The gharumal’s two handlers turned to take on Tamm. When he swung up the foreleg on the climbing net that hung there they gave chase.

The gharumal lowed long and loud at the sudden commotion. Its head moved closer to the ground as the thick neck stretched out to give voice to the cry.

As Tamm climbed, the beast lifted its foreleg. He rose high from the ground, reached to the harness and took a grip. The chasers could not reach the beast’s foot. They ran to the other leg.

Jupiter and Maggie sprinted towards the beast’s huge head. With all the distraction no one saw.

Except the gharumal — Jupiter felt the animal’s gaze upon him.

The eyes reminded him of a horse’s, large and liquid. But compared with the car sized head the eyes gave the creature a beady appearance. The leathery head had flashes of color behind the eyes where lines of feather-fur ran along the stocky neck. The lead halter looked much like a horse’s. A thick rope coiled from the harness to the ground where the handlers had abandoned it.

Jupiter felt a sense of recognition from the beast, and it lowered its head further.

‘Get on.’ Jupiter expected Maggie to protest but she grabbed a hold of the feather-fur alongside him. The skin beneath pulsed with heat. He reached further up and found a ridge of leathery bone and he hauled himself onto the top of the skull. He reached behind and guided Maggie behind him as the gharumal lifted its head

‘Now what?’ Maggie said.

‘We’re out of reach now…’

But as if a huge engine had roared to life, the gharumal’s lowing cry rumbled beneath him and drowned out his words. He shook and almost bounced with the eruption of sound.

‘Golly.’ Maggie gripped Jupiter around his waist and held tight.

The head rose higher, and Jupiter’s head spun with vertigo. He refused to look down.

‘Was this a good idea?’

‘No idea.’ Jupiter said then laughed. ‘No damn idea.’

Maggie shook his shoulders. ‘Well. Get this monster moving.’

Jupiter leaned out to look behind Maggie. ‘Tamm needs to cut the tow rope.’

Their friend had swarmed up the tow rope closely followed by the handlers. The rope led from a thick leather and wooden harness on the gharumal’s back. A huge metal hook held ring at the end of the tow rope.

‘It’s like some of my rigging.’

‘How’s he going to cut…’

Just then Tamm dropped from the tow rope onto the harness on the beast’s back. The gharumal reared up on its rear legs, and Jupiter felt Maggie grab onto his waist. Jupiter renewed his grip as they slipped back on the head. They came to a halt even as the angle increased.

‘Ow!’ Maggie exclaimed. ‘My bottom. It’s pressed against something sharp.’

‘Just as well. I couldn’t hold on much longer.’

‘Neither can they.’

Jupiter turned and saw the sudden movement had increased the angle of the rope, and Tamm’s pursuers now slipped down the rope. They dropped like Tamm. One fell off with a squawking cry.

Tamm meanwhile stood over a long wooden lever, with a two handed grip on it, he crouched as if to pull it up.

‘Tamm. Behind you,’ Maggie shouted.

Tamm stood in a rush, pulling the lever up, then turned and ducked as the handler leapt at him with a two legged kick. Jupiter recalled the martial arts kicking frenzy that manisaurs used in fights. They trusted their feet more than their hands like humans did. A human fighting a manisaur would have to be a kick-boxing champion against even the weakest manisaur.

The attacker’s kick missed, and their body flung forwards to glance off the now raised lever. The gharumal dropped back to all four legs and Jupiter had to push against his hold to stop them being tossed forward. Behind him Maggie held tight around his waist.

In the same movement Tamm thrust his body against the lever, rocked it forward, and continued in a swinging kick that connected with the sprawled handler, who had been knocked over when the gharumal had landed. The tow rope tightened, then became slack as the skyship dropped with the sudden movement of the tow beast.

As the lever rotated over, the hook swung open, and the tow rope sprang free. The gharumal gave another huge cry of triumph and ambled forwards.

Almost in slow motion the manisaur handler fell to towards the ground. Jupiter watched in amazement as they twisted acrobatically in the air like a cat, or the most skilled gymnast, and landed on its long legs before completing a perfect parkour roll.

‘Breeze,’ Maggie shouted.

The imp swung at the end of the tow rope under the black skyship.

‘There’s no way for him to get down.’

‘Damn it. And he need not have climbed up there in the end.’ Jupiter said. ‘I shouldn’t have asked him.’

‘You weren’t to know.’

‘But now…’ Jupiter’s gut lurched. His bad leadership had done this.

It’s all my fault. I’m no leader, no captain.

‘And how are we going to save the mantas in the skyship?’ Maggie shook his shoulders. He knew she felt the same frustration.

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‘I don’t know.’

And he really didn’t.

Jupiter groaned. Uh oh. This is not going to go well.

The gharumal’s handler grabbed hold of the harness rope and hauled the gharumal to a halt. Jupiter felt like a kid on a show pony being led by a a grumpy old man.

‘How can one manisaur control this huge creature?’ said Jupiter.

‘That’s how,’ Maggie said. ‘Look.’

The handler held a hooked staff in one hand, and the lead rope in the other. The rope led to the halter, and Jupiter saw the main difference from a horse’s. The halter led through the nose of the gharumal. When the handler tugged them to a stop Jupiter felt a jolt of pain add to the ever-present underlying aching fear.

‘Holy heck. Do these guys torture all the creatures they control?’

‘They’re beasts,’ said Maggie. ‘Eoth seems wondrous, until you understand it is all built on pain, and suffering.’

‘And control.’ Jupiter recalled how Tamm had come within his thrall. He had not meant to do it. But he had taken advantage and now…

‘Dhakara!’ Tamm cried as he scampered up beside him. ‘I will cut us free from the tashavi — the handler.’

Tamm took a grip on the harness with his feet, and eased low across the face of the gharumal, past the beast’s eye. Soon Tamm hung upside down, his arms stretched out, and in his hand he held the knife. The old Japanese man’s Tanto - warrior’s blade.

Ajiro’s knife flashed in the sun as Tamm cut into the handler’s lead rope with three sharp hacks. The rope fell free.

‘And the nose loop, Tamm.’ Maggie said. ‘Remove that too.’

Tamm looked to Jupiter for confirmation. He gave a nod and the manisaur twisted around, helped by a turn of the gharumal’s head, until he could release the metal loop.

Jupiter felt a stab of pain, and then of euphoria, as the control loop fell to the ground in a splatter of blood.

‘The evil beasts,’ Maggie said.

‘We’ve done good here at least.’

The gharumal reared on its hind legs again, and Tamm swung over the animal’s closed eye and onto the head behind Maggie.

‘Free. The beast is free,’ said Tamm.

‘But don’t you sense that?’ Maggie said.

‘Yeah,’ said Jupiter. ‘It’s grateful. Almost like it is imprinting on us.’

‘No. Not this time. It wants to help.’

‘Yeah. Well that was the plan.’

‘Really?’

‘Come on. Beastie,’ Jupiter kicked his heels.

‘As if that’s going to work…’ Maggie voice trailed off as the gharumal lumbered forward.

Jupiter grinned, and pointed back towards the wide lane. The beast strode there in a rolling gait as if Jupiter had directed it with a set of reins.

Above them Breeze cried out. ’Save… Help… Manta…’

Jupiter saw the imp scamper up the skyship’s swinging tow rope and onto the black hull, but he lost sight of both as the gharumal turned into passage back to the downed skyship, and the tortured manta within.

‘Yeah. We’ll save the manta. That’s the plan.’

‘But what about Breeze?’ Maggie said.

‘Somehow I think he’ll be fine. Agent-of-fate and all that.’

They had no time to think on what would happen to the imp. From behind, and from the way ahead, two groups of manisaur soldier poured into the lane to block their passage.

The gharumal broke into a run and, without urging, ran like a tank directly at the force before them. The solders raised weapons, pointing their strange blow-dart devices, but they had to scatter before the onrushing behemoth. The three ducked low. And then the view of any shooters from behind became blocked by the bulk of the beast.

‘Tamm,’ Jupiter shouted over the cacophony of the massing soliders ‘Can manisaur darts hurt the tow-beast?’

‘Yes. That is how they are captured. With a drug. It slows them.’

‘Damn.’

‘But they have to wait for the drug to work.’

‘And they have no time.’

They ran from the lane and into the water court where the downed skyship lay. The torture chamber within the old skyship burned sharp in Jupiter’s mind. He raised his hand and pointed directly at the flight chamber. His mind held the sickly green image of the space where the Imperials made and powered the zharaqsa flight crystals.

He imagined the ship broken and smashed, and the manta within free to return to the sea.

‘Jupiter…’ Maggie screamed.

As his eyes cleared and he saw the present, a sudden fear gripped him. The gharumal had not stopped its headlong rush. It reared up, raised its thick forelegs and brought them crashing down on the side of the old skyship.

Splinters erupted around them. Jupiter pressed his body close to the shielding ridges, Maggie tight behind him.

The beast reared again and flung Jupiter backwards.

Maggie screamed, but Tamm wrapped his strong arms around them, his legs tight to the harness below. Jupiter grabbed at the head ridges. They hit upon the beast’s neck, amongst the bright blue and red fur-feathers, and then were thrown forward again as if on a rodeo hose. The gharumal’s front feet struck the hull again. And the wood broke apart.

It’s head came low to the ground, and the three fell from the head in Tamm’s grip. The manisaur twisted, and together they hit the packed earth of the water court. The manisaur’s body took the impact first, and the two humans spilled in a rolling tumble away.

‘Tamm, Tamm,’ Jupiter scrambled over to the prostrate manisaur. ‘Are you okay?’

‘As ever. You are my Dhakara,’ Then Tamm’s eyes closed.

‘Damn it Tamm,’ Jupiter wailed.

‘He saved us!’

‘Yeah. That evil imprinting saved us. Tamm had no choice. Did he?’

‘I had a choice,’ Tamm said. ‘I would do it again.’

‘But can you?’

Tamm rolled to a sitting position.

‘Yes Dhakara. We Quevantaqi are built for falls.’

Jupiter laughed. ‘Don’t do that again.’

‘No Jupiter,’ Tamm said, his aura flashed amusement. And Jupiter wondered again if Tamm could lie.

Maggie screamed then.

The soldiers had reached them.

The gharumal raged within the broken timbers of the downed skyship. Only the rear of the huge body remained visible through the shattered hull.

Jupiter and Maggie skidded away from the surrounding manisaur soldiers. Some had their gaze focussed on Maggie and Jupiter and the Imperial Officer. Many stared at the ongoing destruction the gharumal wrought as if unsure what they should do.

‘Don’t just stand there,’ roared Tamm as he bounced to his feet. ‘The invading force went that way.’ He pointed down a side alley. ‘And you. Tarushka — group. Who is Tarushkama — group leader?’ Tamm shouted over the roars and thumping crashes of the gharumal within the skyship.

‘Did you not ride in upon the beast?’ A manisaur stepped close. They had military webbing that signified a leader. ‘Did you not bring the gharumal here?’

‘I attempted to stop it. Who can control a charging behemoth?’ Tamm gestured at the destruction behind him. The noise paused as if to emphasize the point.

Jupiter also saw how Tamm dusted himself off and used the excuse to look away from the Tarushkama’s stare.

He’s hiding his aura. Jupiter thought. But he can lie when he speaks.

‘Tarushkama.’ Tamm shouted over the renewed bellows of the raging gharumal. ‘After them.’

‘As you wish, Vam’lama — captain.’ The group leader ordered his troupe off along the alley.

Jupiter breathed in relief, he had not realized he had held it. The battering of the gharumal had muffled as it worked its way into the hull. The rear of the beast moved within the shadows.

Perhaps it’s found a passageway.

‘I thought we were done for then. Eh Maggs?’ Jupiter turned to Maggie but she had gone. ‘Maggie?’

‘Inside,’ shouted Tamm. ‘Quick.’

Jupiter realized Maggie must have followed inside the ship after the gharumal. He had to do the same, and he began to step away.

But he had misunderstood the reason for Tamm’s command. The second platoon of soldiers had arrived from the plaza. They had to hide.

‘Hold fast there,’ ordered an imposing officer. ‘You’re not to move.’

Jupiter stood stock still. Tamm had gone rigid as the soldiers pointed the barrels of their blow-dart devices at them both. These soldiers had a fiercer and more attentive look to them.

‘Take these to that useless fortress commander,’ the officer said. ‘Then follow me. We have to get the beast out of the flight works. Then get the lit zharaqsa for the Nakhevaqum. The Air Lord’s skyship requires it.’

The soldiers lowered their weapons and took hold of Jupiter and Tamm arms.

Jupiter’s heart still raced. The dull ache from the manta throbbed higher, something poised to break. Then in a crescendo of pain Jupiter saw only white as he fell held from the ground in his captor’s two thumbed grip.