Chapter Twelve - The First Crystal
Felix crash landed on the top deck of the Elemental Star sprawling face first onto the hard wooden hull.
"Ow…" He mumbled before pulling himself up and moving away from the streamer looking nervously back up to the castle following Talim's gaze.
A moment later he heard a scream and Cassandra came flying down the streamer her face a mask of terror but she held on to the hanger, her fists clenched white, she let go just before the streamer reached the airship tower on which it was attached and sprawled to the deck in a way not all that dissimilar to Felix's own landing.
"Ne..never ever make me do something like that again…" Cassandra groaned as Felix moved forwards and offered her hand which she took, standing and shivering next to him as they looked up again to see Hurin zip-wiring down smoothly before dropping to the deck of the ship and grinning back up to the castle. "Nothing to it!" He laughed.
Felix frowned, Hurin usually seemed so aloft and grim, now he actually seemed to be enjoying himself, the thrill of life or death, a gasp from Talim silenced his thoughts as he looked back up at the far off castle window.
The large bodied Brimshare knight that had so determinedly pursued them had leapt from the window using his metal gauntlets to zip-wire down the streamer. The rope sagged and Felix saw the castle end give way and the streamer turned into a swinging vine.
They all watched as the knight smashed into the lower decks of the airship, the ship shuddered slightly, Felix wondered if he was dead.
"Come we must persue the princess." Talim said her eyes fixed with determination. "This play has gone drastically always, even now I suspect we will have the Brimshare army converging on us in moments. "Felix you and Cassandra will go to the bridge and inform Captain James that he must make an emergency take-off right now or as soon as the play has finished. Myself and Hurin will find the princess, get the crystal and put her back in Brimshare without any harm, hopefully before we take off."
"The last thing we want is for us to kidnap a princess." Felix agreed. "Come on Cassandra, lets go!" She nodded, the colour having returned to her face as Felix pointed towards the central bridge tower rising up on the ship. "There should be an entrance over there, good luck to you, Talim, Hurin!"
"And to you!" Talim agreed as she and Hurin broke into a sprint away, towards the open hatch the princess must have used, seeking to hide deep within the ship or escape to Brimshare soil.
"Come on!" Cassandra urged and the two of them took off, sprinting towards the illuminated bridge.
"Highness!" Helen sprinted into the throne room. "The princess has been kidnapped by a group and taken to the Elemental Star theatre ship; I believe they plan to take off as soon as the play is over."
"What!" The queen's stern face snapped into an expression of disgust and rage. "That silly girl, she still must have the Brimshare royal crystal?"
"Ye…yes highness." Helen replied, stunned at the queens expression. "Forgive me highness but we should be worrying about your daughter, not some crystal which can be easily replaced."
"Guard your tongue!!!" The queen bellowed so loudly that Helen was sure the audience far below the castle watching the colourful play couldn't fail to overhear, spittle flew from the queens pressed lips. "The crystal is of utmost importance to Brimshare, now go! Rally the knights, ready the Brimshare castle defences stop them, stop them now!"
"I will your highness!" Helen saluted and dashed off at a run leaving the queen to seethe behind her.
Sara was lost deep in the confines of the theatre ship.
She had run as fast and as hard as she could down corridors, down stairs as fast as she could and still couldn't find any crew to help her or aid her! She turned looking back down the dark silent passageway; at least she seemed to have lost her assailants.
Now she just needed to find somewhere to hide and wait for the play to finish, once it was over the ships crew would return and they would restore her to her mother, and Galamore must already be on his way with the knights of Brimshare, yes, that was what she must do.
She dashed off again, opened a random door, a storehouse of sorts, closed the door and moved into the corner of the room and hid.
"James!" Felix shouted running onto the bridge to see the burly man standing near several other crew men looking nervous.
"You!!!" The big man closed the distance in a second and lifted up Felix by the neck with two massive hands squeezing ominously. "What have you done to my ship!?"
Felix gagged under the mans strength. "Let him go now!" Cassandra dashed forwards grabbing one of the captain's arms. "He can't breath!"
James released Felix and took a deep breath in, his faces colour returning to normal somewhat. "Now tell me, what's gone wrong, the plays nearly finished, final act."
"Things have gone wrong, the princess in an effort to escape has attempted to hide on the ship, Hurin and Talim are finding her now, going to take the crystal from her and put her off the ship, they say you need to take off immediately, the Brimshare army is on the way!!!"
"Oh you are fracking kidding me!?" James shaking his head in disbelief. "How did she get over here….oh never mind, I'll choose an unhappy audience over the hangman's noose any-day. Engine room!" He roared down a nearby speaker tube. "Get the engines online, warm them up and prepare for take-off right now!
He ran back to the large windows of the airship and looked down, Felix and Cassandra moved to stand next to him. Below the play was concluding, the actors were in the last act, the orchestra was playing its last moving piece, all of Brimshare watched on, completely oblivious to the real drama taking place around them.
"There!" Felix shouted pointing drawing James and Cassandra's eyes to what he'd seen.
To the far side of the stockade of seats a group of three or four score armoured knights were coming out of the castle gatehouse led by a female knight with long blond hair, she was pointing at the airship and her lips were moving as she barked orders to the men, some of the audience noticed them approaching.
"We are so out of here!" James shouted as Felix looked out across the ship as its powerful array of rotor arrays started up, spinning faster and faster.
The audience noticed it and so did the performers on the ship, Felix heard the music from the orchestra faltered.
"They know what's going on." James assured Felix. "They know if knights are approaching and the ships engines have started to get below and ready for take off." And indeed the theatre stage was becoming abandoned as actors and musicians scrambled away.
"Close the front hatch!" James shouted to a nearby crewman, who sat at an array of leavers and switches, he pulled several instantly.
Helen strode past the crowd with a score of Brimshares best armoured knights at her back, the other groups were already moving to surround the ship, preventing any escape routes out.
The massive crowd of common people, lords and ladies were rising to their feet to watch, or if they hadn't noticed the armoured men to boo as the stage became deserted as the actors ran for it, so the ship had to be a part of this then, just as Galamore suspected Helen mused. "Men!" She ordered to the ones at her back. "We're going straight up the stage!" She charged forwards across the grass in front of the audience just as ahead there was a sight of released pistons and tensions and the front of the ship, that had been lifted up for the performance dropped down concealing the stage.
Above the rotors of the ship were already roaring to life and Helen had to shield her eyes from the dust thrown up from the ground as the audience screamed in confusion as they were battered by the rushing air.
Right in front of Helens gaze the ship began to lift up in the sky, out of Helens and her knights reach, she could only watch in despair as the massive theatre ship rose into the air above the stage and began to turn slowly, pointing back out of the city.
They were going to get away!
"Alright!" Felix watched as James chewed his lower lip nervously. "Turn the ship one-eighty, head straight out of here for Evendale forest; they have no airships with which to pursue us, if we take the land route we can escape free."
Felix looked down at the chaos below them, the audience was streaming out of their seating and running for the cover of the city, the armoured knights of Brimshare could only watch in dismay as the ship lifted away.
"I hope that Hurin and Talim found your princess." James turned back to Felix looking him in the eye. "She better be back on the ground with not a hair out of place."
"I'm sure they managed." Felix replied then suddenly he noticed movement in the castle. "James! Look!"
Panels were moving aside on the castle to reveal massive static cannons, the huge guns on the castle towers were being hastily wheeled around to bear on the still rising Elemental Star, someone on a castle balcony was waving a massive red and white speckled flag.
"Don't worry…" James murmured. "They wouldn't fire on us, not while we're right above the city and there's the threat of the princess being on board, they wouldn't dare…"
"Fire, Fire, FIRE!" Viola screeched waving and gesturing wildly to the tower cannons and then pointing with one clenched fist at the pivoting theatre ship.
The Elemental Star had just completed its turn and was beginning to accelerate away from the castle where the first castle cannon fired.
The massive cannonball smashed into one of the port rotor towers and exploded spectacularly. The tower fragmented into a thousand fiery shards that rained down on the top decks of the Elemental Star, the rotor dropped from the ship and smashed into a house below the ship, crushing it completely.
James himself span the wheel wildly to compensate. "Don't just stand there!" He shouted back to the dumbfounded Felix and Cassandra. "Go out on deck and put out the flames before they spread!"
"Come on Cassandra!" Felix shouted to her as they darted out of the bridge and down the winding staircase out onto the ships deck.
Smoke filled the air as Felix dashed too the nearest small fire that had been started by the wooden fragments, running up to it he stamped it out with his boots.
Suddenly he heard another clap of thunder and he turned to see clouds of smoke rising from across the castle and suddenly there were crashes and explosions all around. The Elemental Star heaved like a wounded beast, the wood screamed as several more towers exploded and at the back of the ship a whole section of hull fell away, crashing down on the city.
"Ah there you are knave!!!" A call rang across the deck and Felix turned in time to see the knight stride up out of an open hatchway. His once immaculate armour was scarred and dented, his sword (that was clearly ceremonial) had dints in it but he raised it nevertheless, his proud face filled with determination. "Where is the princess hidden!? Speak and you may yet live!"
"We don't know!" Cassandra answered moving next to Felix, her face fearful due to the smoke and flames all around but the Elemental Star was continuing to put distance between the castle and itself despite the volley of cannonballs on the ship.
"Then you must pay the price!" The knight shouted feverishly. "I Sir Galamore Artoir of House Atones shall dispatch of you!" He raised his dinted sword and charged Felix and Cassandra yelling a war cry of sorts "FOR THE PRINCESS!"
Felix bodily pushed Cassandra aside and stood his ground, running his thoughts and emotions through him, trying to build up power inside himself like he had done earlier…but nothing happened.
Galamore raised his sword high in the air, the steel flickered with the reflected flames from the burning airships tower and Felix desperatly flung himself to the left, the sword cutting through the air where he had been standing a moment ago.
Suddenly the ship heaved again as another cannonball hit the ships stern causing the theatre ship to list to starboard somewhat and Galamore, unused to airships it seemed tumbled to the ships deck, dropping his sword in the process.
Cassandra leaped and crossed over to the heavy broadsword in an instant before Galamore could get back up, she reached down and picked it up with both hands and attempted to grasp it effectively but the weapon was too big and heavy for her to easily hold.
"Unhand that weapon!" Galamore cried coming to his feet but then another rumble shook the ship and Felix heard an explosion and he managed to turn to see another of the ships towers explode into fire and smoke, the propeller dropping down to the forest below.
He then realised that the ship had cleared the city and they were no longer under castle cannon fire, however the damage had been done.
Several of the theatre ships tower propellers were gone, smoking ruins remained where they had once risen and fires were spreading here and there across the ship, black smoke trailed behind them, Felix knew under them the crew would be fighting to save the Elemental Star.
The ship shuddered and Felix felt it begin to loose altitude, drifting lower and lower towards the dark forest, illuminated only by the red moon and the fires burning on the ship, the lights of Brimshare already distant behind them.
"I said unhand that weapon!!" Galamore bellowed again moving somewhat closer to Cassandra who took a step back towards the edge of the ships deck, Felix rolled up towards her to stand and face the knight who steadily edged forwards another step.
Suddenly the Elemental Star lurched again and Felix felt the deck shuddered and suddenly black smoke rose up through the wooden panels under him, a fire must be burning below him weakening the wooden struts!
Suddenly Felix heard a cry and turned just in time to see Galamore throw himself at them, Cassandra in her haste dropped the sword and leapt to the side with Felix just avoiding the knight as he came crashing down, grabbing the sword triumphantly and turning to face them. "Ah-ha now you shall taste the steel of I, Sir Galamore Artoir of…"
The wooden deck underneath them collapsed.
The airship flew lower and lower, the dark forest rose up to brush against the wooden hull in anticipation, the Elemental Star heaved one last time, lifting somewhat into the sky again before with a groaning of stressed wood the ship dropped again smashing into the trees.
Trees were flattered instantly as the ship hammered into the ground, everyone aboard the Elemental Star dropped to the ground as the vibrations jarred the ship mercilessly flinging anything that wasn't locked down every which way.
A chain of explosions suddenly ran through the ship as the engines in the depths of the theatre ship ignited, causing several crewmen to die instantly. The Elemental Star moaned as protruding towers snapped clean off the hull, being left behind in the long black scar the ship left in its wake through the forest.
Finally what remained of the Elemental Star came to a shuddering stop as fires began to burn freely across what remained of the hull, behind the ship a canyon of destroyed trees extended almost a league into the distance, the devastation was hidden by the complete blackness of night and the howling of unearthly creatures throughout the forest as they heard the sounds of the ships arrival.
The arrival of prey.
At the top of the Crystal Tower rising up out of the centre of Brimshare Castle allowing spectacular views of the city Queen Viola Lighby looked briefly down at the trail of destruction that had been left through the city by the airships escape.
"Fires have spread through much of sector three and four of the city." General Helen was busy relaying the damage assessment. "Several castle cannonballs impacted in areas along the west side of the city, fourteen people have been reported dead, we were lucky, if there had been no play the death toll could have been much higher. As it is we have to find some way of housing a hundred or so people whose houses have been destroyed…"
"Details, details!" Viola snapped back turning away from the view of the city. "If there had been no theatre performance then the princess would never have been kidnapped, not only that but the Brimshare crystal has been taken with her as well."
"Highness…it is your daughter we should be more concerned for." Helen carefully replied. "The royal crystal is but a symbol, another can be easily made, the princess is however irreplaceable."
"The theatre ship could not have flown far…" Viola mused. "They were badly damaged by our cannon fire; they will most likely have crashed in Evendale Forest, they could already all be dead."
Helen searched the queens face, finding it utterly devoid of emotion, was this to hide the pain she felt at her daughters kidnap?…if it wasn't…"I shall deploy my best troops with sunrise tomorrow." Helen announced aloud. "I will lead them myself, the forest is a dark place that should not be treated lightly, things hide out in there that are best left alone."
"Exactly" Viola replied looking up at her general. "You are to do nothing; Professor Gast will be handling this."
"Professor Gast?" Helen replied steadily again searching the queens face. "How can he help the princess?"
"That is for you to find out tomorrow." Viola replied. "General its time you find out what's at stake, the importance of the royal crystal, our plans for the future, I will tell you everything tomorrow. Trust in your queen, if the girl is still alive Gast will find her."
"Very well highness." Helen saluted with one hand. "I will return on the morrow."
"Good." Viola moved and sat down in one of the quilt sofas facing inwards away from the massive glass windows. "Gast should be waiting outside, let him in on the way out please."
"Highness" Helen bowed and moved towards the door, opened it and moved out, a moment later a tall yet thin man with a messy mop of black hair walked in. He was dressed in the white robes of the Brimshare royal science advisor, a pair of glass lenses rested atop a long nose that hid hyper intelligent black eyes that were always twitching and in motion.
"Ah professor Gast how good of you to join me." The queen welcomed him in motioning the man towards an opposite sofa. "Please take a seat."
Gast moved and (somewhat awkwardly) sat down facing the queen. "My highness." He said in that strangely high pitched voice of his. "Which of my services do you require?
"I want you to take the three processed prototypes you have in the castle and send them into Evendale Forest to retrieve the royal crystal of Brimshare that is worn around the princess's neck; also they are to return her to me alive by any means necessary."
"I see my queen." Gast bowed in his chair nibbling a nail with dirty yellow teeth which was a clear indication that he was thinking. "And the others? The kidnappers?"
"Terminate them." Viola nodded. "They will have no chance against the prototypes is that not right?"
"Indeed." Gast nodded eagerly. "The prototypes are more powerful then the batch we are producing they are somewhat errrrr short-lived and unpredictable."
"So long as they complete the mission I am pleased." Viola stood indicating the audience was at an end. "Go, deploy the prototypes as soon as you can, I will not let this interfere with our mission, I am meeting with General Helen tomorrow and our fleet will be departing in two days, nothing can stop us now, not even the loss of the royal crystal will deter me."
"Very well my queen." Gast stood and moved to the door. "I shall deploy them now." The door shut smoothly behind him as the professor moved out of the room.
Viola turned to move back to the expansive windows lining the room and looked down on Brimshare again. "I must have the crystal back…" She muttered under her breath. "I will have it back, if the forest does not yield it up then the processed surely will…and then with 'his' help all the powers of the Icecrown summon will be mine!"
Throwing her head back she laughed her madness into the black night
End of Part One, Book One