‘That’s no imp.’ Peter stared along the corridor. ‘Imps don’t speak English. Or much of anything at all.’

Sounds of approaching blackbirders roused him to action. Stealing the skyship had required the others to hold off the blackbirders. But a prison ship had meant too many guards. Not much chance of success now.

He ran after the not-imp.

Sure looked like Breeze though.

The passageway led to the stern cabin. Its door hung open and a commotion echoed from inside. Peter peered into the room.

The pink light of day shone through the expanse of glass on three sides. The day had fully dawned. The imp had pulled things from shelves and rummaged through a storage box.

‘Where is it? Got to be here somewhere. I know it. I feel it.’

The imp stood straighter than Breeze. And he wore a sleek fitting vest harness with a web of metallic fabric across his back. Around his head a gold band shimmered. Peter had not seen this before.

‘Did you have it concealed before,’ Peter wondered.

‘Yes. Yes. Of course I did.’

Peter shook his head. He had not intended to speak aloud. The imp stood tall now and gazed about the cabin. The captain’s cabin.

‘I’ve not got much time,’ the imp said. ‘Can you keep a guard on the door?’

‘What help will that do?’

‘Not much for you, but it might give me a few moments warning to do something about it.’

‘And why…’

‘Because that’s what friends do. Isn’t it? Help each other.’

‘So you’re going to help me then?’

‘Of course. But first I need to find my catalyst. It’s vital in fact.’

Peter still stood at the door so he checked the corridor. No one approached. Through the stern windows the snow clad forest lay on one side. On the other the mountains. He recognized the location. Just outside the River Clanhome.

‘Found it,’ the imp exclaimed. ‘I knew is would be here. I felt it you see. Just confounded hard to track it down.’

The imp held up an intricate pendant. A green glow came from within a web of glinting silver. The imp slipped the device around his neck and tucked it into his chest webbing against where his heart would be if he was a human.

Except the imp looked nothing like a human. Except it did look like a human except for the owl-like bat face, the feathers across his shoulders and the fur-feathers elsewhere. The imp flicked his tail.

’Stop staring human. It’s rude.’

‘How come you speak English?’

‘I’m not. Tulanvarqa, you know?’

‘No. It’s nothing…’

The imp pulled a gun from behind his back, aimed and shot at something behind Peter.

‘You were meant to keep a lookout friend. Now you owe me the favor of stopping that blackbirder.’

‘Except you would still be locked up if I had not freed you.’

‘There is that.’ The imp cocked his head to the side, then moved his body in something like a shrug. Except the head started motionless before snapping upright again.

Just like Breeze.

‘Come human. Let me help you again. These Arthan fiends will do for us if we stay here. They especially don’t like me.’

The imp bounded past Peter into the corridor and to the left away from the flight engine. The blackbirder sprawled on the floor seemed to be breathing. Uninjured even.

‘Hey. With that gun thing you’ve got. We could take this skyship.’

‘Could we? Do you think that would be a good idea? It would be fun. The Arthans would really hate us for that.’ The imp’s head swiveled back and forth and he did a little pirouette until he face Peter again.

‘Let’s do it. What do we do? You’ll need to show me.’

Peter led the way back on deck. They met one other blackbirder who squawked an alarm but the imp brought them down with his stun gun.

‘You can’t tell anyone about this you know. It would not do. It’s bad enough the Arthan’s will know what happened.’

Peter laughed. The imp seemed serious but his worrying did not stop him from using the weapon.

‘Oh they will have bad headaches. Once we take this vessel we’ll have to leave them somewhere they won’t get up to mischief. I’m no killer you see.’

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The imp stared at Peter as he said this. Then together they stepped onto the deck. A group of blackbirders huddled in the bridge. Not as many as Peter had feared. But more than he had hoped.

They turned as one. Their auras flashed in surprise before the familiar black looks fell on them again. Two of the five raised a gun and aimed it at him.

‘Well shoot why don’t you?’ Peter said to the imp.

‘Oh. This is only good for one-at-a-time shots, at a single assailant. It would not even slow down a group of five.’

‘What sort of gun is that?’

‘A safe one.’

‘You owe me,’ Peter said as he dived to the side dragging the imp after him. A gunshot hit the deck where they had stood just a moment before.

The stern at the rear of the skyship had little in the way of cover. Just a couple of ventilators. And Peter knew he probably stuck out past the edge of it.

‘You could have told me,’ Peter said.

‘What? That I’m no killer. You had the plan. You said you did.’

‘It sort involved us shooting at them not the other way around.’

The imp bobbled his head. ‘Let me shoot them then.’

‘You said…’

‘I’ll try to hit them one at a time.’

Peter wished he had taken one of the guns from the blackbirders but the strange shape, made for a two thumbed grip, made it too strange. And like the imp, he was no killer.

The imp dashed along the railing away from the stern. Even when it ran his head stayed level. A shot ran out and blasted splinters of wood near the imp.

Peter ran the other way, to the railing. He kept the ventilator between him and the blackbirders. They took little notice of him. A roar from below made him turn. The fortified village lay not a hundred meters away. The drift of the skyship had been slow enough the light dawn air had not moved it far at all.

Across the snowy field the River clan poured from the gate and across the field towards the skyship. At their head ran the huge vorandruk with Sarah at the base of its neck. It seemed very angry. Like the rest of the humans.

Peter stood at the railing and waved. The roar of anger mounted.

Then the ping of the imps gun sang out and the blackbirders warbled in confusion.

Then Sarah had pulled up below the stern. The angry human mob ran to attack just behind her.

‘Sarah. Tell them to take the skyship. Don’t destroy it. We’ve almost got control.’

A shot hit the railing next to him and Peter dived to the side.

‘But I could use some help.’ Peter threw a rope to the ground. The ragged end told him it might have been the one that had held the ship to ground and upended it and almost turned it.

Sarah took hold of the rope, tied it to the vorandruk, and then swarmed up the rope as if she was part manisaur.

‘Or mostly.’ Peter said. He looked back. Three remaining blackbirders cowered in the bridge. Two of their number sprawled drooling on the deck beside it. The imp had worked his way around the deck and prevented them from escaping the bridge.

Peter saw it then. The gun had spilled from the blackbirder’s hand when it fell. Just as Sarah reached the railing he ran at them fast and low.

If anyone’s going to be shot at it’s me. Not Sarah.

As he got close, a blackbirder looked around. Their aura flashed once, and the imp shot them. That left two. Peter grabbed the gun, fumbled at the awkward shape and aimed it at the remaining blackbirders. They cowered away and must have got into the imp’s line of sight because he shot them both with one blast. They staggered drunkenly and slipped to the deck in a slack unresponsive state. But not knocked out.

Sarah ran up to Peter.

‘Did you do this?’

’Not so much. He did.’ Peter pointed at the imp who had emerged from this cover and approached with his gun aimed forward.

‘You,’ Sarah said with venom. ‘Give me the gun.’ She grabbed at Peter’s hand. The imp swiveled his aim at Sarah and shot her. She slumped towards the ground

Some of the blast spilled over and Peter felt a wave of dizziness but he caught Sarah as she collapsed.

‘Why did you do that for?’

‘Saving you.’

‘She’s a friend.’

‘Maybe. But you held the gun backwards. She would have shot you. You didn’t want that did you?’

‘No.’

Peter turned then. Grey stood at the railing with a group of River Clan. They had raised their weapons. Darts and lances mostly. But Grey held a bow and arrow. And he had it aimed right at Peter.

‘Witch,’ shouted Grey. His warriors spread along the railing either side of him. ‘What did you do to Sarah?’

‘Someone shot her,’ Peter replied, his voice calm as he stared down the River Clan leader. ‘But do you see me with a gun?’

Grey stared at him and then at the other Rivers.

‘So you can speak our Clan tongue now? That proves you are a witch.’

Peter had to think on that. Grey was right. Somehow the connexion had changed again and tulanvarqa now allowed him to understand the Clan tongue directly.

‘So speaking Clan is witchcraft now?’ said Peter. ‘Make up your mind.’

Peter slipped a glance at the imp. He remained out of sight of the Clan and from his movements he wanted to keep it that way.

You’re the reason for this change. I know it.

Peter shrugged. ‘Grey. I understand you all too well.’

‘And what do you understand, Otherlander?’

‘That you’ll do anything, say anything, in order to get your way. Truth or lie. I know your sort.’

The River Clan with Grey shifted uncertain how to respond to these words. Peter understood them too. They knew he spoke the truth, but their position relied on them keeping the lie too.

‘Grey,’ said a woman. She took a step forward her lance swung in her hand. ’You want me to do for him now?’

Peter laughed and moved towards them as if unafraid. ‘Grey. I may not like you. You for sure don’t like me. But since we understand each other, let me just remind you. I have a skyship. It does my bidding. At the moment that can help you.’

‘How does it help me?’

‘These aliens. They attacked your Clanhome. While you were away. Do you think that was an accident? Do you think they will not be back?’

‘With this vessel…’

‘With my skyship. I can carry you all to safety.’

‘The Clanhome is safety.’

‘That’s all good then. Stay. Let the blackbirder aliens take you again. They’re not going to be very happy with you now.’

‘The vessel stays.’

Peter walked to Grey. He stood taller than the River Clan leader, but not as muscled. He could not fight this warrior physically.

But I’ll not be intimidated by him.

‘Think Grey. Unless it flies it only makes good firewood.’

‘So we burn it.’

Peter stared at him and then at the warriors at his side. As he spoke he took in the faces of the River Clan warriors.

‘A good leader creates, and does not destroy. A good leader builds bridges, and not walls. They way you talk shows the truth of what sort of leader you are.’

‘You are a witch,’ said Grey. ‘Your words are like poison.’

‘Those who fear the truth attack it. You know I’m no witch, though I do walk between two worlds. And where I walk you should follow. This skyship will go north. To the warmth of a longer spring, a brighter summer.’

‘The way is barred by the teeth of the world. There is nothing beyond the mountains.’

‘And yet I know the pass through the mountains. This land is called Eoth.’ As Peter said this he knew it to be true. ‘Gather your people, your winter stores. And lead them.’

Peter turned and walked back towards Sarah. He gathered her in his arms and stood staring at Grey.

The warriors either side of Grey had lowered their weapons and looked about at the skyship. Peter knew then he had convinced them. On Grey’s face he saw only anger and hatred as he saw how he had lost control of the decisions. And then Grey smiled.

‘It is a good plan,’ said Grey with a laugh that rang false. ‘I accept.’

Peter had made an enemy. He bent his head as if in agreement but all he really wanted was to breathe in Sarah’s musky scent.

‘Imp,’ Peter said in English. ‘We need to talk.’