The Scylla lurched sideways, then began an inexorable spiral toward the ground. Not swift enough to maneuver from its path, one of the transport ships became tangled in its limbs and was pulled down with it. The two ships spun, locked in a deadly embrace, until they slammed into the earth. Flames erupted all around the crashed vessels, punctuated by explosions as the ships disintegrated. It was terrible and glorious to watch.
Cheers filled the Command Turret, but the surge of triumph Charlotte felt was accompanied by a sickening wave when she thought of the infantry aboard that transport. Charlotte had never shrunk from blood or cowered in a fight. She faced and killed her enemies. She never hesitated to defend herself or those she loved. But never had she witnessed death on this scale. War that was all-consuming.
The eastern approach to the city was rapidly becoming a graveyard for warships. Heaps of crumpled metal licked by flames dotted the landscape.
Charlotte moved to the southern side of the observation deck. Wasps and Dragonflies still chased each other through the air, but Charlotte noted that the Dragonflies were now significantly outnumbered by the Wasps. As on the eastern front, smoking wreckage littered the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.
Charlotte’s gaze was still locked on the darting aircraft in the south when a triumphant roar went up from the officers.
To the east, the handful of warships that had managed to evade the onslaught of spiders were turning away from the city.
The British had begun their retreat.
“It’s over,” Ash said.
Charlotte didn’t reply. Her mind was already on the Floating City and its terrible, imminent fate. The siege of New Orleans may have ended, but Charlotte’s battle was about to begin.
29.
CHARLOTTE AND ASH hurried through the Tower, ignoring the celebration that had overtaken the Resistance hideout. Charlotte needed to gather her friends as soon as possible and to find a way out of the city.
But first she needed to know if Jack was safe.
Their mother had directed them to the entrance by which the Wasp pilots were most likely to return to the tower. By the time Charlotte and Ash arrived, a crowd had already formed at the door. Congratulatory shouts and whoops of victory greeted the airmen as they stepped into the corridor. Charlotte’s view of the entrance was mostly blocked by bodies. She shoved her way forward, but the crowd was surging ahead too, surrounding the pilots to clap them on the shoulder or hoist them into the air.
Tangled in the celebrants, Charlotte began to shout Jack’s name. At the same time, she struggled to break free of the throng.
“Charlotte!”
For a moment, Charlotte thought she’d imagined Jack’s voice. A manifestation of hope that was only wishful, not real.
But the call came again. “Charlotte!”
“Jack!” Charlotte turned in a circle, seeking Jack while trying to stay in one place despite the bodies knocking against her.
She turned again and there he was, standing in front of her.
Charlotte threw her arms around him. “Thank Athene.”
She kissed his neck, his chin, his cheeks, his forehead. The press of her lips against his warm skin confirming that he was here, alive, out of danger.
Jack began to laugh. “Charlotte, please.”
“What?” Charlotte drew back to look at him.
“Let me kiss you.” Then his lips were on hers.
When they parted, Charlotte’s skin was tingling from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.
Ash found them at the edge of the crowd.
“Good to see you, mate.” He grinned at Jack.
“It’s good to be seen.” Jack clapped Ash on the shoulder.
The three of them left the din of victory behind and headed for Aunt Io’s quarters.
Birch answered the door. “Is it over?”
“You couldn’t hear?” Charlotte asked.
“I thought the gunfire had stopped,” Birch answered. “But Aunt Io didn’t want us to leave until we had ‘official’ word that it was safe to do so.”
“Consider this your official word,” Jack said.
Io appeared behind her nephew. “Oh, good! You’re here and not dead. There also don’t appear to be gaping holes in the Tower. Does that mean we won?”
“The British retreated,” Jack told her.
“Is that not the same as winning?” she asked, but didn’t seem to expect an answer because she immediately went on. “We’ve done as much preparation as we could here. I’ll need to go to the workshop, and Scoff needs to collect some things from his apothecary.”
“Scoff has his own apothecary?” Charlotte looked to Birch for confirmation.
Birch nodded.
“When we have all we need, where should we gather?” Aunt Io asked Charlotte.
Charlotte balked. She didn’t have an answer. They needed a ship, a fast one, but not the one the Resistance wanted to provide. Even a British ship that had been commandeered by the rebels might raise suspicion. What she needed was a well-known ship. One that could approach and dock in New York without drawing attention.
“How soon do you think Lord and Lady Ott will return to the city?” Charlotte asked Jack.
“I’d guess they’ll come back whenever they deem it safe,” Jack said. “That could be anytime.”
Charlotte ground her teeth. Anytime wasn’t soon enough. Not only was the timing of the Otts’ return unknown, but reaching their Scarab would require a trip up the Mississippi. Still, they didn’t seem to have another choice.
“Tell everyone to meet at La Belle Fleur when they’re ready,” Charlotte told Birch and Io. Turning to Jack and Ash, she said, “I hope the Otts decide the city is safe again sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I need you to bring Mother a message, Ash. Tell her the mission will go forward, but there’s been a change in plan.”
• • •
The refined clientele of La Belle Fleur cast curious glances at the seven guests who’d seated themselves in the tea room and ordered cake.
Cake had been Aunt Io’s suggestion.
“I didn’t have any cake to offer you when we had tea earlier,” Io said. “And I must confess I am ravenous. Who knew that weathering a siege would work up such an appetite?”
And so Charlotte found herself sitting at a table where a three-tiered silver serving dish had been filled with exquisitely decorated tiny cakes. Unlike Io, Charlotte had not found that the siege encouraged a strong appetite. Cake didn’t appeal to her at all. She was rather surprised that the hotel was serving tea and cake, given that no more than an hour ago, the entire city had faced possible destruction. But that was the strange thing about people. Charlotte supposed that there was a strong likelihood tea and cake would be present even if the world was about to end.
Charlotte had positioned herself so she could watch the lobby while her friends ate. Impatience gnawed at her. They had to reach the city before the French fleet arrived, or they’d have no chance of rescuing Grave. Or any of the other retrievals that were about to be attempted. Meg and Madam Jedda. Jack’s mother. Charlotte’s father.
Charlotte was doing the best she could to keep her father’s plight from taking her mind and heart hostage. She knew going on a wild search for him through the city would be futile, not to mention foolish. She understood that leading meant focusing on what could be realistically accomplished, not what one could only wish for.
“If you lot stay here much longer, the reputation of this hotel will be in jeopardy.”
Charlotte pivoted to discover Linnet’s arm resting on the back of her chair.
“Where did you come from?” Charlotte asked.
“A girl must have some secrets.” Linnet smiled. “Come with me. Lord Ott is waiting.”
“How did he know we were looking for him?”
Linnet
arched an eyebrow. “Do you really need to ask? Why else would you be in the tea room of La Belle Fleur?”
Charlotte blushed. It was an obvious explanation.
“Don’t worry, kitten. I forgive you.”
• • •
Lord Ott hadn’t returned to La Belle Fleur, but was waiting for them at the docks.
“Margery suspected you’d be looking for a way out of the city,” Lord Ott said to Charlotte. “This boat will take you into the Delta. A Scarab will be waiting for you.”
“You smuggled an aircraft into the restricted area?” Charlotte asked.
Lord Ott puffed up. “Some things are much easier to accomplish when there’s a battle to draw attention.”
He looked at Jack. “I assume you can pilot the Scarab.”
“You assume correctly.”
Returning his attention to Charlotte, Lord Ott said, “You won’t have any trouble docking my ship on the Market Platform. But docking will be the least of your worries once the French fleet arrives.”
The spectre of French airships bearing down on the city made Charlotte shiver. “So many will die.”
“We’re doing what we can to mitigate civilian damage,” Lord Ott told her. “My people have been quietly moving families to the mainland. Even so, losses will be massive, but it’s something.”
Charlotte nodded, only slightly consoled by his words.
“Is the fleet already closing in?” Ash asked. “Will they be bombarding the platforms when we arrive?”
“There’s been no news,” Ott replied. “But the French will want to exploit the advantage of this victory. They’ll strike soon.”
“Then we have no time to waste,” Linnet said, hopping from the dock onto the boat. She laughed at Charlotte’s puzzled expression. “You didn’t really think I’d let you go without me?”
• • •
Aboard the Scarab, Charlotte couldn’t sit still. Jack piloted the craft, and the earth rushed by far beneath them. The passenger cabin had been designed for comfort. It featured high-backed chairs and long, satin-upholstered benches accented with silk-covered pillows. Charlotte wished she could sit and calm herself, to carefully resolve her mind to the task at hand, but her limbs were abuzz with anticipation, and her heart beat with the frenzy of a moth trapped in a glass.
“How do you plan to infiltrate the Military Platform?” Ash asked his sister.
Charlotte didn’t have an immediate answer. Stealth? Force? Disguise? A combination of all three?
She could see the worry on Ash’s face. He wouldn’t be with them. Nor would Jack. The two boys had tasks of their own.
While Jack went to collect his mother, Ash would seek out Meg at the Temple and ask the Sisters for any news of their father and his whereabouts. If, by some miracle, Charles had been transferred to the city and hadn’t remained at the Crucible’s facilities, Ash would try to reach him. Though Jack would return to the Scarab and wait for the others, Ash didn’t plan to rendezvous with their group after he’d visited the Temple.
That part of the plan had been at Linnet’s prompting.
“If the Sisters don’t have their own escape route out of the city, I’ll give you my favorite dagger,” Linnet said to Ash. “And I love that dagger.”
That left only one piece of their mission unresolved—getting to Grave and freeing him from military custody.
“We’re going to use our mission for our own ends,” Charlotte told the group. “Not just because the French asked for a massive diversion.”
“Bringing down the Great Wheel will certainly get attention,” Linnet said. “And you actually have the means to get it done.” She pointed to Birch and Io. “You have two tinkers here.”
“And me,” Pip interjected. To further her point, she left her seat and burrowed onto the bench between Birch and his aunt. Io put a fond arm around the girl’s shoulders, and Birch gave Pip an encouraging nod.
“Three tinkers.” Linnet smiled at Pip. “I’m sure they’re very good at blowing things up.”
“Oh, yes, very, very good.” Scoff laughed.
Birch scowled at him.
“Don’t be cross,” Io said to her nephew. “Blowing things up is a very important step on the path to innovation.”
“All right.” Birch leaned back in his chair. “We’re going to blow up the Great Wheel. That will be . . . invigorating?”
“Better not to guess until we’ve done it,” Io replied firmly.
“Can you do it?” Charlotte looked at the trio of tinkers. All of their eyes had become alarmingly bright with anticipation.
“We’ll need to have a look at the supplies Scoff brought,” Birch told her. “He might have some components that would amplify a blast.”
His expression suddenly darkened. “What about the people in the Wheel’s carriages?”
Charlotte’s chest was tight. The French had demanded the Wheel be attacked, but there was no denying that it was a civilian target. Given that the ultimate goal of the French fleet was to destroy the entire city, casualties on the Wheel were likely considered insignifcant.
“The Wheel stops taking passengers at midnight,” Linnet said. “If we complete the mission before dawn, the carriages should be empty.”
“Thank Athene,” Charlotte murmured.
“No passengers. Good.” Birch started to smile again. “You’ve given us quite the task. I hope we’re up to it.”
“I’m not worried about you lot getting the job done.” Linnet was frowning. “That’s the easy part.”
“What’s the hard part?” Scoff asked.
“Getting to the Wheel,” Linnet answered. “It’s always guarded, but the city’s bound to be on high alert now. Security will no doubt have increased.”
“She’s right,” Jack said. “And we won’t know what we’re up against until we get there.”
“Then we have no choice but to plan our attack immediately before we execute it.” Charlotte’s brow furrowed with concern. She didn’t like going in blind.
Linnet, on the other hand, was grinning. “Excellent. I’m at my best when improvising.”
“For the rest of our sakes, I hope that’s true,” Jack said glumly, but he was smiling.
“Oh, it’s true.”
“There’s also the question of placement,” Io interjected, her mind still grappling with the logistics of an explosion. “The best point to detonate any device would be at the axis. But to get to that height, we’d need an army of squirrels. If we had more time, I might be able to manage that—”
Charlotte was shaking her head, but Pip exclaimed, “You don’t need squirrels. You have me! I’m a brilliant climber.”
“No, Pip,” Charlotte said. “This isn’t like any forest or cliff climb. A fall would be fatal. We’ll just have to place the explosives somewhere around the base.”
“But I have my pinwheel!” Pip stated with a frown.
“Of course!” Aunt Io patted the girl on the head. “That’s the perfect solution.” Io turned to Charlotte. “We’ll be sure to build as light a device as we can manage.”
Charlotte’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? What pinwheel?”
“I know what I’m doing, Charlotte.” Pip clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. “You can trust me.”
Drawing a long breath, Charlotte nodded. “Promise me you’re not being reckless.”
“I promise, I promise.” Pip had traded loose pigtails for a single long braid, but it still swung madly when she hopped with joy about the cabin.
30.
THE TREES OF the Iron Forest had never appeared more skeletal than they did that night, clothed in pale fabric of moonlight and steam. The engines that kept the Great Wheel revolving sent clouds of moisture into the air, filling the dark woods with warm fog. Noise from machinery muffled whatever sound
s of life teemed on the platforms above.
Their group of eight conspirators had docked at the Market Platform. The mood on the usually buzzing center of the city’s commerce was subdued. News of the fleet’s demise in New Orleans had suffused the Floating City with an ominous air. The people they passed on the streets hurried by with heads down, avoiding the eyes of their fellows.
Linnet led the way to one of Ott’s shops, within which was hidden an elevator to the island of Manhattan. Once they’d been deposited on the ground, they’d taken a route that retraced the path Charlotte had followed with Coe after the Imperial raid on the Tinkers’ Faire. The memory triggered a pang in Charlotte’s chest. When she’d first met Coe, he’d impressed her with his bravery and confidence. Learning the truth of his character was like biting into a ruby red apple only to discover rot and worms at its core.
Charlotte gazed up at the glittering wheel moving in its languid revolutions, oblivious to the threat lurking at its base. She watched for signs of movement inside the carriages when they passed close to the earth and was relieved when she saw none.
The maintenance grounds for the Great Wheel were surrounded by a tall iron fence and a locked gate, neither of which would have impeded their entry. The guards were another matter.
While the others waited beneath the forest’s cloak, Charlotte crept to the edge of the trees to peer from behind a thick iron trunk. From her vantage point, she counted eight men, but the Wheel blocked her line of sight to any guards posted on the opposite side. Best to assume they’d be pitted against double the number she could see, if not more.
On light feet, Charlotte hurried to rejoin her friends. They crouched in a circle.
“Eight on this side,” Charlotte told them in a low voice.
“And likely eight on the other,” Jack said.
Charlotte nodded.
“I’d wager that there are at least two pairs of roving patrols around the perimeter as well,” Linnet added.
Ash shook his head. “That’s too many for a direct assault.”