Their efforts so far had taken out two Man-o-wars from Mordred's airship armada. Twenty eight of them remained, flying over Evelah dropping bombs as they went. There were now too many plumes of smoke rising into the sky from the city to be counted. These flying ships had to be stopped before they reduced the city to rubble beneath them.
Levi, never happier than behind the wheel of a ship, had formulated a plan quickly. The other ships seemed to still be unaware that this Man-o-war was now working for the other side. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine," Levi said and pushed the lever forward that would cause the fans to rotate faster.
Ethan and Levi had run a quick inspection as they searched for supplies needed for the captain's plan. They had found the stern of the ship modified so that horses yoked to a large treadmill of sorts churned out the power feeding to the fans on the sides of the ship, propelling it forward. "Horsepower," Levi said surprised. "What will they think of next?"
A system of gears allowed more of the power coming from the steady pace of the animals to actually generate fan power, or less if that was desired. Levi cranked it up all the way and the ship lurched forward beneath them. "Takes a while to get your air legs," Ethan said as he stumbled next to the Captain.
"Aye, but isn't it grand?" Levi said. Captain Bonifast, clearly pleased with his new command, was ready for action. As they came upon the stern of the first target, Levi began issuing orders. "Ethan, get to the starboard cannons."
Ethan shifted to the ethereal plane and arrived at the first of twelve cannons in the starboard lineup. They hadn't been any use to the hybrids on the city below them, but up here where they were on the same level as their enemy, they would do very nicely.
The Man-o-war ahead of them had been cruising along at a steady clip until the hybrid soldiers onboard spotted the airship coming up fast at their rear. Ethan watched as they attempted an evasive maneuver, probably fearing the captain of this vessel had simply lost control for some reason.
Levi came up fast on the Man-o-war and then spun the wheel sharply to port bearing their starboard guns on the enemy's stern. "Fire, Ethan!" Bonifast yelled at the top of his lungs.
The cannons had already been primed and loaded. All they needed was a man to ignite them. Ethan pulled the ignition cord on the first as the enemy ship passed before him. The flint fell and ignited the powder within. The first cannonball rocketed away.
It plowed, not into the stern exactly, but into the helm. The soldier who had been manning it ceased to exist as the iron ball smashed through the wheel and the fan assembly-all blasted to splinters in a moment. Ethan realm shifted down the line of cannons, igniting each with lightning speed and precision, doing the work of an entire gunnery crew in seconds.
The stern of the enemy Man-o-war disintegrated under the brutal barrage of cannon fire. Powder stores somewhere below deck exploded. Bonifast's ship was thrown away by the blast just as another Man-o-war came into the fray.
The new enemy attacker fired several of its portside cannons. One of the balls flew over the deck while another sailed into Bonifast's starboard side. Ethan leaned over the deck rail in order to inspect the damage. He turned back to Levi still cackling behind the wheel. "Ah, I love this ship!" he exclaimed. "That blast would have sunk us in the water!"
Levi pulled the control cord which connected to the coal stove vents currently supplying varying amounts of hot air to the balloons above them. The vents opened further, causing the ship to rise dramatically. The enemy ship fired again, but too late to catch them as Bonifast ascended higher into the sky.
He called to the other priests, Kline and Devon, as they stood at the rail with arrows dipped in pitch and aflame. "Light em' up, boys!"
As the enemy ship passed beneath them, Kline and Devon let fly their flaming arrows. They streaked black smoke down to the billowing, ballooned sail cloth. As soon as the arrows struck, the pitch ignited the fabric, now dry from all of the hot air pumped into it. The fire spread across the top quickly on both sides of the balloon rigging.
In moments, the air bags holding them aloft had burned wide open. The ship dropped out of the sky like a stone. It shattered in pieces inside one of the King's famous prayer parks-places built for contemplation of Shaddai's word. Fortunately, no one was currently using them. The citizens of Evelah were still busy running for their lives from the aerial onslaught.
"Let's get after them, boys!" Levi shouted. He opened up the horsepower to the fans and took the high road hoping to strafe as many of the Man-o-wars as possible before they knew what was happening. Clearly the flames were their weakness and Levi intended to exploit that advantage as long as he could.
Ethan joined Kline and Devon at the rails. They ran back and forth from port to starboard, firing flaming arrows, their tips dipped into the black pitch and then lit from the coal stoves burning beneath the ships balloons. The attack proved more successful than they might have anticipated.
Most of the Man-o-wars had been too busy to even notice the other ships going down. And their own bombs falling to the city below kept up so much racket they hadn't even noticed the cannon fire. Now their ignorance had come back to bite them. Most of the crews didn't even realize what had happened to them. One minute they were the kings of the sky, bombing innocent civilians below and pocking the landscape for years to come, the next moment their own hot air balloons were bursting into flame above them. They dropped like dead birds to the waiting city below.
The majority of the Man-o-wars went down rather easily given Levi's better plan of attack. Still, there were a few which managed to put up a good fight. By the time the last of the airships had fallen, Levi's new ship was pocked full of cannonball holes. She never would have lasted in the open water. When Levi finally brought the ship down for a landing, in the main courtyard at King Stephen's palace, pieces were still falling off of the hull.
The great Man-o-war airship landed with a groaning smack against the pavement stones. Ethan watched as the King's guard gathered around the ship as it rocked back and forth, wobbling on the keel. Despite the modifications Mordred's people had made in the design, it still appeared to be meant for a water landing.
Levi threw over a rope ladder lashed to the rail and shimmied down quickly, ignoring the presence of the soldiers for the more urgent matter at hand. "You men, there, go and get something to brace the ship. Quickly! Don't stand there gawking at me! Go before the balloons deflate and allow her to roll onto her side!"
The soldiers, looking quite confused, broke up to go and do as he'd bidden them. The majority of the soldiers remained, however. King Stephen was among them, watching Levi. He approached the Captain, but Ethan noticed that the man didn't have the same demeanor about him as before.
Stephen actually smiled as he came upon Levi, still in action trying to get the ship properly settled. Ethan passed through the spiritual plane, appearing next to Levi while Kline and Devon climbed over the side as the Captain had done.
Ethan wondered if his presence with Levi might change the King's expression, but though Stephen looked thoughtful when he saw him, he continued to smile. "Captain Bonifast, once again you prove to me that your loyalties are as solid as ever," Stephen said.
He shook Levi's hand vigorously. "I couldn't have done it without Ethan, Your Majesty," Levi said, indicating him with a pointed finger resting on the boy's chest.
King Stephen looked at Ethan, even bowing his head slightly. "Yes, of course. My apologies, young man. I realize now that my earlier fears were far too hasty on your behalf."
Ethan wasn't quite sure how to take the drastic change in the king, but was glad for it nonetheless. "Not a problem, Your Majesty," Ethan said. "I only hope our efforts were enough."
"Aye, I saw a massive dust cloud to the north as the attack began," Levi said. "Despite this victory, I fear we've only seen a glimpse of what awaits us when Mordred arrives."
"And it can't be far off now," Ethan said. "Those Man-o-wars have given Mordred's army time if nothing else."
The king nodded solemnly. "Well, I suppose all we can do now is do our best and hope for the same. Come with me gentlemen and we'll go over our planned defense."
Levi and Ethan, with Kline and Devon strode after King Stephen and his entourage heading inside the palace. For the most part, the palace remained in good order. The Man-o-wars had hardly made it so far into the city before the counter attack had begun. The city of Evelah smoldered as buildings continued to burn and lives lay broken in the streets. And the worst was still yet to come.