The next morning Jupiter had no choice but to rise early. The whole lodge filled with the commotion of soldiers getting ready for the day, and eating a large meal.
Manisaurs did not eat very often, but when they did, they filled their bellies with gusto. Tamm ate as much, or more than, the other soldiers.
‘Do you know something I don’t?’ said Jupiter.
‘In war there is one thing certain, hunger.’
‘Not fighting, not death?’
‘No. Those you can avoid.’ Tamm ate a cold mixture of grains, and fruit, and meat.
The grains and fruit looked a lot like muesli, but without milk or yoghurt he could not quite stomach it. And the meat. He really didn’t like the look of the meat. White and pickled it looked like.
‘Or rotten maybe.’
He snagged some fruit and filled a bag, and a cup of Zhavaqiko, then snuck out to Breeze. But he couldn’t find the imp, so he stowed the fruit. Maggie joined him as she chewed on something, really working away at it.
‘Chewing gum?’
‘What? No. Jerky. It’s sort of tart and meaty. It’s good.’ Tamm said it would last. She handed Jupiter a piece and put a bag next to the kheel.
‘You’d better hide that from Breeze.’
She moved it to the bow. ‘Where is he?’
‘I don’t know. But let’s get moving.’
As they towed The Jupiter from the barn a group of the manisaur beasts ran from the lodge and circled yipping and calling like demented dogs that had forgotten how to bark.
‘These confounded beast get in the way of everything,’ said Maggie.
‘Yeah. Why to the manisaurs even put up with them. Seems they’re always kicking at them and cursing. The only person I’ve seen with a soft spot seemed to be Red Back.’
‘And Breeze,’ said Maggie. ‘Look.’
Breeze rolled in the dust amongst the group of the manisaur beasts bouncing high, then running around in circles.
‘Figures. Birds of a feather…’
‘Yes. They really are strange creatures when you stop to think. Bird things on four legs, a face with no beak, and no teeth but that plate thing.’
‘Seems a common thing here. Must all have evolved from a similar ancestor.’
Tamm joined them and they got the mast raised, and sail fitted by the time Berg emerged with his group of new companions. The town watchman and the head of the soldier’s troupe.
‘Berg. We’re flying off now.’
‘You’ll wait for me. We will go in company of Qharvan Pritamaham’s troupe.’
‘But we’ll go too slow.’
‘Nonetheless, that is the plan. We have moasaurs to draw us, and we will not remain on foot. We can travel at speed, without regard to the wind.’
For a moment Jupiter thought about arguing, but he knew there was little point this far into the forest. The Jupiter would move fast enough if the moasaur’s ran.
Tamm rode the towing beast, with Berg on another. Maggie, Jupiter and Breeze climbed into The Jupiter. A murmur of discussion arose from the troupe at the strange sight in the full light of day, but at a cry from the Qharvan they came to order and fell in around The Jupiter.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
They moved off towards Thushimar, but would not stop. Tamm said they would reach Hatunqiri that evening. For Jupiter it all seemed much too slow. Especially once they climbed above the tree line to cross a rocky scree slope that had eroded from the mountainside above them.
The Imperials attacked from above, just a hundred meters from the trees. They had one target.
The Jupiter.
Fighting uphill, the moasaurs of Qharvan Pritamaham’s tarushkam stumbled and several fell. The troupe dismounted and drew their blades.
Tamm wheeled his moasaur about and moved down the hill until he stood directly under The Jupiter.
‘Get the sail up,’ Tamm called. ‘You have to flee.’
Jupiter wasted no time. While Breeze kept the kheel spun up, he and Maggie raised the sail. He didn’t worry about any of the tuning ropes, he just needed them ready to fly off. But little wind blew.
Ten meters below, Tamm’s moasaur lashed out with its legs at the attacking Imperials. These manisaurs had different webbing harnesses over their torsos, and a larger taller build compared to the navy crew Jupiter had seen.
But they fought on foot. At first Jupiter could not understand that, cavalry could fight foot soldiers better when on their horses, and the moasaurs kick with their feet too.
Except these beast did not pick sides, they kicked out at everything. Including their own troupers. And Tamm’s moasaur seemed to only put him in more danger.
‘Tamm. We’ll land to get you,’ Jupiter called out to him.
‘No. Leave without me.’
‘Not happening Tamm. Hold on to the tow rope,’ Jupiter yelled. ‘Breeze spin up, and then be ready for when I tell you…’
Jupiter twisted the steering vanes around so The Jupiter pointed down the hill.
‘Tamm, Get up here. Now. That’s an order.’
The Jupiter lurched as the weight distribution changed, then steadied as Breeze spun up the kheel.
‘Maggie, move forward towards the bow. Breeze ready?’ Jupiter slipped forward so The Jupiter came out of balance, and nosed down.
Tamm climbed the rope, but another manisaur had begun to climb after him.
‘Slow the spin Breeze,’ Jupiter called and The Jupiter dropped lower.
He pulled in the mainsheet as they fell down the slope, and the apparent wind built.
‘Breeze. Now. Spin up again, fast as you can.’
Tamm pulled himself over the front of the outrigger platform as The Jupiter sped forward and higher. Hanging below on the rope the Imperial solider warbled alarm as they headed right for the trees.
‘Jupiter. Don’t hurt them,’ cried Maggie.
‘I’m more worried about hitting the trees. Maggie, move back to the kheel,’ Jupiter shouted. He threw himself back and The Jupiter aimed into the air, a cry from below came as they lurched.
‘They fell, but they’re in a tree.’
‘Where he’s meant to be,’ Jupiter said. ‘Tamm. Get that rope in before…’
The Jupiter rocked sideways and spun around as the towrope caught in a tree. ‘Cut the rope Tamm. Quick.’
The Jupiter aimed for the top of a tall tree but Jupiter pulled the steering vane away just as Tamm’s long blade thudded into the hull to cut the tow rope.
The Jupiter sailed level over the trees as the headed back downslope where they had trudged up earlier that morning.
‘We’re going the wrong way,’ said Maggie.
‘Anywhere but that ambush,’ said Jupiter. ‘Tamm. Which way to go?’
‘I do not know Dhakara.’
‘Don’t master me, dude,’ Jupiter said. ‘We’re all in this together. We head south right?’
‘We do not need to go to Thushimar?’ Tamm said.
’No. I guess we don’t.’
‘What about Berg?’ Tamm said.
‘He’s surrounded by his mountain province allies now. He just kept us and The Jupiter in reserve. And made us move too slowly.’
‘He’s surrounded by his enemy,’ said Maggie. ‘We should check first.’
‘Okay. I’ll try to circle back higher.’
Jupiter pushed the tiller away, the wind came on the opposite side of the sail and he pulled in the mainsheet and The Jupiter shivered with power, steadied and moved forward up the valley. The wind blew stronger the higher and so as they flew The Jupiter gained height. Jupiter directed the crew to move backwards to keep the bow up to keep them climbing.
Got to get some better controls for that, and find a way to replace Breeze so he doesn’t have to spin all the time.
Below the fighting had broken up. The moasaurs had scattered across the hillside.
‘Can you see Berg?’ Maggie said.
’Yes. He’s with a troupe of mountain people. The Imperials have fallen back, they watch us.’
‘They wanted The Jupiter,’ Jupiter said. ‘Doesn’t make sense. How would they know about it?’
‘Look,’ said Tamm. He pointed down the valley. ‘Blackbirders.’
‘What?’ Jupiter could just make out a small skyship over the river. Two huge gharumals waded through the stream and towed the vessel into the wind.
‘They must have come up The Way overnight.’
‘I thought you said it only ran during the day,’ said Jupiter.
‘In a time of war, there is no day or night.’
‘So while we’ve rested for three nights…’
‘They have been on The Way.’
‘The Air Lord must be close,’ Jupiter said. ‘And he’s still after us. After me.’
‘Why?’ said Maggie.
‘He still hunts. I think I really pissed him off,’ Jupiter said. ‘And he now really wants The Jupiter.’