“He’s with Kaika, down on the first floor.”
“Kaika? Wasn’t she…?”
“Apparently she switched uniforms with someone and tricked the Cofah into believing she was the scorched and disfigured one. That was Nowon we saw, though. Unfortunately.” A sense of guilt came with his words, of failure.
Sardelle wanted to comfort him, to remind him that they at least had the blood the king had sent him for, but that would have to wait until they escaped this mountain. He had said there wasn’t much time. And if the team was split up, did that mean they needed to retrieve the others before finding those balloons? Wait, he hadn’t said why they didn’t have much time.
“Why aren’t they with you?” she asked. “And why do we have less than an hour?”
“They’re setting explosives,” Ridge said, wariness in his tone.
When he had asked about the Galmok Mountain demolition, Sardelle had been glad she couldn’t give him an answer. She wondered how many guards and scientists were left alive in here. The Cofah had been trying to kill them all along, so she shouldn’t argue for saving their lives, but this wasn’t Iskandia. She and the others had invaded another nation to steal resources and destroy work. Even if it was in the name of protecting her own people, it was hard to justify murder.
“Do they have enough to matter?” Sardelle wondered. “To bring down the mountain?”
“I don’t know, but that’s what Kaika’s specialty is, so if it can be done, she’ll know how.”
“I see.” And was that why the woman had been on the team to start with? Had blowing up this facility always been the plan?
We have a problem, Jaxi announced.
That gonging? It hadn’t returned, but it had been loud enough that Sardelle believed it would have been audible all over the mountain.
I think that was just a warning bell to tell the scientists to leave or hide somewhere safe. The problem is the Cofah airships heading in this direction.
What? How many? Sardelle mashed her knuckles against Ridge’s boots—he had stopped.
“We’re going up here,” Ridge said.
From the scuffs and clanks, the others were already heading up some vertical shaft.
“Wait,” Sardelle caught his ankle. “The Cofah are coming. Airships.”
“You can sense them? How many?”
“They’re not in my range yet, but…” Jaxi?
They’re about ten miles away, at least four of them. Big heavily armed military warships. It won’t take them long to cover that distance by air.
“At least four, Jaxi says. Coming fast.”
“All right,” Ridge said. “Let’s get up to the top and we’ll assess the situation.”
Sardelle let go of his boot, so he could climb. He didn’t sound as frantic as this new information made Sardelle feel. Maybe because he didn’t know that she didn’t have the mental energy to muster much more in the way of magic, and Jaxi was exhausted too. She would have to tell him.
As soon as she tried to climb the vertical duct, she found out her physical energy was depleted as well. Asking for help would have been embarrassing, though, and she didn’t see how Ridge could provide it anyway. She jammed her back against the side and pushed herself up with her legs, inch by inch. A clank came from somewhere above, and a hint of light filtered down. She reached up, hoping to find the top. A hand clasped hers and pulled her up, until another hand could grab her belt and hoist her sideways into a new duct, her sword scabbard scraping and banging every inch of the way.
Not dignified, but at least nobody could see her in the darkness. “Guess there was a reason I wore a shirt and trousers instead of a dress,” she muttered.
“Handholds are useful.” Ridge shifted around, blocking the light for a moment. “We’re under the floor of the top level. The exit is just ahead.”
His words sounded encouraging. Maybe he had sensed her weariness—or had heard her grunts of distress—and knew she needed encouragement. She crawled after him until she could stick her head through a vent low on a wall in a big room with a high pyramid-shaped ceiling. They had indeed reached the top of the mountain. Four hot air balloon baskets rested in the center of the room, though it wasn’t yet apparent how they might escape the confines of the mountain.
Someone had lit lanterns, and Ahn and Duck were already unfolding one of the balloons. It would take time to heat up the air to fly one of the craft, time they might not have.
“I want all four of them readied,” Ridge said from the perimeter of the room. He was jogging around, examining the wall and touching things. There weren’t any windows, so only the wan flames of the lanterns brightened the space. “Tee, bring your big brain over here, will you? There has to be a way to open up the roof or some kind of big door. Something to let these out.”
Sardelle propped her hands on her hips and tried to see the contours and cracks of the roof with more than her eyes.
“Why are we getting all of them ready?” Duck asked from inside one of the baskets—he had matches out and was trying to light the burner. “And dare I state that I’ve never launched a hot air balloon, and have no idea how the balloon is supposed to get from a crumpled mass on the ground to a big bulb above the basket?”
“There’s usually some big fan that gets things started.” Ridge paused in his hunt to look around.
“Jaxi will get them inflated enough for the burners to take over,” Sardelle said.
I will?
I’m tired. I need to save a shred of energy for those Cofah airships. Not that she could imagine what she would do against all of them. Even at full strength, such a battle would be a struggle. If Ridge and his squadron had their fliers, they could attack, too, but what could anyone do from a hot air balloon? Besides be a target?
I’m tired too. I just melted a vault, remember?
Yes, but you have greater strength and stamina than I do.
Flatterer.
Sardelle smiled. Who, me?
Blowing up balloons is on the list of things I once deemed too lowly for someone with my skills.
Fortunately, you’ve changed your mind?
Not really.
Then we’ll be stuck here when another mountain blows up, and you might have to wait another three hundred years for someone to pull you out of the rubble.
I’ll blow up the balloons.
Good girl.
Amazing how one could feel a sentient sword glowering even when it was tucked away in its scabbard.
“Found something,” Ridge said.
Sardelle started to join him, but nobody was working on the fourth balloon yet. She didn’t know if Ridge wanted extras in the air to distract the Cofah, or if he intended to split up the team, but he had wanted them all up, and he was busy. A loud thunk sounded as he pushed an arm-sized lever into an up position.
Gears ground behind the wall, and chains rattled and clanked overhead. A whisper of warm sulfuric air wafted in from a new crack—several cracks. Sardelle had been imagining that the peak would flip open on hinges somehow, but the point of the ceiling was splitting in four directions, each quarter leaning back, opening like flower petals. Stars poked through the steam wafting across the dark sky. The geysers did not stop their cycles, even in the middle of the night.
Ridge ran over to the envelope Sardelle had started to unravel—it had been coiled up like a sleeping roll—and they laid it out together, spreading it like a picnic blanket. She smiled at him across the thin material, wishing they were setting up for a picnic someplace quiet and peaceful—and not in danger of exploding.
Hurrying, his face tense, Ridge didn’t notice her look. Sardelle fought through her fatigue to pick up her speed too. As soon as the envelope had been unfolded, she willed air in to inflate it part way. Ridge turned the burner up to high, angling it toward the sideways mouth of the partially inflated balloon. Sardelle pushed in more air, until it started to rise, and the burner could continue to heat the air inside on its own.
 
; The airships are six miles away now.
Sardelle stared around the room, noting everyone’s progress. Could they possibly escape before the airships were close enough to spot them? If any of the balloons were spotted at all, the Cofah could easily catch them and shoot them down. Possibly right over that field of geysers and scorching pools.
Help Ahn, please, Jaxi. Hers is ready to go. Sardelle turned her own attention to the balloon Tolemek had spread. Duck was still struggling to lay out his.
“Hurry up, Kaika,” Ridge muttered. “I’ll be right back. Need to find something to anchor this down until we’re ready to let it go. Or—” he drummed his fingers on his thigh, “—maybe we should just let it go as soon as it can. Get the Cofah chasing after a dummy.” He met Sardelle’s eyes. “How close are they now? Are they within sight of the mountain?”
“Soon, but not yet. They’re six miles out.”
The captain and lieutenant are coming.
Thanks, Jaxi.
“It’s occurring to me,” Ridge said as he ran over to help Duck with his balloon, “that the lab never was reinforced with extra troops, or not many at any rate. Maybe that airship dropped off a few, but then it must have gone south for reinforcements, and now it’s back with friends, friends with orders to utterly destroy us.”
“We have all of their dragon blood,” Tolemek said. “Can’t we use it against them?”
“If you know how to program it to do something special—like blowing up Cofah airships—I’m not going to object to that.”
Sardelle gripped a nearby basket for support, then channeled air into Duck’s balloon. Her head throbbed, stabbing the backs of her eyes with each beat of her heart. She feared she wouldn’t be able to do anything against the Cofah when they finally appeared.
“The blood itself couldn’t do that. I’d have to find some of those rockets and figure out how to reprogram them.” Tolemek glanced at the vent they had come out of.
“There’s no time for going back down and tinkering,” Ridge said. “We’ll have to simply hope we can escape before the Cofah show up.” He paced over to the next balloon, thumping his fist against his thigh. “And before the mountain blows up. Kaika, Apex, where are you two? Sardelle, can you tell if they’ve run into trouble?”
“Jaxi says they’re coming.”
“They—”
A clunk-thunk came from the middle of the room, a trapdoor being thrown open.
“…not my fault the lift doesn’t come up to this floor,” came Kaika’s voice before her head appeared.
“I didn’t say it was, but you might have informed me we were choosing an alternate route before I ran into those two guards,” Apex said.
“You were fine. They were too busy fleeing the building after that gong went off to waste time noticing you.”
“One punched me in the eye. I think that fits the definition of noticing.”
Kaika searched the room, spotted Ridge, and jogged up to him, giving him a smart salute, a gesture that seemed odd coming from someone dressed in a red Cofah uniform. She looked like she had been punched in the eye a few times too.
“The explosives are set, sir, and were you aware of how whiny some of your pilots are?”
Apex stopped a few paces away and folded his arms over his chest with dramatic flair. He, too, had switched to a Cofah uniform at some point.
“Only some?” Ridge asked and winked at Apex. “You’re looking better. Arguing with a woman must agree with you.”
Apex sniffed. “Really, sir.”
The basket Sardelle was leaning against started bumping across the ground. The balloon had filled and was ready to drift up through the big opening in the ceiling. “Ridge, are we riding out in this one, or letting it go?” The basket tried to lift up, and she had to lean on the rim to push it back down.
Ridge looked at the other balloons, which ranged from a quarter to three quarters inflated. “How long until the explosives go off, Kaika?”
She looked at a pocket watch. “Ten minutes, thirty seven seconds.”
Sardelle pushed down on the basket with more of her weight. In a few more seconds it would be dragging her up with it no matter how hard she pushed.
“Are the Cofah within sight yet, Sardelle?” Ridge asked. “Gather your gear, everyone. Kaika, Apex, grab a couple of those bags.”
They’re… yes. On the horizon.
“They’re on the horizon,” Sardelle said.
Kaika’s brow wrinkled. She hadn’t been in the camp when Ridge had decided to share Sardelle’s talent with the group. Sardelle wasn’t about to try and explain things now.
“Too late to slip out without being spotted then.” Ridge gestured for Sardelle to scoot back. “Let that one go. With luck, they’ll follow it. We’ll take… that roomy one over there.”
“Should we consider splitting up, sir?” Ahn asked.
“Sardelle, are you and Jaxi going to be able to give us any magical defenses, and if so would it be easier to protect us if we’re all together?”
“I’ve got our defenses right here, sir.” Ahn thumped the side of her rifle, which she had managed to drag all through the ducts with her.
“I’ll be counting on that defense, too,” Ridge said.
“All together.” Sardelle didn’t want to promise a lot in the way of “magical defenses.” Her main thought was to get them past the geysers so they could drop to the ground, where the trees might hide them from aerial assault. Might. She would hope the Cofah didn’t have any of those rockets Ridge had encountered, with the ability to magically find their target. “But in theory, Jaxi can keep an eye on one basket, and I can watch the other.” She opened her mouth—this would be the time to tell him that she didn’t have much energy left—but he spoke first.
“She doesn’t mind you volunteering her for duties?” Ridge waved for everyone to pack their bags into the two larger baskets.
“She minded being volunteered for blowing up balloons. She gets less perturbed when asked to send streams of flame at the Cofah.”
That’s the truth.
I know you well.
Tolemek, Ahn, and Duck climbed into one balloon, and Ridge, Sardelle, Kaika, and Apex headed for the other. Sardelle wanted to hop in as smoothly as the men, but her limbs were as weary as her mind. She had to try twice to throw her leg over the rim of the basket, and Ridge ended up catching her in the middle of the second try and pulling her in beside him.
He had given the other half of the team more of the bags of their invaluable cargo. Because they had fewer people, or did he put more stock in Ahn’s marksmanship than Sardelle’s ability to defend a basket, right now?
Maybe he can tell how tired you are, even without you saying anything.
You’re tired too.
I didn’t say I wasn’t. But Ridge doesn’t monitor me as stringently as he does you.
A cannon boomed in the distance.
The first two airships are veering off after that balloon, Jaxi said. One fired a warning shot.
They don’t think it could be their own people?
No, because they can’t see anyone. They think someone might be hiding in it.
Let’s hope they’re tired of checking by the time we do that.
“How much longer, Kaika?” Ridge was gazing toward the stars, listening to the booms outside of the mountain, but he didn’t sound worried.
Sardelle wished she could emulate that sense of calm. As Kaika checked her watch again, the second balloon, with nothing inside the basket to weigh it down, took off. “Six minutes, forty-three seconds.”
“Hm,” Ridge said.
“We may not want to cut it too close,” Sardelle said. “I’m not that certain of my ability to protect the balloon from shrapnel and whatever else comes flying out of this mountain.”
Kaika’s eyebrows lowered. “It’ll be a controlled explosion with gravity drawing the mountain down and in on itself. There’s no way I could have found enough explosives for flying shrapnel, even if
that were the desired result.”
“My apologies.” Sardelle watched as the second balloon bumped against the sloping ceiling but eventually drifted upward toward the exit. “Explosives aren’t my specialty.” They hadn’t been a common occurrence in her time, unless one counted fireworks at festivals.
“I wouldn’t have minded something with shrapnel,” Ridge said wistfully, “something that might catch a few of those airships with the force of the explosion, but this will be safer for us.”
The basket wobbled beneath Sardelle’s feet.
“We’re going up first,” Apex said. He didn’t sound like he was certain that was a good thing.
“Duck down when you get up there,” Ridge said. “Everyone. We’ll hope that after blowing up two empty baskets, they’ll be less certain anything is loaded in these two.”
The basket tipped, then rose from the floor. Sardelle sank down before they reached the ceiling hole. Her legs thanked her. Ridge looked down at her, his eyes gentle with concern, then he cut out their lantern, and his face disappeared into shadow.
He crouched down beside her and took her hand. “How are you feeling? You look pale and tired.”
“Not sexy and interestingly wan? I seem to remember some fairy tale where a sorceress beleaguered after thirty days and thirty nights of fighting back the Cofah still managed to look interestingly wan, enough so that she attracted the eye of a dragon.”
“Your people had strange fairy tales.”
Apex and Kaika knelt down so their heads would be below the rim. Someone bumped Sardelle’s knee, but she was too tired to adjust her position.
She couldn’t see the hole in the ceiling, not with the bulging envelope above them, but knew from the ripples coursing down to the basket that the balloon was already subject to the breeze.
Sardelle gripped Ridge’s arm and leaned her head against his shoulder, even though they probably only had a minute—she could sense the airships out there. The two that had gone after the first balloon had already taken it down, and they were heading toward the mountain. The other pair of airships had fired at the second balloon, demolishing the basket, but hadn’t veered off course to follow it down into the geysers. Water spit and erupted somewhere nearby, and the sulfur stink in the air increased.