“Take over firing!” Stephano yelled to Dag, who nodded as he reloaded his own gun.
Stephano looked about for the dragon, but had lost him in the reddish smoke. He could not see the demons either, but apparently the demons could see them because a wave of green fire washed over the boat. The Cloud Hopper rocked. Blue sparks burst; sigils and constructs seemed to wither and melt away. This time, Stephano could feel the heat of the blast.
Gythe screamed again and doubled over. Her fists clenched in pain. She shuddered and Rodrigo clasped her tightly. He seemed to be holding her together.
Stephano knelt beside her. “Is she wounded? Where? I don’t see any blood…”
“The demon magic,” said Rodrigo. His face was pale and strained and covered with a sheen of sweat. “The green fire is destroying, layer by layer, Gythe’s protection spells. It’s also destroying her for some reason. Oh, and by the way,” he added, “your dragon friend is about to roast us!”
The dragon flew out of the reddish smoke, shredding it with his wings. Only two demons remained; Stephano must have hit one. The dragon’s gaze was fixed on the demons and their bats. His mouth opened. He was sucking in a deep breath, ready to breathe a blast of fire that would incinerate everything it touched: demons, bats, and the Cloud Hopper.
“No!” Stephano bellowed, waving his arms in a signal that meant to break off the attack. “Stop!”
The dragon heard the shout and looked down at the boat which lay beneath him.
“Use the Hawk Attack!” Stephano yelled and held up both hands, fingers crooked, like claws.
The dragon understood. He shifted his body in midair, and-claws extended-dove like a stooping hawk. He struck one of the bats before it could escape, sinking his claws into its back. The bat made a horrible screeching sound then went limp. The dragon shook it off. The demon rider, straddling the neck, leaped from the falling bat. The rider made a desperate attempt to seize hold of the dragon’s claw. The demon missed and fell into the Breath, vanishing silently, without a scream.
The dragon pulled up out of his dive and soared over the Cloud Hopper. Dag fired his gun and then ran over to fire Stephano’s at the surviving bat. The demon rider apparently decided he didn’t like the odds, for he turned his bat and fled, heading back to join his fellows, still attacking the cutter.
Stephano motioned for the dragon to come up underneath the Cloud Hopper. As the dragon was circling around, Stephano bent down to examine Gythe. She was shivering in Rodrigo’s arms, her head buried on his breast. Her body was drenched in sweat. She shuddered and moaned, gripping hold of Rodrigo tightly.
“Dag!” Miri yelled. “Take over. Keep the helm just as I have it.”
Dag grabbed hold of the lines. Miri ran to her sister, knelt beside her, and spoke her name. Gythe lifted a tear-streaked face and, making a low, animal sound in her throat, she flung her arms around Miri’s neck and clung to her.
“I’ll take her below,” Miri said.
She put her arm around her sister’s waist and helped her to her feet. Gythe kept her face hidden in Miri’s shoulder. Stephano held the hatch open for them as Miri helped Gythe slowly descend the stairs. He could hear Doctor Ellington, locked in the storage closet, howling dismally.
For a moment, there was a lull in the battle. The bats were clustered around the cutter. They would be back, and next time they would come in greater numbers. Dag yelled for Rodrigo to come look at the helm. Rodrigo held his hand above the shining brass panel. His lips moved in what Stephano assumed was some sort of incantation.
“How’s Gythe?” Dag asked, his face creased with worry.
Stephano shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
Rodrigo stood up. He looked very grim. “I know what’s wrong with her. The green fire.”
Stephano stared at him in perplexity. “But it didn’t hit her. Did it?”
“The green fire wiped out two layers of Gythe’s protection magic above the helm and let some of the green fire seep through. Here”-he pointed at places on the brass panel-“and here and here. Wherever the green fire struck, the sigils and constructs are gone.”
“Like dragon fire,” said Stephano. “Dragon fire hits the sigils and weakens them until they eventually break down.”
“I did not say ‘break,’ did I?” Rodrigo returned testily. “I did not say ‘weaken.’ I said ‘gone.’ Wiped out. Vanished. Obliterated. As if they had never been,” he added with biting emphasis.
“That’s not possible,” said Stephano. “Even I know that much. The magic in a sigil inscribed in a block of stone might fade, but the sigil will always be there.”
“Except when it isn’t,” said Rodrigo, gesturing to the brass. “The magic is gone. And not only is the demon fire destroying her magic, the fire is hurting Gythe through her magic.”
“But it’s not hurting you.”
“I’m not a savant. With me, the magic is in my brain. With Gythe, the magic is a part of her, like her skin and her blood…”
Stephano ran his hand through his hair that was wet with sweat.
“You’ll have to put the sigils back,” he said. “How long will that take?”
Rodrigo raised his eyebrows. “Let’s see, I would be required to start as an apprentice to a shipwright crafter. That would take me about two years…”
“Be serious!” Stephano snapped.
“I am serious!” Rodrigo snapped back. “The sigils that are gone are wiped clean! I don’t have the skill to lay down new ones. Neither can Miri. Only a crafter who is trained in this sort of magic can replace them. My dear friend, you don’t seem to understand-”
“You’re damn right I don’t understand!” Stephano shouted angrily. “Giant bats and demonic green fire disabling the helm and hurting Gythe and there’s nothing anyone can do!”
He realized he was losing control and stopped to draw in a deep breath. He said more calmly, “Dag, can you and Miri fly this damn boat?”
“I can steer, but it’s the magic from the helm that is keeping us afloat. If the fiends wipe that out…” Dag shook his head.
“I might be able to bridge the gaps,” said Rodrigo.
Stephano assessed the situation. The Cloud Hopper was adrift, being drawn toward the naval cutter that was still bravely fighting the swarm of demons. Two cannons remained in operation out of fourteen. The number of bats and riders attacking had decreased considerably, but those remaining were bombarding the ship with green fire. The Cloud Hopper, caught up in a magical tide, was being swept along at a rapid rate and the cutter was now almost within hailing distance; Stephano could see the deck without need of his spyglass. The captain and another officer were too busy trying to save their ship to pay them much heed. The Cloud Hopper was, after all, only a Trundler houseboat. Still, he must have heard them firing on the bats. Stephano turned his gaze toward the abbey, which was also under attack. He could see bats darting about the walls.
Stephano needed to talk to the captain. He needed to find out what was happening at the abbey. He needed to protect his people. And he couldn’t do any of that where he was. He made up his mind.
“Dag, you’re in command while I’m gone.”
Dag shook his head. “No, sir.”
“Dag, you’re in command,” said Stephano harshly, his voice grating. He turned his back, pretending he didn’t hear Dag’s protest, and crossed the deck to the forecastle. Rodrigo went with him.
“Dag in command,” said Rodrigo, shaking his head. “The man who swore he’d never give an order again.”
“I know.” Stephano was having second thoughts. “Maybe I shouldn’t leave.”
“This is why you formed the Cadre, my friend,” said Rodrigo, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Each of us has a job to do. We’ll do ours. You do yours. Dag will come through. He always does.”
“I know. Fix the helm, will you?”
Rodrigo nodded. Stephano motioned for the dragon to fly closer, come up under the ship. The dragon’s head lifted up over the hull.
“Lord Captain de Guichen!” the dragon exclaimed with a gasp.
Stephano looked more closely at the dragon. “Droal, isn’t it? Master of Flight Droalfrig.”
“Yes, sir!” The dragon was immensely pleased, though he was now eyeing the small houseboat in some
