Kaze takes a few steps away from the group, surveying the site for advantages in the upcoming fight. She looks at Nick.
"Would it be possible to use a blast of ice to interfere with his incoming flight?"
Nick: "Yes, I could. I made an aeroplane tumble in the War, by icing his wings."
"But an airship is heavier than an aeroplane, as strange as that sounds. I could make him drop lower with ice buildup; if he comes low near the trees, I could probably make him hit them. But if he stays high, I can't affect him much. The weight of ice I could add doesn't come close to the lifting capacity of an airship."
Kaze: "Of course, he can fly by himself now.... once he gets closer."
Nick: "With bird wings? I can definitely make those harder to use, with a few hundred pounds of icing."
Richter shakes his head.
"The Spellbound lost her Power in January. Did this guy get started then? Or was it earlier, and he's not related to the Spellbound at all?"
Kaze: "January, you say? There has been... an alteration in my powers since January."
Belle, still looking out the window, says casually over her shoulder, "Where would you like this airship blown? North? South? Into a mountain? The Atlantic?"
Richter snaps his fingers excitedly.
"You could, couldn't you? You could bring him down right into that mountain over there," he says.
Richter considers. He lights another cigarette.
"I like it. We don't know if he's a Finder, but I think it's likely. When he was in a room with me, Belle and Sonny, he went for Sonny. Which could mean he already has Finder and Weatherman. But anyway, if he is a Finder, he can Travel right on top of us. So we'd better stay together. Nick, can you freeze the ground around us, so if he appears, he'll slip and fall?"
Nick smiles tightly.
"Been doing it since 1918," he says. "No problem. There's always some moisture within range of the surface."
"Then we have a plan, of sorts," says Richter. "I'll try to see if any spirits are fingering us, maybe give us a few minutes' warning. But our main chance is that Belle puts his gasbag into the ground."
Belle gives a quick, impish grin. "Shouldn't be too difficult. Gasbags are my specialty."
ReplyDelete"What he wants is the leg, of course," says Kaze, as she tries to subtly herd them away from the open space. "That and Sah-Ne... and Miss Tane."
ReplyDelete"Yes, the leg!" says Richter excitedly. "I'd better keep that close at hand."
ReplyDelete"There should be look-outs. I volunteer to be one of them. And if Miss Weather should wish to stay with me, I can ensure she is faded if, after her attack, they are able to ascertain her position."
ReplyDelete"Sounds good. Nick, you can stay quiet when you need to. Get on a lookout where you can see both us and Kaze and Belle's position."
ReplyDeleteCasting around with his hands, Richter leads the Grimnoir to a flat rock overgrown by bushes. But the rock behind the bushes is flat, with a stream behind it, and considerable blackening of the rocks.
"A still site!" he exclaims. "Water for cooling, brush for concealment. And those branches overhead to diffuse the smoke -- probably why they're not in leaf now. The moonshiners won't be out for a month or more, but we can hide in there and see the airship from a distance."
Nick speaks up. "Have we any rifles?"
Everyone brandishes their tommy guns, pistols and knives.
"No, I said rifles," Nick says. He looks philosophically resigned when there are none.
"I see a spot which will do for a lone lookout. I will fire two shots if the enemy spots you, and then cover you as long as I can. If your position were near a slope, I can freeze the slope with ice and make them slip."
Richter: "Fine, fine. Outstanding initiative, Voinovich. The rest of you are in the still site with me, unless you think you can be more use outside. I don't want us to get cut up in detail again -- remember, this gink's a Traveler."
"If you have something you want to add, now's the time," he concludes.