“They’ll also track us from the cliff top,” Twitch said. “Even at top speed, a lifeboat can’t outpace a horse.”
“Maybe not at full gallop,” Jace said, “but a horse can’t gallop forever.”
“The legion has good horses,” Twitch said. “They can probably gallop long enough to keep us from landing on the Brink before they have the skycraft after us. Even if we get ahead of them, on a day like today they’ll see where we return to the cliff and track us down.”
“If we’re doomed, why’d you come?” Jace snapped in frustration.
Twitch gave a little shrug. “I’m done with Skyport. We risk our lives on every mission. This seemed dangerous, but I’ll take one big risk over all the missions I have left. If we can stay free until nightfall, we might slip away into the darkness.”
The lifeboat was climbing again. Skyport shrank behind them, the horses and the legionnaires becoming an army of ants. With the fresh breeze in his face and the warm sun about to set, Cole could almost forget they were still in danger.
“What are our assets?” Jace asked. “I have my rope. Mira and Cole have their Jumping Swords. Where’d you score the bow, Cole?”
“On our last mission,” Cole said. “I stashed it away in case I needed it.”
Jace whistled. “That could have gotten you in deep trouble. I won’t complain, though. How long until it runs out of arrows?”
“Supposedly, never.”
“That’ll be useful if they get close,” Jace said. “You have rotten aim, but you can make up for it with volume. By the way, when a guy is coming for you, don’t shoot at his legs. If it’s worth shooting him, it’s worth shooting him dead. Aim for the middle of his chest. Trying to wing an enemy will get you killed.”
“I didn’t want to kill the guy just for doing his job,” Cole said, a little embarrassed by the reprimand.
“His job was to kill you,” Jace said. “They obviously want Mira alive, but they’d take out the rest of us without losing any sleep.”
“He’s right, Cole,” Twitch said. “The legion plays for keeps.”
“How about you, Twitch?” Jace asked. “What do you have that might help us?”
“Nice try,” Twitch said.
“It’s not a game anymore,” Jace insisted. “Tell us.”
“It was never a game,” Twitch replied, wringing his fingers. “I kept my special item secret before, and I’ll keep it secret now. Knowing what it is won’t affect our plans. You’ll find out if I have to use it.”
“Can it camouflage us?” Jace asked. “Make us invisible? Knock a skycraft out of the air?”
“If I could do something like that, I’d tell you. My secret won’t affect our strategy.”
“What is our strategy?” Mira asked. “Try to evade them until it gets dark? Hope for a moonless night?”
“The landing bay is opening up,” Cole said, eyes on the cliff. “All three of the big entrances.”
Jace nodded. “We’ll head as far away from the Brink as we can. A lifeboat is a bit faster than the big skycraft. We’ll veer toward the Eastern Cloudwall. It’s almost twice as far from us as the Western Cloudwall, so we’ll have more room to maneuver. Plus, there are more castles that way.”
“How many do you count east of us?” Twitch asked.
“Five,” Jace replied.
“Six,” Twitch said, pointing. “You probably missed that little one down low.”
Jace leaned eastward and squinted. “You’re right, I missed that one. Not that it matters. It’s almost to the cloudwall. We couldn’t get there before it vanishes.”
“Do you think we could hide out at one of the castles?” Cole asked.
“Might be worth a try as a last resort,” Mira said. “The problem is that any castle safe enough to hide us will probably be easy to attack. We could end up cornered.”
“If they have a bunch of skycraft, they might corner us in the air,” Cole said. “Maybe one of the castles has defenses, like the catapults at Parona.”
“It might be worth checking out,” Jace said. “But only because we have so few options.”
“This won’t be easy,” Mira said. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t make us come,” Jace said.
“Why’d you stick your neck out for me?” Mira asked.
Jace shrugged, looking away from her. “They had no proof you belonged to them. It made me mad to think of them taking you away.”
Cole wondered if Mira really didn’t get how much Jace liked her. She seemed oblivious.
“It made you mad, so you attacked legionnaires and ran away with us?” Mira asked.
“I have a bad temper,” Jace mumbled.
“Did you really used to belong to the High Shaper?” Twitch asked.
“Who are you to probe at secrets?” Mira complained.
Blinking rapidly, Twitch gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m one of the guys who ran away with you and might get killed for it. I’m just wondering if their claim is legit.”
“The High Shaper knows me,” Mira said. “I was never his slave. I shouldn’t say more. It could put you in even greater danger.”
“Here come the skycraft,” Cole said, watching as the Vulture, the Borrower, and the even the damaged Domingo glided out of the landing bay openings and away from the cliff.
“We’re in hot water already,” Jace said. “We’ll probably end up captured, falling, or dead. What’s the Big Shaper’s attachment to you?”
“It’s complicated,” Mira said. “I’m not really a slave. The mark is real, but it’s a cover. Durny was helping me hide. Is that enough?”
“I guess, if it’s all you want to spill,” Jace said. “Did you know that guy from Zeropolis? Joe?”
“I’ve never seen him before,” Mira said, glancing at Cole. “I think he knows who I am.”
“I hope so.” Jace chuckled. “He probably got himself killed for you.” He paused. “The High Shaper sent four hundred legionnaires to track you down. That’s the craziest part. Why would he do that for anyone?”
“It was for Carnag, too,” Mira reminded him.
“Right, but the Brink is a good distance out of the way,” Jace said. “They could have sent a smaller group. But all four hundred came. Why?”
“Maybe not at full gallop,” Jace said, “but a horse can’t gallop forever.”
“The legion has good horses,” Twitch said. “They can probably gallop long enough to keep us from landing on the Brink before they have the skycraft after us. Even if we get ahead of them, on a day like today they’ll see where we return to the cliff and track us down.”
“If we’re doomed, why’d you come?” Jace snapped in frustration.
Twitch gave a little shrug. “I’m done with Skyport. We risk our lives on every mission. This seemed dangerous, but I’ll take one big risk over all the missions I have left. If we can stay free until nightfall, we might slip away into the darkness.”
The lifeboat was climbing again. Skyport shrank behind them, the horses and the legionnaires becoming an army of ants. With the fresh breeze in his face and the warm sun about to set, Cole could almost forget they were still in danger.
“What are our assets?” Jace asked. “I have my rope. Mira and Cole have their Jumping Swords. Where’d you score the bow, Cole?”
“On our last mission,” Cole said. “I stashed it away in case I needed it.”
Jace whistled. “That could have gotten you in deep trouble. I won’t complain, though. How long until it runs out of arrows?”
“Supposedly, never.”
“That’ll be useful if they get close,” Jace said. “You have rotten aim, but you can make up for it with volume. By the way, when a guy is coming for you, don’t shoot at his legs. If it’s worth shooting him, it’s worth shooting him dead. Aim for the middle of his chest. Trying to wing an enemy will get you killed.”
“I didn’t want to kill the guy just for doing his job,” Cole said, a little embarrassed by the reprimand.
“His job was to kill you,” Jace said. “They obviously want Mira alive, but they’d take out the rest of us without losing any sleep.”
“He’s right, Cole,” Twitch said. “The legion plays for keeps.”
“How about you, Twitch?” Jace asked. “What do you have that might help us?”
“Nice try,” Twitch said.
“It’s not a game anymore,” Jace insisted. “Tell us.”
“It was never a game,” Twitch replied, wringing his fingers. “I kept my special item secret before, and I’ll keep it secret now. Knowing what it is won’t affect our plans. You’ll find out if I have to use it.”
“Can it camouflage us?” Jace asked. “Make us invisible? Knock a skycraft out of the air?”
“If I could do something like that, I’d tell you. My secret won’t affect our strategy.”
“What is our strategy?” Mira asked. “Try to evade them until it gets dark? Hope for a moonless night?”
“The landing bay is opening up,” Cole said, eyes on the cliff. “All three of the big entrances.”
Jace nodded. “We’ll head as far away from the Brink as we can. A lifeboat is a bit faster than the big skycraft. We’ll veer toward the Eastern Cloudwall. It’s almost twice as far from us as the Western Cloudwall, so we’ll have more room to maneuver. Plus, there are more castles that way.”
“How many do you count east of us?” Twitch asked.
“Five,” Jace replied.
“Six,” Twitch said, pointing. “You probably missed that little one down low.”
Jace leaned eastward and squinted. “You’re right, I missed that one. Not that it matters. It’s almost to the cloudwall. We couldn’t get there before it vanishes.”
“Do you think we could hide out at one of the castles?” Cole asked.
“Might be worth a try as a last resort,” Mira said. “The problem is that any castle safe enough to hide us will probably be easy to attack. We could end up cornered.”
“If they have a bunch of skycraft, they might corner us in the air,” Cole said. “Maybe one of the castles has defenses, like the catapults at Parona.”
“It might be worth checking out,” Jace said. “But only because we have so few options.”
“This won’t be easy,” Mira said. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t make us come,” Jace said.
“Why’d you stick your neck out for me?” Mira asked.
Jace shrugged, looking away from her. “They had no proof you belonged to them. It made me mad to think of them taking you away.”
Cole wondered if Mira really didn’t get how much Jace liked her. She seemed oblivious.
“It made you mad, so you attacked legionnaires and ran away with us?” Mira asked.
“I have a bad temper,” Jace mumbled.
“Did you really used to belong to the High Shaper?” Twitch asked.
“Who are you to probe at secrets?” Mira complained.
Blinking rapidly, Twitch gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m one of the guys who ran away with you and might get killed for it. I’m just wondering if their claim is legit.”
“The High Shaper knows me,” Mira said. “I was never his slave. I shouldn’t say more. It could put you in even greater danger.”
“Here come the skycraft,” Cole said, watching as the Vulture, the Borrower, and the even the damaged Domingo glided out of the landing bay openings and away from the cliff.
“We’re in hot water already,” Jace said. “We’ll probably end up captured, falling, or dead. What’s the Big Shaper’s attachment to you?”
“It’s complicated,” Mira said. “I’m not really a slave. The mark is real, but it’s a cover. Durny was helping me hide. Is that enough?”
“I guess, if it’s all you want to spill,” Jace said. “Did you know that guy from Zeropolis? Joe?”
“I’ve never seen him before,” Mira said, glancing at Cole. “I think he knows who I am.”
“I hope so.” Jace chuckled. “He probably got himself killed for you.” He paused. “The High Shaper sent four hundred legionnaires to track you down. That’s the craziest part. Why would he do that for anyone?”
“It was for Carnag, too,” Mira reminded him.
“Right, but the Brink is a good distance out of the way,” Jace said. “They could have sent a smaller group. But all four hundred came. Why?”
