Masters of the Sky

Chapter 15.1 Burning Bridges (Part 1)

It took three days to come back to the Iron Shore. Another two were used to arrange a drydock for Percy, find a new ship for Celia and go once again over the plans of raiding the Plunderers' base. All that time spent far from action hung heavily on Celia. She hated being passive and waiting for things to happen, but sometimes there was no helping that. On the bright side, her ankle felt much better now, and as the time to strike finally came, she was ready.

Their new ship was anchored at the foot of the massif hiding the Plunderers' hideout. Celia steered them away from the complex's main entrance and the Chief's office. They had to arrive unseen if their little ploy were to work. The outcrop of the mountain made a little natural bay hidden from view. A perfect place to disembark. Although, they would have to traverse the rocky slope to reach Chief's balcony on the other side of the ridge.

"Are we sure this is the best way in?" Abner asked, looking up the steep rocky mountainside and absentmindedly rolling his freshly oiled moustache. The setting sun's light made a dull grey surface gleam like silver.

"Yes," Celia confirmed, lacing her high boots. "If we want to surprise Chief, we must get through the balcony."

"Can't we, I don't know, wait for all those governor's goons to move in and bust him?"

Celia scoffed. "Yeah, sure. If we go in with the soldiers, we will have to go through the complex full of Chief's retainers making active opposition. There is no way he'll still be in his office when we finally get there. We must be sneaky if we want to catch him, and that's our main goal here."

Abner uttered a long, suffering sigh. "Fine. I knew all that. It's just...." He shuffled on his feet, and heavy boots with toes adorned with metal spikes scraped the deck. "Those shoes are mighty uncomfortable. And the gloves are heavy!"

Lyra laughed and bumped her fist on the man's shoulder. "Gee, save it. We all know that you are a horrible climber. Just admit you're afraid of falling."

"I am not a terrible climber!" Abner huffed angrily, his face turning pink. "I have you know that I was once leading an expedition to explore the upper levels of the mines! That required a lot of climbing."

"Right. And as I recall, that mission was a spectacular failure since none of your folks could reach the highest level." Lyra grinned. "It was Celia who got there first three days later."

"That's... unimportant detail..."

"Enough bickering," Celia interrupted, looking at her pocket watch. "We have half an hour before the admiral's forces start to storm the main entrance. We must scale that cliff to get to the balcony and apprehend Chief. He will no doubt resist, but remember, he's worth more alive than dead, so aim your shots for non-vital parts."

Abner laughed nervously. "You say it as if it would be that easy." He looked around at his companions. "Am I the only one having a bad feeling about it? It's Chief we're talking about here. One of the most powerful crime lords in Iron Shore. I don't think he will let us march there and arrest him."

Zed shrugged. "He's only human. He tries something, and we shoot. It's simple."

"I wish I had your confidence, buddy."

"Zed is right, Abner." Celia nodded to the big man. "Chief is old. Have you ever seen him leaving his office? His power comes from all the people he has in his clutches. Eliminate them, and he's just an old prick. Now, enough talking. Gear up, and let's go."

Without further discussion, the crew put on harnesses, heavy gloves with pointy claws attached to fingers, extra rope lengths and hook guns. All of them were experienced in using climbing gear. With the Plunderers' base in the rocky mountain and all the raised city platforms, climbing was as natural for them as walking. However, some of them were more clumsy than others. Celia gave Abner a side glance. He was securing the straps of his gloves, but his brows were frowned and face pale.