'You mean use the threads?'
'Indeed. The Tharnak stimulates them, and if we can fly close enough to the enemy ships we should be able to disrupt their stability, bring them down.'
'Sounds good. But you've only just learned how to pilot this thing. Are you sure you — ?'
Kali and the others wrapped themselves around rails as the Tharnak executed a perfect roll, three hundred and sixty degrees, leaving a reddened Dolorosa clutching her skirt about her knees when it righted itself.
'Convincing,' Kali said, swallowing. 'Do it.'
Aldrededor winked and concentrated once more. The gap between the Tharnak and the airships closed rapidly. On the decks of the airships crewmen and shadowmages yelled in shock and surprise and, for a fleeting second as they hove in on the Makennon, Kali caught sight of Jenna frowning before racing along the deck, barking orders to her people.
All hells broke loose.
As the Tharnak drew level with the flotilla, the shadowmages aboard the Makennon and its sister ships began to weave their powerful magic. Suddenly the sky was filled with bolts of lightning, fire and ice. It was a devastating barrage and had Aldrededor not deftly manoeuvred their ship out of the way, the battle would have been over before it had begun. Having avoided the first barrage, the Sarcrean quickly brought the ship in close to the Rhodon, before veering suddenly away to starboard. The resultant play of the threads rippled along the sides of the Rhodon's gasbag like a squall wind and the moorings of the cloth tore away in places, leaving flapping wrents in the envelope. The Rhodon lurched suddenly, narrowly avoided collision with the Voivode.
Aldrededor wasted no time. As the Voivode pulled up to avoid its sister ship, the Sarcrean brought the Tharnak about, climbed, and then headed bow to bow with the second craft, intending to climb once more at the last second, generating a thread wave to slap the enemy ship down. The Voivode was more prepared than her sister ship, however, and even as the Tharnak headed towards her, the shadowmages had already discharged a volley of defensive magic, expanding circles of fire that would have been difficult to avoid even without the fireballs that accompanied them. Rather than take their impact on the most vulnerable area of the ship, the prow, Aldrededor did the only thing he could and swung the Tharnak around hard, flinging Kali and the others against the rails. The sky steadied itself after a second and Kali realised that while they had been forced to turn and run, they had still managed to inflict damage on the Voivode, which was bucking violently in their thread wake. She had no doubt that the same thought had already occurred to the Sarcrean, but she voiced it anyway.
'Aldrededor. Accelerate, now.'
The air behind them rippled with distortions as their slipstream kicked into overdrive. The Voivode flew into the disturbance and was instantly kicked back, spiralling out of control towards the valley walls. Kali had to give its pilot their due, because they managed to regain some control before the ship impacted. Even so, the Voivode found itself colliding with, and badly snarling on, some of the sharper, projecting rocks.
It was their second victory but any element of surprise their manoeuvrability had granted them was gone, now, and even before Dolorosa had finished yelling and punching the air, the Kesar was heading in on their bow, moving hull to hull and tight against them on an opposed heading. It was a manoeuvre clearly meant to give the shadowmages already clustering at its rails chance to rake their energies along the Tharnak's side and Kali knew there was no way they would be able to avoid damage.
It was time to give Aldrededor a helping hand.
Unslinging the crackstaff, Kali lodged herself against the rails and let loose a burst of energy towards the nearing shadowmages. However she found she had underestimated them as, one by one, they deflected the incoming charges with hastily erected shields, ricocheting it back in her direction.
'Hooper, go for the envelope,' Slowhand urged, suddenly beside her. 'I'll cover you.'
Kali didn't question the archer, immediately bracing the crackstaff and angling it upwards just as the Kesar nosed into range.
The shadowmages spotted what she was trying to do as she aimed and prepared to launch another volley at her. But before they could loose their magical assault, they fell to the deck bucking and screaming as Slowhand unleashed rapid volleys from Suresight. His arrows provided Kali with the cover she needed, and she used the time to unleash a raking assault from the crackstaff, moving it slowly and determinedly across the enemy airship and tearing a gash in its envelope Suddenly venting gas, the Kesar tipped violently and, amidst much scrabbling and screaming, the shadowmages tumbled from the gondola to fall through the trees to the valley floor below.
'Hah!' Dolorosa shouted after them. 'Thatta is whatta you get fora working with the Final Feelth!'
Aldrededor banked the Tharnak to starboard, pulling away from the battlegroup and the Makennon, taking advantage of the chaos to head for the Dragonfire rather than challenge the superior ship of the Faith flotilla.
Unfortunately, the Makennon had not been idle while he had outmanoeuvred her smaller sisterships, bringing its heavier bulk about in a manoeuvre that was perfectly timed. Even as the Tharnak's bow turned to the Dragonfire, Jenna's flagship came seemingly out of nowhere to loom massively and directly in front of them, nose to nose, blocking their way to the exit from the valley, their artillery trained on the Old Race craft.
The message was clear
You want a fight? I'll give you a fight.
Kali moved to the front of the deck and found herself in direct eye contact with Jenna. Seeing Kali, Slowhand's sister smiled coldly. Slowhand came to stand by Kali's side, but if the archer had any hope at all of his sister's resolve weakening in his presence, it was dashed as her smile failed to falter.
'I see Fitch hasn't returned with her,' Kali said through clenched teeth. 'You still think there's no chance we can talk her round?'
'Hooper, the fact Fitch hasn't returned with her answers that one. Look at her — that cadaverous bastard's job is done.'
Kali swallowed. She could tell that Jenna was actually enjoying this moment.
'Back us up,' Kali said to Aldrededor. 'Gently.'
The Tharnak began to slowly reverse. Slowhand looked at Kali questioningly and, on the Makennon, Jenna frowned. But then with a wave of her hand she ordered the Makennon to follow them. Keeping the ships nose to nose.
'Keep going,' Kali said.
'Hooper, what the hells are you doing?'
'Keep going.'
The Tharnak continued to reverse and the Makennon followed her. Had they continued the game that way, they could have played all day, nudging through the valley, but then Slowhand spotted something that would soon put paid to their backward flight.
'Er, Hooper…' he said.
Kali turned and saw that, behind them, the Rhodon, Voivode and Kesar, scarred and damaged though they were, had taken up positions in their path, enclosing them in an arrowhead formation. And those shadowmages that had survived the first assault lined their rails ready to unleash a fresh assault.
Jenna seemed to have them exactly where she wanted them.
'Bring us to a stop.' Kali said.
'So what now?' Slowhand asked. When Kali didn't answer, he added, 'Hooper, she's an expert tactician. There's no shame in being outmanoeuvred.'
