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.Nish tensed.This might be the only chance he got.When Aln came by, Nish rotated on the ball of one foot, swinging the heavy prise-bar hard and low with his bound hands.It struck the soldier on the kneecap with a nauseating crack, he went down and Nish fell on him from behind, driving his knees into the fellow's back.As Aln hit the floor, Nish managed to fumble the knife from his belt.He went backwards, trying to manipulate the blade with his bound hands so as to cut his bonds.It was an awkward operation, almost impossible.'Larg!' cried Aln.'Help.'Nish slipped the knife through his fingers until he could touch his wrist ropes with the tip of the blade, though he couldn't exert much force.He pushed the tip across his ropes, pulled it back then pushed it again.Larg appeared, feet first.He drew his own blade and began to come down, one step at a time.Nish pushed again and again.The ropes did not give.He forced harder and the point of the blade dug into his wrist, drawing blood.'Drop it!' said Larg, reaching the bottom of the ladder.Nish pushed too hard and the knife slipped from his fingers and skidded across the floor.He looked up at the soldier in desperation.He didn't bother to go after the blade - Larg could cut his throat before he reached it and, with bound hands, he couldn't possibly attack an able-bodied soldier armed with a knife.Larg smiled evilly, sprang onto the floor and kept going down.What was the matter with him? A thread of blood began to ooze from the side of the soldier's neck, where a tiny knife had been embedded to the hilt.Nish went to the ladder.Malien stood at the top, the gag around her throat, swaying.'Thank you,' he said.'How did you do that?''I used the control levers to tear off the gag, then employed my Art to loosen my bonds.Take his knife and come up.'Nish did so.She freed his wrists and he carefully fastened the lower hatch.Cracking the upper hatch, he peered out through the gap.'I can't see anyone on the air-dreadnought.''That's bad.They must all be dead.'Nish blanched.'Or round the other side,' she added hastily.He opened the hatch a fraction more.'No, I can see Irisis, at the controller.It looks as though she's trying to pilot the air-dreadnought.Trying to turn it.''Find out why,' said Malien, polishing a blue-green striated crystal on her sleeve and inserting it into its socket.'She was supposed to follow me.' Gripping the controller levers with both hands, she strained until her face went red.Nothing happened.Nish climbed up through the hatch and let out a yelp.'Malien, we're heading directly for another air-dreadnought.Its rope is tangled in the trees.''The thapter doesn't want to go,' she said calmly.'Do you think it could be because I put the mechanism into test mode?' said Nish.'You did what?'He explained.'It was all I could think of to distract the soldiers.''Run down and stop it, quick as you can!'He hurtled down the ladder and leapt the body at the bottom, not even thinking about the second soldier.Nish lifted the cover, reached in through the fumes and shut off the thyrimode and the gyrolapp.The shrilling groans stopped at once.He was rubbing his stinging eyes when Aln fell on him, beating him about the head and shoulders with his fists.Had the soldier been armed, Nish would have died.He went down but managed to roll out of the way.The soldier lurched after him on his battered knee, his face contorted in agony.Nish couldn't feel sorry for him - Aln had been happy to joke about Nish's fate.He kicked out, caught the soldier in the side of the knee and he collapsed next to the dead man, crying in pain.Nish scrambled to his feet.'It's done, Malien!''I heard.Come up, quickly!'He pulled himself up the ladder and fastened the hatch again.The mechanism groaned then roared to life.'Put your head out of the hatch,' Malien snapped, taking a firm grip on the levers.'Get ready to cut the ropes holding us in the nets.But not till I say so.'Larg's keen blade in hand, Nish cracked the hatch open and looked forward.The other air-dreadnought loomed up, directly ahead.'We're getting very close,' he cried.'I know.Ready?'He caught hold of one of the main ropes.'Yes.Go, quickly!'Malien jerked the levers.The thapter didn't move.She began muttering to herself.'What's the matter?' Nish said, watching the air-dreadnought come ever closer.He could hardly bear to look.'Ghorr must have locked the controls.Now, how would he have done that?''They use scrutator magic, a special form of the Art.' he began.Malien knew that, of course.She had closed her eyes and was passing her hands across the controls, moving them in circular sweeping motions.Shaking her head, she began checking the glass plates, on which patterns moved in coloured lines and swirls.Cocking her head to one side, she said 'Ah!' Her long Aachim fingers danced on the glass, then she jerked out an agate knob, banged in several others with a sweep of her hand and spun an insignificant thumb wheel below the binnacle.'We're going to hit!' Nish cried.'Do I cut?'She didn't answer.Malien was too engrossed.Her other hand caressed the knob that made the thapter fly but she still didn't move it.The two air-dreadnoughts merged with stately inevitability.The leading airbags touched, flattened against each other and slid past with silky hisses.The port and starboard airbags of Ghorr's craft struck their counterparts full on, pushed by, and their support cables tangled.The cables thrummed as they snapped taut, stopping the airbags within a few spans.The suspended vessel of Ghorr's air-dreadnought kept moving, curving in an arc towards the side of the other machine [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Nish tensed.This might be the only chance he got.When Aln came by, Nish rotated on the ball of one foot, swinging the heavy prise-bar hard and low with his bound hands.It struck the soldier on the kneecap with a nauseating crack, he went down and Nish fell on him from behind, driving his knees into the fellow's back.As Aln hit the floor, Nish managed to fumble the knife from his belt.He went backwards, trying to manipulate the blade with his bound hands so as to cut his bonds.It was an awkward operation, almost impossible.'Larg!' cried Aln.'Help.'Nish slipped the knife through his fingers until he could touch his wrist ropes with the tip of the blade, though he couldn't exert much force.He pushed the tip across his ropes, pulled it back then pushed it again.Larg appeared, feet first.He drew his own blade and began to come down, one step at a time.Nish pushed again and again.The ropes did not give.He forced harder and the point of the blade dug into his wrist, drawing blood.'Drop it!' said Larg, reaching the bottom of the ladder.Nish pushed too hard and the knife slipped from his fingers and skidded across the floor.He looked up at the soldier in desperation.He didn't bother to go after the blade - Larg could cut his throat before he reached it and, with bound hands, he couldn't possibly attack an able-bodied soldier armed with a knife.Larg smiled evilly, sprang onto the floor and kept going down.What was the matter with him? A thread of blood began to ooze from the side of the soldier's neck, where a tiny knife had been embedded to the hilt.Nish went to the ladder.Malien stood at the top, the gag around her throat, swaying.'Thank you,' he said.'How did you do that?''I used the control levers to tear off the gag, then employed my Art to loosen my bonds.Take his knife and come up.'Nish did so.She freed his wrists and he carefully fastened the lower hatch.Cracking the upper hatch, he peered out through the gap.'I can't see anyone on the air-dreadnought.''That's bad.They must all be dead.'Nish blanched.'Or round the other side,' she added hastily.He opened the hatch a fraction more.'No, I can see Irisis, at the controller.It looks as though she's trying to pilot the air-dreadnought.Trying to turn it.''Find out why,' said Malien, polishing a blue-green striated crystal on her sleeve and inserting it into its socket.'She was supposed to follow me.' Gripping the controller levers with both hands, she strained until her face went red.Nothing happened.Nish climbed up through the hatch and let out a yelp.'Malien, we're heading directly for another air-dreadnought.Its rope is tangled in the trees.''The thapter doesn't want to go,' she said calmly.'Do you think it could be because I put the mechanism into test mode?' said Nish.'You did what?'He explained.'It was all I could think of to distract the soldiers.''Run down and stop it, quick as you can!'He hurtled down the ladder and leapt the body at the bottom, not even thinking about the second soldier.Nish lifted the cover, reached in through the fumes and shut off the thyrimode and the gyrolapp.The shrilling groans stopped at once.He was rubbing his stinging eyes when Aln fell on him, beating him about the head and shoulders with his fists.Had the soldier been armed, Nish would have died.He went down but managed to roll out of the way.The soldier lurched after him on his battered knee, his face contorted in agony.Nish couldn't feel sorry for him - Aln had been happy to joke about Nish's fate.He kicked out, caught the soldier in the side of the knee and he collapsed next to the dead man, crying in pain.Nish scrambled to his feet.'It's done, Malien!''I heard.Come up, quickly!'He pulled himself up the ladder and fastened the hatch again.The mechanism groaned then roared to life.'Put your head out of the hatch,' Malien snapped, taking a firm grip on the levers.'Get ready to cut the ropes holding us in the nets.But not till I say so.'Larg's keen blade in hand, Nish cracked the hatch open and looked forward.The other air-dreadnought loomed up, directly ahead.'We're getting very close,' he cried.'I know.Ready?'He caught hold of one of the main ropes.'Yes.Go, quickly!'Malien jerked the levers.The thapter didn't move.She began muttering to herself.'What's the matter?' Nish said, watching the air-dreadnought come ever closer.He could hardly bear to look.'Ghorr must have locked the controls.Now, how would he have done that?''They use scrutator magic, a special form of the Art.' he began.Malien knew that, of course.She had closed her eyes and was passing her hands across the controls, moving them in circular sweeping motions.Shaking her head, she began checking the glass plates, on which patterns moved in coloured lines and swirls.Cocking her head to one side, she said 'Ah!' Her long Aachim fingers danced on the glass, then she jerked out an agate knob, banged in several others with a sweep of her hand and spun an insignificant thumb wheel below the binnacle.'We're going to hit!' Nish cried.'Do I cut?'She didn't answer.Malien was too engrossed.Her other hand caressed the knob that made the thapter fly but she still didn't move it.The two air-dreadnoughts merged with stately inevitability.The leading airbags touched, flattened against each other and slid past with silky hisses.The port and starboard airbags of Ghorr's craft struck their counterparts full on, pushed by, and their support cables tangled.The cables thrummed as they snapped taut, stopping the airbags within a few spans.The suspended vessel of Ghorr's air-dreadnought kept moving, curving in an arc towards the side of the other machine [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]