Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty — Speed Through the Finish
Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty — Speed Through the Finish With the Billowing Beast down and out for the count, I would have expected the others to surge ahead, but the crags were massive, and they were filled to the brim with troublemakers. They loomed, deep and unseeable from where we sat, a chaotic mishmash of reddish rocky outcrops and canyons where all sorts of mischief could be hidden. The only plantlife were a few tough bushes and gnarled trees clinging to the edges.The Smokestack, having recovered from the Bellowing Beast’s attack, was now hurtling ahead into the crags, making up for a lot of its lost lead while nimbly dodging wires and fireballs from below.The Shady Lady was making good time as well. Somehow the barrage balloons in its path exploded out of the air and came crashing down before the Lady’s passing, clearing the way for her to fly straight through.The Dawn Screecher was sticking to the Lady’s rear, using the path Abraham was clearing to avoid some of the aerial traps.“The Screecher and Shady Lady are neck and neck!” the announcer hollered, leaning over the edge of the broadcast tower. “But will they survive the gauntlet ahead?”As if on cue, a hailstorm of rocks burst from the crags, flung skyward by unseen catapults. Smokestack banked sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding a near-fatal impact. Shady Lady followed suit, zipping around an incoming boulder with finesse.The attack didn't end there. More barrage balloons rose from the crags, tethered by steel cables that were nearly invisible from this far away. One ship, the Hasty Harpoon, wasn't quick enough to swerve, its balloon crumpling around a Broccoli-sized boulder that sent the ship spiralling downwards in a terrifying freefall.Just as the racers were reaching the middle of the crags and those in the lead were getting a hang of the traps, a swarm of little figures rushed up out of a canyon.“And here come the Red Wing’s red-winged fighters!” the announcer roared.“Harpies,” Amaryllis said. She squinted. “With some sort of flight magic.”The harpy rose up in a fairly tight formation, creating a net of some two dozen figures who raised what looked like a mix of crossbows and sticks to point to the incoming airships. The bolts they fired were invisible from this distance, but the magic wasn’t. Fireballs, balls of turbulent wind, light, lightning, and conjured materials mixed with the bolts to pepper the ships in the lead.The Shady Lady somehow kept flying true, spells exploding apart before they could meet her hull. The harpy scattered.They didn’t even try to attack the Dawn Screecher and I felt like shouting about the unfairness of that. They did lay into the next ship to come up.“Oh, the Humanity!” the announcer shouted.“Wait, that one’s called the Humanity?” I asked."You heard him, right?" Amaryllis gave me a weird look. "Do you need your ears checked?""No, it just reminded me of ... never mind."She huffed, and turned back to the action with a faint smirk.The once-organised race had devolved into complete pandemonium. Ships bobbed and weaved, desperately avoiding cables, rocks, and the diving harpies. The Dawn Screecher, having caught up to the pack, was showing its own fangs, retaliating against the barrage of projectiles with a volley of its own.Suddenly, a triumphant cheer erupted from the crowd. Following their gaze, my heart leaped as I saw Shady Lady breaking free from the chaos, zipping around a last barrage balloon and soaring towards the clearing ahead.“And the Shady Lady emerges from the gauntlet unscathed!” the announcer shouted. “What a sight to behold, ladies and gentlemen!”We were going to win! I cheered along with the crowd.Then something big and dark surged out of the woodline right at the end of the crags and the crowd’s cheer turned into a collective gasp.“Is that a dragon?!” the announcer squawked. He sounded like this was very much not supposed to happen.I stared. The creature did look pretty dragon-like, a big lizard with wings, but it only had two long legs, and wasn’t nearly as big as a real dragon. I’d seen that kind of creature before. Heck, I’d ridden on one. A wyvern!The creature roared, and I noticed that someone was riding on its back, a long lance held by their side as they rushed towards the Shady Lady.It felt like the world slowed down for a moment, as if everyone’s laser focus made the world itself still its breath.On the one side, the wyvern, a big one, with its rider clearly ready to stab the Shady Lady with what I imagined was a magical lance while the wyvern itself coiled its lower body around to bring its massive talons to bear.On the other, the Shady Lady, looking a bit rusty and a bit rough, but still stately in her own way.A small figure rushed across the deck of the Shady Lady so quickly that I almost missed it, then they launched off the end of her bow with a massive “Hah-ha!” that I heard clearly all the way from where I sat.My jaw went a little slack as Abraham Bristlecone jumped off the front of his airship two hundred metres off the ground, brought both arms up above his head, then swung downwards, his fists tightly balled together.His strike smashed into the wyvern’s face with a loud whump, snapping its jaw shut and sending the entire beast spinning head-over tail toward the ground below.“What,” Calamity said.Abraham fell after the wyvern, but something told me he’d be alright... probably the trailing “Hahahaha!” of laughter that faded away as he dropped right into one of the canyons.“The poor wyvern,” I said. “I hope it’s okay.”“I’m sure it’s... fine,” Caprica said.“Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t even know what to say!” the announcer bellowed. “But that was spectacular!”The Shady Lady did a hard turn, swooping around in a great big spiral and losing a lot of its momentum as it dropped over the spot where Abraham had disappeared to. Was Raynold going to pick up his friend?Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.It could cost them the race! The Smokestack was flying out of the crags already, and with no wyvern for them to face, it didn’t take much for the airship to shoot past the Shady Lady.The crowd gasped again, but not out of shock this time. The tension was high as everyone strained their eyes to see the outcome of the Shady Lady's rescue mission.There was a flash of light, then a small shape rocketed skyward from the forest. My breath hitched as I recognized the figure of Abraham Bristlecone, his body ablaze with magic as he shot back towards the Shady Lady, arms outstretched.As if choreographed, Raynold turned the airship sharply, its side lined up with Abraham's trajectory. With a triumphant cheer from the crowd, Abraham grasped the edge of the ship, swung himself up onto the deck, and saluted the crowd.Incredible as the sight was, they were well behind the Smokestack, now. The rival airship was rapidly approaching the finish line, its engines revving hard — if my friends wanted to pull out a win, they would need to close the distance fast.“Hold on to your seats, folks,” the announcer bellowed. “It's going to be a photo finish!”The Lady howled after the Smokestack, The Dawn Screecher pulling up alongside her with the rest of the more timid racers coming up in the rear.I clung, white-knuckled, to the girder we were sitting on as the ships came around the far end of the city. There was a small pit in my tummy as the obvious became only more obvious. There was no way the Lady would be winning now.The Smokestack came around and roared past the finish line. The crowd went wild, the howl of applause and cheers mixed with a smattering of boos. Even though I was disappointed that the Shady Lady hadn't won, it was hard not to get caught up in the sheer energy of the crowd.The announcer's voice broke through the noise. “And the winner of the Airlords Grand Race is... the Smokestack!” There was another round of applause, louder this time, and I saw the crew of the Smokestack pumping their fists in the air in victory.The Shady Lady followed not too far behind, crossing the finish line with grace and dignity. The Dawn Screecher was hot on her tail, while the other racers trickled in one by one.“I need to see uncle!” Awen said.We scrambled down from our perch and hurried to push through the thick crowd forming at the base of the tower. Mostly they were mechanics and crewmates of the racers. It was easy to tell which crews had placed well because they were the ones cheering the most.The announcer said something else, and there was more clapping, but it was hard to make out over the hollering and the rumble of idling airship engines.The Smokestack did a victory lap around the hill where the spectators were sitting, and that only got people more excited.The other ships were either still coming in to cross the line, or coming to a landing further out in a field dedicated to just that. Some race organisers were there, along with ground crews who were picking up the ropes tossed from above to anchor the ships down.The Shady Lady was near the far end of the space, gently lowering herself with the help of a few big guys on the ground.One of those men was Abraham. He must have ridden one of the lines down to Dirt, or maybe he just jumped off the Shady Lady.“Uncle!” Awen shouted.Abraham turned to look at us, his face breaking into a wide grin. “Ah-hah! There you are!” he boomed, catching Awen in a crushing hug as she reached him.“I saw your jump! That was amazing!”Abraham set her down, then rudely mussed up her hair. “That was nothing! You should have seen the look on the face of that lizard! Haha!”I was smiling from ear to ear. “That was so cool!” I cheered. “It was like something out of a movie!”“A what?” Abraham asked.“That’s a Broccism, you can ignore it,” Amaryllis said. “How’d the ship come out of it?” She gestured to the Shady Lady above, and I glanced up as well.She’d gained a couple of scuffs and scratches and I noticed a trio of crossbow bolts planted in the wood of her hull. Overall though, she didn’t look that bad. Better than when I'd first seen her, certainly, though I imagined that Awen and Raynold might disagree.“Few bumps and bruises, a couple of dents,” Abraham said, patting the hull. “Nothing we can't fix up with a little elbow grease. She's sturdy, our Lady. Wouldn't trade her for all the gold in the world.”“She did well,” I agreed, looking up at the grand airship with newfound respect. “You all did.”“Ah, we're second best, but it ain't the worst thing in the world. Gives us something to aim for next time.” He gave Awen’s back a firm thump, one that almost sent her sprawling. “Couldn’t have done it without you! Haha! Never came this close to winning in a race before!”“I’m proud of you all!” I said, unable to contain my excitement. It was hard not to be infected by the exhilaration of the moment.Awen grinned, rubbing her back where her uncle had thumped her. “Awa! We'll do even better next time, right, Uncle?”“Haha, that’s the spirit!” Abraham clapped Awen on the back again, but more gently this time. “With our Awen working on the Lady, we'll be unbeatable next time!”As if on cue, there was a roar of an engine overhead, and we looked up to see the Smokestack doing another victory lap. Its crew waved triumphantly at the crowd, and cheers erupted anew from the spectators.“Next time, that'll be us,” Awen vowed, her eyes on the circling ship. There was a fire in her gaze that I hadn’t seen before.“Indeed it will be, lass,” Abraham agreed, patting her on the shoulder. “But maybe it’ll be you, not us. You’ve got a ship and crew of your own, don’t you?”“Right,” Awen said.
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Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-One — No Trophies, No Flowers, No Flashbulbs, but at Least there's W
Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-One — No Trophies, No Flowers, No Flashbulbs, but at Least there's Wine The after-party very quickly got out of hand. The crews from the race, both winners and losers, didn't seem to discriminate in their celebration. The closest bar, a rustic timber establishment called the Pour House, was bursting at the seams with jubilant aircrew, locals, and fans who had come from far and wide to witness the spectacle of the race.Abraham, already several ales deep, had made it his mission to regale anyone who'd listen with tales of their almost-victory. Each rendition of the story seemed to grow more grandiose, and each time he gestured towards Awen, the mechanical miracle-worker, the crowd around them would cheer and toast to her.Awen was trying very hard to wince herself into another dimension every time a cheer went up, but lacking the ability to do that, she instead tried to match her uncle ale-for-ale.It didn’t take long before her cheeks were rosy and she was cheering along with the crowd.I had to cut her off after a while because she was having a bit of a hard time walking straight. Abraham, on the other hand, barely had a hint of red on his big old nose.The party probably continued late into the night. Smoulderglen seemed like the kind of place that knew how to throw a celebration. There were fireworks going off, as well as magical spells detonating with loud bangs into the empty skies above the city. Music filtered through the streets, though no two bards seemed to agree on the same song, which just added to the happy chaos.I might have wanted to stay out and party, but the last couple of long nights were wearing me out, and I was worried that Awen might get into a spot of trouble if we let her stick around. So my more sober friends (which included Caprica and Calamity) helped my less-sober friends back to the Beaver and into bed.The next morning, Abraham appeared at the Beaver, looking as fresh as daisies, as if he hadn’t spent the night drinking and having a fun time. Raynold, standing next to him, looked a smidge dishevelled. His suit was a little crooked and his tie wasn’t done correctly, but at least he looked entirely sober.“Haha! Rise and shine, kiddos!” Abraham said. He was carrying the propeller of the Redemption over his shoulder the way someone might carry a stick.It had taken two of us to carry that over to the pits a few days ago, but I guessed that something being heavy wouldn’t stop Abraham.“Hi!” I called out from the deck as I waved down. “Caprica and I are the only ones that are awake,” I said. The rest were sleeping off the night. I was a little surprised that Caprica was fine, actually, she’d had her share of drinks, but they didn’t seem to affect her at all. I’d just stuck to juice.Abraham responded with a hearty laugh, shaking his head, “Ah, the perils of youth! Never mind, let ‘em sleep. We have a bit of work to do here anyway.” He started up the ladder leading up to the Beaver and I waited for him at the top. Raynold had a backpack which jingled and clanged and which was obviously filled with more spare parts.“Did you bring the stuff Awen used on the Lady back?” I asked.“That’s what all this is,” Raynold said. “I’ll take the rest of the afternoon to put our older parts back in their places. Some I’ll want to replace outright, which should be easier now.”“Oh?” I asked.He nodded. “The race is over. The rush for new parts won’t be so bad, and a few ships were destroyed or damaged during the race. It’ll mean a lot more spare parts getting onto the market.”Abraham and Raynold paused at the top of the ladder. “Permission to come aboard, captain?” Abraham asked.“Please do!” I said. “Welcome aboard the Beaver Cleaver! If you want, I can give you the grand tour?”“Haha! I’d love that! But maybe we can wait until the kids are all up and at ‘em? I’m sure Awen will want to show me what she’s been up to.”Grinning, I decided to stick to a short tour of the top deck only. Raynold had come aboard already to fetch some tools and parts previously, but this was Abraham’s first time on the Beaver. His ‘hahas!’ worked as a fantastic alarm clock for all the others, so it didn’t take long before the others were up and about, though they didn’t all look happy about being awake.“How can someone be so loud,” Amaryllis complained as she pressed a talon to the side of her head.“Haha! If you’re not loud, then how will the World know you’re there!” Abraham said.Amaryllis narrowed her eyes at the big man. “That can’t make sense,” she muttered.I didn’t find out what it was she was wondering about though, since it was time for breakfast! That turned out to be a bit of a riot. We had leftovers from a dozen small meals, mostly because we’d been spending some time off the Beaver lately and grabbing food off the streets as we went.Between the clanging of pots and pans, laughter, and the constant banter, the ship came alive. I noticed Abraham and Raynold standing to one side, watching our chaotic breakfast routine with gentle smiles.“So, Abraham, you mentioned something about last night's scuffles?” I asked, attempting to direct the conversation back to last night’s events. I wanted to know what happened once we left.Abraham's hearty laughter echoed around the deck. “Ah, nothing too serious, Captain Broccoli! Just a bit of a disagreement between some overexcited folks at the Pour House. Nothing like a bit of competition to get people's blood boiling, huh?” He shook his head with a grin, his eyes sparkling with the fun memory.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.“Oh, that sounds nice,” I said.“I punched the lights of the leader of the Red Wing pirates right out! Haha!” Abraham said. “He swore eternal vengeance against me and mine!”“Uh,” I said.Raynold sighed. “If we’re lucky, the pirate won’t remember most of that. He was very drunk, and somewhat annoyed that we wouldn’t sell him the Shady Lady.”“Why would someone wanna buy your old ship?” Calamity asked. “Well... actually, I guess it did come in second, but I think that had more to do with the pilots than anything.”“Prestige, wanting to steal some good ideas, wanting the ship to be out of next year’s race,” Caprica listed off on her fingers. “I can probably come up with a dozen more ideas. And since they’re pirates, I imagine the price they offered wasn’t great.”“I recall him saying something to the effect of letting us live if we made the trade,” Raynold said.“Which is when I gave his beak a workout! Haha!” Abraham mimed a bit of shadow boxing.“Ah, you might not want to stay here for long, then,” Awen said. “They might try to steal the Lady.”“That has happened before,” Abraham said. He rubbed at his chin. “Six times, actually.”“Six?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine the Beaver being stolen once, let alone six times!“I think a few of those times were less theft and more... misplaces,” Raynold said. “Abraham only looks like he holds his liquor. Sometimes it does get to him.”“Haha!” Abraham haha’d without shame. “But speaking of the Lady. I was thinking that maybe we could follow you back to Port Royal. I have some business there, and I do love crashing weddings.”“No, you can’t crash this one!” I said. It would ruin Booksie’s magical moment, that would be super mean.“I’ll make sure that if we attend, we come in through the front door in a timely manner,” Raynold promised. “And I think I can stuff Abraham in a suit as well.”I only had to think about it for a second. “That sounds like a ton of fun!” I said. It would be nice to introduce my dragon friends to someone like Abraham. Plus I think it was always his dream to fight a dragon.Maybe I could arrange for a friendly spar?“Perfect!” Abraham said. “We’ll fly together to Port Royal then!”“It will be nice to have another ship nearby, in case of another crash,” Raynold said. “Even better, a ship that’s actually in decent condition.” He gestured to the Beaver.“Awa, before that, we need to pack up,” Awen said. “I made a mess of my tools, and I think some are still with the Shady Lady. And there’s parts that need replacing.”“How long do you think it would take to get everything back in order?” Amaryllis asked.Awen shrugged. “Half a day?”“We’re already approaching noon,” Amaryllis complained. “And taking off at night is risky at the best of times. I imagine Smoulderglen will have a number of ships departing today so the traffic will be thick. Can you manage to make it faster?”“We could leave tomorrow,” I said.“And lose another day?” Amaryllis asked. “Besides, another night here is another night of drunken reverie, which means a much-heightened chance that one of you nitwits will end up in trouble. The sooner we’re out of here, the better.”“We can probably manage it if we all pitch in to help,” I said. I recalled worrying that Awen was being overworked already. “I can organise your tools, Awen! And if you need more time, then... you need more time. We’ll leave when you’re ready.” I was happy to help... I was also really happy to get the opportunity to get Awen’s tools in order. Every time I stepped into her corner of the ship I had to resist the urge to start picking things up and sorting them away. It wasn’t dirty, exactly, because I tried to keep the Beaver nice and clean, but it was... disorganised.I didn’t complain because that was mean, and Awen did seem to have an easy time understanding her unique way of sorting tools by just shoving them into drawers at random.The rest of the day was a chaotic flurry of activity. Awen’s workspace, once a sprawling mess of bits and pieces, started to take on some semblance of order under my careful organisation. Screwdrivers found a home together, wrenches were arranged by size, and each gauge and measurement device was given its own special spot.Meanwhile, Calamity and Caprica returned from the market, arms laden with bags of fresh food and other supplies. Amaryllis was deep in concentration, pouring over the maps as she charted our course back to Port Royal. Her talons traced the routes, taking into account the wind currents, weather patterns, and possible pirate-infested airspace that we’d have to travel.We were far enough south of the area where the independent cities were that we could finally fly straight to Port Royal without having to make any more stops.As evening approached, the ship was buzzing with anticipation. The Beaver Cleaver had never looked better, the tools were organised, our stocks were replenished, and we had a clear plan of action.Unfortunately, there was no way we’d be ready to take off by evening. There was just too much to do, and tasks that we thought would take a few minutes bubbled out into hours and pushed other things back. Amaryllis eventually gave up on insisting that we work faster and we decided that we’d leave at the crack of dawn as soon as the sun hit the horizon.By the time night fell, the Beaver was ready to take off, but the crew was exhausted from the long day of post-party recovery and quick maintenance work. We made vague conversation over a hearty dinner, then went to bed earlier than usual except for a watch rotation.The next day would be a big one!
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