“Get out of here!” barked the artificer, and the halfgolems sprang forward between the living and the floating abomination. It regarded them emotionlessly for a moment and then reached down with one of its shriveled arms, striking the nearest construct a casual, almost playful blow. The half-golem rocked back on its heels, responding with two fast slashes that would have severed the limb of a natural creature. Instead, the thing’s skin was barely scratched, and the cut sealed itself as the companions watched.
Dria edged around the constructs and reached the passage that led to the rest of the complex, her face a mask of horror. Pushing Tarrel in front of him, Mordan followed her. The Brelander shuffled along numbly, his eyes still seeing the death of the woman he had been sent to recover. Haldin shot a questioning glance at Adalrik, who nodded and motioned him to go. The horror was completely focused on the constructs, as if curious about them; it struck one experimentally with a ray from its single eye, and watched as nothing happened. Adalrik stayed with the half-golems till the gnome was out of the temple, and then left them to their fate.
The storage area was deserted as the companions emerged from the passage, although there seemed to be great activity in the landing-cave. As they ran toward it, they could see that the skeletal flying creature had launched itself into the air again, apparently recovered from the damage it had suffered in their previous battle. Heedless of its own safety, it was grappling the side of the Ministry airship, chewing at one of the elemental binding struts and sweeping crew members off their feet with great buffets of its bony wings.
Haldin, however, pointed with a shout to the dark airship that was still moored in the cavern. An ant-like line of figures was running toward it, carrying books, chests, barrels, and other items, as robed figures on the deck exhorted them to greater speed. Standing on the foredeck, still holding his great scythe, was Marbulin Dravuliel.
Chapter 24
Pursuit
Tarrel launched fireball after fireball at the ship. Flames erupted from the stern, and Dravuliel turned sharply, gesturing to his crew. Ropes were cut, and a ring of black energy flared from the binding struts as the ship lifted into the air.
Haldin took aim with his repeating crossbow and sent bolt after bolt into the winged undead. Struggling to keep their feet on the lurching deck, the crew of the forward ballista reloaded their weapon with one of the ceramic globes, and sent it flying into the creature’s head. A cloud of vapor erupted from the creature as it shattered. Mordan skidded to a halt at the edge of the landing-platform; pulling a flask of holy water from his bandolier, he hurled it with all his strength, but it fell short.
The necromantic airship was almost clear of the cave mouth. Tarrel’s fireballs kept striking her, and the stern of the craft was blazing fiercely. As it turned to escape along the valley, a couple of her undead crew fell from the afterdeck, blazing like shooting stars as they plummeted to the valley floor.
Dria yelled a command, and her homunculus launched itself from her shoulder, following the escaping airship. It finished its turn and set off along the valley, lost to the sight of those inside the cave. Tarrel stood still, his wand still aimed at the place where the ship had been, emotions chasing each other across his face.
Haldin pulled a new magazine from his bag, slapped it onto his crossbow, and continued to sent bolts at the flying creature. Another globe from the ship’s ballista struck it square in the face, and its skull began to dissolve like icing in the rain. Slowly its grip weakened, and it fell off the Ministry ship, pinwheeling to the valley floor below. A cheer went up from the crew, and the companions in the landing bay joined in.
The airship dropped to the cave mouth and hovered partway inside as the crew let down a climbing net from the side. Dria was first on board, and Mordan climbed awkwardly after her. Haldin and Adalrik helped Tarrel to the net, and Adalrik’s construct climbed aboard with surprising ease. At Haldin’s command, the helmsman swung the wheel round and the airship moved out of the cave, rising into the air.
Dria’s eyes had a faraway look as she monitored the enemy ship through her homunculus. Rising above the network of canyons, the airship sped away as crewmen pulled in the boarding net.
Tarrel sat on the deck with his back against the rail, his head bowed. The wand was still held loosely in his hand, as if forgotten. Mordan looked at him, thought about saying something, but decided against it. Having lost the person he had been sent to find, the inquisitive was probably wondering what he would tell his client. For the first time he could remember, Mordan felt lucky; his family already thought Gali was dead, so he wouldn’t have to tell them anything. He wouldn’t even have to face them again unless he chose to do so. Tarrel would have to go back to Thrane and give an account of his activities.
Hanging from his iron hand, Adalrik was inspecting the damage to the ship’s elemental binding strut, keeping up a shouted conversation with the ship’s engineer. Mordan couldn’t make out what they were saying, but from the amount of nodding he inferred that the damage was not sufficient to cause concern. As the artificer swung himself back aboard, a cry went up from the lookout on the prow; the enemy had been sighted.
Rushing to the forward rail, Mordan saw the dark shape speeding through the canyons below them. Evidently Dravuliel had hoped to lose his pursuers in the twisting canyons, but thanks to Dria’s homunculus they were able to follow his vessel, cutting across the top of the forest in a more direct route. The fire at the stern of the ship had been extinguished, but it had clearly caused extensive damage.
Something bright shot up from the fleeing vessel, landing square in the middle of the pursuers’ deck. As it struck, it exploded into a small flare of light, showering the whole midsection of the airship with shards of bright energy. The crew of the forward ballista ducked behind the shelter of the raised weapon platform, and the other crew members ran away from the light as fast as they could, toward the areas at the bow and stern of the craft where the shards did not reach.
His reverie broken, Tarrel scrambled to his feet and ran for the forward rail. He launched two more fireballs at the enemy ship, sending bodies flying off the ruined afterdeck and re-igniting a number of small fires. Beside him, several crew members were dropping the ceramic globes from the ballistae onto the enemy. Some were filled with alchemist’s fire, adding to the flames; others contained holy water, burning the undead crew like acid. Mordan threw the last few flasks from his bandolier before discarding it and helping to drop the ballista globes.
The bright shards of energy were still ripping through the midships area, and showed no sign of abating. The helmsman was out of their reach, but the magical maelstrom completely blocked his forward vision, and left him relying on Dria, who stood beside him. She had launched her homunculus again, and sent it to the observation dome on the ship’s underside where it gave her a view of the enemy ship. Following her directions, he kept his airship stationed above and behind Dravuliel’s necromantic vessel, preventing her from rising out of the canyon and escaping.
Adalrik opened a compartment in the chest of his barrel-like construct and rummaged through its insides as if looking for something. Only Haldin was still; he crouched in the cover of the ship’s rail, looking down at the enemy through a gap in the wooden balustrade, his lips moving silently. The narrow canyon walls forced Dravuliel’s pilot to keep making small course corrections, which slowed the vessel; slowly but surely, the Ministry ship was gaining. Soon, they were completely above their quarry, and then they began to pull ahead.