Glass stuck to their hands as they climbed back into the flyer.
Good thing this stuff is safety glass. He brushed it off, and buckled his harness. He revved the engine, and the turbine purred. He pulled on the joystick. The levitators hummed, and they lifted off. He twisted the joystick and slipped into the narrow gap between the derelict and the tunnel sideways.
He kept a sharp eye on the abandoned miner. Drills, grinders, and footpads threatened to catch the damaged flyer.
“Stop!” Shotgun flinched.
They struck an outcrop, and bounced off the stone and hit the mining vessel.
“That’ll cost.” He jerked on the joystick, and stopped the flyer.
“Back up, boss, we’re caught. A chain’s wrapped itself around the flap.”
“Yeah,” he backed up.
The chain tightened, and jerked the flyer to a halt. A panel flipped out of the ship’s side with a metallic pop. A hoist unfolded from the miner and hammered the tunnel wall. Sand showered them.
“Physics,” Jack cursed.
“Watch your language, boss, kids might hear you.”
“Why is reality suspended when you make a mistake?”
The hoist shuddered. “Boss!” It rolled away from the miner and clattered against the wall.
The hoist blocked their path, and the machine’s stabilizer unfolded over their heads. Shotgun’s eyes widened. A double pair of crampons, each with a set of metallic claws and sharp teeth threatened them. “Do something, Jack!”
“I’ll magic it back into place.” He held out a hand and cast a kinetic spell. The stabilizer rose, and folded back into a pocket on the hoist. “There. Now, I’ll put that thingamabob back.” He levitated the hoist and flipped it back into its compartment with a clang.
The ship quivered. The hoist shuddered. Dirt scraped from the wall fell on them. The ship listed and the hoist fell again. It hit the wall with a thud, and the stabilizer fell. The crampons slapped the flyer.
“No!” Shotgun ducked and the flyer crumpled. Steel teeth went through his window. The teeth slashed the dwarf’s seat. The steel slapped him.
“Shotgun! Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Shotgun rubbed his arm and blinked. “That was close! It didn’t cut me. What is that thing?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s designed to keep the hoist from flopping under a load.”
“What about flopping on a load?”
Shotgun pushed on the crampon. “Can you magic it off? It’s too heavy for me.” The ship shuddered, and the stabilizer dropped again. Shotgun ducked again, “Get it off!”
“I’m trying!” He levitated the crampons back into their seats, threw the stabilizer against the hoist, and pushed the contraption back into place. “I’ve got it! I’m holding it!” He hesitated a moment, and then let go. The hoist remained in place.
“Okay, we’re clear!”
“Go boss, get us out of here!”
The mining vessel shuddered again. It shook, and began sinking.
“That’s not good!”
“Where’s it going?” The miner sank steadily.
“Quicksand?”
The ship rocked and tossed a chain out of its compartment. The chain slammed the flyer and wrapped itself around a flap.
“The chain! The chain! It’s got us, boss!”
The ship plunged into a growing hole. The chain went taut, and the flyer jerked. He rolled the flyer and tried to lose the chain. The ship disappeared in a whirlpool of dirt.
“Whoa!” He twisted the flyer, and pushed the manna generator to full power. The chain dragged them into the hole.
“Get us loose!”
“I’m trying!” He froze the metal hoping to shear the links. Then, a distant thud rolled up the hole. The chain shot into the quicksand. His levitators whirred, and they plunged into the hole.
Everything went dark. Dirt and sand poured on top of them. The ship threw them into their seats, and they fell. They shot down the hole.
A ring of light outlined the mining ship. “Light!” Shotgun gripped his scream bar. “Free us!”
“Light at the end of the tunnel!”
“It’s a lava pit! We’re gonna fry!”
“No!” Jack froze the flap. He jerked on the joystick, and the flyer flipped. They bounced against the tunnel wall. The flap snapped. He fought the joystick to control the flyer. The levitators whirred and the engine howled.
The mining ship dropped away and disappeared in the light.
They dropped out of the hole and into the light. He rolled the flyer and righted their ship. Reflections dazzled them, and then their vision cleared. He slowed to a halt and hovered nose down.