Prophecy

Chapter 4

Barrin looked at the sea. The surface was covered with a light chop. The small spots of white foam were the most interesting things he had seen for hours. He had arrived at Teferi's island expecting to rest after days spent traveling. He was instead told that Teferi was out on maritime patrol off the mainland. More hours of flight before he could finally commence his mission. The grayhaired wizard rolled his head, stretching his aged limbs to ease their stiffness.

The wings of the ornithopter beat relentlessly as Barrin's pilot, Yarbo, followed the homing signal. A rangy, athletic man in his twenties, the pilot had volunteered to fly for the duration of the wizard's stay in Jamuraa. The ground crew at Teferi's base camp was able to give Barrin and his pilot a device to find Teferi's craft, handing it up as the last of Barrin's cargo was unloaded. The lightened machine flew faster and was more responsive as it flew over a gray sea.

Yarbo pointed left and down, signaling he had spotted Teferi's vehicle. Barrin waved for the pilot to circle, and Yarbo immediately banked. Barrin could now see Teferi's craft.

Teferi and his crew were in a long gondola slung below the gasbag of a blimp. The blimp was smaller than the dirigibles that flew in Tolaria, but any lighter-than-air craft is huge when compared against an ornithopter. The blimp was well over five hundred feet long and was a mosaic of pastel red and orange hues. Barrin wondered why such an abstract color scheme was used as Yarbo began to lose more altitude until they were directly across from the gondola.

The gondola was more than a hundred feet long and was segmented in several places. Bare metal and more of the pastel cloth winked a cryptic code as the lowering sun reflected off it and the windows. Barrin could see the crew waving through the windows. He also noticed that while the crew smiled, the long snouts of launchers at the front and the back of the gondola followed the ornithopter in its flight. He could feel the magic of the craft, and at least one spellcaster was holding power for a possible battle. Teferi was involved in a war, and Barrin was here to observe it. It seemed a poor reason for a reunion to Barrin.

Yarbo banked the birdlike machine and signaled for rendezvous. An agreement came from the blimp. Barrin waited for Teferi. If the planeswalker had not been on the other craft, getting aboard would have been vastly more difficult.

Barrin patted the thick case slung on his shoulder. He had received it when meeting Teferi's intelligence officer to coordinate the flight. Though the planeswalker had ways of communicating at all times, security and limitations on how much information could be cast back to the mainland meant a thick stack of documents still needed to be physically carried back and forth. Barrin hoped that he was carrying good news.

Barrin felt the surge of energy and a moment of envy as Teferi, the planeswalker, appeared before him. The increase in weight momentarily interfered with Yarbo's control of the craft despite the fact that he was expecting it.

"Hello, Barrin!" Teferi called out as he crouched. The noise of the ornithopter's flight diminished as Yarbo cut speed to make speaking easier. "How was your trip? Shall I get your luggage?" Teferi was smiling, and Barrin smiled back. The planeswalker's black-skinned face was youthful and jovial compared to the wizard's care-worn visage.

"It's all back at base, so no tip for you." Barrin always enjoyed Teferi's sense of fun in comparison to Urza's permanent glower. Teferi proved being a planeswalker was not the source of Urza's melancholy and lack of people skills. It was only because Urza radiated such unrelenting purpose that so many people followed him.

Teferi crabbed over and laid his hands on Barrin as he prepared to leap back to the blimp. Teferi jumped. There was a moment of disorientation as Barrin's body changed to a different shape in a different dimension. It was a skill that was minor to Teferi but a mountain to Barrin. When they appeared in the wardroom of the gondola, Barrin's entire being exhaled, returning to its familiar form.

The first thing Barrin noticed was the quiet and stability of the craft. There was only a faint drone to signal the presence of working machinery. Except for the noise and the excellent view, Barrin could have been on land or a seagoing ship becalmed.

"Welcome aboard the Hunter, Barrin," Teferi said as he gestured around to the men. The men nodded in greeting but kept their stations. "The Hunter is the lead ship of the Mushan class. We are trying to build them as large as your cargo dirigibles, but we still have a ways to go." Teferi's every movement showed pride in the creation of the craft. "This is the biggest thing flying in the hemisphere until the new Negria class flies next year."

"It's a fine craft, but how does it do as a combat vessel? The Weatherlight would swat this out of the air like a gnat, and even an ornithopter would eat you alive. There may be a future in cargo and patrolling, but you should concentrate your flying efforts on ornithopters." Barrin could tell he had ruffled the feathers of an enthusiast.

"Of course the Weatherlight would destroy us. But it is the only one of its kind, and it took the power of a collapsing plane to charge its engines. Hundreds if not thousands of these can be built. Right now the Keldons have few if any flyers," Teferi replied. "These blimps are not as vulnerable or useless as you contend." Teferi turned and waved for Barrin to follow.

Teferi moved through a partition and gestured in a wide circle. "Cargo space and the ability to carry tons of it long distances." The shelves and bins were all locked tight, each labeled according to its contents. Large pieces of equipment were securely webbed down, and seeing the stringency of the lashing, Barrin wondered how rough the ride could get.

Teferi pointed to the ceiling. "Up there is the heavy machinery which provides the power and much of the passive defenses. Enough energy for months of flight."

Barrin stretched forth his senses. He could feel magical energy encased in tanks and drums, and thin lines carrying power in several directions. But he also felt the balloon and the envelope above him. It was subtle, but the same power trapped in the heavy tanks seemed to float in a huge, diffuse cloud over him.

"What exactly are you using the power for?" Barrin inquired as he sampled the texture of the energy being used.

"The liquid in the tanks is a concentrate refined from tufa and stabilized in a liquid form. Using this power we have quickened the fabric making up the envelope, balloons, and cabling," Teferi replied. "The material is in some sense alive and acts to maintain its own integrity. There is an additional benefit in that water is misted up into the balloons, and the material separates the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen is vented into the atmosphere and the hydrogen is contained to inflate the balloons. As you know, the shortage of ballast and lifting gas is usually the determining factor in how long we can fly. In effect, the water we take on board performs a double duty. We can even pump in a fresh supply by dangling a long hose. Endurance is enhanced." Teferi's eyes shone as he regaled Barrin with the details.

An airman interrupted Teferi before he could continue. "Sir, we have news of enemy craft to the east. Communications wants you immediately." Teferi strode to the front of the craft and called for a report. Barrin followed.

"The Grey Dove is reporting one Keldon ship so far. Their pilot has called for assistance, and we are moving to support them." Barrin could feel the blimp vibrating as their pilot went to maximum power and altered course.

"It appears you will have a chance to observe operations sooner than I planned. The Grey Dove is a Kashan class blimp-smaller than the one we are on now-that was coming in from patrol. We are the only ship this far east that can support her."

Barrin looked at the broad expanse of coast on the map. He was astounded by the amount of coastline not covered by patrols. Teferi picked up on his question before it could leave his lips.

"You obviously haven't gotten the news. The airbase that housed the blimps for this area was burned six weeks ago. For at least the next year, the east will have inadequate coverage." Teferi looked grim as he remembered the recent raid.

"I thought these blimps had endurance." Barrin wanted to lighten the mood, but his primary mission was to collect information for Urza.

"The blimps need to rearm and perform maintenance. Also the semi-living nature of the fabric requires special maintenance facilities, and we don't have means to provide this without substantial new construction," Teferi explained.

Their pilot interrupted them. "Blimp sighted. All hands to battle stations. Cease hydrogen production. Engage all defenses. Communications, what's their status and where the hell is the ship they're attacking?" The pilot reduced speed, and two men came forward. The whisper of power they exuded alerted Barrin that these were combat mages, readying themselves for action.

"The Grey Dove is low on gas and ballast but is committing to an attack run. Look forward and starboard for the Keldons," the communicator responded, even as he continued broadcasting details of what has happening to other airships far to the west.

Barrin picked up a pair of magnifiers and looked for the enemy ship. One of the combat mages finished his defensive preparations and was looking as well.

"Try to spot distortion or a patch of mist. The Keldons have been hiding from surface forces and masking their movements," explained one of the battle mages.

Barrin leaned forward as a ship congealed on the ocean's surface. It was long and low slung. The figurehead was a dragon belching painted fire, and he wondered at the incongruity of flame cleaving a gray sea. The ship was crowded with Keldons, and on the bow there were several war engines Barrin did not recognize. A poor place to put heavy equipment, thought the old mage. In the front of the ship it could unbalance the boat.

"Doesn't look very impressive, does it? But it's the troops on board that are the real threat," the combat mage said while preparing for battle. His comments were addressed less to Barrin than to the world at large.

Suddenly one of the engines on the Keldon ship discharged high into the air, the projectile a flaming mass. It burned so brightly that even when Barrin looked away he could see the trajectory's afterimage superimposed over his vision.

"Oh, those swine!" someone in the cabin swore.

Barrin looked again. The fire had been cast at such a high angle, he thought the Grey Dove safe, but at the apex of the trajectory the compact ball of fire expanded and altered shape. A cloud of fiery green and yellow streamers glided down. For every foot they fell, the flaming projectiles moved yards closer to the smaller blimp. Then the streamers collapsed and rained fire down over the pastel envelope. Barrin imagined the crew burning as he waited for the explosion-but the explosion never came. The envelope was burning, smeared with fire, but the flames weren't spreading. In fact, they were starting to slowly diminish even as he looked on.

"Told you the defenses make a difference. The engines are spraying a mist that retards combustion. As long as the fuel holds out, or they don't lose power, the flames should be controllable." Teferi sounded relieved, but he immediately turned grim. "The pilot, however, has no business being that low over the water. He is going to get another volley from that ship if he doesn't break off soon."

While Teferi talked, Barrin shifted his glass from the blimp to the ship. The Keldons were moving erratically on the deck, and as the Hunter closed, he could detect the marshalling of magical power aboard all the craft in the area. The Grey Dove began to point down in a shallow dive, and Barrin saw ballast being dumped aft. The nose of the blimp dipped toward the surface.

A hail of projectiles poured from under the blimp. Dozens of rockets leaped at the ship, leaving ribbons of smoke and light as they accelerated to a high velocity. Dark vapors poured from braziers on the Keldon ship, forming a cloud in front of the attack. If it served a defensive purpose, Barrin had no idea what it was. The projectiles were not effected at all and beat the water into froth as the spikes nailed the sea and part of the ship's deck.

"We'll follow his bombing run and finish what's left," the pilot called as he adjusted course to over-fly the Keldon ship.

The Grey Dove dumped bombs, but only four dropped from its bays. The smoke from the Keldon ship went black as coal as the bombs entered it.

"The Keldon mages are still working on the ship. Either the rocket darts missed or there were a lot of mages on board," the pilot reported.

Barrin's eyes dipped to catch the bombs as they exited the cloud of smoke, but the explosives failed to fall through. They reappeared after an obvious lag, falling farther to the rear than the bombardier had intended. The bombs exploded into giant green discs, covering the stem of the Keldon vessel. The ship listed to the port side, its steering apparently gone and the forces propelling it uncontrolled.

"Grey Dove says its remaining bombs are hung up. They will turn to support our attack if they can." The attacking blimp was on the right side of the Hunter and beginning a turn to follow the larger aerial craft in. The bomb doors were still open, and the combination of poor aerodynamics and unexpected weight meant the ship was much lower than intended.

Barrin saw the attack, but it was so quick that he was unable to respond. The envelope of the smaller blimp was smashed and the rigging tangled in an instant. The next strike he saw clearly. A drop of water leaped up from the sea. It was the size of a bathtub as it smashed the gondola into wreckage.

"Sea archer!" shouted the navigator.

Barrin could see the monster now. It body was reptilian and was at least sixty feet long. Its hide gleamed a dull, hideous shade of green with flashes of color as it reared out of the water. Its head was long and narrowed to an incongruously small mouth. The creature circled under the Kashan blimp it had just attacked.

Barrin could feel the bank as the Hunter turned. The monster submerged and then resurfaced, its head questing toward the sky. The skull seemed to compress, and the monster nearly disappeared at the recoil as another blast of water sheared into the Grey Dove. Debris poured from the stricken blimp. The rear of the gondola shattered, and huge sheets of its envelope spun down into the sea. Three crewmen were tumbling toward the water as the airship began to rise, the sudden weight loss sending the blimp higher. Interior balloons inside the blimp burst, and all the lift shifted to the front of the vessel. The nose of the blimp jumped toward the sky. More debris and personnel fell from the dying craft.

Teferi shouted, "I'll get-" and disappeared.

"You would swear the sea beasts are fighting for the Keldons," the navigator whispered as the sea archer struck at everything falling into the water.

"The enemy just throws bodies overboard, and monsters leave them alone," the pilot replied.

Teferi had jumped to the debris falling to the water and had grabbed a crewman, jumping back to the wardroom. Teferi disappeared again as the scream of a rescued man filled the cabin. It took a few seconds for the Grey Dove crewman to realize he was comparatively safe, and then Teferi jumped back with another crewman.

Barrin tried to find some magical hold on the beast but there was none to be found. The sea archer was hunting prey for its own reasons.

The nose gunner of the Hunter turned his launcher and sent a stream of rocket darts into the water. The single tube began to glow red from the heat, and Barrin could hear the man cursing as he corrected his aim. The monster lurched as two shots pierced its body. The well-placed darts smashed ribs and exploded tissue as they exited the other side of the beast.

Barrin had spread his mental net wide, trying to snare the beast from the non-existent Keldon influence. Now he threw that net of calling out into the ocean. From miles around, sharks answered Barrin's summons, converging on the injured beast as a blood slick spread around the thrashing body. The water roiled, and the sea archer disappeared under the mass of hungry predators.

"Gunner, aim for the Keldons right now!" the pilot screamed into the launcher compartment underneath the cabin. The beast's attack and Teferi's ongoing rescue of the crew had given the raiders too much time. The Keldon ship was only seconds from being under the Hunter's bomb bay. Suppression fire was vital. The enemy ship heeled hard as someone regained steering and overcorrected.

Barrin felt the rush of energy even as the men below were pitched off their feet by the sudden change in the ship's direction. The Keldons fired, and Barrin braced himself for a hit as a ball of brilliant fire arched into the sky. By design or luck, it struck the Grey Dove. The hydrogen in its remaining cells ignited and leaped to the heavens in a sheet of flame, then the fuel and remaining armaments exploded, and the craft disappeared in a rain of fire.

Teferi appeared, disoriented and dazed, in the command cabin, a charred body clutched in his arms-a final desperate attempt to save more crew from the doomed ship. The crew of the Hunter was shouting and trying to get to the planeswalker. Barrin, knowing how tough his friend truly was, moved up to the pilot's chair.

The front gunner was now firing into the Keldon ship, stabbing repeatedly around the bow area, searching for an enemy mage. The pilot looked at Barrin as he set the bomb bays for drop.

"I don't think we can allow those fellows to live," he said softly and tripped the release as they passed over the

Keldons. Barrin could feel each bomb dropping away. He was consumed with witnessing every moment of the battle and ran to the rear gunner's compartment, the floor jumping as the ship raced to the sky. He passed Teferi without a glance and levitated over the still crewmen rescued from the Grey Dove. He reached the blimp's stern and the gunner's station.

The bombs hit as Barrin peered through the window. Five of the projectiles missed, and huge columns of spray lifted high into the air. Three of the bombs smashed into the ship and plunged through the deck to explode in the holds. Then the Keldons' fuel and weapons added their power to the holocaust. Gouts of flame flew high into the sky, blooming into flowers of twisting fire and color. The ship lay hidden behind the smoke and spray. When the scene cleared, Barrin could see the Keldon ship had been shattered into a spread of floating timbers and bodies. Were there any survivors?

The rear gunner must have thought so, for he aimed and fired. This launcher was bulkier than the Hunter's forward weapon, and an assistant had to elbow Barrin aside as he loaded another shell. The clumps of debris continued to spread out as more wreckage and gear sank to the bottom. The gunner fired again. The shell exploded into a large net that fell to the surface. Barrin watched as a man thrashing in the water tried to get on top of a barrel. The net covered everything and detonated in a flash. Barrin's eyes jerked away, and nothing but fragments floated where the Keldon had been.

"That isn't necessary, Gunner," Barrin said, numb after observing the battle. The gunner didn't say a word, but the loader inserted another shell into breech. The gunner fired the round before answering.

"We can't rescue them, and nobody is in sight. If I had a choice between getting eaten and getting shot, I'd take shot." Barrin remembered the small mouth of the sea archer and the sharks converging on the area from his call. The long-lived mage said nothing as the gunner took aim again.