The Curse of the Ice Serpent (20 page)

‘Misdirection,’ Dakkar said. ‘The Heart of Vulcan is the trap, not all the blades and weapons set to protect it!’

‘And when the trap springs,’ Fletcher said miserably, ‘we’ll be caught in it too.’

CHAPTER THIRTY

SKY WRECK

‘We should tell Tomasz,’ Georgia said. ‘Reason with him.’

‘Good luck with that,’ Dakkar said, rolling his eyes. ‘Do you honestly think he’d believe us? Even if he did, would his wounded pride let him admit it’s true?’

‘All we can do is wait for the moment and be prepared to get away,’ Fletcher said. ‘We have to have a plan.’

Georgia threw her hands up. ‘How can we have a plan when we don’t know exactly what’s going to happen or when? And in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re locked in a cell.’

But Dakkar nodded. ‘Fletcher’s right,’ he said. ‘We know that the
Nautilus
is sitting on the deck. We know she has the capability of flight. The first sign of trouble, we break out of here and head for the sub.’

Georgia opened her mouth to say something but the whole room tilted and shook, sending them tumbling against the wall. Outside the guard screamed as he fell the length of the passageway. The floor righted itself and they got to their feet.

‘Now’s our chance,’ Dakkar said, peering through the grille in the door. ‘We’ve got to get out.’

‘But we’re still locked in,’ Fletcher said. ‘What’s changed?’

‘The guard’s unconscious,’ Dakkar said, hurrying to the bed. ‘We can try to pick the lock.’

‘With what?’ Georgia said, frowning.

Dakkar lifted the bed up and smashed it on the ground. The wooden frame splintered, revealing the sharp points of nails.

‘We could try these for a start,’ he said, worming a nail out of the wood.

Dakkar stooped at the keyhole and began to work the nail into the lock. The whole room shuddered, telling them that things weren’t going well in the engine room.

‘I thought you’d be a dab hand at this kind of thing, Fletcher,’ he said, wiggling the nail and pushing a second one in.

‘What, me? A house-breaker? Nah!’ Fletcher snorted, watching over Dakkar’s shoulder. ‘I was an honest-to-goodness pickpocket. I only took what I needed – wasn’t greedy.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Dakkar said, grinning at the metallic clunk from the lock. He stood up and pushed the door open.

Barrels and boxes lay scattered across the lower deck of the platform. Guards rushed backward and forward, trying to secure cannon and ammunition that had broken free. The platform shook again and tilted to port. Nobody even looked at Dakkar or the others as they raced along to the upper deck.

The wind whipped at their faces as they stepped up into the open air and Dakkar almost fell over as the fortress pitched again. The balloons rattled against each other in the gale. Dakkar noticed some had deflated. Men staggered from side to side on the platform, trying to stay on their feet as it rolled like a ship in a storm.

Dakkar turned to Georgia and Fletcher. ‘Quickly,’ he said. ‘Find something to cut the ropes on the
Nautilus
.’

Fletcher hurried around the back of the
sub. Dakkar and Georgia crept between bellowing men who tried to keep their balance on the foundering platform. Someone screamed and fell over the side.

An axe slid past Dakkar and he made to grab it but a foot ground painfully on to his fingers. Tomasz stood, glowering down at him.

‘What have you done to the Thermolith?’ he demanded, grabbing Dakkar by the throat. ‘It’s melting through its cradle, becoming hotter and hotter. What have you done? Tell me!’

Dakkar couldn’t believe the man’s strength. Tomasz’s fingers closed like a noose around his neck, choking him. He grappled with the strong hands, trying to break free.

‘It wasn’t us!’ Georgia shouted, running over and pulling at Tomasz’s arm. ‘It was Borys. He tricked you.’ She beat at his shoulders. ‘Borys knew the Thermolith would overheat. He knew it would do this.’

Dakkar couldn’t breathe. His head felt as though it would explode. The world around him began to fade and go black. He felt weightless, then his breath rushed from his body and a stabbing pain shot up his back as he hit the ground.

Georgia had leapt on to Tomasz’s back and was clawing at his face. Dakkar had been thrown aside.

Tomasz struck out, sending Georgia staggering. Dakkar leapt forward, jabbing at the count with his fist.

‘Georgia, help Fletcher get the
Nautilus
ready,’ Dakkar said. ‘I’ll deal with
this
.’

‘But, Dakkar!’ Georgia shouted.

‘Go!’ Dakkar yelled as the fortress whirled around, sending more men screaming to their deaths.

Georgia fell away, grabbing hold of crates and boxes for stability.

‘The Heart of Vulcan is overheating! It’s melting through the deck of the fortress,’ Tomasz panted, circling the deck with his fists raised. ‘We’re doomed but I’ll take you down with me.’

Dakkar lashed out with a punch but Tomasz, surprisingly fast for so portly a man, ducked and landed a fist on Dakkar’s cheek. They fell back towards the engine room. Dakkar launched himself at Tomasz’s ankles, tackling him to the ground, but Tomasz kicked out. The hours without sleep and the stresses of the previous few days weighed heavily on Dakkar. He fell back and Tomasz clambered to his feet.

At the centre of the fortress’s deck, Fletcher struggled with the ropes that held the
Nautilus
down.

Tomasz climbed up the steps to the back of the platform and grabbed the huge ship’s wheel, spinning it to the left. The whole fortress groaned as it turned, sending everyone staggering across the floor.

‘If we’re going to die then let’s all go together, eh, Dakkar?’ Tomasz cackled, his eyes wide.

Dakkar dragged himself up the steps. ‘Tomasz, no!’ he cried.

‘Borys thought he could trick me, did he?’ Tomasz growled. ‘Well, I’ll show him! I’ll ditch this whole fortress into the sea. At least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I’ve had revenge on you, Prince Dakkar.’

Dakkar staggered over to the cradle that had once held the Heart of Vulcan and stared down the gaping hole in the middle of the melted heap. He had to shield his eyes from the glare below as the rock scorched its way through metal.

‘The Thermolith is no longer supplying hot air to the balloons!’ Georgia yelled, pointing to the sagging silk bags that were becoming softer by the second.

She was on the
Nautilus
now. Fletcher had dragged the ropes and tarpaulins free but she was starting to slide across the deck.

‘Georgia, Fletcher, get inside!’ Dakkar yelled. ‘Start the engines!’

The fortress whirled round faster, sending everyone stumbling. Even Tomasz lost his hold and fell, sliding across the slippery metal floor. Guards screamed as they hurtled towards the low pipework wall that edged the platform and tumbled over it.

Georgia slipped on the sub’s tower ladder and almost fell. Fletcher ran to get on to the upper deck as the
Nautilus
slid towards the edge of the fortress.

Summoning all his strength, Dakkar crawled towards the ship’s wheel, hauling himself up on to it. He pulled at it, trying to slow the mad whirl, so that Fletcher and Georgia could get into the submarine.

‘What are you doing?’ Tomasz roared, staggering across the platform towards him.

‘Borys is the one who brought us all on to this deathtrap,’ Dakkar said, heaving at the wheel. He could see the steely grey of the sea below now. ‘Wouldn’t it be better to live and get revenge on those who
really
betrayed you?’

‘My brother is dead.’ Tomasz charged towards Dakkar. ‘How can I get revenge on him?’

Dakkar braced himself for the attack, but before Tomasz could reach him the fortress shook and a huge explosion deafened them. Dakkar saw the Heart of Vulcan thrown high into the air, streaking like a comet, then it plummeted over the side and into the sea. Smoke billowed up from the lower decks of the platform. Some balloons broke their moorings, causing the fortress to sag to one side again. Men screamed and tumbled over the side.

‘The ammunition has ignited in the storerooms below!’ someone screamed as another explosion rocked them, sending fragments of hot metal pinging and buzzing around their heads.

‘Borys even designed the fortress so that the gun­powder store lies directly under the engine room,’ Dakkar muttered to himself.

The fortress tilted again and he slid straight towards Tomasz, who clung to the rails at the side of the platform, struggling to keep balance. He grinned as Dakkar slid nearer across the slick metal.

The
Nautilus
gave an ominous groan and slipped over the side. Dakkar couldn’t see Georgia or Fletcher.

‘My only consolation is that I’m going to kill you before we all go down,’ Tomasz snarled, reaching out for him.

Dakkar kicked his legs out, trying to slow his fall, but Tomasz drew nearer. At the last moment, just as Dakkar was about to slide under Tomasz, he rolled and grabbed the man’s leg, his momentum dragging Tomasz down.

Tomasz fell heavily and the two of them continued to slide. Dakkar glimpsed boxes, ropes, bodies of guards racing past him. Then he saw stars as Tomasz’s fist struck him in the temple. All the while they slipped closer and closer to the edge of the falling fortress.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

DEATH FALL

‘This is for my brother Kazmer …’ Tomasz punched. ‘And this is for Stefan …’ He raised his fist again but then vanished from view.

They had struck the railings at the perimeter of the fortress. Tomasz, being on top, fell backward over the edge. Dakkar slammed his feet against the pipes and stopped his fall. He dragged himself up, groaning.

A gloved hand gripped the edge of the wall. Dakkar looked over at Tomasz, who held on by his fingertips.

‘Help me,’ Tomasz gasped from below.

He tried to kill me
, Dakkar thought.
He killed Oginski.

Tomasz glared up at him, his fingers slipping from the edge.

‘Are you going to let me die?’ Tomasz said, sweat dripping from his brow. ‘Then you’re no better than I am.’

‘
Men can become so consumed by revenge that they become monsters
,’ Oginski had once said to him when he was younger. ‘
Are you a monster?
’ Oginski’s voice echoed in his mind.

Dakkar lunged over the side and grabbed Tomasz’s arm with both hands and tried to heave him up.

‘Fool!’ Tomasz spat and gripped Dakkar’s jacket.

‘Tomasz, no!’ Dakkar yelled, but it was too late.

Once more he felt weightless as he and Tomasz plunged from the side of the fortress.

‘Bad luck, Prince Dakkar,’ Tomasz yelled over the wind that rushed through their ears. The sea waited for them below. ‘In the end you lost!’

This is it
, Dakkar thought.
I’m going to die.

Something pale and round bobbed and fluttered beneath them. It was a balloon from the fortress that had lost hot air and gas. It drifted at a lower level but still had some buoyancy.

Dakkar twisted his head and sank his teeth into Tomasz’s chubby arm. With a yell of surprise, he released Dakkar.

Kicking away from Tomasz and twisting his aching body, Dakkar saw that the balloon had floated directly below him. As the rippling silk came level with him, he spotted a cable that trailed beneath the canopy of the balloon and made a grab for it. The steel burned his palms even through his gloves, making him scream, but he gripped tightly. As the balloon slowed his fall, he felt as if his shoulder muscles would burst. Breath rushed from his lungs and he groaned as he swung from the cables.

He watched as Tomasz gradually vanished beneath him, looking up with an expression of wide-eyed disbelief.

Dakkar knew he should have felt triumphant. Oginski’s killer had been paid back. But Oginski was still dead and Dakkar felt empty.

Nausea pressed at Dakkar’s throat and every muscle in his body pulsed but he hung on as the balloon slowly descended under his weight, bringing the sea nearer and nearer.

He looked up at the fortress, a massive square meteorite dragging a trail of smoke and flame across the cloudy skies. Chunks of metal, boxes, sacks and bodies all cascaded down into the waters as it fell.

Dakkar watched as the glowing Heart of Vulcan seared a path through the cold air and into the freezing waters, its extreme heat reacting violently with the icy sea. It was gone.

And the
Nautilus
was nowhere to be seen.

‘Georgia!’ Dakkar whispered.

Tears pricked his eyes as the fortress crashed into the sea, throwing up a huge wave of water. A thick fog of steam coiled up into the sky, hissing and crackling, as the sea extinguished the fires raging in the lower decks. The Oginski twins’ fortress upended and slipped into the waves, leaving a slick of oil and debris.

‘Georgia!’ Dakkar yelled.