Of Bone and Thunder (30 page)

Breeze looked down at her crystal sheet. “Breeze here, sliding off plane.” She took her time, her hand movements very precise. When she was done, she neatly folded her hands in her lap and stared at Vorly.

The part of Vorly's brain that told him something was wrong was screaming. He chose to ignore it. “I think he was onto something. All you girl RATs are odd. Course, so are the lads, come to think of it.”

“What would be less odd?” Breeze asked.

Vorly shrugged. “Just about anything. Cooking, cleaning, sewing, having babies. All good jobs for women.”

Breeze nodded. Her neck and her cheeks were red. “I see. And if I and the other women RATs had chosen the path of domesticity instead of pursuing higher thaumics, where do you think you'd be right now? Would you have a working system of communication opening up a world of possibilities?” Her voice grew higher as her enunciation sharpened.

“Ah, I see the problem,” Vorly said, hoping to mollify her. “Look, you and the rest of the RATs are odder than a three-headed goat, no question. But turns out, that's not a bad thing. I don't think you'd be suited to a life of domes . . . domisty . . . cooking and cleaning and whatnot. Probably put the baby in the pot and the roast in the crib. The point I'm making is that it's good there's some odd ducks like you in the world. I couldn't come up with all this,” he said, pointing at her crystal sheet, “if I lived to be seventy.”

Breeze brought her hands to her face and lowered her head. Her body began shaking as her breath grew ragged.

This is all I need!
Vorly looked around to see if anyone else could see what was happening, but the soldiers were too far away and the rest of the drivers and RATs were busy.

“Look, I—”

Breeze lifted her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her laughter, however, continued.

Vorly raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Breeze gasped for breath, her laughs high and melodic, reminding Vorly of a wandering minstrel show that had visited his village. “I don't
think anyone has ever traveled so far over such a tortuous path in order to give me a compliment.”

“Is that what I did?”

Breeze smiled. “Yes, sir, actually it is. Now, I should go back on plane. And I believe the soldier down there would like to have a word with you.”

Vorly turned. An infantry soldier stood ten feet away in front of Carduus's right shoulder. That put him just a few feet from Carduus's head, but if the soldier was scared, he didn't show it.

“The men are ready to board, sir,” the soldier said. He used his crossbow to point back toward the shield. Vorly noted with satisfaction that it wasn't loaded. He didn't want any of these army ants panicking their first time and putting an arrow in one of his rags, or worse, him.

Vorly turned his head slightly toward Breeze.

“Sky Horse Four reports the repair is made and Cytisus is sky-worthy,” she said.

Vorly turned back to the soldier. “Ready to board. Once the wings go up, you'll have about the time it takes to hard-boil an egg, so get them moving.”

The soldier saluted and ran back toward the waiting shield.

“All right, Carduus, time to get back to work.” Vorly picked up the iron gaff and gave the rag a good rap on the top of his neck. Carduus responded by lowering his long neck and resting his head on the ground. Vorly kicked back with his heels twice against the shoulder joints. He snarled in conjunction with Carduus as the beast's muscles tightened around the shoulders. Scales slid over one another with a grating sound. It was music to Vorly's ears.

“Wings high, Carduus, wings high!”

“DON'T DO ANYTHING
stupid!” LC Listowk shouted, waving his crossbow and pointing toward the waiting rags. Carny took his eyes off the LC and stared ahead, preparing to move. First one, then the rest of the rags lifted their wings until they were nearly vertical in the air. It was a stunning sight.

“Go, go, go!”

Carny led off, followed by Ahmist, Knockers, and Wraith bringing up the rear. LC Listowk led the other team with Big Hog last. Carny fast-walked toward the rear, his eyes fixed on the massive wing towering above him. If it came down on him, he'd be crushed like an insect. He forced himself to ignore it and focused on not tripping in the dirt.

He'd expected the rags to smell like death, or at least like a filthy brorra or pig, but the scent that filled his nose was an acrid mix of sulfur and metal. It reminded him of walking past a blacksmith's shop. He picked up his pace, aware that other teams were closing on their rags.

He came to the side of the rag and stopped. A ladder made of heavy leather straps with wooden dowels tied in at one-foot intervals hung down its side. Carny reached for the ladder and grabbed it. The strap was warm from resting against the rag's scales, but not uncomfortably so. He stepped up with his left leg, reached to grab a rung with his right hand, and hoisted himself up. In four short steps, he was up on the rag's back. If the rag noticed his presence, it didn't seem to care. Carny figured he was about as significant as a gnat: annoying, but easily dealt with if necessary.

True to their briefing, a long, heavy chain with leather and wood saddles attached to it ran down each side of the rag's dorsal plates. Carny paused. The plates closest to him had to be four feet tall and three feet wide.

“Move your fuckin' ass, Carny!”

Carny waved a hand and took a couple of steps along the rag's back until he came to the chain. The links were as thick as his thumb. He kicked the chain to see how secure it was. It barely budged. He looked closer—the chain was secured in several places by iron spikes driven into the rag's scales. No wonder the rag didn't react when he climbed on board.

The LC was now up on the rag at the front of the wing five yards away. Carny realized he'd been gawking and quickly squeezed through a pair of the vertical plates lining the rag's back, emerging on the far side. He began moving forward, following an identical chain. When he got to the final saddle attached to the chain, he sat down and immediately began strapping himself in.

It wasn't complicated and Carny quickly had the straps secure. He took a moment to look behind him and was relieved to see the rest of the
team was on board and getting ready, even Knockers. LC Listowk began calling out the checklist and Carny spent the next few moments securing his straps, his gear, and his crossbow, and then verifying it all again when Ahmist leaned forward to check it for him.

With the procedures complete and his racing heart slowing back down, Carny took in a breath and sat up straight. That's when he noticed the woman sitting farther ahead directly behind the driver. The plates up here were smaller, maybe a foot tall at the most. Carny looked across the plate at Big Hog.

“See that? A woman. I didn't know they drove rags,” Carny said.

Big Hog shrugged. “Women do just about everything a man does on the farm.”

“That's helpful,” Carny said, not bothering to pursue it. The whole experience was too amazing and after the tunnel he wanted to absorb it. He, Carny, was on the back of a giant rag halfway around the world. In his wildest dreams as a child, he never could have imagined this was where he'd be. He thought of his mother and how proud she would have been.

The other driver, a man, stood up and turned around to face them. He wore a uniform of heavy brown leather, the front of which was stained charcoal black.

“You are now on board the finest rag in the Kingdom. Do anything to hurt Carduus and I will feed you to him.”

Hurt him
?
Is he kidding?

“I'm Falcon, and my AO is called Breeze.” The woman shrugged her shoulders and never bothered to turn around.

“As this is your first time on a rag, I'll give you the long briefing,” he said. He pointed behind him. “Head.” He pointed forward. “Tail.” He used both hands to point to the sides. “Wings.”

There was no laughter. Someone farther back on the rag stifled a moan.

“Falcon, you're scaring them,” the woman said.

“Damn right I am,” Falcon replied out of the corner of his mouth. “I don't want these army ants messing up Carduus.”

Carny was having a hard time believing the man was worried about the rag. It was huge—the entire shield couldn't so much as dent a scale.

“There are any number of ways to die on or near a rag,” Falcon continued. “Carduus has big paws and sharp claws. I know they're sharp because the smithy files them once a week. Do not stand directly in front of them when you get off. The straps on your saddle should be cinched tight for the duration of our flight. Loosen them too soon and you will fall off and die. Accidentally shoot my rag, my RAT, or myself with one of your crossbows and you will absolutely die, because I will personally break your neck and feed you to Carduus. Should you feel the urge to shit your pants or puke up your last meal, you might as well have a piss, too, and wash it off. Thus ends the briefing. Questions?”

Carny would have smiled if he wasn't sitting on the back of a fifty-foot-long beast about to launch itself into the sky. He shook his head, knowing the driver expected no one to take him up on his offer.

“Is this really safe?”

Knockers!

“Safe?” Falcon said. A big grin appeared on his face. “I haven't lost a soldier yet. Of course, I've never had one actually ask me a question before when I give my briefing. But to put your mind at ease, should you at any time feel the flight is unsafe and you wish to get off, the exits are . . . everywhere.”

Carny said a silent prayer that Wraith would throttle Knockers if he tried to ask another question.

“Very well, gentlemen, we are about to leave the earth. Screaming is permitted. Enjoy the flight.” Falcon was still grinning as he turned around and sat back down. The woman shook her head.

Bastard
, Carny thought. He turned to look over at Big Hog. “Almost as bad as—” was as far as he got. The wings suddenly dropped down as the rag's head came up. The rag lurched forward, rocking Carny backward in his saddle. If not for the straps, he would have been flung off the rag for sure. The rag's wings began to move up and down, creating a windstorm on either side of his head. He dove forward and grabbed on to the chain, burying his head between his arms. The entire rag was bouncing as it started lumbering forward. Scales creaked and clattered and the world around him became a rumbling nightmare.

“High Druid full of grace! Protect this traveler through the dark forest of—fuuuuuuuck!”

A giant invisible hand slammed Carny's body into the back of the rag, squeezing the air out of his lungs. His ears popped. His stomach heaved and he was about to throw up when the pressure pushing him down lessened and the jarring and rattling stopped. The violent storm of takeoff was instantly replaced with smooth, rhythmic motions. Carny lifted his head and was greeted with a warm and sulfurous-smelling wind on his face. He sat up, gripping the chain tighter as he leaned a little to the side. The dosha swamp was already a hundred yards below him. He forced himself to keep looking. With each wing flap the earth widened out below him.

“We're flying!” he shouted, realizing and not caring how obvious that was.

He turned to look at Big Hog. The farmer's face was a mask of absolute panic. His lower lip quivered and his skin had turned ashen gray.

“Hey, it's all right!” Carny shouted. “Can you believe this? We're really flying!”

The rag rolled to the right, tilting its body so that Big Hog loomed over Carny for a moment. Carny pulled himself tight to the heavy chain and leaned with all his might to push the rag back the other way. There were a couple of screams and at least one maniacal laugh before the rag righted itself.

Carny shivered and sat back up, smiling with nervous energy. He looked over at Big Hog to see how he fared. The soldier wasn't there! Carny leaned up against the plates separating them and peered over. Big Hog was bent over his legs with his head against the rag's back.

“Hog? You can get up. Just a little rolling. You've been on ships at sea that did more than this,” Carny said.

Big Hog remained facedown on the rag. Carny looked at the soldier behind Big Hog. “Wiz, work your magicks, I think he passed out.”

“You'd rather he was flailing and screaming?” Wiz asked.

“At least make sure he's breathing.”

“Fine,” Wiz said. He reached forward and slapped Big Hog on the back. Big Hog didn't react. Wiz tried again, harder. This time Big Hog groaned but continued to lie flat out.

“He lives,” Wiz said, staring hard at Carny as if daring him to ask anything else.

“You'll make a great wizard in civilian life,” Carny said.

“If you ever pass out I'll happily kick you back to life,” Wiz said.

“Not really a morning person, are you,” Carny said, taking one last look at Big Hog before turning away. Clearly, flying wasn't for everyone.

The rag made a gentle turn and this time Carny didn't try to fight it. He even let go of the chain and held out his arms. Feeling silly but not caring, he closed his eyes. The wind whistled in his ears and though it was hot and laced with sulfur, he loved it. The horror of the tunnel and its aftermath were fading.

His grin still in place, Carny opened his eyes and lowered his arms. He glanced forward and what he saw put a lump in his throat. The world stretched out before him like a giant quilt of dull brown squares surrounded by fuzzy green wool. Sunlight flashed off of standing pools of water here and there where the drought hadn't completely dried up the ground. He realized a large group of black dots crowding around the edge of a river was a herd of brorras.

As the rag's wing lowered on a downstroke he caught movement out of the corner of his eye off to his right. One of the other rags had flown close, maybe a hundred yards away and about ten yards higher in the sky.