SKY OF PAPER: AN ASIAN STEAMPUNK FANTASY

CHAPTER 70

It weaved in and out of the enemy fleet, bounding from ship to ship like a dragonfly, until it found what it was seeking. It coiled its body around a single vessel, then slowly, it turned its blazing eyes towards me. At that moment I was sure that the creature, hallucination or not, was a vision tempered only for my eyes and that the ship it had nested upon was the target we all had been looking for. It tilted its head and whisked its tail, beckoning me to come.

"Kass?" I said calmly. "I think I know what to do now."

"Then you'd best do it."

She must have known what I was thinking. I'd barely begun to gesture to her when suddenly, the ship jolted into motion, gaining speed again as it flew headlong into the awaiting mass of enemy steel and cannon. This time, we were moving much faster than before, committing our humble ship to maneuvers I never thought was possible. We turned the waves behind us lifting the stern and riding its slope until the steam engines could no longer keep up. Our own ships drifted farther and farther behind us while those before us loomed steadily closer.

"Boy, what are you doing?" the captain stammered over the voice tube. "Stop this ship and turn us around at once."

"Tell your men to abandon ship," I replied.

"What? You shame yourself too much boy. Stop at once or I will have you removed."

"It's too late to stop. If you and your men don't abandon ship right now, then you'll all die."

"This is a ship of the Imperial Air Navy, not your toy. Guards, apprehend the boy and girl. Place them under arrest."

A sudden clattering sound echoed from the voice tube, followed by broken yells and shouts, as if the bridge were suddenly caught up in a struggle. Then the captain was heard groaning in a way that sounded as though he'd fallen ill. After a long, suspicious silence, the first officer's voice was heard.

"How did you get out? Striking the captain, an officer of the military; such an act will surely condemn you to death. Go ahead, pierce me with your sword. Add to the disgrace you've caused." A shallow thump was heard. "N-no don't. I didn't really mean it. Please, let me get up. I'll do what you say."

After another short moment of silence, the first officer's shaken voice stuttered throughout the ship. "All hands, abandon ship. I repeat. All hands, abandon ship."

The alarm bell chimed as the rumblings of hundreds of footsteps rattled the thin walls of the room. My second sight made transparent the decks behind me and I watched as a flourish of dozens upon dozens of parachutes began trailing behind us, littering the sky like cherry blossoms.

"Ren Tzu, is that you?" I asked.

And yet, still another short silence passed before there was an answer.

"Yes. Do not worry, I did not kill anyone. The captain was simply knocked out. I will see to it that everyone leaves. Do what you must."

"Did you ever doubt him?" Kassashimei asked.

I rattled the beads on my wrist. "How could I? I have your luck with me don't I?"

A ship of the empire relied upon the strong arms and backs of dozens, sometimes hundreds of men. Yet, for all its guns, its engines, its boilers, its steel plates and decks, its stalwart, imposing form had been left to its fate at the hands of a single boy and girl. Though steam and smoke still poured from its vents and the boilers were still fashioning heat from fired coals and cycling engines to the very peak of their designs, it was all unnecessary. We'd become little more than a colossal, metal spear thrown by unseen waves and guided by the determined whims of my silver eyes.