‘Is something the matter?’ said Flydd.

‘Ullii has lost her lattice,’ Nish interjected.

‘I was not speaking to you! Ullii, what happened?’

Ullii blushed, her colourless skin going the colour of blood.

‘Is there something the matter? Something I should know about?’ Flydd continued.

‘No, Xervish,’ she said faintly. ‘I will make a new lattice.’

‘My skeet arrived safely?’ Nish asked, for that had not been mentioned. ‘That is what brought you here so swiftly?’

‘It arrived only two days after you sent it. That was a good bit of work, lad. Fortunately I had other skeets at the manufactory and could send out the warnings right away. Within three days every city in Lauralin had been alerted to the invasion, though I don’t know what good it may have done us.’

‘How did you build this air-floater so quickly?’ It was much bigger than the balloon, which had exhausted all the silk cloth in the city of Tiksi and taken more than a month to construct.

‘We didn’t,’ said M’lainte. ‘I had the idea not long after our first balloon flight, but we were not sure that it would work, so it was built in secret at another manufactory. It was already being tested when you left.’

Nish looked up at the great airbag and for the first time noticed something missing. ‘Where is the furnace, and the fuel?’

‘Not needed, said M’lainte complacently. ‘A mine in the mountains produces floater-gas. We simply filled the air-floater with it.’

Nish had heard something about floater-gas. ‘Isn’t it … explosive?’

‘Horribly. And it leaks through the tarred seams, so we must return soon or there will not be enough to lift us. Going back will be slower than coming.’

‘Why did you come?’ Nish asked.

‘To see what we could see,’ said the scrutator. ‘To test this new air-floater. And to bring back whatever you had found. The wind seldom blows east at this time of year so, even if you had recovered Tiaan or her crystal, you would have had to walk home. That would have been too late.’

‘And to bring back Ullii, of course,’ Nish said quietly.

‘You are expendable, alas, but we can’t do without her.’

‘How is my friend Irisis?’

Ullii jumped, then clenched her little fists.

The scrutator gave Nish a hard stare. ‘I’m pleased to say, since you’ve been gone, she has settled down to her work. There’ll be no more of that nonsense.’

‘No, surr,’ Nish said faintly.

The mechanician was concerned about the leaking floater-gas, so as soon as lunch was finished they prepared to leave. Nish was heading to the balloon for his gear when one of the guards shouted, ‘Lyrinx, surr, in the north-west!’

‘Are they heading this way?’

The guard put a spyglass to his eye. ‘Not at the moment, surr. They’re watching the hole in the great mountain.’

Flydd paced back and forth. ‘Is it better to be in the air or on the ground? In the air, I think. At least we can move, and defend ourselves. But on the ground, should they drop something on the envelope, we’re done.’

‘And we can soar up high,’ said the mechanician, ‘where the air is too thin for their wings.’

‘We won’t be able to breathe,’ said Flydd.

‘There’ll be enough. We’re not doing the hard work of flying.’

‘True. Gather your gear, everyone. We’re going now.’

Nish ran. ‘Make it snappy, artificer,’ roared Flydd. ‘I won’t wait on anyone.’

Nish was climbing the rope when Ullii cried out, something that in all the shouting he did not catch. Then she screamed.

‘Get moving!’ yelled Flydd.

Nish went over the side into the basket, and froze. On the other side, just across the hole in the floor, crouched the nylatl. And he was defenceless. S’lound’s sword was over by the air-floater.

He tried to throw himself out but the nylatl sprang and caught him by the calf muscle. Nish kicked, the teeth tore through his flesh and the nylatl fell through the hole in the floor. He hobbled to the side but, before he could leap over, the horned snout came at him again.

There was a knife in S’lound’s pack. Nish wrenched out the long blade, then hurled the pack at the creature, hoping to create enough of a diversion to get over the side. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Ullii, screaming and struggling in the arms of one of the guards. The scrutator was shouting. ‘We can’t wait, even for you, Nish. Come now or stay behind!’

Nish heaved himself onto the rim. The nylatl’s teeth went through his boot, just missing his toes. It tossed its head and the force went close to breaking his ankle. Nish was dragged into the basket, slashing wildly at the beast. One blow carved the top off the main spine on its snout. The nylatl squealed, drew back and sprang again. This time the vicious teeth closed around his leg.

Nish hardly felt it, the way the adrenalin was surging through his veins, the blood lust singing in his ears. He stabbed down with the knife, whose blade was long enough to pass between the poisoned spines. It skated off an armoured plate, found the crack between it and the next, and went in deep.

The nylatl reared up, its eyes wide, and let go. Nish knocked it down with one boot and kicked it in the head with the other. It fled through the hole.

He clambered over the side but was too late: the air-floater was taking off without him. Nish slashed the tethers and the balloon shot up. His leg began to throb. Sagging against the basketwork, he took toll of his injuries. The muscle of his calf was torn in three places and there were tooth punctures on both sides of his leg, almost to the bone. It could have been worse. Much worse.

The balloon had gone up faster but the air-floater was swiftly overtaking him. There was still a chance. He waved and someone waved back. The air-floater altered course, though Nish could not see how they could take him off in mid-air.

He was wondering how to manage it when the nylatl, which must have been clinging to the underside of the basket, came over the side right behind him. Its smell alerted him as it was about to sink its teeth into his neck. He dived across the basket. This had to end, now.

The nylatl limped around the rim, its back legs dragging. He must have done it some damage. How to kill it? The flask of tar spirits, carried all the way from the manufactory, gave him an idea.

Hefting the flask, he backed away from the creeping beast and jerked out the bung. The creature eyed him. He feinted with the knife, and as the nylatl went the other way, heaved a great spurt at its face. It squealed as the stinging liquid went into eyes, nostrils and gaping mouth. Nish gave it another whoosh, then dropped the flask and attempted to attack while the nylatl was blinded.

It did not work; the creature seemed to sense his position and slashed with its right paw. The sole remaining claw raked down Nish’s wrist, sending the knife flying across the floor and out through the hole. He was defenceless.

From the corner of his eye he saw an archer standing at the rail of the air-floater, but the man could not get a clear shot. The nylatl sprang down. Nish threw himself onto the rim, crawled around and his head bumped the hanging rope ladder up to the brazier.

Without thinking he went up hand over hand, all the way to the top. The nylatl came to its hind legs to follow. The air-floater, which had been standing by, suddenly veered away as fast as its rotor could go.

Must have read my mind, Nish thought. Nothing mattered but to rid himself of this ravener. Flipping open the lid of the stove, he reached in with his bare hand, pulled out a handful of red-hot coals and hurled them into the basket. Then he pushed head and shoulders through the rope ladder and hung on for dear life.

The coals scattered. One landed on the creature’s snout. Flame burst out in all directions. The nylatl let out the most hideous scream and raced around the basket, flame following it to every drop of spilled spirit. Nish’s hand began to burn and there was worse to come. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and waited.