The Search for the Red Dragon - James A. Owen [51]
They were thirty feet from the disintegrating base, and below that was open air. Above, there were sections of steps missing. They could go no farther down, but neither could they go back the way they’d come. They were trapped.
“What can we do?” asked Jack.
As if in answer to his question, a familiar whirring noise rose outside the nearest window, and the Indigo Dragon came into view. One of the fauns expertly tossed a line through the opening. Aven caught it and secured it through the bracing under the steps, then pulled over the rope ladder.
“You first,” she said to Jack.
“I’ll wait, thanks,” he replied. “Charles?”
“Already over here,” Charles said, waving happily from the deck. “I was motivated.”
Bert went next, then John. Jack was about to cross when another violent shudder shook the tower, and the stairway collapsed.
Jack was halfway onto the ladder, but Aven had been standing on the steps. There was no time to shout. It was all she could do to flail about for some kind of purchase, and she managed to twist the anchorline around her wrist before she fell.
The other end was still tied to the bracing, which weighed several hundred pounds. Aven cried out with the pain and tried to reach up to Jack, but he was too far out of reach.
“Aven!” Bert screamed. “Jack, can you reach her?”
“I’m trying,” Jack gasped. “Give me a minute.”
That was more time than they had. The weight of the bracing was dragging Aven down—and pulling the Indigo Dragon dangerously close to the tower.
“Cut the line!” Aven hissed.
“Never,” said Jack. “Hang on, I’m coming!”
He wound his feet through the ladder and swung backward, upside down—but it was no use. Her outstretched hand was still too far to reach.
The airship lurched sideways again, and the propellers screamed with the strain. It was a losing battle. Slowly, the ship was being pulled closer to the wall.
“Cut the line, Jack!” Aven said again. “Save the ship!”
“I’m not going to do that!” Jack yelled back. “I made a promise to look after you, and I’m keeping it.”
The look in her eyes softened, but she saw the situation more clearly than he did. “I can’t reach my knife to cut myself loose,” she said. “Not like this. And we’re all dead if the airship smashes into the wall! Cut me loose! It’s the only way!”
Jack looked at her, only a few feet away, and stretched his arms in despair. Grinding his teeth, he called up to Bert. “Throw me a knife! Quickly!”
One of the fauns clambered out onto the ladder as the ship jolted close enough to the tower to scrape a propeller against the stone, sending a shower of sparks over them. He passed a short dagger down to Jack, who took a deep breath and looked at Aven.
“Cut the line, Jack,” she said softly.
And with a single stroke, to the horror of his friends, he did. Aven dropped away into the mist without a sound.
“Jack!” Bert screamed as the shaken young man rushed across the ladder and onto the deck. “What have you done? What have you done?”
Jack ignored him and ran to the wheel. “We have two miles,” he yelled to the crew. “Cut away anything that will drag us back, and dive! We can still catch her! Dive! Now!”
The crew responded instantly, shifting the rudder, spars, and propellers to alter the pitch of the ship. With a vicious jolt, the Indigo Dragon tipped downward and began to drop.
John, Charles, and Bert grabbed hold of whatever they could and braced themselves. The fauns, seemingly oblivious to the danger, were cutting off anything that created wind resistance: the anchor, gone; the rope ladders, gone. Even the extra casks of food and drink were quickly tossed over the railing, to disappear in the airstream above them, so they could gain more speed. Faster and faster the ship flew—but in seconds, it was obvious it would not be fast enough. The time it had taken Jack to get aboard again and take charge of the ship would cost them dearly.
“We have to go faster!” Jack yelled, looking around. “The balloon! It’s creating