took a sharp breath. “There are cliffs to the west, and a stone breakwater…” Tremaine translated his description hurriedly.
Averi listened, the creases across his forehead deepening. “You want to attempt an attack with our forward gun?” he asked Marais, not bothering to keep the incredulity out of his tone.
The weapon mounted on the Ravenna ’s bow deck was an antiairship artillery piece. Tremaine tried unsuccessfully to visualize it, wondering if it could even be used to shoot at something in the water.
Marais’s face set in an even grimmer expression, though it seemed he was getting his way. “If we can lure the Gardier out into open water, we won’t need the gun.” He glanced at Delphane, saying with pronounced irony, “You may find, Count, that size—and speed—do matter a great deal.”
Delphane shook his head slowly. He seemed weary now that he had lost the argument. “I don’t want to leave a potential ally’s city to a Gardier attack any more than you do, gentlemen. But I hope your decision doesn’t kill all of us.”
G erard and Niles hurried away to get their supplies for the sorcery, Ander and Averi to organize a small military force to land and search for any Gardier left trapped on-shore. Marais had more questions for Tremaine to translate for Ilias, then let them both go.
Out in the corridor, officers and crew sped past them, dashing in and out of doorways, yelling commands and questions at one another. Tremaine was impressed with Captain Marais; he was obviously an intelligent man, and the pressure and his nerves had wound him up like a top. She headed for the stairs just to get out of the way, but Ilias caught her arm. “But how soon can we get there?” he asked her, throwing a worried glance back into the chartroom. He looked just short of frantic. “I know we left the island heading east, but where are we now?”
The captain had said full speed, and Tremaine knew that as a passenger liner the Ravenna had been criticized for barreling along at twenty knots in the dark and fog, and thirty knots in and out of crowded ports. But there was no way to translate that into Syrnaic. She met his eyes and said deliberately, “This ship is very fast.”
He nodded, though he didn’t seem much reassured.
“We need to see what’s happening,” Tremaine said to herself. An officer, fresh-faced and surely younger than Florian, bolted past them. Tremaine managed to snag his sleeve. “Excuse me! Do you know where Gerard is, or Niles? The Viller Institute sorcerers?”
Startled, he halted, looking from her to Ilias. But she could see he was thinking that if they were up here in the wheelhouse, they must be Somebody. “They’re on the cable deck. You can follow me, I’m going there now.”
Following the man down the forward stairs, Tremaine found herself wondering how Count Delphane, Lady Aviler and other important personages like the Solicitor General had ended up on the Ravenna . Delphane in particular was a High Cabinet minister; he should have gone to Parscia with the government-in-exile and the royal family. There was only one reason she could think of to account for the presence of such high government officials.
They left the forward stairs to thread back through a Third Class area and reach a passenger stairwell, taking it to the landing that opened into the forward end of the now uninhabited main hall. The officer left the stairs, saying, “This way, it’s quicker.” He led them down a passage toward a set of padded leather doors with bronze fittings. He fumbled in his pocket for a set of keys and unlocked them, revealing a room like a big dark cavern. As the man hooked one door so it would stay open, Tremaine fumbled for the light switches on the wall.
As she pressed the first button, small indirect incandescents over a long ebony bar sprang to life, casting light down on leaping dancers in a wall mural above the empty bottle racks. The young officer said
Averi listened, the creases across his forehead deepening. “You want to attempt an attack with our forward gun?” he asked Marais, not bothering to keep the incredulity out of his tone.
The weapon mounted on the Ravenna ’s bow deck was an antiairship artillery piece. Tremaine tried unsuccessfully to visualize it, wondering if it could even be used to shoot at something in the water.
Marais’s face set in an even grimmer expression, though it seemed he was getting his way. “If we can lure the Gardier out into open water, we won’t need the gun.” He glanced at Delphane, saying with pronounced irony, “You may find, Count, that size—and speed—do matter a great deal.”
Delphane shook his head slowly. He seemed weary now that he had lost the argument. “I don’t want to leave a potential ally’s city to a Gardier attack any more than you do, gentlemen. But I hope your decision doesn’t kill all of us.”
G erard and Niles hurried away to get their supplies for the sorcery, Ander and Averi to organize a small military force to land and search for any Gardier left trapped on-shore. Marais had more questions for Tremaine to translate for Ilias, then let them both go.
Out in the corridor, officers and crew sped past them, dashing in and out of doorways, yelling commands and questions at one another. Tremaine was impressed with Captain Marais; he was obviously an intelligent man, and the pressure and his nerves had wound him up like a top. She headed for the stairs just to get out of the way, but Ilias caught her arm. “But how soon can we get there?” he asked her, throwing a worried glance back into the chartroom. He looked just short of frantic. “I know we left the island heading east, but where are we now?”
The captain had said full speed, and Tremaine knew that as a passenger liner the Ravenna had been criticized for barreling along at twenty knots in the dark and fog, and thirty knots in and out of crowded ports. But there was no way to translate that into Syrnaic. She met his eyes and said deliberately, “This ship is very fast.”
He nodded, though he didn’t seem much reassured.
“We need to see what’s happening,” Tremaine said to herself. An officer, fresh-faced and surely younger than Florian, bolted past them. Tremaine managed to snag his sleeve. “Excuse me! Do you know where Gerard is, or Niles? The Viller Institute sorcerers?”
Startled, he halted, looking from her to Ilias. But she could see he was thinking that if they were up here in the wheelhouse, they must be Somebody. “They’re on the cable deck. You can follow me, I’m going there now.”
Following the man down the forward stairs, Tremaine found herself wondering how Count Delphane, Lady Aviler and other important personages like the Solicitor General had ended up on the Ravenna . Delphane in particular was a High Cabinet minister; he should have gone to Parscia with the government-in-exile and the royal family. There was only one reason she could think of to account for the presence of such high government officials.
They left the forward stairs to thread back through a Third Class area and reach a passenger stairwell, taking it to the landing that opened into the forward end of the now uninhabited main hall. The officer left the stairs, saying, “This way, it’s quicker.” He led them down a passage toward a set of padded leather doors with bronze fittings. He fumbled in his pocket for a set of keys and unlocked them, revealing a room like a big dark cavern. As the man hooked one door so it would stay open, Tremaine fumbled for the light switches on the wall.
As she pressed the first button, small indirect incandescents over a long ebony bar sprang to life, casting light down on leaping dancers in a wall mural above the empty bottle racks. The young officer said
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