The Wonderground

30 - Abandon Ship

Short-Toe cawed with determination as Jack drove him at speed towards the balloon. He extended his talons and ripped at the material inflicting several jagged tears. Jack heard the high-pitched whistle of escaping air. Rose and Audax swooped gracefully along the curve of the dirigible. Audax's silver belly feathers scraped the surface as he glided expertly towards the damage and grabbed a flailing piece of material in his beak. He jerked upwards, ripping a length of material with him as he ascended. The balloon released a loud rasping howl as a gaping wound opened in the material. The hull of the airship shuddered and lurched sideways as the balloon began flapping uncontrollably.

"She's going down!" exclaimed Jack.

"Where's Amelia?" asked Rose as she drew alongside him. They scoured the battlefield.

"Down there," pointed Jack.

***

Amelia was being hounded by two bats. As swift as Whitebelly was, she could not shake them. She had an idea. She tightened her grip and planted her feet firmly into the stirrups, tugging hard on Whitebelly's feathers. The bird rose abruptly, arched her back and performed a loop-the-loop. Amelia was temporarily upside down and felt her heart in her mouth. Whitebelly completed a full circle and finished directly behind the two bats. The bird swept underneath the nearest bat and Amelia reached up underneath the soft belly of the hairy creature. She swiftly unbuckled the saddle. The leather strap wriggled free and the two Sky Rats scrambled to hold on to any part of the bat as the saddle slid away. Its fur was too short and its wings too leathery. The men lost their grip and slithered off the beast. One managed to grab on to the bat's leg for a moment but the animal snarled and bit at the man, shaking him off.

The last bat approached Amelia. The Sky Rat on the back of the creature leapt from his stirrups and grasped onto Amelia's back, crushing her against Whitebelly's neck. He enveloped her in a bear hug and squeezed the air from her lungs. She flung her head back and struck a punishing blow across the bridge of the Sky Rat's nose. It exploded in a crimson spray and the man howled in agony. "Why you little...!" He released her instinctively as he wiped the blood from his eyes. Amelia heard a fizzing sound as a cannonball careered towards her. She ducked and the missile caught the Sky Rat squarely in the throat and knocked him off the eagle like a prize in a coconut shy. He screamed all the way down until he smashed into the lake and was silenced.

The pilot of the third bat watched furiously as his friend plummeted into the lake. He removed a flintlock pistol from his belt and guided his bat on a collision course with Whitebelly. Amelia had no time to react and nowhere to hide. The Sky Rat laughed maniacally as he raised the gun and drew back the hammer. He did not care anymore whether Lilacbeard wanted the damn kids alive. This one was going to pay.

At that moment, Audax swept in between the Sky Rat and Amelia. The eagle grabbed the bat rider by the shoulders and hoisted him clean out of his saddle. His bat fluttered away, leaving its rider writhing and dangling beneath the great silver bird. Before he had chance to fire his weapon at the eagle, Audax promptly deposited the wriggling Rat directly over the airship. He plopped onto the withering balloon and slid down the outside of the skin before becoming entangled amongst the support ropes and netting.

"Woo hoo!" hollered Jack as he glided in between his two friends. The Ephemera crashed into the lake and the sound of cannon fire ceased.

"We have to get to the others before the ship sinks!" called Amelia urgently. The birds spiralled downwards and perched gently on the top deck of the stricken ship. The eagles screeched in protest, hopping from one foot to the other and flapping their wings, as the stern angled awkwardly towards the water. The three children lost their footing as the deck sloped sharply forwards. The eagles skittered and skidded on the deck planks. They took flight and pounced to grab the children before they slipped down the deck.