‘You’re bonkers,’ said Sarah in a whisper. ‘How can you even think to steal it?’

‘Think? You’re the one not thinking,’ Peter said. ‘Imagine the blow to the blackbirders. And how we could use the skyship.’

‘When it attacked us as we retreated from the mountains I could not believe such a huge thing could fly.’

‘It’s just a big sailing…’

‘It’s bigger than an airplane.’ Sarah almost laughed as she said this.

‘Yes but…’

‘And it’s full of the aliens.’

‘We fail forward,’ said Peter

‘What? What do you mean fail?’

‘Grey and Thorn want to open the gates. If we attack the skyship then the distraction will aid them. Divide enemy forces.’

‘Grey said to…’

‘And the attack on the gate will distract them from the skyship. It makes both easier.’

Sarah stopped talking and just gave him one of her signature withering looks.

‘What are you two talking about?’ said the River. ‘Speak in proper words not that jabber.’

‘We can’t afford not to attack,’ said Peter as he switched to the Thaluk that Sarah could not understand.

Sarah said something in the clan’s language.

‘Speak English,’ said Peter. ‘You forget. I can’t understand when you speak the clan language.’

‘Speak English yourself. I don’t get that. When Thorn or Grey speak you understand, but not me? Why?’

‘Tulanvarqa. Both need it so they can understand, or at least they understand Thaluk for some reason. But you’re nuvra and so do not have tulanvarqa. While the Clans seems to have some of at least.’

'Marvelous,' said Sarah. 'Brilliant.'

They fell silent again, Peter imagined Grey sneaking towards the gate.

‘Time’s running out.’ Then he switched to Thaluk as he explained his plan to the River woman. ‘We’re going to create a distraction. Even if we fail we will help them. We’ll drew blackbirders from the gate. That will help Grey and the Clans. When we hear their signal that will be time to start.’

‘Peter. What are you saying?’ said Sarah.

‘Agreed,’ said the River. ‘Grey did not tell us not to help. Just to wait for the signal.’

‘Agree to what?’ said Sarah in English. ‘Peter?’

‘Come on. Let’s go.’

Sarah had to follow as Peter and the River led the way back into the guild hall and the others.

The group of Rivers agreed to the raid on the skyship without much effort. Mainly because Peter and Sarah kept quiet and let the River woman explain it in a way that made it sound like Grey’s plan all along.

Peter shook his head in wonder. These warriors did not like waiting even when Grey had made it plain they should not move. He suspected they had been upset at missing out on the action.

The River woman that had adopted the plan led the way. Peter could not quite understand the woman’s name but he sensed green-blue water, water the color of turquoise from glacier-fed streams.

Turq, the woman warrior, took command of the group without protest from the others.

Sarah gave him a glare that he could see even in the dimness of the failing night.

‘This will work, Sarah. We’ll provide a distraction, or we’ll get control of the skyship. Or both.’

He could not fault any of them them for the way they could cover ground so fast. He felt like a lumbering fool as he trailed them. Sarah had to keep waiting for him. They moved silent through the snowbound streets and up steep alleys as they found ways that kept them from the main routes.

They did not meet any blackbirders. But then they lived here all their lives. The stone walled ground floor with wooden levels above seemed much the same as the buildings he had seen at the portal, except these cling to and wound around the rocky promontory. Some structure appeared to be two level on one side would loom higher as the alley sloped down again as they rounded the stone base of the building. No light or life showed. They saw no people, but no blackbirders either.

They moved across the side of a small square at a run, Peter puffing as he tried to keep up. The combination of cold, the lack of sleep and of a hot meal, dragged at him.

How can they keep this up?

Peter expected at any moment for there to be a commotion as Grey and the Snow Clan warriors attacked the front gate. But still nothing.

He bumped into Sarah, and she grunted in annoyance. The Rivers stared back at the square where dark splotches stained the snow. The dark of the now moonless night made it hard to make anything out. But no movement.

‘Why are we stopping,’ Peter said. He welcomed the breather but they had to get to the skyship before the attack on the gate began.

‘Someone died here,’ said Turq. ‘Many people.’

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The group moved on as his impatience mounted. Except he knew only minutes had passed since they had made the decision to leave the guildhall.

He understood why they had slowed as they rounded a building and the skyship loomed before them.

‘Fallow crop fields,’ said Sarah. ‘This is still within the fortifications but on the edge of the village.’

The Rivers murmured surprise at the size of the skyship. It easily dwarfed any single structure in the village. The tall masts could just be seen against a brightening sky as day approached. The great skyship rested on its keel balanced as if by magic. Side masts stretched to either side like someone balancing upon a tightrope.

The zharaqsa is lit. Just enough to keep the skyship on the ground.

Peter grinned. ‘We can do this.’

‘We can?’ said Sarah. ‘Why do you think so?’

‘Because they left the engine running.’

Turq urged the group back around the corner. ‘Patrol.’

She led them through a large wooden door into the basement of a nearby building. It would have been a good decision except they disturbed a huge animal from its slumber.

It gave a lowing call and others in the stable took up the cry. They had wanted to hide, but instead had just announced their presence to the approaching patrol.

‘Back. Away from the door,’ said Sarah.

She dragged Peter into the stable. The animal calls rose as they ran around the beasts. The rest of the Rivers stumbled after them.

‘What are these beasts doing here?’ Turq said.

The clans don’t have gharumal. Too cold for them.

‘Gharumal. Must be from the skyship,’ said Peter.

As they got to the rear of the building they slipped on the mucky ground. The stench of the gharumal poo washed over him. Almost dizzying. A herd of the Clan’s grazing beasts made unhappy burping noises but settled when the Rivers moved amongst them.

As the Clan’s grazing animals quietened it seemed to have a soothing effect on the gharumal too. Then the patrol entered the stable and the cries of alarm from the gharumal rose again.

‘Something disturbed them,’ one of the blackbirders said.

Peter leaned forward to hear what the blackbirders said even as the rest of the Rivers eased back and freed their weapons. Peter listened to the alien guttural warbles.

‘It’s almost dawn. Probably hungry. I heard this shithole has no food for them.’

‘We should still check it out.’

‘It stinks in here.’

‘Can’t just open the hatches as drop it from a thousand meters’

The blackbirder’s evil chuckles chilled Peter. Sarah clutched at his shoulder. Peter could not be sure if for his support, or to drag him back. He moved closer to her.

‘Wait,’ he mouthed close to her ear. The cold flesh of her ear touched his lips and he grinned. The urge to give her ear a nip welled in him but he pulled his head back.

Yeah right. Like that would go down well.

A sudden alarm came from the distance. The blackbirders slammed the door closed even as the gharumal called out again.

‘The attack on the gate has begun.’ said Turq.

‘We should have stayed to help Grey,’ another River said.

‘And missed all this fun in the barn?’ Turq grunted.

‘Come on,’ said Sarah. ‘Now’s our chance.’

They moved through the grumbling gharumal who seemed to have gotten used to their presence. They opened the door and looked out onto the open space.

Peter saw fresh tracks on the ground.

‘Back,’ said Sarah. ‘More are coming.’

A fast-moving troupe of blackbirders ran past just as the door swung closed.

‘Circle around,’ said Turq. ‘There’s another door, a larger one. That’s how they got these beasts inside.’

The other doors were huge and Peter guessed that’s where the grazing beasts got moved through when taken out of the village to the fields. Turq took them through a sidedoor scaled for humans and into the yard. The skyship loomed even closer, but the rest of the village lay on the far side. Any reinforcements heading to the fight would run away from them and not past.

‘Okay genius,’ said Sarah in English. ‘Now what?’

Peter had a strange flashback to Maggie’s nickname for him. Years before she had called him that in just the same manner.

‘We board the skyship and get to the flight engine,’ Peter replied in English.

‘The what?’ said Sarah.

‘What’s the plan?’ said Turq.

Peter shrugged. Explaining twice made no sense. ‘This way.’ And he ran across the packed snow to the keel. He placed his hand on the hull and could almost feel the thrum of the engine. But then he heard something more.

‘People talking,’ he said.

Sarah pressed her ear to the hull. ‘You’re right,’ she said.

Then she said more in the clan tongue he could not understand.

‘That’s where the rest of the clan are,’ said Turq. ‘They’re held prisoner inside the skyship.’

Peter’s heart sank. That meant the skyship would be full to the brim with guards.

No way we can take the skyship now.

‘Peter?’ said Sarah. ‘Come on. What’s your plan?’

‘This way,’ Peter said with a sigh.

I did say fail forward.

He led the team along the hull to where the great shroud support cables ran from the hull to the side masts. Along with Turq, three other Rivers made up the team of six.

‘Boost me up,’ Peter said. He got onto the shroud supports and helped Turq up. The others swarmed up with her help. Meanwhile Peter had begun the dizzying climb up the shroud.

I hate heights I hate heights…

But Peter moved as fast as he could without looking down. The sky had definitely brightened. In the distance the sound of fighting came to them as echoes from the buildings.

He made it to where the shrouds connected to the side mast and stepped onto the huge wooden beam that held the side rigging. The top of the beam had been flattened to make for easier movement. Manisaurs did not need a railing, but blackbirders seemed less sure of themselves in climbing, so a rope run along the side of the mast to help keep balance. Peter grasped it and began to slide along the mast towards the main hull.

‘Faster can’t you?’ said Sarah. She slipped around him. He drew a deep breath as she brushed past and ran along the narrow way. Emboldened he abandoned his shuffle and stepped along after her. She reached the main hull first and crouched down into the shadows. Peter, shoved from behind by other impatient clan, took a little longer to join her.

‘Anyone on deck?’ Turq asked.

‘Not that I can see.’

‘Where to now?’

The blackbirder ship looked to be around the same size as Dhak’s cutter. Two main masts and two side masts each side. A central grating ran along the deck to give light and air into the central spine of the skyship.

‘The villagers will be in the gharumal holds.’

‘The what?’ said Turq.

‘The gharumal - the big beasts. They would have been held in stables along the centerline of the skyship. They use them for trim, and for towing the skyship.’

A glimmer of a plan formed on the edge of Peter’s mind.

‘Peter? What are you saying?’ said Sarah.

Tulanvarqa’s double edged sword came clear to him now.

Peter sighed then said in English, ‘We’re going to get into the holds where the Rover Clan are locked up. That must be why the beasts are on the ground. The blackbirders put the beast there to secure the prisoners on the skyship.’

‘Rock,’ said Turq to Peter. ‘Stop your yammering. If you have a plan tell us.’

Instead Peter jumped down on the deck and ran for the centerline grating. No cry of alarm came, though the echoing battle still sounded in the distance.

The team came close on his heels.

‘Turq. You lead the rescue of the Clan. They know you,’ Peter said in Thaluk. ‘Sarah. You and me. We’re going to get this skyship flying.’

‘What?’ both Turq and Sarah said at the same time in two languages.

‘Sarah. With me,’ Peter said in English.

‘Flying? Are you mad?’ said Turq.

‘Only a little,’ said Peter. ‘But it will be both the best way to distract the aliens, and rescue the Clan at the same time.’

Under the brightening sky Peter saw the incredulous looks of the Clan warriors. Sarah shook her head. But he saw the wry smile on her lips too.

Just then one of crew spotted them from the bridge and cried out in alarm. A sudden commotion of running blackbirders pounding across the deck spurred him to action.

‘Follow me,’ Peter shouted.

He ran for the stairs down into the belly of the skyship. The six reached the lower deck and sprinted down the gloomy central corridor. The stamp of clawed feet gained on them every moment.

Peter ran as fast as he could but his breath grew ragged as the cries of the blackbirder’s hunt grew louder.