Barnaby the Wanderer

Chapter 20: to Find, or Just to Seek?

"We need to get closer," said Val, peering up at the fog-shadow of the directable.

"Closer? We need to get the Lucif's sweet lips away," said Jewel.

"Why closer?" asked Bodkin.

Cedric explained.

"We wish to steal that airship."

Bodkin's eyes grew wide, voice excited.

"Steal a war machine twenty feet in the air that shoots fire? Easy enough. Let's get closer."

The crowd had fled the vicinity of the fallen watchtower. Not in panicked rout, but as organized groups with different tasks. Some carried away the wounded; others formed bucket lines to put out the fires cast by the Hefestian machine. Some with bows took defensive positions behind buildings and rubble, firing defiant but ineffective arrows up to the fog.

"What about Mister Barnaby?" asked Matilda.

"He's dead, child," said Cedric. "The upper half of the tower fell over the cliff."

"Don't believe it," scoffed Bodkin. "Our miller has the luck of all the saints, including a wink from Lucif and a pat on the ass from February."

"Saints' luck leaves you when you need it most," said Val. "But... bring his axe and pack. Just in case."

They hurried towards the fire, the remains of the watchtower. The barn where they'd spent the night now blazed, adding smoke to fog. The directable hummed half-seen, some twenty feet above.

"So what's our plan, Bodkin?" asked Val. "How do we steal that thing?"

Bodkin took breath.

"Jewel ties her spider pedant to an arrow. Matilda shoots it into the air-machine. The spider fixes web to the ship, the jumps back down to us. Then we do it over hmm, fifty times. Till we have enough thread to pull the air ship low. Then we climb aboard free and easy as St. Priapus with the novices."

This plan would have been met with silence, excepting the shouts, sounds of burning buildings, varied bells ringing, the intermittent screams.

"That is the most puddinghead idea, ever." This, from Jewel.

"Don't have any fifty arrows." That, from Matilda.

"We can't pull that thing down on spider web." This, from Val.

"It's light," insisted Bodkin. "Look at it, people. It floats in the air."

"Right," sighed Val. "Change of plan. We're going over the part of the stockade that's fallen. We run, following the cliff edge, looking for a place to climb down. Maybe, maybe we'll meet up with Mr. Miller." In the fields of Elysium, most like.

Screams came from beyond the smoke. They watched as three women with kitchen knives pursued a man waving sword. He threatened with it while they circled, cutting and slicing as though he were pork on a plate. When he collapsed all a red mess, they howled like wolves, ran off through the smoke.

"What?" asked Matilda.

"Ah, appears the servants see this as ripe opportunity to shout 'freedom'," said Val. "Good for them."

"Fine," said Bodkin. "I've another plan."

"What?"

"We climb the rope ladder the air ship is lowering."

Val, Cedric, Jewel and Matilda looked upwards. Half hidden in the smoke, there now descended just this very thing.

"Why would they do that?" asked Val.