, and swooped back in the direction the enemy vessel. Micah appeared at the top of the stairs, his face ashen, black ink spilled all down his vest and covering his hands.
“Wha… what’s going on?” he asked, his voice chattering, his eyes the size of teacups.
“Turning,” Kale yelled. “Find something to hang onto!”
Micah shuddered as if he were trying not to vomit, and then disappeared back down the stairs.
“You two!” Rowena called, nodding at River and Kale. “I have a job for you.”
They found their footing as the ship settled down. They hurried to her side.
Killing the Machine (Aboard the Great Iron Horse Book 2) Page 14