Sky Pirates (6 page)

“When the city was almost complete, the ruler of the Khmer decreed that a thousand young women should dance a ballet to honor the gods. His officials scoured the land for a thousand of the most beautiful and talented dancers. These women were brought to the city, and they were called the
apsara
maidens. Once there,
they were dressed in gold and fine silks. They were given the finest food and satin pillows upon which to rest. They spent their days mastering the most intricate and delicate dance steps ever achieved by the human form.

“Then, when the moon was full and the temple was ready, the thousand maidens stepped out into the night. They danced and danced through the hours of darkness offering themselves to the gods of the Khmer in the most exquisite sacred ballet ever performed. Some say that their dance was so perfect, so beautiful, that it would cause any normal mortal watching to fall into a trance.

“The ruler of the Khmer grew jealous of the maidens, for their dance brought them so close to the divine that the people of the city started worshipping them instead. So, in a fit of jealous rage, he called upon the assistance of the Shadow realm. He wanted to capture the power, the beauty and the purity of the
apsara
maidens for himself. From the Shadow rose a dark sorcerer. A Shadow Master so evil that anything he cast his gaze upon withered to dust. When the moon grew full again, the ruler and his sorcerer disguised themselves in the garden and waited for the maidens. It was not long before they stepped out into the fragrant night air and started their dance.

“As soon as moonlight fell upon the maidens, the sorcerer stepped out and cast his magic. One by one, the
apsara
maidens were swallowed by the giant blocks of stone that constituted Angkor Wat. They all disappeared until only one maiden remained. She was the most beautiful and graceful of them all. Before she disappeared into the stone, she sent up a prayer to the moon goddess for help. But the sorcerer’s spell was too far gone to save the maidens from their entombment. All the moon goddess could do was cast her protective light around the last maiden, but not before she too was sent into the stone.

“The moon goddess grew very angry with the ruler of the Khmer and his sorcerer, and in order to shame them into seeing what evil they had done, she worked a spell. In the light of the full moon, the images of the maidens emerged in the walls of the temples and buildings, set in stone so all may see what the Khmer ruler had done. Each carving was unique, an exact likeness of every beautiful apsara who had disappeared. But the most beautiful of them all was the last
apsara
for she had become the queen of the maidens of stone.

“The next day, the Khmer ruler saw the maidens and was so overcome by shame for what he had done that his heart broke and he dropped down dead …”

“That’s quite a tale,” Elle said.

Gertrude smiled. “Some say it is nothing but the truth.”

“Oh, I have no doubt,” Elle said. She had seen enough strange things in life to know not to dismiss stories of things that referred to the Shadow. They always had the rather inconvenient habit of turning out to be just so.

“I always was of a mind to travel to the Orient. Just think how wonderful it would be to discover an entire lost city.” Gertrude looked at Elle.

“Well, I suppose it certainly would bring its share of fame and fortune,” Elle replied.

“I would need a competent pilot to fly me there,” Gertrude said.

“Would you now?” Elle said.

“Know anyone who might fit the part?” Gertrude’s eyes held a strange twinkle that spoke volumes. “I happen to know that such a charter would pay extremely well if the right patrons are secured.”

Elle smiled. “Gertrude, if you want to ask me, you should. I am certainly open to persuasion.”

“That is excellent news. We should keep in touch once we land in England. I have some work to do overseeing
the cataloguing of these Nubian artifacts, but as soon the expedition is finalized and I have started preparing the proposals, I will let you know.”

“You know, I think going on an expedition with you might be just the thing I need,” Elle said.

“Well, it would be absolutely lovely to have the company of another lady. Especially one who knows how to conduct herself in extraordinary situations.”

They sat together in silence for some time after that.

As the companionable silence stretched between them, Elle allowed her thoughts to wander. The warmth of the cabin and the steady drone of the engines lulled her into a state of deep thought. It had been a while since she’d even considered any long-term plans, but somehow the thought of having something to look forward to was rather appealing.

Beside her, Dr. Bell nodded off and started snoring softly.

Suddenly, the
Water Lily
shuddered. Elle shook herself out of her reverie. She caught the movement of a shadow from the corner of her eye.

“Bugger, balls and blast,” she said as she scanned the instrument panels.

“What was that?” Dr. Bell sat up and blinked at Elle’s peppery use of language.

“Gertrude, are you sure the freight is tied securely down in the back?”

“I suppose so. It’s as secure as it’s ever going to be.”

Another shadow
whoosh
ed past the windscreen and darted off, just out of view. The
Water Lily
shuddered again.

“Say, what is that shuddering sound?”

“Gliders,” Elle said. “They are getting into position to fire on us.” She adjusted the direction of the thrusters and the
Water Lily
banked to her starboard side, which
was just as well, because before them, a giant ship loomed into view.

“Oh my,” Dr. Bell breathed as she took in the sight of the 800-foot vessel that floated so ominously before them.

“Oh my, indeed,” Elle said between gritted teeth.

The ship floating before them was a leviathan compared to the
Water Lily
. She was a proper warship, fully encased in armor cladding. From balloon chambers to keel, her sleek double-hull bullet shape glittered ominously in the red of the setting sun. Fine spiderwebs of rigging held her together. She was close enough to see that her huge hull was battered and scarred. The ship’s broadsides bristled with grappling hooks and cannons. Bits of net and scrim trailed in the air currents and made it look even more eerie and sinister.

Around her, a dozen or so small spark-powered wood and canvas gliders buzzed, ready for action.

“Pirates!” Elle breathed as she watched the ship before her unfurl the skull and crossbones off its prow. “Dr. Bell, I fear our peaceful journey is to be disrupted. We are about to be attacked.”

Dr. Bell closed the biscuit tin and placed it in the cubbyhole before her. “Well, I had better put these in a safe place then. Looks like it’s going to be a bumpy flight.”

“We are small and fast. I am going to try and outrun them,” Elle said as she started twisting knobs and pulling levers. As a small commercial freighter, the
Water Lily
carried no cannon. Even if she did, it was unlikely that she would ever be able to take on the likes of the dreadful hulking ship that floated before her. However, what the
Water Lily
lacked in size, she more than made up for in speed and agility; that was her only defense. And right now, Elle was praying as hard as she could that speed would be enough.

She cranked up the spark reactor and angled the ship
in the opposite direction. The
Water Lily
creaked and the engines hummed.

“Let’s give them a run for their money, shall we?” she said to Dr. Bell, and with a surge of power they took flight.

The pirates had expected the
Water Lily
to adopt evasive maneuvers, it seemed. Elle watched through her rearview periscope with a growing sense of trepidation as a swarm of gliders slipped into formation behind them. And just then, as if the universe was truly conspiring against them, a stiff headwind fueled by the heat of the desert rose up and met them head-on.

The
Water Lily
groaned as she hit the hot updrafts. Elle shook her head in frustration as she pushed the engines harder.

The pirates had been clever. They had waited until she was on course and facing the headwinds before they chose to strike. The little out-fliers suffered far less from wind drag than the dirigibles did, and soon they were almost upon her.

One flew past almost touching the windglass. The scruffy pilot, dressed in goggles and a dirty aviator cap, waggled his wings as if to taunt her, while he made another loop in front of the cockpit. It did not take much to work out their plans, judging by the large reel of rope and grappling hook attached to the side of the glider.

Elle pushed the thrusters till they were fully open and jammed the autopilot controls into place.

“Watch that gauge,” she said to Dr. Bell. “If the line dips below the red, call me.”

Dr. Bell nodded. “Will do.” The older woman was looking a little wide-eyed and pale.

Elle strode over to her storage cubby and unlocked it. She pulled out her shotgun and a box full of cartridges. The shotgun was inlaid with silver and emblazoned with
the Greychester family crest, but that was not something she wanted to be reminded of right now. It was one of the few items she had taken with her when she had left Greychester House.

“Gertrude, do you know how to use a shotgun?”

“Do I ever! I am a crack shot. Been grouse hunting since I was a mere slip of a girl,” the older woman said with a touch of pride.

“Well, then take this and shoot anyone who comes through that hatch,” Elle said, pointing up above them. “We won’t be able to defeat them, but let’s hope we can fend them off long enough for me to fly us out of here.”

Dr. Bell took the shotgun and started to load it. “Do you think you could perhaps perform your sandstorm trick?”

Elle shook her head. “No, it’s too dangerous. If I summoned that amount of updraft out here we will only end up blasting ourselves out of the sky in the process,” Elle said. “I do have another idea, though.”

“Then get to it, girl!” Gertrude said. “I for one would prefer to go down fighting and not end up being pirate quarry, if you don’t mind.”

“Right then, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Elle closed her eyes and focused on the barrier. Here, high up in the sky, the barrier was less prone to wear and tear by Shadow creatures so it was thicker than it was closer to the ground. She took a deep breath and slipped into the space between the worlds. As soon as the golden light enclosed her, she started looking about for the globules of energy, but to her dismay, she saw none. Before her, the barrier stretched out, all glorious and pristine. She felt her heart sink, since without the snags caused by wear and tear, there was nowhere for any excess energy to accumulate. Elle looked about in a state of indecision. If she followed the barrier down to look for globules of energy, she might lose her place in relation to the realm of Light. If
she went the wrong way, she could end up stepping back into thin air, miles away from the
Water Lily
. Dr. Bell would be left to fend for herself unaided and Elle would most likely end up falling to a gruesome death.

No, she had to turn back. As she turned, she looked up and saw one small globule high up above her. Using all her strength, she jumped. As she drifted through the aether, she reached out and grabbed hold of it. It split and she absorbed it almost instantly. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. She took a deep breath and slipped back to the Light.

“They’ve been dropping hooks on us,” Dr. Bell said as soon as she reappeared.

“How long have I been gone?”

“A good ten minutes or so. I was getting a tad worried.” Dr. Bell was indeed looking rather anxious.

“Right, well, time to see if we can fend them off.” She grabbed hold of the controls to turn the ship round. She pulled the steering lever, but nothing happened.

There was another large thump above them and the ominous clinking sound of grappling hooks dragging against the fuselage. She tried to turn again, but the thrusters would not budge.

She consulted her periscopes with growing dismay. “The bastards have snagged my thrusters and they are busy tying them down!” she exclaimed. Long cable lines were being reeled back to the pirate ship by the gliders.

The engines of the
Water Lily
suddenly started whining loudly as the thrusters reached their limit. The ship lurched forward but the tether ropes that held them rang taut.

Elle felt her herself go cold with fear. The
Water Lily
was stationary, hooked like a fish by the large ship behind them.

She reduced the power to the thrusters, and the hull creaked as the ropes picked up the slack.

The next move for her would be to kill her engines and dump helium in the hope that the sudden dip would dislodge the grappling hooks, but as they drew closer, she could see vicious bilge hooks being lowered from the hull of the pirate ship. They were waiting for her to duck so they could ensnare her.

“Gertrude, I need your help,” Elle said, thinking quickly.

“Tell me what to do.”

Elle strode over to the flight console. “I want you to sit in this seat and hold this.” She pointed at the steering controls. “When you hear the ropes release, I want you to push forward on the thrusters as hard as you can. Do you think you can do that?”

“Leave it to me,” Dr. Bell said.

“Let’s give these blighters a run for their money then, shall we?” Elle said. She grabbed the large rigging machete she kept in one of the cubbyholes. It was a broad steel blade, about a foot long—an essential tool for severing snagged rigging. With the blade in hand, Elle climbed the maintenance ladder that led to one of the upper hatches.

“We have got to sever those ropes before we are reeled in, come what may.”

She flung the hatch open and gasped as she felt the freezing air hit. The wind whipped the loose strands of hair that had escaped from her aviator cap into her face, and the icy air made her eyes stream. She pulled her goggles over her eyes and blinked.

Four thick ropes now tethered the
Water Lily
to the pirate ship. Her engines were fighting bravely, but Elle could see the ropes tightening and straining as the pirate ship slowly reeled them in.