Dragon Airways

by Brian Rathbone

  * * *

  When the airfield at Sparrowport came into view, Riette's heart sank. They were too late. Debris covered the airstrips, and some were almost completely destroyed, looking as if they had been blown up by massive bombs. Beyond, Sparrowport proper lay in ruin. The sight instantly brought tears to her eyes. The life of every person she knew was now in question. By the looks of things, they might all be dead. A thousand years of architecture had been reduced to piles of rock and plaster.

  Bronson made the wide turn to line up with the airstrip. Riette hoped he wouldn't attempt to land. Slowing, the plane soared over the airfields.

  "It's one of ours!" someone shouted from below, and a remarkable thing happened. The debris piles began to move—not all of them, but enough to clear a narrow landing strip. Bronson made a wide turn, and Riette scanned the horizon, seeing nothing. While Bronson lined up with the newly cleared landing strip, Dashiq uncoiled her tail and spread her wings. Within the span of a breath, they peeled away from the aircraft. The dragon landed amid the obstructions blocking one of the larger airstrips, once again displaying the advantages of dragons over man-made craft.

  Bronson showed his skill and landed cleanly within the narrow strip. People ran toward the airplane and pulled a massive net over it the instant the engines stopped. The need for camouflage gave Riette chills. Once she and the others climbed down from Dashiq, the dragon curled up beside the remains of a downed plane, practically disappearing into the landscape.

  Bronson appeared from under the netting, and faces she recognized surrounded her. They might not have run to her with open arms, but it was the warmest reception she'd received since leaving Sparrowport. The debris was moved back into place, much of it on rolling platforms.

  From town came a formidable figure. Through trenches and ironworks securing the barrage balloons tied to them strode Brick. The changes in him were immediately obvious. The swagger with which he walked spoke of far more confidence than the boy who'd been afraid to kiss her. A man approached and Riette felt her heart flutter. She'd tried hard not to worry about him all this time, but the concern had always been there, weighing on her. Now that weight was gone. Not only had he survived, but others had too. Though her home looked like a near complete loss, the people mattered far more than the architecture. Buildings could be reconstructed.

  "You're a difficult person to track down," Brick said when he got close. Even his voice sounded deeper and more commanding. She liked it.

  "So your note said."

  "Ah, so you got my note. Good," Brick said, looking embarrassed. "I would have come after you . . ."

  "So your note said," Riette responded, but then she smiled and let him off the hook. "You did the right thing."

  Brick nodded. "I wish I could've done more. We lost a lot of good people. And town . . ."

  "Can be rebuilt by the people you helped save."

  The muscle-bound man flushed deep red, but then he looked at Tuck. "Is this the boy you've been running around with?"

  Riette hadn't noticed Tuck walking up behind her until that moment, and when she turned, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else. "Now, Brick . . ."

  The much larger young man approached Tuck, looking him up and down. "I remember you," he said, his face a grim mask. "Welcome home, lad!" Brick swept Tuck up in a bear hug that made the smaller boy's eyes bulge. "You did good. You did real good. She needs someone to look after her."

  Riette wasn't certain how to take that remark and considered kicking Brick in the shins. It wouldn't be the first time.

  "It's a good thing you're back too, Riette," Brick said with a grin. "We've had no seamstress. People have been walking around with split trousers and holes in their socks. Quite horrifying, really."

  Riette could no longer resist that kick in the shins. No matter how he harassed her, though, seeing him soothed her soul. She was home, for what it was worth. Not everyone here loved her or was comfortable around her, but they knew her and she them. They were a community, and when the need arose, they helped each other.

  "In truth, you would have been a great help in creating the barrage balloons," Brick said in a more serious tone. "We should get back to the shelters. They'll be coming soon."

  "The Zjhon?" Riette asked, her fears returning.

  "It takes them longer to get here now that we chased their ships farther offshore."

  "How'd you manage that?"

  "The Zjhon aren't the only ones who can innovate," Brick said with a note of pride Riette had never heard from him before. "I modified the smithy forge and used parts from downed aircraft to fashion a new weapon. People call it the Ship Sinker. Who am I to argue? The name suits her. She's got triple-walled compression tanks and a barrel twice as thick and longer than anything they could haul across the sea."

  "Where is it?" Riette asked.

  Brick pointed back the way they had come. She didn't see it at first since it resembled other piles of debris littering the airfields, but then she noticed the circular opening of a massive gun barrel protruding from a downed airship. Sandbags reinforced the structure and were also packed around the barrel. "We only left enough space to sight and aim the gun. They've yet to do any serious damage to her, so they concentrate on grinding the bunkers into dust. They've come a bit closer to success on that account, but we're holding our own. How are things on the other fronts? We've had no news since I left Dragonport."

  "The other two fleets have been mostly destroyed," Riette said.

  Stumbling, Brick looked back to her, his jaw slack. "What?"

  "It's true," Riette said to a crowd of faces who had turned to hear what she would say. "Barabas DeGuiere and the Drakon seized Azzakkan's Eye from Argus Kind." These words brought sharp intakes of breath and incredulous whispers. "Using a magic saddle and Azzakkan's Eye, Dashiq and Barabas eliminated almost all the Zjhon aircraft. The remaining naval fleets are sizable but ill prepared to lay siege on high ground."

  "All save the one offshore here," Brick said, rubbing his chin. "We've held them off this long, and we've a few surprises for them today. They may think they've crippled us with their bombs, but they have made us stronger and more determined to survive, if only for the chance to seek vengeance."

  "You've done well," Barabas said. "Most would have accepted defeat under the circumstances, but you all have shown the Zjhon what the Midlands are made of. You should be proud."

  "No time for pride," an older man said. "Too busy not dying. We should get to shelter before they get here." Riette allowed the man to pull her along and into what looked like nothing more than a pile of rubble. Within, though, she found reinforced walls made from multiple sheets of metal most likely from downed Zjhon aircraft. "They drop it from the sky, we use it against 'em. That's the game we play. Today they'll find out we've been saving up."

  "Remember to wait until they are past the barrage balloons before releasing!" Brick commanded.

  Not a moment later, aircraft engines approached; it gave Riette the crawls. It was like waiting for death to arrive and hearing it come the whole way. Those around her showed greater nerve, waiting with determination for the chance to make their wrath known. Riette wasn't certain what they had in store but wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

  The first wave of diesel planes swooped down over the littered airfield. From what she could tell, no one even noticed Dashiq, the plane, or the location of the big gun. No shots were fired and no bombs were dropped until the aircraft approached the barrage balloons. Not wanting to get tangled up in the purely defensive and passive aircraft, the bombers took aim at the balloons first, which would allow the next wave to come in lower. Still out to sea, they would arrive minutes after the first wave. She wasn't certain how much of this she could take. Waiting for the enemy to drop bombs on her head was perhaps the most nerve-wracking experience she'd had yet.

  "Now!" Brick commanded.

  A series of loud thrums, booms, and thumps followed. The air above the barrage ballo
ons was suddenly filled with tiny orange spheres that exploded into puffs of smoky dust. There was no way for the airplanes to avoid the cloud of tiny projectiles, but Riette wondered just how effective the munitions were since none penetrated the planes themselves.

  "Get down!" Brick ordered.

  Metal shutters were lowered to cover the openings through which they had watched. That's when the bombs struck. Never had Riette been so bombarded by sound and pressure; it made it feel as if her head might implode. Emmet had his hands over his ears and rocked back and forth next to her. She did her best to comfort him until the episode passed. In this instance, she could hardly blame him. Most of her wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. This bunker was not far from the mark. Dust and stone pelted them after more bombs exploded, but nothing penetrated the rock and metal surrounding them.

  "Reload," Brick ordered. People moved with alacrity, not questioning his commands. Pride swelled in Riette's chest at seeing her friend lead so effectively. She'd always known he was special and would do great things, but this was not what she would have guessed. He was a talented smith in his own right, and she suspected a bright future awaited him—if any of them survived. A late detonation rocked the bunker after the shutters had been raised, reminding them all nothing was guaranteed.

  "Listen," Brick said.

  The incoming aircraft made their approach, another wave of bombers following closely. Also, the bombers that had just attacked could still be heard flying back to the awaiting fleet, the tone of their engines distinguishable from behind. That tone changed and became intermittent before stopping altogether. People worked feverishly to open the rear shutters in time to see the planes dropping from the sky. Explosions rocked the far end of town, not far from Quarter Yard, where Riette and Emmet had once lived. It was an odd thing to cheer for, but Brick had, indeed, inflicted great damage on the enemy.

  "Double flight coming in, people," Brick shouted over the cheers, an edge of panic in his voice. "Get ready! Reload!"

  No matter how quickly they worked, it would not be fast enough. With a path cleared through the barrage balloons and no antiaircraft weapons at the ready, these planes would have easier targets to hit. Despite the substantial defenses Brick and the people of Sparrowport had erected, they would not last long. There was no time left to do anything except pull the metal shutters and hope. Unable to take her eyes away, Riette watched the planes approach through a growing gap in the stone walls. These were different than those that had come before. Hanging beneath each plane was a single, massive bomb. The Zjhon continually morphed their tactics based on their enemy's weaknesses.

  Brick must have seen this, for he shouted before Riette could get the words out. "Evacuate the bunkers! Scatter! They mean to end us now. Some of us must survive!"

  Though she knew he was right, Riette was transfixed, unable to pull her eyes away from the approaching planes. Then movement on the runways caught her attention. At first she thought the people were clearing a landing strip again, but Dashiq unfurled herself. Once the planes passed overhead, she leaped into the air.

  "Come on, Riette!" Brick shouted.

  Tuck was closer and grabbed her by the wrist, but she remained rooted in place.

  "Wait," she said.

  Brick opened a shutter enough to see what was happening. He held his closed fist out behind him, a silent command to hold. Many had already fled, but Brick, Emmet, Tuck, and Barabas remained. A pit of fear grew in Riette's gut. If she were wrong, then she might have killed them all. Dashiq, though, had other plans. In spite of her injuries, the valiant dragon took to the air behind the aircraft. No turrets were installed on these planes, which had been modified to carry much larger bombs. The pilots never saw her coming. While the formation slowed for a deadly approach, the dragon used all her speed to reach the lead plane and latch on to its elevator. Tearing it free, she sent the plane crashing into the one next to it. The chain reaction took out three planes.

  Looking as though she, too, might fall from the skies, Dashiq winged away. The lead plane struck the ground first, hitting the trenches between the airfield and town. Even from a distance, the explosion rocked the bunkers, and Brick slammed the shutter closed. Riette endured stinging dust that rushed in through the crack. The next two planes struck an instant later. Debris filled the air, threatening the remaining planes. It was Dashiq, though, who did the most damage. Razing the formation with blue-tipped fire, she sent planes in every direction. Most crashed, some fled, but one continued, smoking and sputtering.

  "Get down!" Brick shouted.

  The sound was horrifying. Louder and louder the damaged plane grew until it struck the bunkers squarely. The initial impact collapsed the roof, leaving Riette staring up at the sky through a now enormous gap in the stone. The airplane remained partially intact and flipped end over end. The following explosion was deafening but lacked the punch of a direct hit, which would likely have killed them all. Even as it was, people screamed in the aftermath, Riette included. Pinned beneath a pile of rock, she couldn't move. Brick lifted the largest piece of debris off of her; the pain almost made her swoon, but she held on to consciousness, knowing it was a matter of life or death. Desperately she searched for Emmet, tears filling her eyes. They should have run—all of them. Her foolishness had cost them dearly. They still might not have escaped in time, but that didn't assuage her guilt. Only when Brick uncovered Tuck did she draw another breath. Her friend was bleeding and covered in dust, but as he unfolded himself, Emmet was revealed. He'd saved her brother, and Riette loved him for that.

  A gnarled hand landed on her shoulder, and she let Barabas lead her away.

  "It won't be long, and they'll be back," Brick said. "If we don't do something fast, we are defeated."

  "The new gun survived!" someone shouted from outside the bunkers.

  "We could hurt them with that," Brick said, "but I don't know how we'll get it to the bluffs." Riette's life-long friend and romantic interest turned to Barabas then. "I know your dragon is injured and weakened, but do you think he could help get a cannon to the bluffs?"

  "She," Tuck said.

  Brick shook his head, momentarily baffled.

  "We can try," Barabas said. "How big is this gun?"

  "Twice the size of the one on the airfield."

  "Have you strong enough ropes?" Barabas asked and Brick nodded. "Gather everyone you can. She won't be able to fly with that kind of weight."

  "If you've any strength left, come to the smithy!" Brick shouted.

  A distressingly small number of people converged on a spot that looked much like everything else in Sparrowport: rubble. Riette recognized bits of shops and stores she'd frequented her entire life, and seeing the place destroyed threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she had hardened to the pain. One could suffer only so much loss before the nerves dulled. When they reached the smithy, her will was tested again. She'd practically grown up there.

  She tried not to look in the direction of her old home; she already knew it had been completely destroyed. Even if she'd never planned to live there again, knowing it was gone left her feeling lonely and lost. Only when Brick pulled wreckage to one side did she see something that gave her hope.

  Beneath all the destruction were familiar tools and implements. The anvil on which Brick had taught her to make horseshoes, the hammers and tongs with handles worn smooth from use. At a modified version of his forge stood Brick's father, Joren.

  No longer was the smithy at street level; it now existed in what had once been a root cellar. Massive copper tanks lined the walls, and three strapping lads turned a compressor wheel. Riette had thought them all dead and gone, and seeing them, no matter how much they had teased Emmet, made her smile. Blackened pipes fed air to the roaring forge, which glowed brighter than any Riette had ever seen. Gone were the bellows she and Brick had spent so much time operating. Never had their efforts resulted in such white hot coals.

  Brick smiled. "We needed a lot more heat to melt down th
e metals the Zjhon use. I don't know what kind of forges they have, but they are years ahead of us. Still, we manage."

  Joren left the anvil where he worked and embraced Brick. "I thought I might never see you again, my son. What in the world did they drop on us this time?"

  "They've abandoned the smaller bombs and now are using massive bombs almost too heavy for the planes to carry. So far they have concentrated on the bunkers, but they will strike here soon. We need to get you out of here."

  "And do what?" Joren asked.

  "Did you finish the breech?" Brick asked.

  His father nodded.

  "Their dragon will help us get the new gun to the bluffs."

  "Ah, my little Ri Ri!" Joren said, seeing Riette. "I thought the boy might follow you to the end of the world. It's good to see you back. And Emmet?" Riette's brother stepped from behind Barabas and embraced the smith, who was one of the few people in the world he trusted and openly liked. "Ah, there he is. It lightens my heart to see you, but I see my son is impatient."

  Brick rolled his eyes. "They'll return soon. We must hurry."

  "I know, my son. Sometimes, though, we must remember what it is we are fighting for. Now get over here and help me pin the breech. Then we can see about getting this monster out of here. It ain't gonna be easy, I tell you. I still think we may have gone too far."

  "Let's find out," Brick said, visibly annoyed. "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. It's too late to go back now."

  Joren nodded. It took the two men only a short time to finish assembling the breech, and Riette marveled at the size of it. The barrel disappeared into the back of the smithy into a hole dug for that purpose alone. More people arrived and the space was soon cramped and crowded. Riette grabbed Emmet and dragged him back to street level. There she found Tuck tending to Dashiq. The dragon had never looked worse. Her sides heaved with labored breaths. Tears filled Tuck's eyes. That sight stabbed at Riette's heart on multiple levels, and she somehow felt pain again.

  "I don't know if she can do it," Tuck said.

  "There's nothing left to do but fight," Barabas said. "Dashiq has fought her entire life to keep these people safe, and she won't stop now, no matter what we think. You saw what she did."

  Tuck nodded, tears now streaming down his face. "I don't want her to die," he sobbed.

  "Neither do I," Barabas said, a catch in his voice.

  Hearing his emotion was more than Riette could bear, and she wept openly. Emmet took her hand, and she bent down to hug him, knowing it might be the last time she ever did. The Zjhon would return soon, and the people of Sparrowport had few resources left with which to fight them. The enormous gun was an act of desperation. They would leave the remains of the town and the people still there, undefended, to get the gun to the bluffs. No one worked on reloading the catapults or air cannons and instead worked the ropes coming out of the hole in the ground that now served as the smithy.

  Issuing a mournful call, Dashiq committed herself to the effort and allowed ropes to be looped over her muscular neck and haunches. Riette continued to feel useless and did her best to stay out of the way.

  "We're ready!" Brick shouted. "When I say, give it all you've got. Now! Heave!"

  Like a draft horse pulling a sunken plow, Dashiq leaned into the ropes and groaned from the effort. The ropes creaked and popped but did not budge.

  "Help her!" Barabas ordered, and everyone still standing grabbed the ropes and pulled.

  Despair quickly began to set in. The massive gun was simply too heavy for them to move. Tears gathering in Brick's eyes threatened to shatter Riette's will. He was the strongest and kindest person she'd ever known. He had stood up for her even when outnumbered, and it had cost him dearly over the years. It had also cost Joren business, but neither had ever complained. Riette had always been grateful for them, and to see them near their own breaking points hurt her in a way few other things could.

  "Incoming!" someone shouted.

  Despair set its hooks deeply. It was too late. The Zjhon had returned, and the people of Sparrowport had accomplished nothing in the meantime. The planes would encounter no resistance and could choose their targets at will. If the people did not scatter soon, they would give away the smithy's location, which was among the few assets they had remaining, not to mention expose themselves to fire. Without any people left alive, the smithy would mean nothing. Unable to figure out what to do, Riette stood frozen, holding Emmet's hand. If she had to die, at least she could be there to comfort him in their last moments. It was small consolation, but it was something. With sad determination, she turned to face the incoming planes.

  When she saw what approached, she drew a sharp breath. A single dragon flew toward them with two riders.

  It was Berigor.

  Seeing Dashiq in distress, Berigor and Keldon wasted no time. The larger dragon landed not far from Riette, looking not much better than the last time she'd seen him. She half expected Barabas to scold the man, but instead he just took half the ropes from Dashiq and tossed them up to Keldon. The man did not hesitate and asked no questions. Berigor nuzzled Dashiq and the two shared a moment of solace, eyes closed. No one could say exactly what passed between them, but when they opened their eyes again, both began to pull with all their might. The effort tore away the stone atop the smithy and left a gaping hole through which the gleaming gun barrel emerged. Riette had known it would be big, but it seemed to go on forever. When the small end finally emerged, people did their best to guide the massive weapon through the haphazard debris field, which had once been cobblestone streets.

  Even with Berigor's help, getting the gun out of town without damaging it was a struggle. Children also helped, working together to move things from the dragons' paths. Upon reaching the trenches, Barabas guided Dashiq to the south. Sloping hills covered in slick grasses made the second part of the journey far easier, and the people struggled to keep up with the laboring dragons. Riette wasn't even certain where they were going until Brick dashed past them, moving faster than Riette had ever seen him go. He ran straight toward a pile of debris that looked like nothing more than a tangle of downed trees. Others joined him and helped clear the brush from what was in actuality a sandbagged base not unlike the one supporting the cannon on the airfield, only this one was half again as large. Copper tanks were just barely visible amid recently constructed berms, and a stockpile of large stone shot rested to one side.

  "We've been building this at night for the past week," Brick said with a mixture of pride and anxious anticipation. "Now we'll find out if I was right or if I'm the greatest fool Sparrowport has ever known."

  Riette hugged him, unable to do anything more to address his regrettably realistic fears. The dragons pulled the massive gun barrel into place until the trunnions settled into the grooves made for them. The fit was precise and made Riette proud of her friend. He'd come such a long way since the days of making cook pots and door knockers.

  People cheered when the air tanks were connected and the first round breech loaded. Once the breech was closed, Brick climbed up to sight the mighty gun. Out to sea, the Zjhon fleet was visible, waiting just far enough offshore to stay beyond the smaller gun's range. Here on the bluffs and with the much larger gun, they would drive the fleet farther out to sea and reduce their ability to launch air raids.

  Before they ever got a shot off, though, it became clear it would be too little too late. Somehow the Zjhon must have known they were planning something and appeared determined to put an end to the resistance once and for all. The previous flights had been but a fraction of their remaining strength. The skies above the fleet were filled with aircraft. It looked as if they would send every bit of firepower they had remaining. It was an overwhelming force, and all those assembled quailed. No more cheers rose from the now dispirited group. Within a few minutes, their destruction would come.

  "Hold your fire," Barabas barked, and Brick looked at him with confusion in his eyes. "Wait until the planes have moved close enough to town t
hat they can no longer see us up here. Let them attack an empty town, so they have no munitions left by the time they realize we're here."

  "He's right," Joren said. "Better to let them bomb empty bunkers than to come here where we are largely undefended. We're only going to get one chance at this. Once they know this gun is here, they'll do everything they can to destroy it, just as they have the one on the airfield."

  "They've failed at that so far," Brick argued.

  "Won't matter if the gun survives and there's no one left to fire it," Joren said.

  Everyone else remained silent, letting the young man's father say his piece. Brick nodded in obvious reluctance. Those gathered on the bluffs watched from concealed positions within a line of scrubby trees, trying to keep from being seen and feeling helpless while a devastating force descended on their home. A pair of young men ran back to town to evacuate those they could, and Riette prayed with all her might the children found their way to safety, despite knowing no place was really safe.

  "Open the valves," Brick shouted once the last aircraft disappeared behind the tallest peak along the shoreline. With the shot already loaded and the gun sighted on the largest Zjhon ship, Brick did not hesitate. Taking control of the situation, he fired the mighty weapon. It issued an echoing report like nothing any of them had ever heard before. For a long moment, nothing happened, but then, even from such a distance, the impact was unmistakable. While his shot had flown over the flagship, three smaller ships were damaged and began to sink. "Close the valves," Brick ordered, working to open the breech and reload. Never had Riette been so proud and frightened at the same time.