Phoenix Burning (28 page)

“I’m so sorry.” All Toby could see were the bruises and clotting blood that covered Ayla’s back. She lay on her belly, breathing shallowly.

“That wasn’t much fun,” Ayla whispered, “but you did the right thing. If the Greymen get Barnaby and the
Phoenix
, we’ll all be screwed.” She gasped as blood trickled down her side. “Think what he could invent for them.”

“That doesn’t make this right.”

“It makes it necessary.” Ayla lifted her head. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll punch you in the face as soon as I can sit.”

“Don’t move.” Toby said. “It looks like she was careful not to hit your left shoulder.”

“Yeah, the woman’s a peach.” Ayla dropped her cheek to the cold deck. “If this gets infected…”

“It won’t.”

“It might.” Ayla swallowed. “Do you think they’ve got an Uma on board?”

“Bound to.” Toby forced brightness into his voice.

“Either way, I don’t think they’ll let me see a doctor,” Ayla murmured.

Toby leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. “I saw Polly.”

Ayla’s eyes flew open. “Are you sure?”

Toby nodded. “She can’t fly far.”

“If the
Phoenix
is near, this’ll all be for nothing.” Ayla grimaced.

“No, it means they’re going to attack soon, before the fleet arrives. That’s something Judy hasn’t prepared for.”

“Do you think…” Ayla started.

“What?”

“If Polly saw us both, if she told Barnaby… Do you think there’s a chance he got a message to Nell?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Ayla raised her chin again. “Let’s hope so, because if Nell knows Judy Ford is in these waters, the
Banshee
won’t stop till she’s at the bottom of the ocean.”

“In that case we’ve got to get out of here – we don’t want to be locked in the brig of a sinking ship.”

Ayla grimaced. “We should get out of here anyway. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being tortured by Greymen.”

Toby looked at the bars that trapped them inside.
“I haven’t got my tool belt, I can’t jimmy the hinges.”

“They think we’re children.” Ayla touched his hand. “They’re going to underestimate us, so let them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tell Judy you want to talk. But demand medical attention for me first.”

“Then what?”

“Then we see what tools they bring us.”

Toby hammered on the bars and yelled for help. Behind him Ayla curled up and sobbed piteously, all the time watching him out of one eye.

“She needs help,” Toby shouted.

After a minute Judy entered the passageway wearing a grey uniform with stripes on the shoulder and a sad smile. Her hair was pulled into a severe bun, making the hard lines of her face even harsher. “You know what my answer will be, Toby.”

“I tell you where the
Phoenix
is and you’ll let Ayla see a doctor?”

Judy nodded.

“Fine. Just don’t let her die.”

Judy pulled out a book of recycled paper and a pen. “Tell me.”

“Sort Ayla out first.”

“Toby, I’m not stupid.”

“And I’m not a liar.” He pressed his face to the bars. “I can’t think with her making that noise. There are a few places the
Phoenix
could be – if you want me to remember the coordinates correctly…”

Judy sucked air in through her teeth. “I bring the doctor in and you give me the coordinates?”

“Once I know she’ll be all right.”

“Fine.” She wheeled on her heel and pressed a button on the wall. “Send the doctor down.”

Then she leaned on the wall as Ayla writhed and wailed and Toby held his hands over his ears.

The doctor was the shortest man Toby had ever seen. His nose was flat and each breath whistled out of his nostrils. He held a black bag similar to Uma’s and, although Toby knew that Ayla planned an ambush, he hoped she would allow the doctor to treat her first.

Toby stepped to one side as Judy opened and relocked the door. The doctor kneeled by Ayla. He shook his head as he looked at her wounds. “This is bad.”

Toby held his breath. “Can you do anything?”

“I’ve seen worse.” The doctor pulled a jar of cream from
his bag and began to rub it on Ayla’s back. Genuine relief softened her face and guilt stabbed him in the heart as he stepped in close and bent down to the doctor’s bag. If he was like Uma, he would keep a set of scalpels and thread close to hand. Toby peered in and, sure enough, there it was – he lunged and grabbed the roll of material covering the blades. Swiftly he unrolled it, grabbed the largest and held it to the Doctor’s throat.

“What are you doing?” Judy shouted.

Ayla held out a hand and he passed her the rest of the roll.

“I figure you don’t have a spare on board.” Toby tilted his head at his mother.

“Put the knife down, Toby. You have no idea what you’re doing.” She gripped the bars.

“And you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Toby retorted. “Let us out.”

“Where are you going to go?” Judy sneered.

“Wherever the hell we like,” Ayla snapped. “Open the door.” She stabbed her own blade into the doctor’s leg and he screamed.

“Any closer and that would have been my artery!” He clamped his hand over the wound.

“You’re not the only one with anatomy skills, doctor,” Ayla said. She looked up. “Your son might have been raised
by a ‘soft’ man, but I wasn’t. You taught my family well, Judy – we don’t know the meaning of mercy. And now I’m armed. Maybe Toby wouldn’t kill the doc, but I won’t lose a second of sleep over it.”

“Commander…” the doctor begged.

Judy sighed and unlocked the door. Behind her a trio of Greymen crowded into the passageway.

Toby helped Ayla to her feet, then he dragged the doctor to his. Ayla put the scalpel against his throat. “Tell them to get out of our way,” she rasped.

Judy gestured and the men retreated. “I thought you said you weren’t a liar.” Judy glared at her son.

Suddenly there was a wail – a high-pitched scream that shivered through Toby’s bones like ice.

“What the…?” Judy said.

“Your ship’s still floating, so I know
you’ve
never heard the
Banshee
’s wail before.” Ayla fixed her eyes on Judy as she spoke. “I reckon my mother is excited to reunite with her old ‘friend’.”

Judy’s eyes widened. “How did they…?”

“Commander.” Another Greyman burst into the passageway. “The
Phoenix
just rounded the Maltese peninsula.”

Relief broke over Toby. “If you want to know her exact coordinates, just let me know.”

Judy straightened. “This ship is armed with weapons your father designed, Toby. One attacking ship or two, it doesn’t matter, they don’t stand a chance. Get back in your cell.”

Toby laughed. “Hopewell’s bringing a whole
fleet
to deal with the
Phoenix
! What do you think? Will he get here in time to pick the debris of your ship out of the salt?”

Judy pressed her lips together. “You’ve forgotten one thing.”

“And what’s that?” Ayla jeered.

“I’ve got you on board. Neither of your captains will attack as long as they think it puts their children at risk.”

Suddenly there was a loud clang and the ship juddered. “What was that?” Judy shouted.

“That was my mother … not attacking.” Ayla cocked her head to one side. “You underestimate how much she hates you. If she knows you’re on this ship, she’ll tear it apart to get to you, whether I’m on board or not.”

Judy shouted. “All hands to battle stations!” She ran for the end of the passageway. “I don’t have time to deal with you now. Go where you want – there’s no escape.”

Toby shoved the doctor away from them. He limped down the passageway, reproach in his eyes. “She’s right, you know. You’re trapped on a ship full of Greymen with nowhere to go.”

Ayla laughed again. “That’s where you’re wrong, doc. Your Greymen are trapped on the ship with
us
. Oh, and before you go – hand me your jacket will you?”

Toby and Ayla watched the
Banshee
approach through portholes in the empty mess. The ship still screamed and Toby pressed his hands over his ears. It was as though Ayla barely heard it.

“There’s Nell!” She had to shout over the wail. Toby followed her pointing finger. Ayla’s mother looked almost exactly as he had first seen her – she had one leg on a pile of ammunition and her long coat whipped out behind her in the wind of their passage.

The
Phoenix
was turning behind the
Banshee
, drawing closer with every heartbeat. Her orange paintwork glowed in the sunset and the Jolly Roger snapped.

“They haven’t fired again,” he yelled. “They’re going to try and board.”

Ayla nodded, then the floor beneath them started to shake and a giant cannon slid into view.

“It’s aimed at the
Banshee
.” Toby curled his hand around Ayla’s. “We can’t just stand here while they sink your ship and steal mine! If I can get to the engine room, I should be able to do something.”

“If we can
find
the engine room.”

“If this ship was designed like the
Phoenix
, it’ll be in the bowels.”

Ayla nodded. “Then we go down.”

The passageways of the Grey ship were almost empty as they raced towards the ladders that led down into the gut of the ship.

The few Greyman they saw ignored them, more concerned with the coming battle. Finally they came to a sliding vault door. Toby touched a mechanism on the wall beside it.

“This is a failsafe – it shuts the corridor off. We’re here.”

Ahead of them the boiler room door was closed. A glass window in the metal was dense with condensation.

“There’ll be Greymen in there,” Ayla said as they tiptoed along the griddle. “And they
will
try and stop us.”

Toby nodded. “There shouldn’t be more than three.”

“We’ve got surprise on our side, but there’re only two of us … and I’m injured.” She flinched as the doctor’s jacket rubbed against her bleeding skin.

Toby stared. He’d never heard Ayla admit that she might not be able to handle a fight. “You’re right – we won’t be able to beat them in a fight.” He paused, his mind
racing. “And we can’t fool them … but I do have an idea. Do you think you can maybe keep them off me for half a minute?”