Adena turned, entered the gondola and headed for the flight deck. As always, she felt the stirring in her blood as another adventure began. She thought uneasily of Mr. Phibuli's words, uttered before she left her stateroom. What waits for us this time out?
The hissing and clanking of the dock's steam winch faded away as it hoisted the Oculus Nightingale to the top of the hundred feet tall tetrahedral mooring mast. Adena felt the big craft sway ponderously under her feet as the perpetual breeze flowing from Dark Side caught her hull with greater strength as they climbed. Alice, the pilot, kept her eye on the winch dial, ensuring enough mooring cable had been paid out before engaging the Sterling engines. Satisfied they'd cleared any danger, Adena gave the word.
Alice tugged a lever beside the big wheel and the cable disengaged with a clatter. Oculus Nightingale immediately began to drift downwind, and the engines roared as they pushed to overcome the airship's inertia. With positive buoyancy, she rose and cleared the level of the mooring tower. Adena gaged the increasing altitude by watching the dockside buildings. "Heat her up another minute," she called over her shoulder.
She heard the trimsman spring to do her bidding. A valve-wheel squeaked. Somewhere overhead the burners in the middle ballonet gulped more fuel and thundered their appreciation. As the temperature in the ballonet rose, so did Oculus Nightingale until Adena's experienced eye showed she had reached a safe altitude. She nodded. "Well enough." The valve-wheel squeaked again and the noise of the burners ceased. With the trickiest phase of lift-off complete she looked out and down through the gondola's windows at the cityscape passing below.
The Sandhill Docks fell away. Penumbra City spread in all directions, its buildings a bizarre juxtaposition of architectural styles filling the deep valley between the mountains. Steeples, towers, domes and cupolas rose here and there. The majority of houses were of flat-roofed adobe construction. Most windows faced the eternal sun as it hung like a great orange festival lantern low on the horizon. Greenery flourished, the citizens utilizing all available space to grow fruit and vegetables for their tables or to barter with. Shaded alleyways ran between the buildings, each a clean, quiet place for people to live and work. A multitude of public fountains shot upward, water droplets catching the sunlight to fill the air with rainbows. A hint as to the source of the water lay to the east where a broad avenue opened to show a distant view of a mighty cascade tumbling from the mountain heights to feed a huge lake nestled in a high valley. The streets, souks and bazaars thronged with people going about their business and pleasures. Others took their ease on the rooftop patios, some glancing up and waving as the airship passed overhead. An official ten-hour clock existed, but with the sun fixed permanently in the heavens, time in the city was mostly a matter of personal choice and arrangement. Bright awnings and shutters provided the means of shutting out the light when it came time to sleep. Most of those below held the sun in warm regard, for it gave them life, light — and safety. Adena glanced at the sun and sighed inwardly. It'll be some time before we see you again, she thought.
"Take her up to three thousand." The burners roared again. Alice drew the steering wheel toward her and Oculus Nightingale rose. Adena loved the powerful surge, the apparent increase in gravity that marked a rise in altitude. She watched the altimeter click round until it neared three thousand feet. The airship's shadow stretched ahead, passing over the rooftops of the city then the Maidan, the great open park between the city and the defensive wall that stretched across the neck of the great valley, until it vanished in the deepening twilight.
As they passed over the Maidan, Adena bent and peered forward and up, looking past the bulbous nose of the airship to where the sky deepened from royal blue to indigo. She saw what she was looking for — a thin layer of sunlit cloud streaming into the dark, like a veil of peach colored chiffon. It marked the interface between the chill air flowing from the Dark Side toward the light, and the hot air flowing in the opposite direction.
"Coming up now," she announced. "Brace yourselves!"
Oculus Nightingale pierced the veil and bucked as she fought against two opposing forces tugging on her great form. Adena and the crew swayed and clutched hand-holds as the deck pitched and sank beneath them.
"It's strong today," Alice said with concern in her voice.
Adena nodded, listening to the creaks and groans as her ship weathered the turbulence. If any part of the vessel had a weakness, this would be the time it showed — perhaps fatally for all aboard.
To her pleasure and secret relief, the turbulence faded. Oculus Nightingale accelerated as the hot wind from the Day Side took her in its grip.
"We're in the flow. Yes, it's strong today, but that's good. It'll provide a nice tailwind for the journey. Hold her steady. Reduce speed, ease off the burners."
Oculus Nightingale leveled off at a shade over three thousand feet as she passed over the wall. Civilization ended at that point as sharply delineated as any ruler. Adena cast a last glance at Penumbra City as it fell behind then looked ahead. There stretched gravel, outcrops of bare rock then sand, all falling into increasing darkness. Above, the Oculus Nightingale's envelope glowed bright silver for a few minutes longer until the sun fell below the horizon. Then the metallic gleam ceased as sharply as an extinguished lamp. "Steady as she goes. Activate running lights. Alice, you have the bridge."
The pilot responded. "Aye aye, Cap'n!"
With a final glance around, Adena left the bridge.
Chapter 2
Greg Cole woke with a start, chain clanking as his foot moved. The leather boot which served as his regular alarm clock thudded
