Voyages of the Flying Dragon (5 page)

A ripple went through the townspeople. For the first time since Missy had approached, they took their eyes from her and glanced at one another. Heidi regarded Missy with a calculating look on her face. Missy peeked into her mind. The image of the warrior maiden was gone, replaced by roaring flames that devoured faces Missy didn't recognise – doubtless they were loved ones Karasu had consigned to the fires of Fronge.

Eventually, Heidi spoke. ‘We have found such a way into Njord's temple, great Magni, beneath the mountains. We are … we
were
a community of miners. One day we were digging near the roots of Mount Vorbedacht of the Vision Peaks when we broke through into the lower chambers of the mountain. We mined no further and sealed off the breach, but you should be able to sneak into Njord's temple through there.'

Missy nodded. ‘That sounds like it could work. Wait here.'

She drew back to where the crew of the
Hiryū
had gathered to observe the exchange and quickly explained
to them what had happened. The townspeople looked on in confusion, most likely wondering why a god needed to confer with mortals. Missy suddenly paused as an awful idea occurred to her. What if they thought everyone on the crew was a god? She shivered despite the heat that still poured off the ruins of Fronge. The towering flames were all gone, but the foundations smouldered.

Missy finished her retelling and her crewmates' faces registered everything from shock and incredulousness to humour, thoughtfulness and even, Missy suspected, respect for how she had handled the situation.

Kenji was the first to break the silence that followed her tale. ‘Why don't we just fly after them? It'll be much quicker than going through the mountain.'

Missy shook her head. ‘We can't fly the
Hiryū
without Lenis.'

‘I've been flying for more years than you've lived, little lady. I'm sure I can work out enough to get us airborne.'

Missy snorted. ‘Have you seen the alterations Lenis made to the engines back in Nochi? He's done things to those machines that no one has even
imagined
before. He's invented an entirely new system for powering them. Pull the wrong lever, or the right lever to the wrong degree, and you'll blow us all up.'

The captain crossed his arms across his chest and buried his hands up his sleeves. ‘Well, it appears we are to become miners for a while! Lord Knyght, could you please remain
behind and help the people of Fronge as best you can? Many of them will need the doctor's ministrations, and you will need to arrange food and shelter for them in the square.'

Arthur also had his arms crossed over his chest, but that was usual for the stoic Kystian. ‘You will go alone?'

Missy was about to object when the captain overrode her. ‘This will be a stealth mission, Lord Knyght. If, as Miss Clemens tells us, Lenis has Atrum with him, then it is possible they have not yet been detected. I will take Sir Yami with me. His
Eien no Kage-ryū
is ideally suited to this kind of mission. Masters of the Eternal Shadow style of the YÅ«rei clan can move about unseen by their enemies, which is why Sir Yami was about to sneak aboard Karasu's airship before it took off.'

Missy startled guiltily. That was why Yami had been in the shadow of the airship when Lenis had flung her over the railing. She should have known the captain would have a plan of his own in motion before they all entered the square. No wonder it seemed as though he was trying to delay Karasu. He hadn't been buying time for the twins but for Yami.

‘I will also take Miss Clemens along,' the captain said, and Missy felt her heart soar.

Arthur was frowning. ‘Is that wise?'

‘I doubt Miss Clemens will submit to being left behind.'

‘We could use her here as an interpreter.'

The captain shook his head. ‘Miss Clemens has told the people of Fronge that she wishes to sneak into Njord's temple. Doubtless her lingering would arouse suspicion.'

Arthur considered this for a moment, glancing over at the townspeople who were only now helping each other to stand. ‘You are correct. We will do what we can here.'

‘Excellent.' The captain removed his arms from his sleeves and placed a hand on Missy's shoulder. ‘Miss Clemens,' he said with only the faintest smile hovering around his lips, ‘will you be so kind as to ask your worshippers to show us the way to their sacrilegious tunnel?'

Lenis sat on the deck of Karasu's airship with his back to the starboard railing and panicked. His calm, methodical mind seemed to have switched itself off completely. They had left Fronge, his sister, his Bestia, the
Hiryū
, the rest of the crew, and even Suiteki, who was probably still curled up contentedly next to Hiroshi's stove, behind well over half an hour ago. In that time Lenis had gone from startled to concerned and was now entering into blind terror. No one would be coming for him. No one
could
. There was no way anyone could work out how to use the engines since he had modified them. Lenis was alone with Atrum on board a ruthless mercenary's airship. If they were caught they wouldn't be punished, or sold.

They'd be killed.

Atrum might be spared – no crew was likely to give up a free Bestia – but Lenis would most likely be thrown
overboard. Hung by his neck from the crow's nest. Have his throat slit, just like … Lenis began to cry. He made no noise, but his body shook with the force it took to remain silent as the tears came. He swallowed the great sobs that threatened to betray him, but it was only a matter of time before he gave himself away.

Missy felt the temperature drop as soon as she passed the mine's threshold. She shivered, remembering just how cold it was in the mountains of Heimat Isle when you weren't standing in the middle of a burning town. Their guide, the young girl with the long blonde braid, led the way, carrying a makeshift torch. It was little more than a splinter of wood Heidi had pulled out of the remains of a burning building, already alight at one end.

Missy followed directly behind, keeping up the pretence that she was the deity Magni. The captain came next. Yami followed at the rear.

‘When we discovered we had breached sacred ground, we abandoned this entire mine,' Heidi informed them. ‘That is why this tunnel is so dark. Usually we keep torches burning, or use Bestia light.'

The girl lifted her torch higher, and Missy saw the tube set into the corner where the wall of the tunnel met the ceiling. She cursed silently to herself, wishing she had planned ahead and brought Lucis with them. Her brother would have, she was sure. Lucis would be able to light the tunnels far brighter
and with a much steadier glow than the girl's torch, which only lit the way a few feet in front of them and sent shadows dancing up the walls.

Missy shivered. She didn't like these tunnels.

‘We also use Bestia to help with the mining.'

‘Ah.' Missy figured the girl felt more comfortable talking than she did walking silently through the dark alone with an apparently wronged god and her followers. Missy wondered if she was worried about upsetting Njord by helping them sneak into his temple, even if it was one he no longer used.

‘Bestia aligned to the earth can detect mineral deposits and lead us to them.' Heidi went on.

‘I see.'

‘And flame Bestia can help us blast through difficult sections, though it is dangerous to use them so.'

‘I'll bet.' Missy tried to suppress her frustration but was only marginally successful. ‘Well, Heidi, how long before we reach the secret entrance to Njord's temple?'

Their guide paused for a heartbeat and then continued on. ‘It is not an entrance, great Magni,' she said reluctantly. ‘As I told you, we sealed up the passageway.'

Missy swore aloud in Shinzōn.

‘What is wrong?' the captain asked quickly.

Missy and Heidi had been conversing in Heiliglander, so the captain hadn't been following their conversation. ‘The tunnel is sealed, Captain.' She addressed Heidi again. ‘Yes, I remember you telling me it is so, but how?'

‘We collapsed the tunnel around it. See?' Heidi stopped abruptly and held her torch higher. Its light penetrated no further than two feet in front of them. The way ahead was blocked by broken earth.

Atrum quivered in Lenis's lap, both from his own fear and from the exertion of keeping them both hidden. The Bestia would be able to keep them concealed for longer than he had the
Hiryū
, because Lenis was much smaller than an airship, but he couldn't maintain the cloak of invisibility indefinitely. Lenis didn't know how long they had before Atrum's strength gave out and they were discovered. He couldn't think about it. He couldn't think about
anything
. His brain wasn't working, but somehow some part of Lenis remained focused, churning through the problem while his consciousness was petrified into inaction. The part of him that never really slept, that remained somehow detached from what he felt, beyond his control, was thinking hard. And, he suddenly realised through his panic-induced trance, it had worked out the solution.

Breathe … Think … Missy will come. She will reach for me telepathically. I can show her how to work the engines. They will come for me. Breathe … Think …

The loop of thought cycled through the back of his mind, not exactly demanding his attention, but always there, waiting for him to calm down enough to notice. He focused on the thoughts, repeating them to himself like a mantra.

Missy will come. She will reach for me telepathically. They will come for me. Breathe … Think …

Lenis felt the tears stop and his breathing slowly return to normal. Of course, he should have realised sooner. Missy would communicate with him. That was one of her gifts, part of what made her special. She could send her awareness out further than any other Bestia communicator. She would come to Lenis telepathically, and he would show her how to start the engines, how to monitor the fluxes of Bestia power, how to channel Aeris's power for maximum effect. The
Hiryū
would rise into the sky and chase after them, guided by Lenis and Missy's telepathic link.

Then why hasn't she gotten in contact yet?

Lenis flinched at the unwanted thought and pushed it away.
No! She will come!

Feeling more in control of himself, Lenis took a long, deep breath. A dull ache pulsed in his side. He winced. Long Liu's pain medication was wearing off. Lenis forced himself to take shallower breaths and considered his situation. Perhaps Missy was even searching for him now. The smoke from the burning town would have hidden them from view, so she wouldn't know exactly which way they were going. It was only natural she would have trouble finding them.

When Missy did find them, it would take a while for the engines to warm up and for the
Hiryū
to lift off the ground. Karasu's airship was already far out from Fronge, and Lenis didn't think he'd be able to direct Missy quickly enough to use
the dual-Bestia system safely, which meant they wouldn't be able to catch up with Karasu until he landed or docked at an airdock.

Unless Lenis could slow the airship down. The idea became more promising the longer he mulled it over, and he had to do
something
. Either he had to slow down Karasu's airship, or find a safe place to hide so Atrum could drop her cloak of invisibility and get some rest. If he could do both it would be all the better, and there were still the stones of ebb and flow to find. He couldn't steal them yet, not when he didn't have anywhere to escape to afterwards. As long as Karasu didn't suspect he was on board, though, Lenis had some measure of protection. In fact, he was almost perfectly safe now that he thought about it. Instead of sitting around worrying about what was going to happen to him if he were discovered, he could use this time to spy and plan. Perhaps he could get away with stealing the stones after all. Assuming he survived.

Lenis made sure he had a firm grip on Atrum and then hauled himself to his feet. This airship was so like the
Hiryū
that he shouldn't have too much trouble finding his way around. He decided to start by having a closer look into the four holds on deck. The twins had only had the briefest glimpse inside three of them. They could have easily missed something, and besides they were out in the open so Lenis would have a clear view if anyone came up on deck. He also really wanted to get a look at that fourth hold. There was a
good chance it was outfitted for a cabin, and if so it might just be Karasu's. Even if he didn't find the stones, he might stumble across an opportunity for sabotage.

The first two holds held nothing more than the sorts of provisions Lenis and Missy had already seen – barrels of fresh water, fruit, and dried fish, as well as bags of rice. Lenis was suddenly and unexpectedly grateful for Hiroshi's cooking. Whatever the man's faults, he somehow managed to turn airship fare into something palatable.

The third hold, which on the
Hiryū
housed the landcraft and the winch mechanism used to lower it over the side, was the one full of weapons. A closer inspection revealed nothing more than a collection of knives, swords, spears, and bows with barrelfuls of arrows. Lenis frowned. Karasu's airship was stocked to cater for a lot of soldiers, and that was not a good thing. Before leaving, he selected the smallest knife he could find and drew the blade. Grinning despite the tension that was building inside him, Lenis quickly sliced through each of the bowstrings. It wasn't much, but it was something.

As Lenis approached the fourth hold, Atrum started to weigh down his arms. He was not a large or heavy Bestia, but the strain of holding onto him was beginning to take its toll. Lenis silently cursed himself. All this time he had believed he was getting stronger, and here he was complaining that one of his Bestia was too heavy? He adjusted his grip on Atrum, hugging him closer to his chest, and moved on.

Inside the fourth hold, Lenis found what he had been hoping for. It was furnished as a passenger cabin, but a brief look told him it was not Karasu's. Its interior was a haphazard mess of parchment and scientific paraphernalia similar to the contraptions that lined Long Liu's cabin on the
Hiryū
. This had to be Chūritsu's cabin.

Lenis braced himself and stepped inside. It was entirely possible the Shinzōn scientist had the stones in here so he could do whatever it was scientists did with such things.
Experiments of one kind or another
, Lenis thought as he crept around the mess on the floor. He was careful not to disrupt anything. Although everything looked as though it was scattered aimlessly around the cabin, it was entirely possible Chūritsu knew exactly where everything was, and Lenis didn't want him getting suspicious. Then he almost laughed out loud. He was worried about Chūritsu getting suspicious someone had been in his cabin, but he hadn't thought twice about cutting all those bowstrings?

Get a grip, Lenis
, he thought to himself.

As he was stepping over an overturned stool, Lenis became aware of people approaching on deck. He wasn't certain if he heard them or sensed them with his special gifts first, but he knew they were there. He held his breath and forced back the panic that flooded through him. Atrum had remained calm since Lenis had begun searching the airship, and the last thing he wanted was for the Bestia to pick up on Lenis's fright and start making noises.

Thankfully, Atrum remained silent. Lenis counted to ten in his head. Whoever was approaching passed by. He waited for another count of ten, every sense available to him searching for signs of anyone else approaching. When he was satisfied he was in the clear, Lenis let out his breath slowly and resumed his search. The strain of remaining immobile had awakened the dull ache in his side. He moved faster now, caring less about making a noise and more about getting done as quickly as possible. When Long Liu's medication wore off, he wouldn't be up to much sneaking.

The search proved futile. There was nothing even made out of stone in Chūritsu's cabin. Lenis scanned the scientist's mess once more before leaving. He waited by the doorway, crouched down with Atrum squeezed tight to him, waiting to see if anyone else would walk by. When he was satisfied he was safe enough, Lenis left the holds and moved into the shadow of the forecastle. The hatch leading below decks was invitingly open, but if he went down there he would truly be trapped if he were discovered. There would be less room for him to manoeuvre down there, more chance of bumping against someone in the close confines of the airship's belly. But what choice did he have? The only other place to go was the crystal-domed bridge, and there was no way he was going to risk that. The rear hatch, too, was out of the question. He wanted to stay as far away from this airship's Bestia as he could. He didn't know if they could sense him and Atrum through their cloak of invisibility, and he wasn't too keen on finding out.