Something thumped to the earth ten metersbefore them.
Cedar grabbed Kali’s arm. “Veer away. Veeraway!”
More on instinct-and his orders-than out ofunderstanding, Kali pulled and pushed on opposing handles andleaned into a hard turn. They skidded as wheels ground on old snow,but they caught, and the SAB sped to the side.
A concussive roar filled the clearing, andrealization pelted Kali. No, that was shrapnel. It clanged off theSAB and hammered against the charred side of the log cabin.
Kali turned again, figuring the structurecould provide cover. “She’s hurling grenades at us?”
“From a launcher in the front,” Cedar said.“It appears to be some sort of crossbow-like device, loadedwith-”
Another grenade hit the ground, this oneexploding right away.
Kali sped behind the wall of the cabin andyanked on the braking mechanism.
“-multiple projectiles,” Cedar finished.
Rifle in hand, he hopped off the SAB. Kalihesitated, reluctant to leave her vehicle for fear it would make aneasy target if it was stationary. She probably ought to be moreworried about being a target herself, but the idea of losing such arecent invention…
Cedar leaned around a corner of the cabin tofire again. Kali nudged the SAB into motion, rounded the othercorner, and found the doorway. She considered the width. Could shefit her vehicle inside? Probably not.
Above, the flying contraption tilted,circling the end of the meadow to come back at them.
Cedar grabbed Kali’s arm. “Inside!”
“I don’t think it’ll fit,” she said.
“I meant you!”
The flyer flew closer, and Kali hesitatedagain, fascinated by the wings, the construction, and even thepilot. Was she the creator? Or had she merely purchased it?
The projectile launcher fired again.
“Kali!” Cedar pulled her toward the door.
Kali barely had time to grab her packsack andrifle.
An explosion rocked the earth, and shegrabbed a log wall to keep her feet under her. Metal clanged asshrapnel hit the SAB. She growled, her awe over the steam flyertamped down by her concern for her own vehicle. She dropped herpacksack and readied her rifle.
Shadows danced on the earthen floor of thecabin as the flyer soared overhead. Rhythmic clanks echoed from thelog walls. Though the fire-damaged roof held copious holes, thevehicle sped past too swiftly to target.
“We need a plan,” Kali said. “She’ll becoming around again.” And she would probably hurl the next grenaderight in the cabin.
Cedar loaded a fistful of bullets into hisrifle. “Yes?”
“The wings seem a potential target, but theirsurface area is great, so I doubt even a couple of dozen bulletholes would cause them to falter. A catastrophic boiler explosionwill derail any steam engine, but engineers are well aware of thatweakness and build them soundly. I doubt a bullet would pierce theplating, but it may be the most vulnerable part of the machine.Perhaps we should target the boiler and hope for the best.”
“I was just going to shoot the pilot,” Cedarsaid.
“Oh. I guess that could work too.”
When the clanks of the flyer grew louderagain, Kali and Cedar stepped outside. She dropped to one knee andleaned around the corner of the cabin, rifle to her shoulder. Cedarstood above her, his weapon poised as well.
Something that looked like glass providedprotection for the pilot, probably a deterrent to bugs and rain,but surely it would not stop a bullet. Kali eased her rifle up andplaced the woman’s head in her sights. Her gut lurched at the ideaof shooting at someone with the intent to kill-especially if thatsomeone had invented that fascinated machine-but the woman
Her finger found the trigger, but Cedar,doubtlessly with fewer qualms, fired first.
The bullet struck the protective shield infront of the woman’s eyes, and her head dropped out of view. Theflyer lurched sideways and dipped toward the trees.
“Bulls-eye,” Cedar said with grimsatisfaction.
But the flyer did not crash. Its noseelevated, and the craft skimmed the treetops. It knocked branchesfree with cracks that rang through the forest, but it soon flewhigher again, out of danger. The flyer banked and turned backtoward the meadow.
The pilot’s head was visible again throughthe clear shield. Concentric cracks ringed the spot where Cedar’sbullet had struck, but it must not have penetrated.
“Amazing,” Kali breathed. “There’s no waythat’s glass. Unless it’s extremely thick, but the weight would beridiculous, and a flying machine would need to be light, like aneagle’s hollow bones. It’d…”
She trailed off when she noticed Cedar’sglare. He seemed less amazed at the invulnerable shield and moreirked.
“Sorry,” Kali said.
“Let’s go back to your idea,” he said as theflyer drew closer again. “You said I should aim at the boiler?”
Kali eyed the shield again. It protected thepilot to the front and the sides, but it was open on the top.Presumably the woman entered and exited the control seat fromthere. It left her no protection from projectiles from above,though she had no reason to anticipate weapons fire from overhead.Air vehicles were rare, and the flyer was quicker and far moremaneuverable than an airship, so it could easily evadeballoon-based transport.
When it came in for another pass, Cedarloosed a few ineffective rounds at the boiler. Kali considered thestructure of the craft, especially the supports for the wings,supports that angled upward behind the pilot. She closed her eyes,remembering problems she had worked through in her father’smathematics books. At the time, she had been trying to win hisfavor by showing interest in his studies. He had been too busy tonotice, but she remembered many of the lessons, and a chapter ofgeometry problems involving balls on a billiards table came tomind.
“Same principle for bullets, right?” shemurmured.
“What?” Cedar asked.
“See that support beam behind her?” Kalipointed. “You’re a better marksman than I am. Can you see if youcan hit it…hm…about a foot above that joint?”
Cedar threw her a bewildered look, but heraised his Winchester and aimed when the flyer came into range. Itbobbed toward them, a grenade ready in its launcher. Cedar grewstill, then fired.
The bullet ricocheted off the angled supportpost and slammed into the back of the pilot’s shoulder.
This time she screamed-the first sound shehad voiced-and the craft lurched. It sped off, wobbling as itskimmed the treetops. The nose came up briefly, but it droppedagain, and Kali lost sight of the flyer. A thunderous crack soundedin the distance.
“Crash,” Kali murmured, imaging the twistedwreckage. She wished they could have downed the vehicle withoutdestroying it.
“Crash,” Cedar agreed without any of herregret.
Kali leaned her rifle against the logs,jumped, caught the corner of the roof, and wriggled herself up top.Conscious of the fire damage, she stayed over the stout supportbeams as she crept to the peak. Though the trees still towered overher, the added height let her see smoke wafting in the distance.Definitely a crash.
Had it killed the woman? Her shouldersslumped with regret at the thought. It was silly, given the pilot’sinclination toward killing her, but Kali hoped the woman hadsurvived. She ached to talk to her, to find out more about thecraft.
A touch on her shoulder brought her attentionback to the cabin. Cedar stood beside her.
“Good thinking,” he said.
“Er, yes, sorry it was slow to come. I wasn’texpecting to come face-to-face with…” Kali groped for a way todescribe her feelings. Would he understand and forgive her forbeing so distracted? Or would he, the professional bounty hunter,believe there were no acceptable excuses?
“Your mechanically inclined twin?” Cedarasked. “Yes, that must have been surprising. And intriguing.”
Kali let out a sigh of relief. He didunderstand.
