‘I failed her,’ said Tamm. ‘How could I let a lady of the court be taken by blackbirders?’

They ran after the last stragglers of the hunt but saw no sign of Zaj. They avoided pockets of blackbirders who had caught their victims and bound them. Jupiter did not look too closely to what the pirate manisaurs did to their victims fearful they would be the next target.

He and Tamm ran on past them, their eyes forward.

I cannot help them. Not yet.

Jupiter still felt a coward doing nothing to help them. Khav, now being hunted, had made his escape possible.

Otherwise I’d be running for my life, and probably failing.

‘Failed Zaj? How were you to know?’ said Jupiter. ‘Did you know blackbirders would lead the hunt?’ Jupiter puffed beside him. ‘It’s my fault too. If I hadn’t told her to… um take her clothes off.’

‘Your part of the plan worked. No one suspected. She had won free of the fortress.’

‘And you. Tamm. Without you we’d never have escaped.’

The garrison soldiers at the entry gate had not stopped them leaving once the danger of the hunt had past. So now Jupiter and Tamm followed the sound of the baying beasts as the hunt wound into the old city. The twisting streets gave them only glimpses, enough to follow progress, but not enough for the hunt to turn on them.

‘I can’t see Zaj.’ Jupiter pulled up. He staggered and huffed to get his breath back.

‘Or her captor.’

Jupiter stomped around in a circle swearing.

‘I feel that way too,’ said Tamm.

Jupiter saw it in his friend’s aura. “What are we going to do? I’m no leader. We should never have…’

‘A leader has to own their mistakes. Learn from them and do better next time.’

‘Sure. But that does not make me feel any better, or help anything. We’ve lost Maggie, and Breeze, and now Zaj. And somehow we need to find The Jupiter.’

‘This way,’ Tamm said. ‘We should move on. Those blackbirders we passed, they’re following us.’

Jupiter looked behind. A small number of blackbirders straggled behind but they had spent their energy on their victims. Still, he and Tamm jogged forward a little faster and turned a corner out of sight.

The high pylons of The Way came into view, closer now. The Air Lord’s fleet now towed along the cables nearing the town dwarfed the tall trussed structures.

Jupiter picked up his pace. His jacket loosened to cool off flapped as if he wore wings. ‘Come on. Once that fleet is here we’ll never get away. We should get to The Jupiter. And soon.’

He and Tamm ran at an easy lope and soon reached the canal tow path. Jupiter ran faster now, his lunged ached. He unzipped his wet suit glad he had worn his thin light summer one that day almost a month ago now.

Almost there.

‘Jupiter,’ Tamm called.

He stopped and got his bearings. He had run past the watercourt.

‘They’ve gone,’ Tamm said. ‘Pariqamtu and the outrigger.’

‘This cannot be the place. We should look further along.’

‘No. This is the watercourt we left The Jupiter tied up at.’

‘Pari-pari,’ Jupiter shouted. ‘Paareee-Paaareeee.’

‘She has gone. We left her too long.’ Tamm said. ‘It’s been over a day.’

‘She wouldn’t have left without us. She doesn’t know how to sail The Jupiter. She must be around here somewhere.’ Jupiter shouted a few more times but knew such hopeless calls would only draw unwelcome attention.

Jupiter sat on the stone edge of the watercourt. His feet hung above the water where The Jupiter should be. He knew Tamm had the right place. He recognized it. The loop of metal he had tied up against, the steps he had to avoid as he brought the Jupiter alongside.

‘Every decision I’ve made has been a disaster,’ Jupiter said.

‘Not so. At the time you chose the right path, you just did not know where it would lead.’

‘But isn’t that what I had to do?’ Jupiter said. ‘Chose the path to the right destination?’

Tamm fell silent, his aura quiescent.

‘Worthy destinations,’ said Tamm. ‘Save the manta in pain. Rescue…’

‘Rescue the princess?’ Jupiter laughed. ‘Sheesh.’

‘You call her princess. She is but a lady of the court.’

‘Yeah. But when she is mated with the freaking Emperor…’

‘Something she dreaded.’

‘Yeah, great. I saved her from becoming a royal by getting her kidnapped by a crazed murdering pirate.’

Jupiter’s guts clenched. He took a breath to steady himself. ‘Tamm? What do we do now?’ His voice broke anyway.

‘We cannot stay here.’ Tamm pointed to the left.

The Air Lord’s skyfort had come off the end of The Way. Three huge gharumals stood at the base of the pylon ready to take this first tow into the fortress. They seemed small in comparison with the huge skyfort now only three or four hundred meters away.

‘You’re right. There’s only two places I can think to go.’

Jupiter stood and zipped his wetsuit up again.

‘One has great ramen noodles. The other…’ Jupiter sighed. ‘Might have a good friend onboard… mantas in pain. And perhaps a princess-in-waiting.’

Tamm stood before him expectant. His aura pulsed calm and confident.

Somehow this steadied Jupiter.

‘So what is it to be Qharvan Tambuqaram? Hot noodles, or a hot fight?’

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‘Dhakara. Where you lead, I will follow.’

‘You’re mad you know. Either that or your imprinting is stronger than reason.’

‘Always Jupiter. Always.’

‘So no gharumal,’ Jupiter said low and close to Tamm’s head.

Jupiter and Tamm crouched in the corner of the large courtyard and studied the blackbirder’s skyship moored to great iron loops set into the ground of the courtyard.

The blackbirders had not found and caught the tow beast.

I hope it got away.

‘They did not recapture it after…’ Tamm voice faltered.

‘After whatever happened at the flightworks. You don’t remember?’

‘No. I think a guard shot us with darts dosed with a sleeping potion.’

‘That would explain the blinding headache,’ said Jupiter.

‘Something else felled you before they gave you the potion.’

‘The manta,’ Jupiter said. ‘I shared its pain. Somehow.’

‘But it is gone now?’ Tamm’s aura pulsed with concern.

‘The pain from the one in the flightworks? Yeah. But I feel the mantas still. Inside that black skyship.’

‘Zaj called it Our Black Blood — Neqharazathesa,’ said Tamm.

Jupiter shuddered.

Good name for a pirate ship. Or a bad name. Depending.

‘Scary as…’ said Jupiter.

The sun would soon set. The last golden rays shone upon the black of the skyship’s hull and painted it golden.

Almost beautiful.

‘Where are the crew?’ Jupiter said. ‘We saw a some crazed blackbirders in the rigging during the hunt.’

‘I do not see…’

A black shadow leapt out at Jupiter.

He scrambled back.

And twisted to escape.

‘Breeze!’

The imp bounced and laughed at his successful scare.

‘You evil creature,’ Jupiter said.

Breeze ran at Jupiter again.

‘Happy… Happy… No Thinking.’

‘Yeah. I can tell.’ Jupiter brought the imp into his arms and pressed his face to the top of the imps head. The sweet musky smell of the fur-feathers reminded him of happier times. Of learning Thaluk with Qhawana over spicy barbecued wraps next to a fire. Simpler times.

Better times

Jupiter sniffed and pulled away. Breeze’s feather tail flapped up and down in excitement.

‘Good to see you too dude. Where the heck have you been?’

‘On bad ship… Bad people… Mantas pain…’

‘Yeah. I get you. I sense it too.’

Jupiter stared at the skyship. ‘So. Is Zaj there?’

As they studied the vessel a group of blackbirders swarmed down the mooring rope. He and Tamm shrank back. But the seven blackbirder crew loped off towards the docks without a backwards glance.

‘Is that rope the only way on board? No way I can get up there like that.’

‘The imp and I can however,’ said Tamm.

‘Are there many remaining onboard Breeze?’

‘Some… Guards… the lady…’

‘Zaj? Do you mean? But you never met her did you?’

‘Mantas… Pain… I feel…’

‘Yeah. Me too.’ Jupiter stood. ‘But is Zaj there? Did you see her?’

‘Bad people… they bring… they leave…’

‘So that group that left, they’re bringing hunt victims on board. So they have Zaj, and might have Maggie and Pari-pari.’

Breeze shook his head in agreement. Jupiter grinned at that familiar strangeness.

‘Tamm? If you got up there… Could you get a rope down and get me up onboard?’

‘I can do this. But why?’

‘We’ll probably get captured. But I don’t think there are many left onboard. And only hunting parties coming and going. We have a chance. Especially with Breeze staying hidden ready to help. And you doing your officer act…’

‘I do not know if I can…’

‘You’re doing great. Just tell the truth, not the whole truth. Just enough of it to get us by.’

Tamm’s aura flashed acknowledgement but not agreement.

‘I know,’ said Jupiter. And he grinned. ‘I know! Qharvan Tambuqaram. I order you to board the blackbirder skyship. You will bring me as your aide. Then take Zaj into custody. The blackbirders have no reason to keep a lady of the court from you.’

Tamm’s aura flashed confusion, and he blinked. ‘I do as you command Dhakara.’

‘So now you have your orders. You tell the truth, and do not lie.’

‘This is the truth Dhakara… except…’

‘What?’

‘The whole truth is… your imprint — naraqhasa upon me is gone.’

‘Will my command work though? Follow it and you will not lie.’

‘I can but try… Dhakara.’

“I think I like it better this way. You without naraqhasa. I don’t like ordering people about. I’m no leader.’

Tamm wobbled his head in agreement, but his aura showed the opposite.

Amazing how these people can hold two contradictory ideas in their heads at the same time.

‘What is it Tamm?’

‘I find it impossible to think the blackbirders would want to do as an Imperial Officer requests. They are criminals. The navy seeks to destroy them.’

‘So what do you make of a blackbirder skyship moored in the middle of an Imperial Fortress then? Has the fort fallen to them? These ones work for the Imperials. Or they may be as false as Red-Back’s pirates.’

‘I hear you Dhakara.’

‘Breeze. Get up onto the skyship again. Hide and wait for Tamm. And once I’m onboard can you help me find Zaj? Rescue the princess? Again.’

‘I climb… I wait… We rescue…’

Once Jupiter gained the deck of the blackbirder’s skyship he sensed the mantas imprisoned with much stronger. In turn they sensed him. They feared for him as much as they feared for themselves.

Breeze had disappeared as soon as he had climbed the mooring rope. Tamm had hauled Jupiter aboard. There had been plenty of boarding ropes looped ready for the blackbirder’s swarming attacks. And manisaurs had more strength than they looked.

From the height of the black skyship’s deck Jupiter could see the Air Lord’s flotilla. Free now from the cables of The Way, and hauled by lowing gharumal’s, the skyships moved towards the mooring pylons of the port’s vanukam — the navy docks.

Jupiter scanned the deck of the black skyship. ‘Shouldn’t there be an officer of the watch, always on deck?’

‘If this was a navy skyship, yes. But these are blackbirders. Who could know their ways?’

‘We’re not alone though are we?’

‘We must go careful.’

‘But fast. Hunting parties might return. And there will be guards for their victims.’

‘And the navy approaches.’

‘Why would the navy tolerate the blackbirders?’

‘I do not know any more. The blackbirders are confident. They leave their vessel with no watch, and run a hunt through the town’s streets…’

‘And kidnap princesses.’ Jupiter said. ‘Come on. I’ll stay out of the way. But let’s get below. Do your officer thing. Find the prisoners.’

Tamm stood tall and strode towards the main companionway entrance that led to the lower decks. Jupiter straightened his jacket and kept a pace behind.

At the closed hatch door Tamm motioned Jupiter to open it. He slipped the catch and swung it clear.

A swarm of small four legged beasts swarmed out. Jupiter leapt away. They creatures set to yapping and screeching at the new arrivals. Tamm swung his legs in a sweeping motion and knocked several to the ground.

A cry from within came from a manisaur, and the creatures cowered away.

Then a large rangy blackbirder stood before them. ’What do you want Imperial?’

‘You have taken prisoners.’

‘As we were ordered. The hunt is to scare and intimidate. Of course we took captives. What of it?’

‘There is one among them I seek.’

‘You have no business here.’

‘That one you took. I need them back.’

‘Too late now.’

Jupiter’s heart thudded loud enough to be audible to them all. He bit back his words.

I have to rely on Tamm now.

‘Show me to them.’ Tamm stepped forward until he stood just before the blackbirder.

‘Very well. I can’t refuse an officer of the Imperial Navy can I?’

But Jupiter caught a sense of sarcasm in the blackbirder’s aura. This one seemed different to other manisaurs in the same way the Air Lord and Tharumiyo had.

This one can lie.

The blackbirder led them down into the lower decks where the only light came from glow-globes hung on bulkheads in the corridors. The four-legged creatures kept the blackbirder company, and pressed too close to the manisaur at times. The pirate kicked out at one that got in his way.

On either side of the corridor, in a series of barred spaces, blackbirded manisaurs had been chained. The space stank of ammonia and fear.

‘As you see, we have a wide selection to choose from,’ the blackbirder said in mocking tones. ’Take your pick.’

Jupiter saw no humans.

Did any survive the hunt? Had they killed to intimidate?

He felt the echo of rising panic from the unseen mantas.

Then from behind came a clatter of many feet, and the strange guttural warbling Jupiter had last heard from the Air Lord and Tharumiyo.

Tamm whirled on them. Jupiter understood their strange tongue however.

These blackbirders came from the same lands as the Air Lord.

‘Ready the ship for the Air Lord. We expect him soon,’ the blackbirder captain said. ‘And lock these confounded young beasts up. They’ll be the death of me.’ He kicked at one of the four legged creatures that bounced about them.

‘Tamm,’ Jupiter said quiet and close to Tamm’s head. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’

‘What little bird? You want to flee?’ The blackbirder stepped close to Jupiter then. ‘What do you have to fear from the Air Lord and his Imperial sailors?’

The acrid stink of him, the flat aura, made Jupiter certain now. The Air Lord had his own people here.

‘That prisoner,’ said Tamm. ‘Free her.’

Jupiter turned to see who Tamm meant.

‘Not yet. They will be freed shortly. Once the Air Lord comes. He is to inspect them all you see.’

‘The Air Lord comes here?’

‘Yes. He takes great interest in our work. He would like to meet you I think.’

‘Very well,’ said Tamm. ‘We will go topside. Bring that one with us.’

For a moment Jupiter thought the jailor would refuse. Instead he laughed a huffing cackle.

‘To the topside little bird. But do not fly. I am curious to know how you escaped the hunt.’