'With all due respect to our late colleague, the lifting power of the bag is much less than the total weight of the hull of the ship,' Stutts said. They lapsed into silence once again. Sturm thought some more. Kitiara's eyes narrowed as she, too, concentrated.
'What if we lightened the ship?' said Fitter.
'What?' said Sturm.
'What?' said Stutts, Wingover, Sighter, Rainspot, and
Flash.
'What!' said Cutwood, Roperig, and (translated) Bird call.
Kitiara grinned her Off-center grin, something she did all too rarely these days. 'Lighten the ship!' she declared.
'Now that's Something I can understand!' She picked little
Fitter up and Shook him So hard that his teeth rattled. Then
She boosted him up to the rail. The gnome Went below deck and Opened the side boarding ramp. The Other gnomes swarmed aboard, fired with the Zeal Of desperation. Before sturm and Kitiara had even mounted the ramp, loud crash es and Splintering creaks sounded within the Ship.
'They may rip everything Out,' Stuim Said wryly. 'Deck, celing, planks, and posts.') The gnomes formed a chain from the lowest deck to the top rail and began flinging everything they could lay their hands On Over the Side. They ransacked their cabins and brought forth all their personal belongings. Sturm Was astounded by the mass and variety Of it: blankets, books, tools, clothing, barrels, pots, plates, rope, cord, twine, Sail cloth, a crate Of ink, pens, bars Of Soap, two harmonicas, a fiddle, a flute, Sixteen pairs Of boots (all sized too big for
Sturm, much less any gnome that ever lived), gloves, belts, and a Stuffed billy goat that cutwood kept in his cabin.
Some items couldn't be manhandled to the upper deck.
Kitiara found Roperig and Fitter lying prostrate beside a large keg. 'We can't budge it,' Roperig panted.
'I'll do it.' She turned the keg around to See if there was a bung attached. Liquid sloshed inside, and a single Word in gnomish block letters was stenciled On the Staves. Kitiara said, 'What's in this, anyway?'
Fitter Squinted at the label. 'Oil Of Vitriol. Must have been Bellcrank's,' he Said. A Slight quiver invaded his chin.
'Vitriol, eh?' She recalled the mess that the acid had made
Of Bellcrank's Excellent Mouthless Siphon back On Krynn.
'Why hasn't it eaten through the keg?'
'Oh, it's probably lined with some resistant coating,' Said
Roperig. He Wiped the back Of his neck with his hand, and it promptly Stuck there. 'Oh, dry roti'
Kitiara drummed her fingers On the barrel head. 'Hmm, that's worth knowing. So this stuff dissolves some things but not Others?'
'Yes.' Roperig tried to free his hand and succeeded in sticking his Other hand to his Own arm. 'Double dry rot I'
'Will Oil Of vitriol dissolve marble?' She asked.
'Maybe. It doesn't affect many glassy substances.'
'What about lead?'
'Yes, definitely. Fitter, stop fidgeting and help met'
She left the two gnomes locked in a Stmlle against
Roperig'S adhesive palms. The gnome she sought, Stutts, was Outside the ship, Sorting through the heap Of goods that the gnomes had discarded. Kitiara pulled Stutts free Of a pile
Of clothing and Said, 'I know how to get the dragon Out!'
'What?' said the gnome. 'How?'
'Bellcrank'S vitriol.' She gestured vaguely back toward the ship. 'There's a whole barrelful Of it On board. If we let it eat up the mortar in the lowest course Of the Obelisk, the
Walls are bound to collapse, aren't they'd'
Understanding gradually lightened Stutts's face. Then it hit him full force. 'Hydrodynamicst It will work!'
The gnomes heard Stutts'S cry and rallied around. With extravagant hand motions and frequent compliments to
Kitiara, Stutts explained her idea. The gnomes positively exploded with excitement. It was So Simple! So elegant!
They'd been fixated On a mechanical Solution, and here the human Woman had come up With a chemical answer!
Sturm heard the commotion and hustled down the ramp.
He agreed that the plan was a good One, but Saw One impor tant consideration. 'What happens to Cupelix when the tower falls?' he asked. 'Not even a brass dragon can with stand tons Of marble masonry falling On him.'
'There has to be a way around that,' Said Kitiara.
'Why don't we ask the dragon?' Said Sturm.
That's what they did. At first, the dragon was Sulky and refused to come down from his aerie. Kitiara Scolaed him for his petulance, and still there was no response. Then she alone heard: I don't wish to be disappointed again.
'We're not making any promises,' she proclaimed loudly.
'We have a new scheme that We're pretty sure will Work, but it has an awkward problem. Freeing you may kill you.'
A unique solution. I would not be a prisoner any longer.
'Oh, shut upi If you can't come down and talk to us like a reasonable dragon, We'll just bring the Obelisk down around you.' Kitiara jerked her head to the others. 'Let's go.'
'We're not really going to use the vitriol With him still up there, are we, ma'am?' said Fitter.
'Why not? You want to see if it'll work, don't you?' She replied.
'But the dragon will get hurt.' cutwood chewed thoughtfully On the tip Of his pencil. 'I
Wonder,' he mused, 'What the tensile strength Of dragon hide and flesh is?' Sighter produced some vellum.
'We can do a calculation!'
Chapter 28
The Cloudmaster, freed of several hundred pounds Of useless weight, buoyed a bit off the ground.
Wingover had a fine time 'lifting' the big ship up with his hands. Roperig advised staking the hull to the ground, so
Wooden Stakes Were pounded into the turf and the flying
Ship was Secured.
'Besides stacks Of food and water, there isn't a Scrap Of anything left On board,' Stutts reported. 'Most Of the interi or partitions have been tjrn Out, too.'
'What about the engine?' asked Sturm. 'It must weigh as much as the rest Of the hull put together.'
'It does,' said Flash, not without pride.
'Then we must dump it.'
'Not Our beautiful enginel There isn't another machine like it anywhere!'
Sturm could make no headway, so he went to where Kiti ara, cutwood, and sighter Were studying the matter Of dis solving the Obelisk's lead mortar.
'we'll need ladders to reach those higher courses,' Kitiara
Was Saying.
