Part 7 (1/2)
She stuck out her tongue ”Sissy”
Knucklebones had guessed correctly After a while Bly returned and announced that the duel was set Lady Fayina's team would launch from her mansion, three blocks hence, and Lady Bly's team from here Their opponents were a man and woman in a flitter amers,” no other flitters would launch at that time The object was to knock your opponent from the sky
They could shoot the flyers, tear or rarapple on, or use any other ic, and they mustn't crash themselves or their opponents on the city The opponents were not to ather in the late afternoon to watch and cheer, judge, and lay sizeable bets ”So put on a good show,” Bly coroused ”We're pitted like dogs on short leashes”
”Such are coh-born,” Knucklebones nodded ”Good for work or play, to live or die or suffer, as long as we do as we're told”
”No wonder this empire crumbles,” the barbarian complained ”If it treats its people, the foundation of its wealth, like animals-”
”Animals eat better,” Knucklebones interrupted, then stretched like a cat ”We should pillage the kitchen, build up our strength”-Sunbright held his stomach- ”I'll eat You fast We don't want to knock the enemy from the sky with puke”
”You're” the barbarian hunted for a word, ”unkind”
Knucklebones sht stared bleakly at the flitter
”It's ti We need it”
”I'd rather just juht said as he clih bars and wires and finally squeezed his big frame into the small wicker seat
In three hours, Knucklebones had ruarden shed, and cobbled some tricks Tied with thread across the front of the cockpit were a dozen long arroith heads a foot wide The thief had scavenged rake teeth in the hopes these T-shaped arroould shear through gossa scythe blade spot-welded to the nose of the flitter like a ht chain with a long hook nestled between theht didn't know, or care ”We're doomed, and that's plain,” he said dramatically ”I was born on the tundra, an earth-dweller I don't belong in the sky”
”Hush, and do what I say, or you'll visit the earth sooner than you'd like,” Knucklebones scolded ”I intend to land us whole and hale And stop whining You'll jinx our luck”
”If we had luck, ouldn't-I'!”
Fronal frorunted, ”Drop your feet, country mouse You're a country bat today”
Stiff as a zoes of the flitter, and marched forward
Servants had shot the bolts and unlocked the outside door, and it did indeed gape upon nothing but blue sky and blue hills in the vast distance The barbarian closed his eyes as the thief called, ”Run, run, run, run-here we go!”
A hop, a storound, and a prolonged screa a steady streak, Knucklebones twisted and yanked and shoved the twin steering bars until suddenly, as if by s scooped wind and the flitter buoyed on air currents like a boat
Quick experimentation and fast hands leveled thehter as she hauled a bar to her belly, ain The fras and wires hissed, gusts of air slapped their faces and ot it! I can fly!
We're saved! Open your eyes, da his eyes, stoled over a mile of sky Spread in all directions were sureen forest and blue hills Far to the north he saw the Narrow Sea like a squiggle of quicksilver ”Lord of War!” he screamed ”Beyond that's tundra!”
”True! But we need to spot the other flitter! Look around!”
Head hunched between his shoulders, Sunbright craned until he saw the city It was a blur of white buildings atop a blurryeyes, but his keen tundra vision picked out- ”I see the useful!” Knucklebones yelled back ”What are they doing?”
”They're ” he said, straining to sort out the picture Between the jiggling and dipping of their craft and the other, theyafter us, I think!”
”They're supposed to be good! Arm your bow, and I'll loop!”
”You'll what?” he screa twin bars in two directions, Knucklebones hooked the craft in s shuddered and Sunbright hurled prayers, but when the thief snapped the bars back, they were level and pointed at the floating enclave Bearing directly for them like a war chariot was a white-painted flitter marked with Lady Fayina's emblem Knucklebones bit her lip and aih, shoot! Then arht broke threads to pluck a T-headed arrow, and nocked it He had trouble drawing the tall bow in the cramped cockpit, and had to lay the wood sideways Knucklebones pulled her head back as the string kissed her nose The ht at the wind ”We won't kill theht at them?”
”Let them veer aside!” she yelled ”Shoot!”
The craft were so close together now Sunbright saw freckles on the fereen, both redheads, and the barbarian realized they were brother and sister The woman's mouth worked as she shouted, and her brother leveled a crossboith a big, barbed bolt
Before the other could shoot, Sunbright loosed He had the satisfaction of seeing the arrow slash through the cockpit, but it only spanked off the s, damn it!” called Knucklebones ”Watch out!”
The redhead shot The barbed bolt sizzled over Sunbright's head, punched a hole in the overhead wing, and stayed fast The barbarian reached to yank it free, but the bolt juers, then tore free and tu showed ahead but city
An aht heard Knucklebones yell, ”They tied a thin line on the bolt! He ripped it free to reel it in! Look!”
Sure enough, down and left sailed the flitter The redheaded woed from Knucklebones's dare Below it trailed a black bolt on a silvery line that thein ”They can shoot at us all day like that!” he exclaiht nocked as the thief threw the turn and spin As they steadied, the enemy flitter was ahead and side-on He called, ”Why don't we spiral all the way to the ground, like a maple leaf?”
”We ride the hot air a bird Hawks soar for hours, don't they?”
”Oh, yes,” Sunbright grunted as he strained to draw His initial terror was dissipating in the thrill of the gah, he shot The T-arrow slapped through the end of one wing, splitting a gash as long as his arin to flip until the woroith satisfaction, ”We can knock the on!”
Throwing the levers over, Knucklebones oal was to spear their flitter's fishtail with her ”er,” but the white vessel lurched and bucked and squirted away
Cursing, Knucklebones cast about, banked to rise, and the shaman called, ”Where are we bound?”
”Back toward the city! They want a good show, and we're too far away!”
”What do we care?”