The wizard aimed but she saw him hesitate.
The Vyrewatch seized Gleeman from behind and pushed him down, out of her sight.
No chance. He had no chance at all.
Suddenly she thought of Gar’rth and a hatred flared in her. She cursed loudly into the wind. “Is this what your word is worth?”
Pia saw Gideon fall from above. The jester grabbed at the rope ladder as he fell, his outstretched arm entangling itself in the lines.
But still he wasn’t free of his attacker.
“Doric, Gideon needs you,” she shouted to the dwarf, her head turned to his position. “Use your arrows.”
From above there came a strangled scream and when Pia looked back up she saw the creature glide away, its wing broken, flames engulfing its body. Down it went, spiralling into the swamps below where it disappeared from sight. She saw Gideon grimace and raise his hand to her, and she noted the wound on his face and shoulder where he had been bitten or scratched.
Nonetheless, he was alive.
Castimir has taken a dreadful risk. He was told not to use fire magic.
But she was thankful for it nonetheless.
Pia turned back to the view below. The swamp seemed closer now, contradicting Master Peregrim’s concern about the balloon being too light.
As if reading her mind the gnome looked up from his burner.
“Tell Kara not to release any more,” he cried. “We are sinking too quickly.”
The gnome looked up into the balloon, and Pia followed his gaze.
“By the gods!” Master Peregrim shouted.
Pia saw the cause of his fear. Inside the very balloon itself was one of the Vyrewatch. It tore at the fabrics with a lazy contempt, and if such a thing was capable of smiling, Pia was certain it was doing so, mocking their helplessness. Already several tears had been made in the balloon’s surface.
“Gideon, tell Castimir to get rid of that thing!”
There was real panic in the gnome’s voice now.
And as the jester turned back to climb once more to the top, Pia heard the burner ignite and felt the now familiar warm wave of heat pass by.
Yet still, when she looked down again, the ground was nearer than before.
A shadow appeared in front of Kara. Karnac cried out from his vulnerable position on the rope ladder. Instinctively she released the bowstring and fired her arrow into the body of the Vyrewatch.
Her aim must have been off, for the arrow spun aside, deflected on the creature’s armour.
“Castimir,” she called.
She saw Karnac thrust his dagger toward the creature’s leg, but if he hit it, the Vyrewatch seemed unaware.
An arrow flew by, finding its mark in the creature’s wing.
The fanged face looked up for the first time, taking its red eyes off Karnac.
WHOOSH.
Kara felt a compact ball of air sail past her left shoulder. It smashed into the creature’s face, shattering the horrific visage of their enemy. She heard bone crack as the Vyrewatch tumbled backward, over the edge of the balloon and into empty space.
“That was very satisfying,” Castimir said. The wizard breathed deeply, and Kara wondered if he could be so accurate again.
“How many more are there?” she asked as she pulled another arrow from her quiver.
A motion caught her attention behind Karnac. She raised her bow but then gave a gasp of surprise as Gideon clambered up the rope ladder and into view, injured and exhausted.
“There is one of them in the balloon itself,” he wheezed. “It’s tearing everything up. We have lost a lot of altitude as the hot air has leaked out. I think it may have torn one of the hydrogen envelopes as well.”
“How many of the Vyrewatch are left, Gideon?” Theodore called.
“Two fell, trapped in the nets they tore free, weighted down by their victims. The one that attacked me…” Gideon wheezed and shook his head. “That one fled. And then there was this one that just missed me when it fell. Four have been accounted for.”
“Then it’s just the one in the balloon,” Arisha said. “Castimir, if we open the flap do you think you will be able to dislodge it?” The priestess drew her knife and cut the bindings that secured the flap.
The wizard shook his head. “I don’t know. I will try, though.”
Kara saw how low the balloon had sunk. She could hear the howls of the werewolves behind them, and noted with alarm how the tops of tall trees couldn’t be much lower than Master Peregrim’s burner.
If he gets tangled in a tree then it will act as an anchor. We will crash badly.
“How far is the Salve?” Karnac cried.
“It can’t be more than a mile now,” Theodore replied, looking west.
Kara did likewise. Through the tops of the bushes beyond she could make out the river. Theodore was right. It was not far at all.
But the howls of the werewolves were unrelenting.
“Castimir, look,” Arisha commanded. She had opened the flap that was intended for use in bringing the balloon in to land by releasing warm air. Kara felt the heat rise and saw Castimir move aside and out of its path.
“I see it,” the wizard said. Below, the sound of the burner firing almost constantly was carried up to them. No doubt Master Peregrim was growing desperate.
“Just another mile,” Kara gritted to herself. “Come on Hope Soars!”
Castimir took his time. Kara saw him concentrate and watched as a ball of dense water flew from his hand into the interior of the balloon, where it was lost from her sight.
“Did you get it?” Harold asked.
“I got it,” Castimir said. Kara pushed her way to his side and stared down through the opening. She saw the Vyrewatch twist in the air as it fell, batting its wings violently. She saw Master Peregrim staring back up from his burner, his face a mask of fear as the vampire dived toward him. She watched in slow motion the gnome fire the burner and felt the wave of heat blast up toward them and saw how the flames engulfed the descending vampire.
“Gods!” Castimir said in horror.
She blinked and looked again. The vampire was a flame now. It soared up toward them.
Hydrogen.
No flames.
Highly flammable.
“Move!” Kara cried as she threw herself backward, cutting her safety line and leaping for the rope ladder.
Something screamed behind her as she saw her friends get clear. The balloon seemed to jerk suddenly as a strangely muted roar bellowed up from inside the canvas, followed instantly by the yellow glow of flames.
Kara fell as the balloon began to collapse on itself.
Then she hit the black waters of the swamp.
35
Oh gods!
Everyone was screaming. Castimir yelled as a stinging pain scalded his left hand as he fell backward over the balloon’s edge.
I’m going to fall!
But he already was. The safety line was slack at his belt. He flailed out to grab at anything he could, yet there was nothing within reach. The world turned end over end-the sky, the burning balloon, and dark waters rushing up, the howls of werewolves-
Then he struck the swamp. His satchel wrenched itself around his throat as he sank into black waters.
He surfaced with a cry as someone grabbed him and dragged him away from the ruins of the balloon. He kicked with his feet, trying anything to keep his head above the surface as he took in as much air as he could.
And then he saw what had become of Hope Soars.
It was impaled upon a dead black tree, the balloon rising and sinking into the very waters in which he had fallen, still collapsing slowly. He blinked away the moisture and sought the detail. He saw Doric shout a curse as the dwarf hacked his way free of the netting. He was one of the few left aboard, for in the waters near him splashed a dozen other survivors.