The
Wreck of the Aetherwing
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James
Dewitt
I stood waiting with two others in the echoing
halls of the immense Docking Bay on the 765th
Level of the Great Redoubt. Foremost among us was
Ybramm, Guild Master of the Aerarchs. He stood
with his massive forearms folded, and a dour
expression on his face. A neat beard was
cultivated in an archaic style about the fringe of
his jaw, but he was otherwise as bald as a
polished geode. Near him stood a tall lady:
Kerruwen she was called, and she wore the
trappings of the Watch. Her Rank Badges showed she
was Mistress of those Watchmen who warded the
Docking Bay. Her beauty was as great as her temper
was legended to be when she was not implicitly
obeyed. Neither of these august personages deigned
to acknowledge my presence, Monstruwacan though I
was.
My belongings were neatly piled behind me:
various instruments of my Order, devices to record
findings and sightings, my Armor and armor-suit in
its case, and my Diskos. Looking at that dreadful
weapon I felt a slight shudder, partly of
anticipation and partly of anxiety. I was
Prepared, and I was going Out. Out, and in a
Sky-Ship. This had been one of my dearest wishes
since boyhood, and now, at the age of
twenty-seven, it was to be fulfilled. I would be a
crewman and Monstruwacan not merely on a Sky-Ship,
but upon the most renowned of the fleet, the Aetherwing.
I stood in silence, rubbing absently at the
still-tender spot on my left inner forearm, the
site of my recent endowment of the Capsule that I
would bite in the event of misadventure that might
lead to Soul-death, the Capsule that when bitten
would swiftly release toxins potent enough to end
my life before some monstrous Outer Power could
slay my soul. My musings were interrupted by the
monstrous blare of the Home-Call. Kerruwen stood
at the control podium and held her alabaster
finger down on the Call button. Her exquisite
features were marked by a pinched look of supreme
annoyance.
Glancing through the great Dock window, my breath
caught at sight of the object of Kerruwen’s
tension. The Aetherwing hovered aloft just
beyond the barrier that is the
Air-Clog. Despite repeated attempts at
contact, it had refused to initiate communication
or docking procedures, and hung motionlessly
silhouetted against our dull, dying red sun.
“Ybramm! Master Aerarch,” Kerruwen urgently
addressed the stony and impassive form of the
Guild Master of the Sky-Kings. “What have I done
to be cursed with this? Your man there is as
intractable a brute as any Giant of the Kilns!
Does he intentionally disrespect port protocol? If
his actions be not mere contrariness, we must
assume that matters are terribly amiss on the
ship.”
Ybramm answered her without turning. His voice
had the quality of stones being ground in the
polishing engines of the Geologists. “Jette is the
finest Aerarch of all in my care. His methods are
at times unorthodox, and yet he has accomplished
more in our service than any of the others. Need I
remind you of the rare plants he procured at
terrible risk from the Valley of the Hounds?
Plants that our Doctors and Herbalists have used
to devise wondrous medicines? And what of his
selfless and brilliant rescue of the survey group
that was beset by the Silent Ones themselves?
Cultivate patience, Mistress. If aught was amiss
in fashion beyond rectification, Jette would send
word.” In an admonitory tone, Ybramm added “He is
no fool, Lady.”
Kerruwen’s obsidian eyes blazed, and her hair
seemed to flow about her like the wreath of some
battle-goddess stooping upon her prey. Her mouth
opened to deliver a scathing retort when the air
itself throbbed about us with the beating of the
Master-Word, sent from the brain-elements of all
hands of the great ship.
Kerruwen’s mouth snapped shut, and she worked the
controls that opened the Air-clog and the great
bay doors. I noticed a small smile on the lips of
Aerarch Ybramm. The great doors slid open, and the
Aetherwing glided home.
I looked on wide-eyed. The Aetherwing!
She was huge, the largest class of all the
Flying-Ships. Her hull was crafted of the wondrous
gray metal of the Redoubt, but constant infusions
of the Current that powered her gave the metal a
liquid, gleaming quality. In shape, she was
fashioned in the form of a vast trilobite, with
many great windows along the sides and underneath
for viewing the Land and skies about. Her great
search-lamps were now hooded, and her armaments
withdrawn.
My nervousness increased. I was about to meet
Jette. He was without doubt the most popular Hero
of our day. Jette, the darling of the hour-slips,
the most famed of the Aerarchs. I knew every story
of his exploits--and they were many--and
Monstruwacan though I was, and due a measure of
respect of my own, I was yet young, and almost
giddy at the prospect of meeting this mighty man.
The Ship settled into its cradle. The doors
opened, and the crew disembarked. Down the ramp
strode Jette himself. Just short of
his middle-years, he was tall, lean of waist, and
great of chest and shoulder. His hair was long,
thick and flowed in a pale queue down his back.
His gray armor showed signs of battle, and his
Aerarch’s Lenses were down about his neck. He wore
a woven band of blue about his brow, and his smile
was wide, glad, and dazzling. “My friends! My
Crew! Home again are we, back in the loving
embrace of Mother Redoubt! Give thanks, dear
friends!” His voice was clear and ringing.
He strode first to Master Ybramm, and clasped a
hand to his heart. He bowed his head and spoke in
a formal tone. “Master Aerarch: good it is to
stand upon my two feet in your presence again. I
have missives from our distant kin in the Far
Pyramid.” He then turned to the tight-lipped
Kerruwen, and spoke less formally “ Dear Lady, I
thank you for receiving my ship into your care.
Any journey, no matter how peril-fraught, is worth
all the dangers of gathering Dusk merely to see
your lovely smile at my safe return.” Jette
concluded his greeting with a deep and
ostentatious bow. As he rose, he removed the blue
band from his brow and gently placed it in
Kerruwen’s waiting hand.
Kerruwen gripped the band in clenched fist. Her
eyes glittered dangerously. “Tell me then, Jette,
why I was made to wait three hours for you to
finally deign to enter the Docks?"
Jette’s face clouded with a momentary grief. “Our
journey was not wholly without incident, Mistress
Kerruwen. As you no doubt already know, we were
alerted by the Monstruwacans of strange phenomena
concerning the Towers to our southwest. It would
appear great and unknown forces are at work there.
By some artifice, the Towers have been built upon.
Great walls are now in place where none have ever
been, spanning the spaces between the three
Towers. Moreover, the Pit of Red Smoke has issued
forth such a cloud of fume that nothing of this
could be seen from the Tower of Observation. Our
instruments showed no apparent danger, nor did the
Night-Hearing. Monstruwacan Teslarchus relayed
this to his brethren here, and it was decided that
we cautiously investigate this new structure.”
As he spoke, I noted two crewmen bearing a bier
down the ramp. I approached Jette, as did Master
Ybramm.
“ We sent down a Glider. As we approached, dark
shapes leapt with dizzying speed from the
battlements of the newly fortified Towers, and
were among us. My men fought valiantly, and we
cleared them from our craft after a mighty battle.
Four of mine were…taken. Their cries were hideous
to hear, and I fear that they have been bereft of
their Spirits. Teslarchus cried out, and I saw one
of these abominations had extended an obscenely
fluid limb into his breast. His Spirit, at least,
was preserved. We are now without a Monstruwacan,
and I have lost a dear and brave friend. The
Monstruwacans must be told; Teslarchus deserves
much honor as he is consigned to the Current.”
Clearing my throat, I spoke up. “ Aerarch, I am
sent from the Tower of Observation with the
following message: ‘Hail, and well met, First
Aerarch Jette of the Aetherwing. We are
aware of the fall of our noble and well-loved
Brother, Teslarchus. Our thanks to you for bearing
his body Home. I, Master Monstruwacan Tiberuus,
send you this Brother to join your crew. Armitari
is yet young, but his Spirit is bright, and
neither his skill nor knowledge of our Order’s
arts is lacking. May he serve you and your crew as
loyally and well as he ever has our own Order.’ “
Jette glanced at me, as if just noting my
presence. “Ho! A young Monstruwacan! I am
gladdened to know that the tradition between our
great Orders shall continue!” Striding forward,
Jette gripped my hand and forearm in an iron
clasp. “ You are called Armitari, my new advisor?”
“Sir, I am Monstruwacan Armitari. I am Prepared.
I shall journey the winds of Twilight with you.”
Jette nodded. “Bravely said, friend Armitari.
Come: there is something you must
see.” He led me to the bier, and gently
pulled back the cloak obscuring my fallen fellow
Monstruwacan’s face. Seeing it, I gasped. The head
and shoulders of the corpse were cloven and burnt.
Noting my dismay, Jette continued in tones of
gentility and utmost respect. “Teslarchus was a
true friend and brave ally in peace and battle. He
and I have served together for many years, and
could I have surrendered my own life to save his,
it would have been done. His straits at the end
though, they were such that the soul-death was
upon him and he could not bite the Capsule. In
mercy, in friendship, my Diskos ransomed his
Spirit. Know this, young Armitari: for you, I
would do the same. That is my troth. And I am in
hope that for me you would do likewise, if a
situation ever warranted such. This is the way of
things for those of us that journey Outside. Now,
stow your gear upon the craft. You will find
Teslarchus’ old chambers readily enough.”
Somewhat shaken, I turned to gather my things. As
I began loading my equipment aboard the mighty
craft, Jette called up to me.
“Monstruwacan Armitari! Hail, and well-met.
Welcome to the Aetherwing!”
*************
Despite Aerarch Jette’s flamboyant welcome, we
were not to depart for a full five days. Much has
to be done to prepare a Sky-ship for a sojourn in
the Land, for no Aerarch--even one of skill as
renowned as Jette-- could vouchsafe what might
befall to delay a return Home.
In the days before we were to soar Out into the
dim skies of the Valley, I acquainted myself with
the ways of the wondrous ship. I was shown the
Observation decks, the Command deck, the sleeping
quarters, the Bombardier stations, and so much
more that my head spun with the surfeit of new
learning. Most importantly, I met many of the
Aerarch crewmen and the Watch assigned to the
ship. Despite my youth and inexperience, these
brave men of the ship welcomed me good-naturedly
as a new brother.
Jette himself was seen little during these days.
Other than a few brief glances at Teslarchus’
Ceremony of Return, I had no contact with him at
all. I was, however, taken under the wing of his
Second, the seasoned Second Aerarch Lido. During
our tour of the ship, which Lido knew as he knew
the grip of his Diskos, I was shown the proud
vessel’s radiant heart. “This, lad, is what allows
us to rule the skies. This is what makes us-- what
allows us to be-- Aerarch.” the inveterate Lido
proudly told me as he revealed to me the
Current-chamber.
Like a great gleaming orb it was: fashioned of
the wondrous metal orichalcum. Within the orb’s
confines was stored a vast amount of the Current
itself. It was from here that the Current was
directed to various devices and workings of the
ship. The amount of the Current required allowing
flight alone, as well as powering the various
instrumentation and weaponry for one of the Great
Ships was staggering. As I looked in awe, Lido
showed me the instruments used to measure and
regulate the amount of Current and its rate of
expenditure.
I was also selected to assist Lido in delivering
the crew’s Diskoi to Kerruwen for transport to the
nearest Charge Master. That fierce Lady paid
little heed to me; fortunately, Lido was her
uncle, of whom she was very fond--far fonder of
him than she was of Jette, as I soon learned.
It was from conversations between the these two
that I discovered the reason for Jette’s delay in
docking.
“Founder’s Bones, Lido, I do think that man
seizes any opportunity to irk me. I know he sees
women as mere playthings, and the idea of obeying
me chafes him. Even now I can see his mocking
smile in my inner eye.”
“No, Lady. I think perhaps you do not know him so
well as you think. Jette is what he is. He knows
the necessity of law and rule. Even so, his Spirit
is wild and free like one of the great birds
spoken of from the Days of Light. He must do as he
will do. He means no disrespect, even and
especially to you. He himself has said that it is
a great shame you, being a woman, are obliged to
never leave the Redoubt. He also says that in
battle, you would be the match of any three men
one cared to name.” With a wry twist of her mouth
and arched eyebrow, Kerruwen replied “Slanderous
lies. Five men, at the least.”
Lido’s smiled, but swiftly grew serious. “What
kept us from the docks was great care and concern.
The foe we faced from the Towers was unlike any we
have seen. A Night-Hound is a terror indeed, but
has naught of subtlety about it. It courses and
kills, until it is killed itself. The Kiln-Giants
can be cunning, but they cannot hide in our midst.
This foe could, and did.
“Mistress, they were pan-morphic. It seemed that
they were made of countless motes of darkness that
flowed and took on myriad shapes. And some of them
took on the form of men. It was a harrowing time
aboard the ‘Wing until we could scour every room
with the Current, and account for the ability of
every man to speak the Master-Word. Jette would
allow neither return to nor converse with Mother
Redoubt until he ascertained that no contagion
would be carried in by his Ship or crew.”
Kerruwen looked troubled. “Perhaps I spoke in
haste. Time and again I do, it seems. Often, we of
the Watch are required to make swift decisions,
and to act upon them.” She sighed. “Lido, I fear
for the Ships. Three there are that are yet
overdue: the Empyrean, Awakening Light,and
Hydrogyrum’s Pinions. We have had no
sendings from them. Zephyrus’ Dancer and Stormhound
at least wait in the safety of the Docks with the
Aetherwing. The Monstruwacans cannot find
the others, not even with all the Spyglasses in
their tall tower. They tell us of great Forces
abroad in the Land. Perhaps these Modified Towers
are some new manifestation of Inimicae. Even the
skills of one such as Jette may not be enough to
safeguard another return for the ‘Wing…Lido,
I fear that very soon the bold Aerarchs and their
Sky-Ships will no longer soar our skies.”
*************
The days passed, and time came
to depart. I stood next to Aerarch Lido, at the
forefront of the crew of the Aetherwing.
All preparations were done, and every man stood
ready for flight. First Aerarch Jette faced Master
Ybramm and Watch Mistress Kerruwen.
The Ritual of Departure had begun.
Ybramm spoke: “Aerarch Jette, step forward.”
Jette left the assembled ranks of his crew and
stood stock still before Ybramm.
“Aerarch Jette: in the name of our
Order, I charge you with the care of these men.
You shall do all in your power to preserve their
lives and their Spirits. You shall seek knowledge,
that the race of Man shall be enriched. You shall
not seek battle, but if battle finds you, you
shall give the powers and intelligences of
Darkness reason to hesitate ere they deign assault
another man. So you are charged by the sons and
daughters of Mother Redoubt.”
Jette replied, “As willing instrument of Humanity
and Mother Redoubt, this charge I readily accept.”
Kerruwen stepped forward. She wore the full armor
and regalia of her office, and in her gloved hands
held a blue band of finest silk-moth lace. Jette
bowed his head, and she tied the band around his
hair, gathering it into a queue. She intoned the
ritual words: “Wind in your hair of a thousand
laces, Sky-King. May luck in battle be yours, and
safe return Home at journey’s end. You are bid by
the daughters and sons of Mother Redoubt to return
to us.”
Raising his head, Jette responded. “If this thing
can be done, it shall be so. I carry the dear
memory of the noble scions of Mother Redoubt with
me into the Dusk.”
A mighty roar and blue glare filled the Docking
Bay as Ybramm, Kerruwen, and all the Watch present
saluted us with blazing Diskoi, and we of the
Aetherwing returned the salute. The
ceremony thus ended, we boarded the great Ship.
With a mounting, vibratory hum, the Aetherwing
lifted from its cradle. The great doors of the Bay
slid open before us, and the Home-Call howled
defiance into the Twilight as the mighty Ship
glided smoothly from the Redoubt. We passed the
Electric Circle and the Air-clog, and were now
truly in the Vast Land of Dusk.
From my station on the command deck, I wondered
if my fellow Monstruwacans watched on their
instruments. I wondered if the felt envy, or
relief that they were not chosen on my place. In
days past, I myself loved little more than to
watch the departure and return of the Great Ships.
To see their huge silvery shapes gliding regally
through the gloaming skies was a sight to thrill
all but the most banal and prosaic of minds.
The Great Ships had the form of mighty stylized
trilobites of gleaming metal, all graceful lines
and scalloped armor plate. Lido had informed me
that the inventor of the Ships admired the simple
functionality of the creatures (which were kept as
pets in aquaria by many in the Redoubt) and merely
adapted the armored head, scalloped body, and
tapered bifurcate tail to his own vision. The
command deck, where I currently sat, was located
in the blunt head of the craft.
I knew of the lesser controls that maneuvered the
‘Wing in and out of port, and which were used for
routine navigation of the craft. Lido had told me
that more precise controls existed, and were used
by the commanding Aerarch only in situations of
danger or battle.
For the moment, Lido was piloting the ‘Wing, by
means of a system of levers on an upright
cylinder. Jette stood at his ease
nearby. There were many great view
ports in the craft, and ere long I saw the red
glow of the Giant Kilns.
Jette addressed the entire crew by means of a
speaker. “My friends, we have a mission of great
import. We are to attempt to locate those brethren
of ours that are overdue. It may be that they are
Lost. It may be that they are beleaguered.
Whatever the case, we shall strive our utmost to
give succor. Or, perhaps we shall be required to
exact vengeance for the fallen. This is our work.
I expect every man to strive as never before
towards the completion of this task.’
He turned to me. “Come now, my new advisor, let
us go to the foremost observation deck, that we
may become better acquainted.” He led me down a
tunnel and several spiraling flights of stairs,
and we emerged into a small platform within a
transparent blister of heavy glass at the lower
prow of the craft. The room was constructed so
that a man could look any which way about, and see
the Land to every horizon. I saw places that
hitherto I had espied only from afar in the
spyglasses of the Tower of Observation. Jagged
lines of mountains, the place of the Blue Lights,
the Quiet City, and the dread House of Silence
itself, with its monstrous Door eternally agape.
“What think you, Armitari?”
“Jette, I am staggered. We of my order, even
knowing the threats of the Land, still hunger for
knowledge. I was fortunate to be present when the
Masters and Eugenicists dissected the slain
Night-hound you brought back last year. Touching
something that had come from the Land…it was
fascinating. Did you know that at one time
Montruwacans went abroad with great armed parties?
We braved the Land, and learned much. Now, the
Ruling Council forbids such forays, and our
studies are carried out from afar, or vicariously
through efforts by such as you and those others
who are allowed Out and return. It
surprises me that any are allowed out in these
days of fear.”
“Young Monstuwacan, have you read much in the
Libraries concerning the Days of Light? Or the
time of the Road-Makers? Man was fearless in those
days. We ruled all of the Earth, and in times long
past even spanned the Heavens themselves in Ships
far greater than this one. To other stars, even,
if the tales be true.”
“That was when there were still stars to see,
Jette. Things are different now…things have gone
so very wrong in this universe. The stars are no
more.” I gestured at the dull, bloated Sun. “ It
is written that it was once a great golden lamp.
Look at it now, a diseased blight in the sky that
casts only the most fitful and cheerless of light.
The sun is a corpse, rotting for all to see.
Better it was not visible at all, than to see this
grim mockery of what once was.”
“That may be true, Armitari. Nonetheless, we are
men! And men must remember what it means to be a
men. The thirst for knowledge, as you said before.
The urge to discover what lies beyond the Known.
No, I am not one of those Reborn we hear of, that
I say such things. I merely know that being caged
is not the way of man. I intend to sail the winds
until the day I am returned to the Current. Were
it possible, I would take this ship beyond the
Walls of the World, and behold Old Earth, if
anything be left to see of it.” Jette sighed, and
nodded toward the Quiet City, its cold blue lights
unwaveringly shining in the twilight.
“Who built it, do you think?’ he asked quietly.
“I have flown nigh as anyone has dared, but
something about the place causes the Current to
falter and the instrumentation to go awry.”
I affected my most sagacious and inscrutable
smile. “We Monstruwacans, shut away though we be,
know many things. Several of those Monstruwacan
expeditions I mentioned visited the Quiet City. It
is empty. The lights we see are apparently
imperishable, and powered by energies other than
the Current. Our findings concluded that the
vanished race that built that place were not
human. Nor were they miscegenies such as the
Giants. We surmise that those who built it warred
upon the inhabitants of the Vale of Shadow. There
were signs of great battle, and the release of
incalculable forces. The effigies we found
indicated that the inhabitants were in form like
great beetles, and our empathic readings told us
that their minds had come from some other era in
time--an incalculably distant past, some think.
When faced with Great Forces from the Shadowed
Valley, and assault from the House of Silence,
they used their arts to project their minds
elsewhere and elsewhen.”
“By the Current, man! Never have I heard that
tale!”
I slowly shook my head as I continued my
mock-mysterious expression “It is not exactly the
sort of thing to be broadcast on the hour-slips.
Even you, Jette the Renowned, might be surprised
at the secrets we Scholars keep.”
Jette glanced at me in open-mouthed surprise,
then let out a great laugh. “Well
said, my new friend! I have decided that I do like
you, very much! Come, such a tale deserves a
drink. I keep a well-stocked store of potables:
the best the vintners and brewers of the
Underground Fields have to offer.” With a
bone-jarring clap to my back, he led me to the
galley.
*************
We traversed the Land for days, flying low and
using the great searchlights at times to probe the
terrain. For though the waning sun shed fitful
light, it was ever a wan and feeble illumination
that little aided one’s sight. The Aerarchs
schooled me in the use of the Ship’s scanners, and
the aural receivers. I was told that any Ship in
distress could activate a beacon that would lead
aid to the site. The beacon was perceptible
audibly through the listening instruments, and
also could be detected as an intermittent pulse of
Earth-Current.
It was as we reached a region of bubbling,
steaming mud (which Lido informed me was near the
Lesser Redoubt) that the sensors detected a
beacon-call.
Lido leapt to his feet. “Jette, the beacon bears
the signature of the Empyrean! Range-finders
indicate thirty-seven point ought-nine measures
distant.”
Jette seized the voice relay. “Aerarchs!
Watchmen! The Empyrean is nigh, and in need! All
hands, ready yourselves!”
Donning his Lenses, Jette strode to the Greater
Helm. He stood upon a metal disk, and placed fine
mesh gloves upon his hands. He then removed twin
rods of crystal from sockets to either side of the
disk. Each rod was four feet long, and was laced
with intricately wrought platinum circuitry. As he
grasped these rods midway down their length with
his gloves, the crystal seemed to come alive with
the fire of the Current. The ship had now become a
living extension of his body. Aerarch Lenses were
rare instruments of unbelievable properties in
their own right: the Monstruwacans employed
similar devices in the Tower of Observation, so I
was familiar with their capabilities. They allowed
vision into ranges of the spectrum beyond human
sight; they conferred magnification properties to
their wearer; they were capable of structural
analyses revealing compositions, densities,
inherent flaws and even flows of energy in almost
any object in any state of matter. Now though,
linked with the Greater Helm control array,
Jette’s Lenses allowed him to see anything the
ship’s sensors detected in addition to their
normal capabilities. Guided thusly, by
manipulating the Crystal Control Rods he was
capable of maneuvering the Aetherwing with
a preternatural speed and accuracy that could not
hope to be matched with the standard controls.
Even the slightest motion of the Rods in the hands
of a trained Aerarch was instantly translated into
action by our craft. The Aetherwing had
become very nearly a living thing, with Jette as
its mind and reflexes. Jette stood in a stance
with his legs apart and knees slightly bent. As he
leaned sharply forward, or from one side to the
other, the Aetherwing responded with
immediate and stunning grace. He held the crystal
rods straight out, at arms length on either side:
I realized that it was by proximity of the rods
one to another, as well as their relative spatial
positions and movements that Jette now wielded
absolute and superhuman control of his vessel.
I felt the ship increase in speed, much faster
than we had traveled at any time before. The hum
of the Earth-Current could be felt resonating
throughout the vessel and our very bodies. In a
matter of minutes, a chilling scene came into
view.
The Empyrean was aground, and embattled. Several
rents were apparent in the ship’s armor, and many
of the windows were shattered. Crawling upon the
hull were myriads of misshapen figures. In
appearance they varied greatly, though all were
more or less shaped like twisted mockeries of men.
Aberrations all, some appeared to have more than
two arms; some sprouted insectile appendages in
place of more anthropomorphic limbs; and some
seemed to favor tentacular growths in place of
more developed limbs. Thankfully, the worst
details were no doubt concealed under long
voluminous cloaks of filthy, stiff and
unidentifiable fabric.
That they were some particularly repellent tribe
of Ab-Humans was clear enough, yet never before
had any of those misbegotten ones dared assail one
of the Great Ships: such a thing was unthinkable.
Ab-men normally fled before the coming of the
Aerarch’s crafts, and hid themselves in
superstitious dread. Yet these dared attack the
proud Empyrean with boldness totally unprecedented
to any prior experience.
The besieged ship was foundered upon its side on
a mesa of granite that reared up from the boiling
mud. Its lights shone fitfully, indicating that
little Current remained to the vessel. As we came
soaring down the winds, we observed the Ab-Human
warriors assailing the metal of the hull with
scythe-like weapons, and tearing the plates with
disturbing ease. Here and there, a lightning-like
flash would be seen from one of the rents, and a
monster would fall back, twitching and
dismembered. The crew of the Empyrean were yet
defending their ship.
Jette barked, “Armitari! Use the Night-Speech!
Exhort our brothers to take heart!”
I reached out to the stricken ship with my
brain-elements, but immediately sensed something
strange and awful: the ether was seething with the
power of an alien mind. An impression came to me
of a monstrous sentience standing some way from
the ship. From its mind surged forth strange
equations and formulae that seemed to be working
to bind the Empyrean to the ground with massive
gravitational pull, and at the same time to have a
suppressing power on the Current itself.
Quickly, I manned a view-scanner and located a
large and as yet unengaged group of these twisted
folk a short distance from the battle. There, in
their midst, stood the alien thaumaturge. That It
was no Ab-Man was clear: It looked to be akin to
the Kiln-Giants. A Giant, yet even more horrific
than any other member of that cursed race.
Alterations to this Giant’s physiology were
evident. What should have been great, jointed arms
were modified into a twin clusters of undulating
tendrils. The huge twisted face had no eyes in the
gaping sockets. Instead, an unwholesome emerald
light shone forth, and glistening, dark mucus
oozed copiously from the glowing sockets.
“Aerarchs! These marauders have a warlord: a
being with the power to warp gravity itself! We
must strike, lest the ‘Wing share the fate of her
sister!”
With his Lenses, Jette scanned toward the site I
indicated. A snarl on his lips, he roared “Prepare
pyro-bombardment! On my mark, release!” With a
gesture from his control rods, Jette caused the Aetherwing
to swiftly approach the place where the Giant
Warlord wove his strange equations. “Burn them!”
commanded Jette.
From the Bombardier ports beneath the ship,
numerous gleaming canisters were jettisoned into
the midst of the nightmarish horde. Where they
impacted the ground, massive conflagrations
erupted, hurling back the red-tinged Dusk of the
Land with fires of blue and violet.
Preternaturally hardy and tough of hide though
they were, the monsters died in droves: for the
Chemists of the Redoubt were expert at crafting
more than just our wondrous water-powder. Their
retorts and crucibles rendered elemental compounds
and reagents near as fell in battle as the Current
itself. The mineral fires and thunderous
explosions were of such ferocity that the very
rock was splintered. In my mind, I heard the death
cry of the Giant Thaumaturge, and the cessation of
that aberrant adept’s inimical formulae.
Jette swung the Ship about, and made a pass over
the stricken Empyrean. Lido reached for the
controls of the Current-caster Aerials. Swiftly,
he performed several actions, extending these
weapons. From either side of our craft just behind
the trilobite’s head, two long antennae sprouted
and crackled to life. Terrible, many-forked
lightnings born of the Current lanced forth and
with unerring accuracy smote ruin upon almost all
the remaining marauders that were not immediately
nigh the Empyrean. From our great windows, all
aboard the ‘Wing witnessed the charred fragments
and blasted remains of the foe, testament to
Aerarch Lido’s deadly skill.
The greater portion of the terrible army was now
accounted for, yet many still unrelentingly
attacked the Empyrean. Jette caused the ‘Wing to
hover in place, and replaced the crystal control
rods in their sheaths.
“We have no safe way to smite the enemy upon the
Empyrean from afar. Our life-scanner wave reports
that these are little more than beasts, and that
none save their now-slain Giant leader have
pneumavorous powers. Prepare the Watch, and board
the Gliders. We may yet preserve the lives of our
fellows. Lido, you remain aboard and assume
command. Monstruwacan, you shall accompany me. Who
can say what further advantage your Night-Hearing
may bring?”
Armor donned and Diskoi in hand, I nervously
followed Jette as he raced to the Glider bay. The
Great Ships each carried two Gliders, which were
flying sled-like machines capable of transporting
a hundred armored men. Each Glider was now manned
with fifty of the ‘Wing’s two hundred Watch in
addition to Jette, two Aerarchs who would pilot
the craft, and myself. The hangar doors opened,
and the Gliders sailed down, making a landing a
short distance from the embattled Empyrean.
By our sensor’s count, forty-three of the Ab-Men
warriors remained. The war-trained men of the
Watch needed no orders to know their work. With no
hesitation they leapt from our Gliders and
sprinted into battle no sooner than we had safely
alighted. Jette instructed me to remain with him,
at the rear. He-- scanning with his Lenses-- and
I--with the Night-Hearing-- would monitor for any
dangerous shifts in the enemy and give warning as
needed to our men in the fray. Never had I dreamt
of, much less witnessed such carnage: the Watch
fell upon the foe with a will, employing
well-practiced tactics to fight the monsters in
groups of two or three men to one adversary. Their
Diskoi roared with the Current’s fury, and the
ichor of our foe gleamed by the weapons’ reflected
light as it was sprayed into the gloom.
These Ab-Humans were a fell enemy indeed. With
their multiform appendages and great strength they
returned our attack with alacrity, seemingly
dismayed not at all by our greater numbers. The
strangely-designed scythe-like weapons they bore
sheared through our armor with ease, and from the
hidden depths of the deep hoods frightful wounds
were bestowed from hidden maws, felling many men
of the Watch. The monsters moved with an eerie
speed our men could scarcely match, and seemed
capable of continued action even after losing
limbs or sustaining what should surely be mortal
wounds.
With a great bound, one warrior alighted near us,
swiftly seizing up a Watchman in the massive
tentacle it wore in place of a left arm. With a
sickening contraction, it crushed and tore asunder
the screaming man. Discarding the grisly remnants,
it reared up to its full height, a towering eight
feet. Despite my fear and revulsion, part of my
mind remained an analytical Monstruwacan savant. I
observed that the visible portions
of the creature’s hide gleamed dully
with a metallic sheen. Did these beings ingest
metal, and process it to fortify their natural
weaponry, as did scorpions and their ilk? Was
their purpose to dismantle our Ships and other
works like they were trying with the Empyrean? Or
had they somehow been altered by an unknown Force
of the Lands to this new and formidable state?
The Ab-man cocked its unseen head in an
insect-like fashion, gleaming eyes locking upon me
from the depths of its cowl. With a hideous
bellow, it made straight for me. My scholarly
observations vanished in alarm and I hurriedly
took a defensive stance. As it surged forward,
memory of my Diskos-training flooded back to mind
and limbs. I brought the weapon, the haft of which
was extended to half-length, up in a hissing arc,
and cut a great rent in my attacker’s torso. It
reared back with an ululating cry, and the
tentacle-limb smote me to the ground. Black spots
swarmed my vision, but I desperately strove to
regain my feet, and then the shrieking horror was
upon me. Agony wracked me as the creature’s more
human-like arm swung its scythe, the blade of
which pierced through my leg armor, impaling my
thigh, and transfixing me to the ground.
With a mighty battle cry, Jette appeared.
Wielding his Diskos at full extension as a
pole-arm, he drove the marauder back with great
strokes of the roaring weapon. His passion seemed
to fuel the Spirit of the Diskos to an even
greater wrath: the spinning blade shone like
stories say the Olden Sun once did. The howling
weapon cast lightnings all about, and Jette slew
the warrior with an onslaught of swift blows that
left the monster a twitching ruin. My attacker
dealt with, Jette knelt by me. He surveyed the
damage to my leg and deftly removed the black
scythe from the puncture. From his belt pouch, he
removed a small ovule, and placed it in my wound.
I hissed as the nerves in my wounded leg burned as
if afire, and then relaxed as the pain of the
wound retreated. These ovules were a standard
treatment for injury, containing medications that
destroyed infection, blocked pain receptors,
halted blood loss and even introduced special
microscopic machines that ejected foreign matter
and repaired the damaged tissues in a matter of
hours to days, depending on the wound’s severity.
“I think I am not yet ready to be deprived of
another Monstruwacan. Are you able to stand?”
I staggered to my feet, leaning on the haft of my
weapon as two more of the Ab-men moved towards us.
Jette charged forward, and I watched in amazement
as he whirled his Diskos in a manner I would not
have thought possible, and both of the creatures
were dispatched with an almost inhuman skill and
speed. Of a sudden, a great shout filled the air:
the crewmen of the Empyrean sallied forth, and
joined with the Watch of the Aetherwing,
dispatching the last of the enemy.
Of the Hundred Watch that battled with us,
sixty-seven remained. Some eight more
were wounded so sorely that they were moments from
death. Jette strode grimly toward the Empyrean.
Already, the survivors were emerging: my count was
a score and three. Jette and the crew of the Aetherwing
swiftly formed a semicircle trapping the survivors
of the Empyrean. With Diskoi ablaze, Jette roared
“Hold! Hold all you of the Empyrean! Neither speak
nor move until you first pronounce the
Master-Word!” I watched as each of the survivors
bowed their heads, and felt the throb of the
ur-word beat through the aether.
A much relieved Jette then approached the most
senior Aerarch of the stricken craft that he saw.
I stood near, the adrenaline slowly leaving my
system, and listened to the tale of the Empyrean .
“Jette, there are not thanks enough for our
redemption. At the request of the Council of the
Lesser Pyramid, Aerarch Gart took our ship to
investigate disturbances sensed in this region by
their Montruwacans. The armored
Crawlers of our kin have been vanishing for some
days now, and Gart was charged to discover why. We
came upon a small group of these Ab-men
dismantling the remnants of one of the lost
vehicles, and attempted to exterminate them. As
you see, we were less than successful. A great
host of the monsters came upon us unawares: they
had concealed themselves beneath the boiling mud.
The Empyrean began to lose power, and fell
like a stone to the earth. Gart is slain, and I
now am first among those that remain.”
Jette replied “Neither you nor the worthy Gart
could have known the unprecedented powers wielded
by these horrors. I liked not at all the look of
that Thing which commanded these beasts. Now,
though, get the Empyrean aloft, and make
for the Lesser Redoubt for repairs. We must still
seek Hydrogyrum’s Pinions and Awakening
Light: they remain missing.”
We lingered only long enough to gather our dead
to the Empyrean ’s hold, and to ensure it
was capable of flight. As it limped from view, we
prepared to continue our search. Despite our
victory, the mood of the crew was
grim. It was as Kerruwen had said: the
Land had grown dangerous indeed.
*************
We traveled back towards the Great Redoubt by a
somewhat circuitous route, in an attempt to locate
the still missing ships. Several days passed with
no incident, and no luck in our task. Jette, in
particular, seemed pensive at the recent
developments.
I was studying the corpse of one of the Ab-Human
specimens in the ship’s hold in an attempt to
unlock the mysteries of their fearsome and
untoward alterations, when I sensed the
Master-Word pulsing about me. With the
Night-Speech, I uttered the Word in response, and
asked formally into the ether “Who speaks in the
Twilight?”
I was answered at once. “Armitari: I, Master
Monstuwacan Tiberuus speak. Inform Aerarch Jette
that our lost ships are found, but only the
Awakening Light has returned safely. Make haste to
the Towers. The new structure woven about them
grows larger, and has captured the Hydrogyrum’s
Pinions. These Modified Towers have become a
dire threat to us all. Whatever Powers dwell
within broadcast evil dreams not even the
Air-clog is proof against. The children and the
sensitives scream in their sleep. Worse yet, the
structure now burrows into the earth, and
threatens to strangle the flow of the Current.
Swift action must be taken lest the Current be
lost to us.”
I reeled under the import of Tiberuus’
command. His words were followed by a torrent of
information my Order had gathered concerning the
Towers. Dashing from the Hold, I found Jette on
the Command Deck. Immediately, I relayed the
need of our Home, and the perils described by my
Master.
Jette listened, and commanded the ‘Wing to set
course to the Towers. “ My heart warned me that
this new blight heralded a terrible threat. I
know not what may be done to stem such a danger,
but our task is clear. We must find a way—we
shall do all in our power to end this threat.”
Shaking his head, Lido asked “ How is it even
conceivable that the Earth-Current may be
assailed? Such a thing is beyond my ken.”
I answered “My Order has learned somewhat of
the Towers’ workings. It now seems to be an
almost living structure. By assimilating
inanimate matter and consuming Pneuma from any
life it comes in contact with—which it does as
effectively as even the Greater
Inimicae—whatever Power guides it is able to
fortify and expand the structure to ever greater
proportions. It will be vaster now than it was
when last you fought there--and it extends
itself subterrenely, as well. Tendrils like
great roots burrow ever downward, seeking the
flow of the Current. It seems that it is
inhabited by many lesser creatures as well.
Aside from the reports of your own previous
encounter there, we have new information. Before
contact with Hydrogyrum’s Pinions was
lost, Aerarch Elik reported seeing throngs of
curiously altered Ab-humans and other beasts
lurking about the Towers. This menace grows
great enough to threaten the survival of
Humanity.
*************
The Aetherwing traveled with great
speed to the place of the Towers. I saw the
Redoubt from a distance as we passed along our
way, and felt a pang for the comforts of
Home. Turning from the lights of
Home, I beheld what should have been the three
Towers looming on the horizon beyond the Deep
Valley and the Pit of Red Smoke.
Since time out of mind the Towers had been a
mystery to us--but one that had never had any
definite legendry attached them. We knew naught
of their purpose, and the few expeditions to
explore them found nothing of interest but did
report ominous feelings of scrutiny. The
edifices themselves had always appeared as three
tall spires of dull black stone, each having
three sides and lacking opening or visible
decoration, and arrayed in a triangular
pattern. As Jette had related, the
three ancient structures had changed beyond
recognition. They had grown immense, too large
to be concealed entirely by the massive fume
that billowed from the Pit and served to
camouflage the Towers from the telescopes of my
Order. That portion visible above the
enshrouding smoke bore witness to his account:
vast walls now spanned the spaces between the
spires of the old Towers, forming a single great
edifice triangular in shape. More could not yet
be seen within the crimson shroud. Not even our
imaging enhancement scanners availed us: the Red
Smoke was thicker than any of us had ever
seen—thicker, in fact, than I could recall ever
being reported in the Records of my order—and
the particles of which it was composed baffled
such viewing equipment. Even Jette’s Lenses
seemed to be incapable of scanning very far.
The great search lamps were brought to bear
and Jette cautiously piloted the ‘Wing into the
cloud. As we drew nearer the smoke seemed
thinner, revealing greater and more chilling
details of the structure.
Great root-like tendrils grew out from the
Tower’s base and then plunged into the stony
earth. The upper edge of the new fortifications
was ringed with monstrous machicolations like
waiting claws or teeth. Our scanners made
evident that the entire structure was slowly and
almost imperceptibly undulating, as if it were
indeed a living thing. In its entirety, it was
black as pitch, with ghastly green lights
shining from erratic points about its walls. The
slow pulsation of the vast structure was
repulsive to see: the sight gave me impressions
of an inhuman hunger, and a waiting malice. A
wave of nausea gripped me; then our search lamps
revealed the fate of Hydrogyrum’s Pinions.
The lost ship was embedded lengthwise into the
substance of the Towers’ walls. Huge tendrils of
the black matter had coiled about the hull, and
no lights were seen from the shattered windows.
Jette halted the ‘Wing. “Armitari, in this I
defer to you. What action do we take,
Monstruwacan?”
I did not answer immediately. I felt the
nightmare broadcast described to me by Master
Tiberuus: my skin crawled, and my entrails ached
with numinous dread and loathing. As I prepared
to describe these sensations, Lido swore in
surprise.
“Observe! Something emerges from the wall of
that damned place!”
Lido adjusted the scanners, and indeed, a
figure had stepped out of the wall, though no
aperture was seen. A figure wearing the armor of
a Master Aerarch.
Jette swore softly. “ Founder’s Bones! It is
Master Elik, of Hydrogyrum’s Pinions. ”
Perhaps it had been once the man Jette knew.
Now, as the scanners revealed, Elik was quite
changed. His armor was a dully gleaming black,
and appeared to actually be amalgamated into his
anatomy. His eyes were gaping sockets filled
with emerald effulgence. What once were hands
trailed off into whipping, sinuous tendrils.
Jette’s knuckles whitened as he clenched his
hands into fists. “Abomination! A man so brave,
to be defiled in this manner!”
A crackle of static came over the ship’s voice
wave-relay. A voice spoke--a mockery of the
human voice.
“Jette. Come to me. Come and speak.”
The voice was resonant and metallic. Perhaps
the engines of the Towers could not properly
emulate human vocal chords.
I hurled the Master-Word at the mockery, and
as expected, received no reply. The
entity moved ever closer to where we hovered,
its movements flowing and swift.
Jette closed his eyes, and gave a command. “I
shall go down to the Observation Deck, and speak
with this obscenity. Lido, deploy the Current
Caster Aerials. At your discretion, hurl the
lightnings. Also, at the most minute sign that
our power is being drained, take the Ship as far
away as it may go, at great speed.”
Lido was aghast. “Aerarch--Jette--This course
is madness! That is not Elik! He has been Eaten.
Do not waste your life and Spirit for the memory
of a fallen comrade.”
I added “If you do this, Jette, you defy the
Laws set down by my Order. ‘Converse not with
Those of the Dark.’ Surely you know this? Surely
you know that this Thing will slay you if it
can?”
Jette stood, and opened his eyes. “It shall
not. From some height, I shall be safe enough.
Call it madness if you will. I shall go. I shall
make our foes know that they may slay us, they
may besiege us, but they may not quench the
Spirit of Humanity. We shall see what our foes
have to say, and then we will do whatever must
be done to silence this menace.” He turned and
strode from the bridge.
I followed after. I found him nearing the
Forward Observation Deck, armed and armored.
“I am healed of my wound. I shall accompany
you. Give me but a moment to gird for battle.”
He looked at me appraisingly. “Why?"
I gazed upon this brave man. Scarcely could I
believe I was contemplating this mad action. Had
I never met Jette, this would surely be
inconceivable. Knowing him, though, had changed
me in some fundamental way. I knew now why he
was beloved and respected by all.
“If this Thing actually will speak, perhaps I
can probe it for some weakness. We know not how
to combat the Towers as yet. It is too large for
our explosives, and the Current-casters have not
enough power to smite it down for the same
reason.” I smiled wanly. “In any case, I am the
Monstruwacan here. Perhaps some intelligence can
be gleaned from this Thing’s discourse. Besides,
I have found the post of Field Monstruwacan to
be quite stimulating. Who knows if ever another
chance such as this will come my way?”
Jette smiled grimly and nodded approval. “Come
then.”
We entered the Observation Deck, and Lido
piloted us nigh to the place where the thing
once-Elik awaited. The Aetherwing slowly
descended, until it hovered barely thirty yards
above and ten before the Towers’ emissary.
Diskoi at ready, Jette caused a port to open in
the glass, allowing us access to a small catwalk
that surrounded the Deck.
In a ringing, clarion voice, Jette addressed
his former colleague. “Speak, Slayer. What would
you with me?”
Some spasm, perhaps approximating a smile,
twisted further the distorted features of the
Elik-thing. It spoke in its rasping metallic
tones.
“Aahhh, Aerarch Jette. This one, Elik-- his
memories of you were correct. You are considered
a brave man. Come and listen, brave man.”
Jette asked in response “Who--no, what are
you? That you are Inimicae is obvious. I ask
again, what do want with me?”
“From the minds of the Elik-being and his
companions that we have Eaten, our present
manifestation-node has learned the value your
kind place upon knowledge and of sharing
knowledge. You are before us now that certain
things may be told you and your listening
fellows in the flying machine. Your people--they
have so many needless concepts and emotions, and
from the minds of these we have found many
things that would cause you emotional and
intellectual distress. The present effrontery
you display, though useless, fulfills the
concept of what you call ‘bravado.’ It is what
you call ‘amusing’. Let us change this
‘righteous anger’ to something else: let us try
‘despair’, and ‘hopelessness’.
As the atrocity spoke, the myriad tendrils
that now sprouted from what had once been hands
elongated, lifting the puppet-thing up to a
point where its feet were several yards above
the ground. Jette and I tensed for flight back
to the safety of the Ship. In my mind, the
Night-hearing conveyed horrific things, concepts
behind the horror’s words.
“With the opening of the Doorway in this
Tower-Beacon, our kind has gained an access to
this world bypassing many strictures allowing
our continued presence otherwise. Soon we will
devour this sphere clean of that lifespark your
kind call the Current. We, who you
call Eaters or Inimica, we are slayers of stars,
we are the eternal ones. We dilute and derive
sustenance from your Current. We devour that
which you call Pneuma. We are older than the
construct your people call Time, We are outside
it and cannot be comprehended by limited beings
such as you. You are capable of conversing with
us now only through the medium of this
Elik-puppet and only because we choose to engage
you thusly. The essence that is us has swept the
entirety of this Cosmos--only here and a handful
of other worlds does the vital spark you revere
and we devour still exist. So go back
in your little ship, Jette of the Aerarchs.
Return to your Redoubt and share this surety of
your race’s imminent extermination. Go. Now.
Heed our words, given with certainty but absent
malice: the guarantee of those who truly rule
existence. There will be no future for your
ilk.”
But it was neither fear nor despair these
words instilled in my comrade. Jette tensed with
a rage that would not long be contained. My
brain-elements almost screamed with the passions
of righteous hatred, defiance, and loathing that
boiled within that mighty man’s frame like a
maelstrom. Seized by a sudden inspiration, I
reached out with my mind to his and channeled
all these, shaping them into a mental dart which
I released with a defiantly hurled expression of
the Master-Word. The effect was immediate and
awesome.
The Thing once Elik let loose a cacophonous
bellow of pain and disbelief. The tendrils
supporting it elongated, causing it to approach
dangerously near our post, arms whipping
sinuously toward us with dire intent.
Ere they reached us, a terrific crackle and
overwhelming scent of ozone filled the air:
hurled with unerring accuracy, a Lido’s bolt
smote the nightmare creature full in the chest.
It staggered back, and fell to the stony ground.
As it writhed in torment, the semi-human masque
it wore fell away. A monstrous mass of leprous
tentacles burst forth, flailing about in all
directions. Jette seized my arm and we retreated
to the interior of the Deck, sealing the port
behind us.
No sooner were we inside than Lido struck
again. The Current-Caster Aerials blazed to
life, and bolt upon bolt of lightning smote down
upon the growing menace with terrible fury, and
that which had in life been Aerarch Elik was a
reduced to smoldering ruin.
Back in the Aetherwing, we made for the
bridge. Lido embraced both Jette and me in a
brief, albeit spine-crushing, embrace.
“What do we do now, Jette?” Lido hurriedly
asked.
I spoke as rapidly as possible. “I succeeded
in my aim. I was able to glean more than that
Thing spoke. They are Eaters, as if there was
ever any doubt: Horrors that have crawled from
beyond the very rim of the universe itself. If
left unchecked, they will do precisely what was
threatened: consume this world like some
malevolent planetary cancer. We must act with
haste.”
As I finished gasping out these words, warning
klaxons screamed to life. The Towers were making
reply to our assault upon its herald.
Lido and Jette assumed their stations. The
viewers showed a terrible scene: dark shapes
like shadowy air-foils emerged in great numbers
from the substance of the Towers. These sendings
pulsed through the sky, rapidly approaching our
Ship.
A seasoned Aerarch such as Lido needed not
await any command. With a grim face, he seized
the controls of the Current-Caster. “They crave
the Current? Then I shall give it to them,
though perhaps they shall not find the taste to
their liking!” In the skies surrounding the
‘Wing, the Aerials crackled with power. The
Current-generated lightnings filled the sky,
blasting the shadowy manta-like shapes to
tatters.
Jette had resumed his place at the Greater
Helm. Lenses down, gauntlets on, and control
rods in hand, he expertly guided the gleaming
Sky-Ship through the mass of attackers, and up,
high above the Towers. As we attained a greater
altitude, those few Tower-spawn that survived
Lido’s lightning assault fell away, apparently
incapable of matching the lofty heights
attainable to the great Ship.
Jette brought the ‘Wing to a halt far
above the dark edifice. From above, we could see
that the roof of the structure had a massive
aperture. Surrounded as it was by the fang-like
machicolations it looked like nothing more than
a huge, toothed maw.
“My friends” Jette began, “we are outmatched.
As we already know, our weapons, though mighty,
cannot overcome such a massive construct. And
there is no aid we can receive from Home. More
Ships would merely mean more chances for the
Towers to capture our people. The Current-Cannon
are similarly useless. At such a distance, the
power required for the Matross to strike would
drain the Current to perilously low levels, and
still not be assured of penetrating the stark
walls. Nevertheless, I shall fulfill my oath. I
shall smite yon fortress asunder. Hear my final
command, then: All of you, my friends and
comrades, take the Gliders. Return to Mother
Redoubt. I and I alone, shall meet my end here
today.”
Lido grasped Jette by his shoulders. “What are
you saying, Jette?
In the grip of sudden inspiration, I spoke.
“He intends to do just as you said not moments
ago, Lido. He will give them a taste of the
Current that will not be to their liking.”
Jette laughed grimly. “Our young Monstruwacan
is perceptive. You shall all depart, and then I
shall fly the Aetherwing straight down yon
Towers’ waiting maw. And then…then, I shall
use my control rods and will the
Current-chamber to open, spilling forth all
the Current within in one mighty
conflagration.”
Murmurs of dismay arose from the gathered
crew.
“This is the only way, my loyal friends. Go
to the Gliders, and make for Home with all
haste. Lido, you have been the truest of
comrades any man could wish for. Armitari,
glad I am to have known you. Tell old Tiberuus
that you made a fine Field Monstruwacan. Go,
and may Mother Redoubt receive you well.”
The crew began to make their way to the
Gliders. Lido and I were last to leave. Just
before we left the Command Deck, Jette pushed
his Lenses up, and appraised us both with a
gleam in his eye and a roguish smile on his
lips. He handed Lido the blue woven headband
of moth-silk. “Return that to Lady Kerruwen’s
keeping, as our ancient tradition dictates.”
Lido nodded, tears flowing freely down his
weathered cheeks. He spun on his heels and
walked out quickly. I turned as well and
followed him toward the Glider bay. From
behind us, Jette’s voice rang out, clear and
joyous.
“My friends: Remember me!”
*************
The Gliders sped silently through the
gloaming. Lido was in speaking through the
voice relay transmitter with Watch-Captain
Kerruwen, warning her of our hasty return,
and informing her of Jette’s decision.
Standing by Lido, I heard her reply, and
like to imagine that Jette heard her, as
well.
“Wind in your hair of a Thousand Laces,
Sky-King.”
The gathered crew gazed back to see the Aetherwing’s
final flight. Her hull shone with the waxing
power of the Current, as she began the
downward plunge. Shadowy shapes from the
Towers arose in waves offering fearsome
assault, but no sooner than they touched the
Current-charged hull they were blasted to
blackened ruin. Such was the Ship’s velocity
that it took only a matter of seconds for it
to scythe through the swarm of warped
creatures defending the Towers. Jette was as
one with his beloved Ship, and together they
had become a fearsome Nemesis to those of
the Outer Dark. We watched as the gleaming
Trilobite shape passed from view.
Immediately thereafter, blazing white
light erupted from the Tower-made fortress.
In my mind I felt two things: one was a
terrible pressure, as the foul sentience of
the Towers was extinguished or exorcised by
the purifying eruption of the Earth-Current.
The other was Jette’s triumphal, exultant
cry of victory.
© James
Dewitt 20 feb 2005
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