The airship
shuddered beneath her feet.
“Hold her
steady!” yelled Captain Amris. The retort of cannon fire filled the
air around her, threatening to shake her ship apart. “Stay your
course.”
The battle was
going badly. Fifteen Imperial airships were burning already, and the
stench of gas and charred flesh filled Amris’ nostrils. She needed
to do something, and fast, or many more men and women were going to
die here today.
“Drop
altitude,” she cried. “Get as close to the mountain as possible.”
“You have a
plan, sir?” asked her second-in-command, Commander Ratch, as her
orders were relayed about the ship.
“I have an
idea,” she replied. “The gods alone know if it will work.”
The Skyshadow
dropped altitude like a stone sinking into the sea. The hull of the
vessel hugged the tree line, prow skimming the new green growth of
spring.
“Four enemy
airships in pursuit,” came the shout from the crow’s nest.
“Dump the
fuel,” Amris said to Ratch. “Throw it all overboard; the gas
balloons, the oil, everything.”
“Sir?” said
Ratch, raising an eyebrow.
“Just do it,”
she said, sprinting down the stairs onto the main deck, the long
tails of her uniform coat streaming out behind her. “When I give
the word cut loose the ballast. We need to gain as much altitude as
we can as quickly as possible.”
She saw
understanding dawn on Ratch’s face.
“Enemy ships
still closing, sir!”
Amris drew her
sword and prayed to the gods this would work. The seconds slipped
away, tense as a piano wire, the wind hurtling by as their opponents
steadily gained on them.
“Steady,” she
said. “Steady.” When the rebel airships were almost on top of
them she cried “now!” and cut the ballast.
“Ignite the
fuel,” yelled Ratch.
The forest went
up in flames beneath them, swallowing the other airships whole.
Amris’ ship only just avoided the raging inferno, rising rapidly
back into the sky.
“Ready the
cannons, full spread.” As the Skyshadow returned to the same
altitude as the rest of the battle Amris gave the command to fire.
Gunpowder and sulfur stung at her mouth and nose as the sound of a
dozen controlled explosions sounded in her ears.
“Three ships
down,” called Ratch above the ringing in her ears. She watched the
other airships go crashing down into the burning forest below.
Cheers went up
from her crew; the tide of the battle was turning in their favour.
The Imperial Navy had a chance of winning this. Another half dozen
enemy ships went down as the Imperial forces rallied to Captain
Amris’ side.
They could end
this now, Amris knew, bring the rebellion to its knees in the skies
over Sun Pass. With the blessings of the gods they would have victory
in the Holy Empress’s name and the Empire would be safe again.
Her family would
be safe again.
“Bring us
about,” said the captain. “Take us to the enemy flagship and
prepare to board. Let’s finish this.”
