Hundreds of armed raiders poured into the street in panic, and Zen and Toksu took advantage of the confusion. Toksu slammed one of the guards against the tavern walls, knocking him out. Zen launched a spinning rear kick, crashing his boot against the other guard's groin. With his hands bound, it was an ugly but effective maneuver, and the raider curled into a ball on the ground. Zen and Toksu kept their heads low and ran away from the explosions. Zen caught a glimpse of Cheng being swallowed by a swarm of his own men; a wave of dusty raiders ran towards the fires.
Zen fought to keep his balance, considering both hands were tied behind him. Toksu nearly tripped over a rock, but he was able to stay on his feet. They found themselves in the deserted section of the village. More explosions sounded from across town, and Zen could hear the distant cries of Cheng's soldiers. They took cover behind a small shack, almost barreling directly into Neva.
“Perfect timing,” Neva said, pointing to the faraway explosions. “Was all of that part of your plan? If so, I'm impressed.”
Zen shook his head and showed her his bound hands.
She unsheathed a small knife from her belt and cut them free. Zen rubbed his hands together to recirculate the blood into them. Neva was right; the explosions had come at the perfect time. Zen lifted his head as he recognized a familiar faraway sound. From their left, he watched the Dragonfly swoop in low before hovering twenty feet above them.
Enapay stood at the wheel, his eyes hidden behind his aviator goggles. He left the helm to throw down a rope ladder. “Thought I'd left you, hmm?”
Neva was extremely weak, and Toksu had to practically carry her up the ladder. Zen followed up the coarse rope and wooden planks.
Zen noticed two Nabeho warriors helping them once they reached the top of the ladder. When they were all on board, Enapay maneuvered the Dragonfly up and away from the town. Zen's breath caught in his throat, and he took hold of the brass railing when Enapay pushed one of his levers, increasing the speed of his airship.
Zen heard rifles in the distance and caught sight of a small group of raiders below aiming at them. The Dragonfly soared safely out of range, and the others joined him in watching the fires raging inside of Cheng City.
“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” Zen asked as he made his way up to the helm.
Enapay kept the airship's steering wheel steady as he replied, “When I was out East, I worked with this funny Celt. He happened to be the best pyrothermologist in the world. He created new forms of dynamite and other fun things that go boom. I had a small box of his fist-sized bombs. A mere spark will ignite the chemical inside each glass ball, strong enough to blast through granite.”
“He gave them to you?” Zen suspected otherwise.
Enapay's eyes gave away the truth. “The Celt was as unstable as the bombs. I did the world a favor.”
Despite being stolen, Zen was relieved Enapay had them. He doubted that they could have escaped without the diversion. Maybe he and Toksu might have gotten away, but Cheng would have put a bullet through Neva's head.
Toksu led the others up to the helm deck. He looked down at a small wooden chest on the floor near his feet. “Did you use all of your bombs on the raiders?”
Enapay replied, “No. I have one left. Don't worry, I padded the box with straw.”
“I was worried Cheng's men were going to find you after our capture,” Zen said. “They knew about your airship and even searched for you.”
“It must have been my lucky day,” Enapay said. “I managed to fall asleep sometime after Toksu ran after you. A gunshot in the middle of the night woke me up, so I took to the air. I hoped you two would manage to stay alive long enough for a rescue. I flew back to the village to pick up reinforcements, and Ahak and Sike here are expert scouts. They went into the town to find out what had happened to you two.”
The shorter of the two warriors looked familiar, although his name escaped Zen's memory. The brave turned to Zen and said, “We saw you and Toksu bound and being taken from a prison, but you were too well guarded for us to help. We returned to Enapay's cloud-hugger to devise a plan.”
Enapay added, “When we approached the town, we noticed all of the raiders were concentrated in the main square.” He pointed to the wooden chest near Toksu's feet. “We decided to give you the opportunity to get away.”
Zen placed a hand on Enapay's shoulder. “I am grateful.”
“We have valuable information for Chief Ohitekah,” said Toksu. “Cheng has gotten his hands on Iberian cannons. Zen saw an entire storage building full.”
“So that's how he was planning to break through our walls,” Enapay said. “You said the cannons were kept in a storage building?”
Zen nodded.
“Was the building on the eastern edge of the village? The building was long. Its exterior walls were painted red?” Enapay's thick brows danced.
“Yes.”
Enapay pulled one corner of his mouth up into a wry grin. “We blew that up!”
“Cheng will be seeking revenge for this humiliation,” Toksu said. “We must prepare for his entire army this time.”
Neva waved her hand in front of Enapay's face. “I'm sorry to break up your war strategy meeting, and I do appreciate the ride, but I need out. I was tracking my son's captors westward, and I have to get back on the trail before it gets cold.”
The taller Nabeho warrior stepped forward. “We saw you duel. Impressive.”
She ignored the compliment and poked a finger into Enapay's chest. “You need to land this thing now.”
Enapay glared at her finger. “The raiders will give chase in their vehicles, and it would be cruel of me to land and just practically hand you over.” He slid his dark goggles up to look her square in the eyes. “Our village is not far from here, and it's protected by an impenetrable wall. Let's make sure the way is clear before you get back on the road.”
Toksu agreed with a grunt.
“You are injured.” Zen pointed to the dried blood on her right leg.
Neva shrugged her shoulders. “I'll live.” She closed her eyes, clinging to the brass railing. “Now let me out of here!” she screamed at Enapay.
“I'm not going to be responsible for your death,” he replied.
Zen took a step to get between them, but Neva's knees gave out. Before she fainted, she managed to throw a tight fist that connected with Enapay's temple with a smack. The pilot kept his hands on the steering wheel, but his sideways staggering made the Dragonfly jerk to the left before he regained control.
Neva tumbled onto the floor face down. her arms and legs sprawled out like a dead spider. Enapay rubbed his head and stared at her for a long time before saying, “I can't believe she punched me. Ungrateful wench.”
“She is weak.” Zen reached down to feel her pulse throbbing against her neck. “When she awakens, do you have water for her?”
Enapay looked as if he was going to spit. “I guess.”
Toksu motioned to the two tribesmen. “This is Ahak and Sike,” he said to Zen.
Zen noted Ahak was the taller one, and he finally recognized Sike from Porticus City. They greeted him with their traditional arm shakes.
“Where did you find her?” Enapay said, glancing at the unconscious woman.
“It is a long story,” Zen replied. “Neva is a warrior from Francia, and she seeks her abducted son.”
Zen felt his amulet coming to life, pulsing with rhythmic warmth that caught his attention. He assumed it had to do with the woman. Maybe Neva was here for a reason, and it would be only a matter of time until that reason would reveal itself.
Enapay said, “I've spent a little time in Francia. My mentor hailed from there, and I accompanied him to Parisii when he visited during their Rebellion.”
“Your mentor?” Zen asked.
“He was a great engineer and inventor. Lionel DePaul.” Enapay pulled his goggles down to cover his eyes. “I studied under him for ten years. He brought many of his designs to Francia in hopes of aiding the Rebel
lion against the occupation.”
Zen said, “DePaul sounds like an important man.”
Enapay gave a slight nod. “DePaul fled his homeland and settled in Agrios. He owned a workshop in Haven City, on the Eastern Seaboard. The Iberian Empire's foothold was expanding quickly throughout the northeast. I worked for him for ten years. One day when I came to the workshop, he was gone. His blueprints and works were missing too. That was a year ago.”
“This man is the one who inspired you to build the Dragonfly?” Zen asked.
“He did more than inspire me. The Dragonfly is based on DePaul's design. In Agrios, he stopped creating weapons. Some workers built mechanical prosthetics for injured soldiers, while others built new forms of transportation. In order to construct this airship, I recreated his blueprints from memory. I worked in other shops and utilized other creative methods to scrounge up enough parts to build her.”
Toksu rested his giant paw on Enapay's shoulder. “I'm glad you built this cloud-hugger. Otherwise, Cheng would have tortured and killed us.”
Zen's hand reached down and grasped for a belt that was not there. He let out an exasperated sigh and felt warm blood flush his face.
“What's wrong?” Enapay asked with a trace of a grimace.
“Cheng has my sidearms and family sword.” Zen kicked the side of the wooden hull. “They are irreplaceable.”
Enapay shrugged his shoulders. “So is your life. At least you have that.”
PUNGENT BLACK SMOKE STUNG CHENG'S eyes. His blood was as hot as the blazing-red embers crackling inside what remained of his storage building. The structure's charred skeleton mocked him. Out of the twenty Iberian Thunderbolt cannons he purchased from Geller, the initial report suggested only three were left intact.
Igor surveyed the damage and approached Cheng with considerable caution. His long face was smoke-blackened, which gave him a ghastly and pitiful expression. Igor didn't dare make eye contact when he finally spoke.
“Commander, two other storage rooms were burned to the ground. One empty bunkhouse is a complete loss, another one has smoke damage.” Igor paused. “Total losses are ten crates of auto rifles, twenty crates of ammunition, a third of a season's worth of provisions, and two roadsters.”
Cheng's jaw tightened; he felt the tension radiating to his forehead. “And...?”
Igor kept his eyes downwards. “Seventeen Thunderbolt cannons lost, along with ten crates of artillery shells.” The lieutenant shrugged his wide shoulders. “We did find half a crate of auto guns, forty clips, and empty drum magazines.”
Although Igor was a mountain of a man, he looked like a child about to cry.
“If you were the Nabeho, what would you be expecting?” asked Cheng, rubbing his temples.
“Commander?”
Cheng took a deep breath and relaxed his jaw muscles. “If you were the Nabeho, what kind of response would you anticipate coming your way after all of this?”
Igor looked up into the sky, as if searching for an answer written in the clouds. “I would expect retaliation.”
“Exactly. Full scale attack. Preparing for such an invasion would take me several days. Several bands of my men are still out in the Plains. It would take time to gather our resources.”
“Commander?” Igor looked uneasy, and that's how Cheng liked it.
Cheng crouched to grab a burned piece of lumber. “How can I smash the Nabeho wall now?” He kicked a pile of smoking ashes, using all of his strength to keep his composure. “This whole thing has been most embarrassing. Morale is low.”
Igor backed away.
“I underestimated that woman,” Cheng continued. “And that Nabeho airship. Again, I lacked foresight.” He hurled the charred wood into a burning pile of rubble. “The worst thing I can do now is to be predictable. Especially if the Nabeho are being advised by the boy from Nihon.”
“Yes, Commander,” said Igor with tight lips.
“How many men do we have here in Cheng City right now?”
Igor again looked up to the sky. “More than half of our total forces. About three hundred and fifty, Commander.”
“How many vehicles do we have?” Cheng asked him.
“We have thirty-one, including the vehicle the woman left behind. That makes it five roadsters and the rest are Iberian steam locomobiles. We also have about fifteen cab cars for the transport of men and supplies.” Igor stopped fidgeting. “Why, Commander?
This was setback upon setback. Instead of panic, Cheng felt liberated. He had relied on Xian military strategy since coming to Agrios, and it served him well. Now was the time to cast aside the last remnant of his heritage once and for all.
“Surprise will be my ally. We will strike tomorrow at dawn. The Nabeho will assume that I will take the time necessary to gather and prepare for a full invasion. Instead, we will strip two of the Iberian locomobiles of their metal armor and transfer them to one transport. We will build a battering ram on wheels and steamroll right through their iron gate. That is how we will breach their walls. Then we will flood their streets and kill every Nabeho we see.”
Igor shrugged. “The men inside that ramming vehicle will surely be killed. It is suicide, Commander. Our men are brave, and in fact most are crazy, but none of them have a death wish.”
“Lead by example,” Cheng whispered. “I am sure many of our men are questioning my leadership. I will pilot the locomobile and lead the attack.”
“Commander, I strongly recommend against this. Ramming through those gates means sure death,” said Igor.
“If I lead the charge, our men will follow,” Cheng said.
“You might not even get to their gate. They will know you're coming within several miles before reaching their walls,” Igor said with more persistence than he normally showed Cheng. “They have an airship. And bombs.”
Cheng looked Igor in the eyes. “Then you must make sure to add enough additional armor to my transport to withstand the rain of Nabeho bullets. Or anything else they may drop from the air.”
“Yes, Commander.”
An idea popped into Cheng's once-throbbing head. “Do you have the boy's weapons? His katana?”
“I do, Commander.”
“Bring them to my quarters when you are done with my locomobile.”
Cheng felt eager, almost giddy. However, Igor stood perfectly still, his deep-set eyes full of doubt.
“I have been humiliated in front of my own men,” said Cheng. “I will regain my honor by striking the first blow upon the Nabeho. Better to die with my honor than to live a coward.”
THE BREEZE HIGH ABOVE THE ground made Neva shiver. The Dragonfly began its descent, and she immediately noticed the wall surrounding the Nabeho city, visible even from afar. When Enapay turned a smaller wheel forward on the right side of the helm, she felt the airship's nose lower. She held onto the railing tightly and willed her quivering stomach to settle. Enapay took hold of a glowing lantern and hung it on a post near his head. The lantern had small, vertical metal slats on its brass casing, and Enapay turned a small knob on top to open and close the shutters in rapid patterns.
Somewhere along the wall, a light flickered from a tall tower in reply. With expert maneuvers, Enapay guided the airship over the wall and towards a clearing. The village was made up of small, round homes, and in the center, a domed building made of stone got Neva's attention.
Neva was nervous about meeting more of the Nabeho people, as she had been told to be wary of these savages. She looked at Toksu, and his appearance embodied the monstrous and fierce native stereotype. The giant, however, had shown sincerity and intelligence in the little time she'd spent with him. She hoped the rest of his people were like him.
“I know all you want to do is to search for your son, but this is for the best,” Enapay said, his dark eyes sympathetic. “As soon as we can be sure you're able to avoid the raiders, you can continue your hunt.”
Neva's stomach growled out of anger and because it had been two days without a pr
oper meal. “Sorry for punching you, but I don't know how I'm going to track them now. My car is still back at the Oraibi village, along with all of my other belongings.”
“We will provide you with whatever we have to assist you,” Toksu said. “Including a vehicle.”
Neva felt her belly flutter again when Enapay landed the airship. The two propellers at the front of the metal cylinders above them changed angles, becoming horizontal. Enapay was busy at the controls, bringing the craft lower until it finally landed perfectly within the walls with a soft thud onto the dirt.
“I'm thankful for all your kindness, although I'm wondering why people would assist a complete stranger,” Neva said.
Toksu said, “The bond between mother and child is sacred to our people.”
She allowed herself to smile.
It was hard to trust again. She studied Zen, still wondering what the foreign youngster was doing with the Nabeho. He caught her stare and opened the airship's door.
“I hope you are hungry,” Zen whispered to her. “The Nabeho way also includes feeding you until you swear you shall never eat again.”
A small group of natives holding gas lanterns approached the airship. The man leading them looked like their chief. The others were careful to not step past him, and despite his obvious old age, the leader looked strong.
While exiting the Dragonfly, she heard her stomach rumble again.
The Zen and his companions stepped off the airship, and Enapay led the introductions. “This is Chief Ohitekah, leader of the three Nabeho bands in his village,” he said to her.
Neva was unsure how to greet the chief, so she simply bowed her head. Ohitekah returned the gesture.
“Chief, this is Neva. She comes from across the Atlantica Sea, from Francia,” Enapay continued.
Ohitekah smiled, his once stone face cracking with friendly lines. “I welcome you, Neva of Francia.” He nodded a greeting towards Zen. “It seems Enapay is making it a habit of bringing foreign visitors to our village. When he returned before sunrise to collect Sike and Ahak, we knew something had gone wrong with your mission.”