Page 42 of Storm to Victory
“Coming in for drop-off.” Lije swung his aeroplane downward toward the airship. “Ready, Pip?”
“Not really.” Pip’s hands shook so hard that it took her four tries to lift the latch to free her lap belt.
She was going to be sick. And probably pass out. Why had she thought she could do this?
Lije’s aeroplane skimmed close to the airship. She yanked out the radio cord and struggled to get her shaky legs beneath her in preparation for jumping out.
Fieran stood on the top of the airship. He opened his arms toward her, as if he planned to catch her.
The aeroplane slowed, then almost seemed to pause, hanging in the air for a breathless moment.
“Now, Pip!” Lije called over his shoulder.
Pip locked eyes with Fieran and leapt.
She fell through the empty air, and she couldn’t help the shriek that tore from her.
Then she plowed into Fieran, the force knocking both of them to the dirigible’s roof. Fieran’s arms held her tight as they rolled before they were yanked to an abrupt stop.
Fieran gave a grunt. “Can you climb up?”
She lifted her head from where she’d had her face pressed into his chest. He was hanging from one arm as he gripped one of the ropes strung over the airship. Their roll had taken them perilously close to tumbling all the way over the sloped side.
Her pounding heart swooped deep into the pit of her stomach. Somehow she reached up, boosting herself off his shoulder, and gripped the rope with both hands. Slowly, she hauled herself upward, trying not to kick Fieran in the face as she scrambled upward.
Once she was safely on the flat part of the airship’s top, she reached down to help Fieran. He didn’t take her hand and instead pulled himself upward hand over hand, despite the weight of two packs dangling from him. When he scrambled onto the walkway running along the spine of the airship, he rolled to his back, his torso propped partially upright thanks to the pack, and gulped in a few deep breaths.
After a moment, Fieran climbed to his feet and held out his hand. “We need to get below.”
Pip nodded, took his hand, and let him pull her to her feet. When she was standing, Fieran didn’t drop her hand, but instead clasped her fingers. She held his hand tightly, probably too tightly, but he didn’t flinch.
Above them, the aeroplanes dodged and fired. Airships groaned as they burned while the few remaining airships worked to get into the air and scatter.
Fieran tugged Pip along the spine of the airship until they reached a hatch, which had been left open. Fieran went down first, barely squeezing through with both packs, and Pip followed.
As the two of them reached a platform amid the gas bags holding up the airship, Pip leaned closer and whispered, “I can take my pack now. Or I probably should take both packs. If we run into trouble, it would be better if you were free to move.”
“I got them.” Fieran shrugged, glanced over the platform, then climbed down the next ladder. “Besides, Dacha and Uncle Edmund have had several minutes to get ahead of us. If there is anyone left alive in here, I’d be surprised.”
True. Pip followed him down the ladder. Prince Farrendel and Prince Edmund had gone first for just that reason. Their job had been to clear the airship of the few people who might have managed to climb aboard in the chaos. Since no one on the ground could know this airship had been taken, they needed to either kill or capture anyone they found.
Harsh, yes, and she tried not to think about it too much. But war was harsh.
Pip remained tucked behind Fieran as the two of them navigated their way through the ladders, passages, and corridors that made up the gas balloons and gondola of the airship. In many ways, the interior of the Mongavarian airship was almostidentical to that of the Alliance ones, except for the louder rumble of the steam-powered engines that vibrated through the whole ship in the way that the quieter, magically-powered engines in the Alliance airships didn’t.
When they reached the airship’s bridge, it was deserted, although there was a spot of blood near the wheel used for controlling the rudders.
“I hope you can figure out the engine controls.” Fieran released her hand and hurried to the front of the bridge. He flipped a few switches, then shoved a lever forward.
Pip jogged to where a few levers controlled engine speed. Hopefully this really would control the engines and not just communicate with the engine room.
She shoved the lever to full speed, satisfied when a louder rumble and vibration filled the airship. It was working.
“Releasing the mooring lines,” Fieran announced a moment before he shoved several levers all at once.
The airship jerked upward so quickly that Pip stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn’t grabbed hold of the control station ahead of her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she caught one last look at the aeroplanes of the Half-Breed Squadron glowing blue in the golden-orange fires of the burning aerodrome before Fieran turned the wheel and pointed the airship into the darkness, heading south.
