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It slammed against my dagger, sliding up to the hilt, the soldier close enough I could see the whites of his eyes, smell the coffee on his breath. His uniform was nearly unadorned, the silver stitching marking him an ensign.

When I threw him off, he had to take three steps to right himself, the sway of the ship just as much of a struggle as our fight. Despite the sand scars on his cheeks, he had little experience with real combat. The adrenaline running through him left his blade shaky as he leveled it at me.

A more capable soldier would have called for help, called to alert those in charge. He whimpered before launching himself at me again, stumbling as the ship tilted unexpectedly. I didn’t even need to pull my wolf’s claw; I simply let the motion of the ship carry my dagger into his throat.

It was over in less than a minute, my blades faster and more experienced than his.

Still, now the deck was covered in blood, and I had a body to hide.

Hoisting him up by the arms, I dumped him into the box I had just emerged from, pulling the box over the bloodstain and strapping it in place using the chains he’d been coming to fix.

Now, I just needed to plant the explosives. Seka had said anywhere along the hull should work, but planting it closest to the engine would guarantee an explosion.

I exhaled, gathering up my supplies and wiping my blade clean before creeping toward the hallway.

I didn’t hear any more sounds, so I stepped quietly out, gliding into the passageway.

I ducked into the first doorway I saw, listening with one ear before opening it.

The room was packed with foodstuffs but no engine.

If it was anything like most imperial ships, the engine would be toward the back.

Seka had said that was where she had put it, but Bemishu and Bechi had made so many changes to her design that she couldn’t be sure.

Above, I heard shouts, and the ship rose up in the air.

Closing my eyes, I listened. Elephants trumpeted in the distance, the shouting on the deck grew louder, and feet pounded across it, going down the ramp as soldiers tried to help their comrades.

The elephant distraction was working. Here was my chance.

I darted to the next room, peeking inside, but the engine wasn’t there. The last room crossed the entire hold, and I turned the handle slowly, waiting to see if anyone came to investigate before creeping inside.

Two imperial soldiers stood near the door, turning to face me at the sound of the creaking hinges.

I didn’t let myself freeze, I didn’t let myself hesitate; drawing my blades in one swift motion, I sliced up, my wolf’s claw embedding itself in the soft palate of one before I sliced my dagger across the other soldier’s neck.

They fell, their bodies making the deck tremble, and I shut the door quickly, dragging their bodies in front of it.

The engine was impossible to understand on such a large scale.

Seka had drawn it out for me, attempting to explain how it worked, how electro magic acted against gravity when forced through wires, spooled on massive spindles.

But I didn’t understand it then and understood it even less now, watching the massive twisting wires that took up most of the hold.

The ship shuddered, rising into the air. Closing my eyes, I made out voices on the deck, yelling that they were under attack and they needed to launch.

I could still make it. Rapidly, I pulled out the supplies I would need, placing the jars in a careful order. The acid would drip down a narrow funnel, eating away at a wax stopper until the stopper disappeared, mixing with the explosive.

One of the best things Yor?mu had taught me was how to make do. Almost all of the things I’d needed had been available in the laundry room, and a few late-night visits had netted me everything except the wax. That had been acquired by simply asking for it to seal letters.

I set it up behind one of the coils of wire. If they came looking for someone attacking them, they could hardly notice it behind the wires and jars necessary to make the engine work.

Now, I just needed to get off the ship. If we were already over the water, I could dive in and?—

Something trumpeted. Not the brass sound of imperial trumpets. Not even the ring of cannon fire or weapons. It was an animal sound, and one my ears were intimately familiar with after the way Small had nearly deafened me earlier.

I looked around the room, finding yet another door in the back. A loud electrical zap snapped in the air, and I hesitated, but I couldn’t leave without knowing. I nudged the door open.

Eldest was chained to the walls, her pace slow and relentless as she walked along a wooden track, spinning a massive cog that turned something else.

If I was guessing, they had solved the lift problem.

We had used Velethuil. Instead of using an air mage, they were working an elephant to death.

I wasn’t sure how it worked; all I saw was the electro mage next to her, wielding a staff.

“Faster!” he yelled, electricity arcing off his staff when he pressed it against her tender flesh.

She trumpeted again, the sound ending in a pained warble. I sprinted forward, using my two bloodied blades against his back, sliding between the plates of his armor. He fell, the electricity he held disappearing in a shock of nothingness.

Eldest moaned but kept walking, the chains and the turning cog making it impossible for her to stop.

I searched the man’s body, coming up with a key that I used to unlock the chains.

When she was free, Eldest stumbled, collapsing down onto the ground, just off the cog.

I ran to her, pressing my hand to her trunk.

“You’re alive.” But my words didn’t feel hopeful. The ship was about to explode and crash into a lake. She wouldn’t be alive for long.

Why had it taken off so early? Was it just the chaos of the elephants?

There was a hole in the wall where the two cogs turned a long pole, and I pulled myself up to peek out of it. The land was long gone, and we hovered a few hundred feet above the lake. I might survive the fall, but it would kill Eldest.

Biting my lip, I paced back across the compartment, pausing only to clean my blades on the uniform of the dead man. There had to be a way through.

Perhaps I could get the ship to come down on the water before the explosion.

“Can you swim?” I asked Eldest, but the elephant only stared at me.

It had no way to answer, even if it did speak Imperial. The point became moot a moment later when the airship jerked, and I heard a crash from the engine room. The jars had broken too early, the ship too unstable.

Shouts of terror anticipated the smell of smoke. They’d found the bodies, and the ship was on fire.