Song of Ramona (Book #1 in Pirates of the Cloudsea Trilogy) (Teaser)

XI. The Cruiser

We soared upon a flat plane of cloudsea that extended into the horizon. The watch sighted a shadow lurking just beyond a thick mist. A dirigible soared not far off our course. Determined to replenish our supplies, we hunted her.

The navigator, Mr. Weston, pinched a spyglass to his eye. The rest of us stood clenched at the ready as we waited for his call. Wind pummeled our flight shirts. "Cruiser," he said. "Should have plenty of Skye."

"Rich folk, I'd wager, which means good Skye," said Captain Dirk. There was a general murmur of approval. "She's a big girl, so we'll have to operate tactically and make her think we're bigger. Hawks! Suit up!"

In raids involving larger vessels, the Hawks infiltrated before we could be seen and assessed, offering the target's crew a chance to surrender peacefully. If they yielded their valuables, we would leave them unscathed. If they refused, the Hawks would signal for support, and a hundred grappling hooks would latch onto their ship. Sky pirates crazy with the thirst would flood in, spilling blood until we were wading ankle deep in it. It was an ugly bit of business, but we lived in an ugly world.

Baker stepped into his leathery wingsuit. I buckled the straps around his wrists, ankles, and throat. Inspecting his equipment was simple enough, but every time I dressed him before a raid, my heart pounded in my chest as if I were the one about to ride the wind.

"Pray for me, Clikk. Ask Ithicus for his grace."

"Always do."

"Pray for yourself too."

"I will. But not to Ithicus. I pray to Camilla for myself."

"Camilla? The trickster?"

"Chameleon. Hides in plain sight."

Baker turned to face me as he adjusted his crimson goggles. He stared a little too long at my face, and I put my head down. "I've never seen you hiding during a battle," he said with a shrug.

"Hiding in plain sight is different. No one pays any mind to a slighter fellow like myself, so when I strike, it's already too late. And right when they think they've got me, I drop my tail."

"Lizardman," he teased.

I secured the pocket just left of his heart with a stick of dynamite. Every Hawk wore dynamite on his person. If anything went wrong, it was protocol to threaten total annihilation. Blowing the ship up from within was a last resort if the Hawks could not signal for assistance. Although I had never seen any man use his boomstick, it still disturbed me to see Baker strapped with an explosive.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Just jealous," I said nonchalantly, examining all eight pistols on his chest. I inspected the grappling hook mechanism on his forearm and the dagger strapped in under his boot. "Have fun."

"Hey, now that you're all chummy with the captain, he'd probably let you ride the wind if you asked. Maybe he'll even make you his boatswain."

"Bugger off," I said, giving him a shove. Baker laughed, silver tooth winking in the sun. He backed up to the rail, spread his arms like a swan, said, "See you topside, Clikk," and tipped over backwards, plummeting headfirst. I ran to the railing to watch as he dived and spun and glided on the air. The other Hawks soared at his side. The Wastrel descended upon the cruiser and circled, settling just twenty yards above the aircraft. She was a beauty. Her elongated balloon had to house at least half a dozen gas cells. The gondola ran along the bottom of the envelope in two levels, having enough room for at least two hundred passengers, not including crew.

The Hawks grappled onto the base of the cruiser's envelope, zipping up to the rigid framework. They climbed down and kicked the round windows with their steel-tipped boots, swinging their bodies inside.

We waited for the white flag to appear in the window. Ten minutes passed without any signal.

"What is happening in there?" I heard Mr. Weston whisper.

A blast rocked the body of our ship. Clouds of fire erupted from the cruiser, bursting from its gondola. Debris and carcasses spilt out of the hole, including one of our Hawks, unrecognizable beneath all the soot and blood that caked his scorched head. A man wearing a militant blue uniform fell out as well. There were Blue Dusk on board.

One of the cruiser's gas cells began to deflate in the middle of its balloon. Passengers jumped of their own volition, screaming as they met the sky. My lips and fingers went numb, and a screeching whistle filled my head. In the thickness of this physical terror, I heard Captain Dirk as he said, "Abort. They are lost."

"No!" I growled, my voice as raw and rough as stone.

Captain Dirk's eyes flashed with rage. He never had to explain his orders and would throw men to the clouds for insubordination. "Their chance to grapple back on board has passed."

"Captain, we can go under and catch them."

Dirk snagged me by my collar and yanked me in so close I could see the sun freckles under his eyes. "Did you not see that uniform?" he whispered. "Those are Duskmen. If we let a single man leave that ship alive, the emperor will never trade with us." He shoved me into the rail and turned to address the crew. "We cannot rescue our men without risking our going down with her! The Hawks have been compromised! Send that ship to oblivion, gunny!"

The mechanisms vibrated beneath my feet as our guns aimed at the cruiser. To Captain Dirk, the Hawks were expendable. He could train new men and have new wingsuits fashioned in the Wastes. But there was something he had clearly forgotten. If he wanted his deal with the emperor, he needed me.

I didn't think. I didn't give myself time to be afraid. I threw a rope ladder overboard.

"Clikk?" said Dirk behind me. And then, as I stepped up on the railing, and climbed over, he was screaming it. "Clikk!"

The Wastrel was in motion, and the ladder pulled more and more in the wind as I went farther down. The cruiser was moving too, tilting over as it lost altitude. It dawned on me that when I made my jump for it, I might miss and spend the next several minutes or however long it took, falling to certain death. I made sure to catch the cruiser's blimp with my eyes and visualize my descent. Then I let go of the ladder and gave myself up to the mercy of the sky.

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Thank you, readers, for all your support and encouragement over the years. Water Street Press has published Song of Ramona. The full novel is available for purchase on Amazon.

Published March 31, 2022.

https://www.amazon.com/Song-Ramona-Meg-Merriet/dp/1621344134/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1648771859&refinements=p_27%3AMeg+Merriet&s=books&sr=1-3&text=Meg+Merriet

Please leave me a review and I will ever be indebted to ye. Safe skies, mateys!

Meg Merriet

IG: Gentlemanskypirate

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