Rhidian strained as he and Rebus held onto the wheel – like two gladiators who were arm wrestling a bear – the tension on their faces clear. Rhidian pulled as Rebus pushed – both tried to right the ship.
‘Don’t let go, don’t let go!’ Rebus repeatedly screamed as he tried to keep hold his end. Rhidian peered back at Rebus and saw his face light up from a blinding lightning strike. He looked ghostly, which scared the life out of the engineer, but he held on regardless.
Caleb had meanwhile jammed his heel against the doorpost and wedged himself in a position to help Red. He pulled with all his might to get the boy back inside the room. Red tried to push his body back, but when he saw a loose barrel tumble along the deck towards him, he stared in wild horror, not able to do anything about it.
‘HELP ME SOMEONE!’ he screeched and threw his arms in front of his face for protection. Caleb gave one enormous yank and pulled the boy back inside as the barrel rolled past and broke through the ship’s side panel and disappeared into the storm. Red twisted onto his back and grabbed the same steel rail that Caleb was clamped to. He let out a heavy-winded sigh, not even able to acknowledge Caleb for what he’d just done. Red’s hair was plastered to his head and the top half of his shirt was dark from the soaking, but he was alive. He sobbed and his heart pounded in his chest. He closed his eyes as tight as he could and held on for dear life.
‘HOLD ON EVERYONE… HERE WE GO!’ Rhidian shouted – his arm muscles burned from the heavy grip. The Cloud Hopper was soon swallowed up and lost in the depth of the squall.
Chapter 14
Crash Landing
This was it. Rebus and Rhidian held onto the wheel with all their might and tried to keep the Cloud Hopper steady. Caleb and Red held on as best they could. The sky ship tossed and jarred as if on a stormy sea – except this was in the sky and the only way out was a deathly fall. In all the confusion, everyone had forgotten about the ship that was pursuing them.
The enemy vessel was only a matter of a quarter mile behind and gaining, but it also struggled against the terrible weather conditions. The lights suddenly went out on the Cloud Hopper, leaving the control room in blackness. There was a resounding screech from Red when something hit him. The sounds of loose debris rang out as things crashed against cupboards and crockery smashed all around.
‘Are you okay?’ Celeb shouted from the gloom.
‘Yes-yes I’m fine,’ came the ominous reply from the youngster. A huge flash of fork lightning erupted over the ship and bleached the faces of each crewmember in bright white. The blinding flash was followed by the loudest eruption of thunder that shook the ship to its very core.
‘Jeez, that was close!’ Red screamed; his nerves had got the better of him.
‘Hold on, boy, there’ll be a lot more to come,’ Rebus shouted and Red rolled his eyes with contempt. ‘Don’t give me that look, boy,’ Rebus growled. Red was shocked. How on earth did he see me? he thought. ‘I can see everything,’ Rebus lied, and just assumed the boy was doing his usual face pulling. Red stopped making faces and concentrated on holding on.
The wind was using the Cloud Hopper as a toy, flipping and tossing it from side to side.
‘Can’t you and Caleb do something magically?’ Rhidian shouted into Rebus’ ear. ‘You’ve got the power, surely?’
‘No, Mother Nature is a strong force to deal with,’ the wizard answered. ‘It’s too powerful, even for the likes of us wizards,’ he said. With that, another electrical surge burst across the sky and lit up the entire region. Rebus managed to look across the room through the window. He was shocked to see the pirate ship within range to board them.
‘We’ve got problems!’ he bellowed, as another thunderous roar snuffed out his voice. There was another flash of light, but this time the crew felt a heavy impact and heard the grind of crunching timber. They realised that it wasn’t the storm but an attack from the enemy ship.
‘If the storm doesn’t smash us apart then that ship surely will,’ Rhidian called out. ‘What can we do?’
‘There’s the centre of the storm!’ Rebus screeched, pointing ahead. ‘Help me steer towards it, Rhidian.’ It was their only chance. The Cloud Hopper continued to pitch and roll as the attacking vessel collided and then bounced away, only to smash into them once more.
‘Hold fast everyone. This is going to be the worst yet,’ Rebus called out and sounded a little calmer for some reason. The lightning continued and the thunder followed in deafening bursts as heavy winds and rain added to their devastation. There were a few more shunts from the pirate ship but with the bad conditions they couldn’t climb aboard.
‘At least the storm is helping us by stopping the pirates!’ Rhidian screeched.
The Cloud Hopper’s engine wasn’t a factor any more as the raging storm took over. Rebus and Rhidian really had no control as they entered oblivion. Red called out from somewhere on the floor.
‘The pirate ship has broken off and turned away.’ He was right; the captain of that ship had more sense than to pursue something on a death course. The pirate vessel was veering to the left, but, as it peeled away a sharp finger of electrical energy touched down onto its centre, damaging part of the deck. Rhidian could see it free-falling – the balloon that kept it afloat was punctured. Well, that’s one problem out of the way, Rhidian thought.
‘Hold on, we’re not out of the woods yet!’ Rebus bellowed.
The rain beat down hard on the ship like stair rods and the wind buffeted the poor vessel from all directions. One great swirl and the Cloud Hopper flipped over and was now upside-down. The crew fell and landed against the ceiling. It was dark inside and no one could make out where they were. No one knew if they were all safe. The windows were forced in and shards of glass splintered like diamonds.
Another great fist punched the side of the ship, levelling it back upright. The four figures were thrown back to the floor, the same as dried peas in a rolling can. It was dark and noisy and everyone was disorientated. Thunder erupted and the high tone of the wind made it impossible to hear anything. The cargo ship entered the centre of the squall and twisted like a children’s spinning top – round and round it went as the propeller flew off into nothingness.
The small crew were all but unconscious. The engine had cut out when the propeller was ripped away, leaving the ship without power. Then suddenly the violence calmed and gravity took over. With the ship released from the grip of the storm and a huge tear in the canvas that kept in the floating gas, there was nothing to keep it in the air. The vessel picked up speed and plummeted towards whatever lay beneath. Down it fell, occasionally lit by the distant lightning strikes. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to be cursing the ship’s escape.
There was still enough ballast in its tanks to keep the Cloud Hopper steady and level. And, as it got closer, the parachute automatically released and flowered into a colossal umbrella, slowing down the pace of the ship. It was a controlled decent now rather than an out-of-control rush of speed.
The wooden craft creaked and groaned from its wounds, beaten and helpless, the passengers unaware of anything. The storm drifted and took with it the angry clouds and rasping winds. The rain subsided too, and all that remained were the pale diminishing flashes of lightning and mumbling thunder in the background.
Cloud Hopper was no more and came to land with a resounding thud. It rolled over and lay on its side as if resting. The parachute limply fell, covering its body as a mother pulling a sheet over a baby. The contents of the ship were spread over a mile, leaving the broken shell exposed.
Once more the sun petered through the dissolving cloud cover, penetrating the land with its warm rays, the ship alone in the middle of a desolate land.
Chapter 15
Missing
The ship was mostly whole but looked helpless, like a wounded animal. It lay on its side, grafted to the ground, and appeared as if it had always been there. Debris from the craft were scattered in all directions.
Rhidian wa
s first to open his eyes and found himself upside down. He had bits of wood and other stuff weighing him down. He grunted and slowly moved his head as best as he could. Everything was a haze at first and then the memories of the storm flashed across his mind.
‘Oh, man,’ he growled from the pit of his throat; his mouth was really dry. He could feel the pressure in his temples and his nose was blocked. He snuffled it up and spit it out. His neck was sore but it didn’t give him pain, but he did have a humongous headache. The engineer was afraid to move at first, in case he’d broken something. He plucked up the courage and started to flex his limbs. He could hear and feel pieces of timber and debris drop off him. The blood was pumping in his temples. He eventually righted himself, sat up, and this took the pressure off.
Rhidian had more focus now and saw the mess that was the Cloud Hopper. His head felt cloudy and he couldn’t think straight at first. He moved his arms and legs but, besides the odd bruise, everything appeared okay. He breathed a sigh of contentment, his head still pounding. The control room was set at an angle. It didn’t appear to have sustained too much damage, which struck him as really odd after the wrestle they’d had with the storm. The furniture was obviously all over the place but otherwise fine. He then realised that he was on his own. Where was everyone?
He gently scrambled to his feet. When he stood up straight he had to steady himself against the ceiling (which was now the wall). It took a few more moments before he was ready to move again. He was stood on the starboard side of the ship. The only way out was to climb up to the doorway. He clambered over debris and eventually pulled his body up through the doorframe and onto the deck. From here he could see the full damage to the ship. The day was bright and sunny and he had to shield his eyes from the glare. It was as if everything was normal but everything wasn’t. He felt sick from being upside-down and the headache. He needed water.
Rhidian made his way along the port side, using anything he could to help him get a grip. When he’d got to the bow, he could step down onto the sand and walk off the ship. It felt good to be on solid ground again. The engineer walked along the underside of the Cloud Hopper and was shocked to find that he was still on his own. Where was everyone? Had they all been scattered over the land? Maybe he was the only one that survived. He was alone and on the brink of crying but choked back the tears. Rhidian wiped his nose and eyes. He had to find the others – they could be hurt, or worse.
He quickly walked back around the ship to look on the deck again and, to his utter joy, found Rebus.
‘Good, you’re okay,’ he said, the relief evident on his face.
‘Where’s everyone else?’ Rebus asked; his voice sounded as dry as Rhidian’s.
‘I’m here,’ Caleb’s voice echoed from deep in the galley. He crawled out onto the deck, dragging a container of water behind him.
‘Are you all right, Caleb?’ Rhidian said urgently, quickly moving to his aid.
‘As far as I know,’ he replied gingerly. ‘Bit sore, but nothing serious. How about you and Rebus?’
‘Me, I’m fine. I think Rebus is good too, considering. Can I get a drink?’ Rhidian added. ‘My mouth doesn’t feel part of me at the moment.’
‘Sure, give some to Rebus too. He looks as parched as you,’ Caleb said. The two men took turns and swallowed hungrily – Rhidian almost choked in the process.
‘Take your time, Rhidian. There’s plenty in the hold,’ Caleb revealed.
‘Hey, where’s Red?’ Rebus piped up. It was at that point that they realised he wasn’t there.
‘Red? Red, where are you?’ Rhidian called out, but an answer didn’t come. ‘We have to find him.’ Rhidian’s face was distraught.
‘We will,’ Caleb cut in. ‘He can’t be far. I’ll check below,’ he said, and scrambled along the deck.
‘I’ll check the cabins,’ Rhidian added with purpose.
‘I’ll look outside the ship in the surrounding area,’ Rebus said, and pushed himself along the side of the ship. There was a lot of shouting and creaking timber and, eventually, everyone met on the sandy ground.
‘He’s not here,’ Rebus exclaimed. ‘Where the hell is he?’
‘Well, we’ve searched everywhere on board,’ Rhidian reported. ‘Could he have jumped out maybe? He could be hurt somewhere.’
‘He can’t be far, surely?’ Caleb said, mystified. ‘Perhaps he’s…’
‘Let’s not jump to any conclusions,’ Rebus cut in smartly.
‘Yeah, let’s hope he’s okay. Anything could have happened in that storm. I’m worried,’ Rhidian said.
‘Well, what do we do then?’ Caleb looked at the others and expected some kind of plan.
‘A search party,’ Rhidian announced. ‘Look, he’s a tough kid. I’m sure he’s fine,’ Rhidian said, and tried to sound upbeat, more for himself than the others.
‘Okay, what if we split up and look further afield?’ Rebus asked and rolled his eyes from Caleb to Rhidian.
‘That makes sense,’ Caleb said, and took a look around the ship.
‘Before we do anything we have to work out where we are,’ Rhidian said sensibly. Rebus and Rhidian did the same as Caleb and scanned the area. They were surrounded by black sand. Rhidian dipped down to the ground and grabbed a handful.
‘What is that?’ Rebus knelt down by Rhidian’s side and fingered the granules in his palm.
‘It’s obviously sand, but black sand means one thing to me. This whole place must be set on volcanic rock,’ Rhidian assumed.
‘How do you know that?’ Rebus probed.
‘I had to learn about rock formation in a course I did years ago,’ he said.
‘Clever boy,’ Rebus said, raising his eyebrows.
‘Over here, quickly,’ Caleb called from the stern section of the ship. Rebus and Rhidian scampered over the sandy base to meet him.
‘What is it?’ Rebus gushed.
‘I can feel traces of him,’ Caleb said seriously.
‘What traces?’ Rhidian quizzed.
‘I have to connect with Rebus and maybe we can find him,’ Caleb said.
‘Okay, let’s do it,’ Rebus agreed, eyes wide. The two sorcerers sat down in the sand cross-legged. Rhidian stood back in silence and let them create the magic. Both of them closed their eyes and concentrated. To Rhidian’s surprise a plume of smoke conjured from the sand. He gasped and looked on in wonder. Rebus and Caleb were in totally one mind.
Soon the light grey wisp formed into a mirror of sorts and there, in the middle, was a figure. Rhidian recognised it right away; Red was lying on the ground with his eyes shut. Rhidian’s heart pounded – was he alive? There was movement and the boy’s eyes flickered open. Rhidian couldn’t help himself and reached out to touch him. As his finger touched the mist, the apparition dissolved away and the wizards’ connection to the boy was broken. Rebus and Caleb opened their eyes, staring at each other.
‘Sorry, guys,’ Rhidian apologised.
‘Sorry?’ Caleb looked puzzled. ‘Why?’
‘I touched the smoke,’ Rhidian admitted.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Rebus said. ‘It wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway.’
‘We have to find him,’ Rhidian said, wringing his hands. ‘At least he’s alive.’ Rhidian’s spirits were high again.
‘We now know what direction to go to find him,’ Caleb said positively.
‘We have to go right now,’ Rebus added urgently.
‘We don’t know how far away he is though,’ Caleb said and he was right.
‘It doesn’t matter, he’s our friend and we have to help him. We should grab some water and whatever food we have. We’ve got to go and help the lad,’ Rhidian said, his eyes serious.
‘You’re right, come on. It’s a bit of a mess in the kitchen but I’ll find something.’ Caleb was already climbing back onto the Cloud Hopper and within five minutes he returned with a couple of shoulder bags.
‘I have water and some fruit. The meat and the rest of the con
tents in the fridge and freezers are inedible. The power went off and the doors were all open,’ Caleb explained.
‘That’ll keep us going for now. And we’ve got a direction to follow,’ Rhidian chirped up, ‘that’s something.’
‘It’s what’s we’ll find when we get there that I’m not sure of,’ Rebus said.
‘Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together,’ Caleb smiled. And off they went, the strong magic of the wizards leading them.
Chapter 16
Attack
Rhidian took a long look at the landscape before setting off. It looked bleak – the ground was hilly with dips and scars carved into the ground. There were trees dotted here and there, but besides that there was only rock and not much else. It was sunny and the warmth beat down from a bright, yellow sun, but a swift breeze kept the air cool.
He was surprised. The earth was mostly underwater so they must have been lucky enough to land on high ground somewhere. He couldn’t make out any stretches of water at all, so he assumed they’d landed deep in the mountains, the problem being that a land shrouded in volcanic rock wouldn’t hold much in the way of food.
‘Come on, Rhidian, stop pondering and let’s get on with it.’ Rebus was agitated. They moved off in a northerly direction – the intuition of the wizards leading the way.
‘What’s up with you?’ Rhidian enquired with interest as they strolled along. ‘You seem annoyed.’
‘Nothing,’ he growled and kept his eyes fixed ahead, his heavy sigh obvious.
‘He’s miffed at the idea of being distracted from searching for Obsidian,’ Caleb revealed. Rebus gave Caleb a sharp stare.
‘You’re not serious?’ Rhidian snapped. Rebus’ face went from taught and angry to placid. He slowly turned to Rhidian with regret in his eyes.
‘I apologise,’ he said with real conviction. ‘I don’t mean to be so self-centred, it’s just that… time is running out. We need to find Obsidian and the others as soon as we can. I like Red too, and I’m also worried about him… sorry,’ he said.
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