Lindsay Buroker: Peacemaker

“I saw it,” Cedar saidwith another nudge for her back. “Let’s get out of here before theydecide your contraption is something they’d like tosteal.”

“Good idea,” Kalimurmured, hopping on. Though she and Cedar had taken down a shipbefore, it had been luck that they’d had the right supplies. Shehadn’t brought any kerosene for the trip to the Han camp, althoughshe did have her weapons, including a couple of-

“Go,” Cedar urged. Hepointed toward the clouds.

The craft had come into view again, itsshape distinguishable this time. Like a marine vessel, it had anopen deck, but instead of having sails above that deck, a vastoblong balloon hovered overhead, dwarfing the ship with its size.At either end of the deck, enclosed weapons platforms rose likecastle turrets poised over a moat. Open cannon ports ran along thewooden sides of the ship. Its size promised room for a crew ofthirty or forty with plenty of room to spare for cargo-or stolengoods.

“Going is good,” Kalisaid. She shoved the lever that controlled acceleration, and theSAB surged forward. Cedar hung onto her with one arm around herwaist, while he held his Winchester with his free hand, his torsotwisted to watch the sky.

The airship was heading downriver, whileKali and Cedar were heading upriver. If it didn’t change itscourse, they had nothing to worry about.

“It’s coming about,” Cedarsaid.

“Figures.” Kali yanked herdriving goggles over her eyes and pushed the engine to full speed,with a vague notion that they’d be safe if they reached the tentsand cabins of Moosehide. At the least, the Han would have weaponsto help fight off intruders.

The wheels churned, slinging mud in everydirection. She could get twenty miles an hour out of the engine onflat, even ground, but the Yukon River shoreline rose and fell,with the glacial rock beneath the dirt making navigation achallenge. The trail never ran more than ten meters without turningaround a boulder or tree. Fog still hovering over the hallows addedto the challenge.

“Are they after us?” Kalicalled over the breeze whistling past.

A boom cracked the air, and somethingslammed into the earth five meters ahead of them. Dirt and rockflew, and Kali jammed her heel against the brake lever to keep fromcareening into a newly formed crater.

“Yes,” Cedarsaid.

“Thanks, I gotthat.”

He fired a shot, though Kali was focused onsteering the SAB around the ditch and did not see if it did anygood. The river flowed past fifteen feet below, and they tilted andwobbled as she maneuvered past the crater. A big, black cannonballlay in the bottom.

“The artillery man isprotected inside the turret,” Cedar yelled, “and I can’t seeanybody else up there from this angle.”

Kali increased the speed again. It was onlytwo more miles to Moosehide. Maybe they could-

Another boom sounded. This time thecannonball tore a hole in the riverbank, and the trail ahead ofthem disappeared in a rock slide. Dirt and stone sloughed into theriver, and Kali had to brake again. They’d be lucky if they couldclimb past that. Driving was out of the question.

She stopped the bicycle and jumped off.

The airship had descended from the clouds,and Kali could see people in the turrets now, though the windowslits protected them while allowing them to fire out. A few piratesscurried across the deck, though they were careful not to remain insight for long. From the ground, the angle was poor for shooting atanyone up there. That didn’t keep Cedar from trying to keep thembusy. He fired his Winchester, aiming for a slit in the closestturret.

Kali considered the wooden hull of the ship,wondering if she could find a weakness. The engines were protected,but twin ducted fans on the bottom propelled and steered the craft.Scenarios for disabling them ran through her mind, but she didn’tsee how she could do anything from the ground.

Cedar fired another shot, but it onlychipped at the wood on the turret.

Kali laid a hand on his arm. “That’s notgoing to do anything.”

“You have aplan?”

“I have somegrenades.”

“Even better.” Cedarshouldered the rifle and held out his hand.

While Kali dug into her saddlebag, she keptan eye toward the ship. The gunner had to have them in his sights,but he did not fire again. A few men appeared at the railing, andone peered down with a spyglass held to his eye. Cedar promptlyreadied the Winchester again and fired.

The man ducked out of sight, and Kaliimagined she could hear his cursing. A heartbeat later, he poppedup again, this time with a rifle of his own. It cracked, and shardsof rock sheared away from a towering boulder behind Cedar.

He grabbed Kali around the waist and pulledher behind the rock. Fortunately, she had what she needed in handwhen he did it.

“What are those?” Cedarasked when she held up the fist-sized bronze balls.

“Grenades.”

“They don’t look likemilitary issue.”

“No, they’re Kali issue.You press this, and it creates a spark, like with a flintlockand-”

Something clinked to the ground on the otherside of the boulder. Kali leaned out, intending to check it out,but Cedar pushed her back. He was closer to whatever it was and hada better view.

“Smoke,” he said. “Up thehill.”

Though she debated on the wisdom of leavingcover, Kali figured he had more experience with being attacked, soshe scrambled in the direction he pointed. The steep slope made ithard to keep her footing, and she had to stuff the grenades intoher pockets. They clinked against tools, and she hoped she had madethe triggers hard enough to pull that they couldn’t bump againstsomething and go off.

“Faster,” Cedar urged, ahand on her back.

“I’d be faster if I knewwhere we were going,” Kali shot over her shoulder. The airshiphovered in her periphery, no more than ten meters above them. Itsengines thrummed, reverberating through the earth, and the fansstirred the ferns and grass on the hillside. “And if we weren’tleaving my bicycle behind,” she added under her breath.

“Just get away from-”Cedar coughed and pulled his shirt over his nose. He paused toloose another rifle shot at the airship, though it thuddedharmlessly off a turret.

A sweet stench like burned honey trailedthem up the hill. Not trusting it, Kali held her breath.

A copse of evergreens rose at the crest ofthe hill, and it seemed like as good a place as any to make astand. The airship wouldn’t be able to maneuver through the trees,and Kali could throw a grenade at anyone who tried to steal theSAB.

A giant metal claw on a chain clanked ontothe rocks to the left.

“Uh?” Kali said, for lackof anything more intelligent.

A second claw landed to her right, then athird one struck down a few feet ahead. As one, the devices swungtoward her.

“Uh!” she blurted andscrambled backward.

Kali bumped into Cedar and was surprised hewasn’t moving more quickly. A glaze dulled his eyes, and confusioncrinkled his brow.

“Move!” Kali tried toshove him out of the path of the claws, but he was heavy and didn’thelp her at all. She didn’t seem to have her usual strength either.A strange heaviness filled her limbs, and numbness made her fingerstingle.

That honey smell. It had to be some kind ofsedative.

The nearest claw scraped closer. It swungin, angling for Kali’s torso. She ducked and dove beneath it, butthe lethargy in her limbs stole her agility, and she landed in anungainly pile and skidded down the slope. Mud spattered her, androcks dug at her through her clothing.

Something landed on her. Rope?

Kali tried to bat it away, but it waseverywhere. Not just rope, she realized. A net.

Before she could reach for a folding knifein her pocket, the ropes tightened about her, scooping her up likea fish in the river.