Page 27 of The Cradle of Ice
A resounding twang sounded to the left. The other raft shot out into the mists like a wooden bolt. It sailed far, nearly vanishing. Before it did, a small balloon exploded from its top, snapping taut, catching the craft before it plummeted. Small jets of alchymical fire burst from its stern forge, propelling it into the cloak of the mists.
Startled by the launch, the massive bat had flapped to the side. It now blocked their path. Fiery eyes turned upon their vessel. With a deafening screech, it lunged at them, claws reaching.
“Go,” Jace urged.
Brayl held off, rightly so, voicing her concern. “If it rips into our furled gasbag…”
Graylin understood. Better to be trapped aboard the Sparrowhawk than risk a deadly plunge in a damaged raft.
Nyx moaned and shoved a palm to the roof. “Don’t.”
Gray frowned, confused—then a shadow sped over the top of the sailraft.
Nyx’s arm dropped leadenly. “Bashaliia, no…”
Her brother dove upon the huge attacker, striking hard. The two tumbled and twisted away. The enemy screamed and thrashed, surprised by the ambush. Despite the disparity in size, Bashaliia drove the beast out of the stern. The pair fell away, tangled together, lashing at one another, then vanished into the steamy mists.
Nyx fell to her knees. “No…”
Brayl didn’t wait. “Hold tight.”
Everyone snatched for hanging loops of leather. Graylin abandoned the crank and grabbed for one of them. The raft’s stern door remained a quarter open, but it couldn’t be helped. They dared not wait another breath.
Brayl pulled a lever, and the raft snapped forward, thrust by the launch cables. The craft blasted out of the Sparrowhawk. Graylin lost his footing and swung from his loop. Kalder skated on his paws across the floor, bumping into him. Nyx, still on her knees, toppled over, but Jace grabbed a fistful of her coat and held her in place.
Graylin’s stomach lurched as the cast-off raft plummeted for a long spell. Brayl clearly wanted some distance from the ship, from what swept through these mists. Then a small blast sounded overhead. Graylin pictured the balloon bursting taut above them. The raft’s plunge stopped short, hard enough to rip his fingers from the leather loop.
He kept his legs under him and twisted around to peer out the gap in the stern door. He glimpsed the Sparrowhawk as it was swallowed by the mists. Shadows chased after the ship, then they disappeared, too.
Brayl ignited their stern forge. Blue-orange flames spat out into the steam. The fire sputtered a moment, then roared into a steady blaze. The raft sped faster now, fleeing in the opposite direction.
Nyx stood up shakily and stumbled toward Graylin at the door. “Bashaliia?”
Graylin searched the skies. “I don’t see him.”
She joined him, even allowing him to put an arm around her. She trembled as she stared out.
Graylin tightened his arm. “He’ll find his way back.”
Nyx’s next words were a whisper. “But where are we going?”
Silence settled over the hold, all lost in their own thoughts. Then the raft veered sharply portside, throwing Graylin and Nyx to the side.
Brayl cursed behind the wheel.
Fenn gasped.
Graylin turned in time to see the raft skirt away from an icy cliff that filled the world on that side. Dark blue meltwater streamed across its surface in countless cascades. He crossed toward the wheel, gathering the rest with him.
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Have we circled back to the fringes of the Dragoncryst?”
“Impossible.” Fenn leaned closer to the window. “I’m navigator enough, even in this steamy clag, to know we’ve not done that. This wall of ice…” He glanced back to everyone. “I think we might’ve fallen into some massive seam or rift in the Ice Shield.”
Jace cringed. “Should we head back up, try to sail clear of it?”
Fenn looked higher. “I can’t even see the top.”
“There’s no going back,” Brayl declared. “We’d burn through our reserves trying to climb that far. And we all know what awaits us up there.”
