for that small remaining gap, holding her breath. A lyrinx crashed into the side of the thapter, shaking it, but could not get a grip, and suddenly they were out into the open.
The crossbow sang but Irisis cursed. ‘Got it in the shoulder, not the throat. Where the hell are my extra bolts?’ Not finding them, she cast the bow on the floor and went for her sword. ‘Nish, get up here!’
Nish, blood running down his forehead and into one eye, began to pull himself up the ladder, crossbow in hand. He tried to aim it but the bow was wavering all over the place.
‘Careful!’ said Irisis. ‘You’ll shoot one of us.’
Nish gritted his teeth, let go of the ladder and tried to aim the bow two-handed. He closed the eye that was wet with blood.
‘Look out! It’s –’
The rear of the machine jerked as the lyrinx sprang. Nish’s crossbow went off at the same time. Tiaan jerked the controller sideways, knowing she’d moved too late. She tried to get out of the way but there was nowhere to go. The lyrinx came crashing through the hatch, smashing the binnacle and the screen in front of it, and knocking the farspeaker to the floor. One huge arm and shoulder slammed Tiaan against the side wall and she lost hold of the controller arm.
A thud signalled that Nish had fallen down again. The creature’s great legs thrashed, slamming Irisis against the rear of the compartment. She cried out.
Something hot and wet spurted against Tiaan’s back and the creature’s weight pinned her against the smashed binnacle and the mass of knobs and wheels. It gave a feeble roar. Reflected in the broken glass, its mouth was open, the grey teeth menacing, but its eyes were staring. Purple blood flooded from the bolt wound in its neck, drenching her.
‘Tiaan,’ cried Irisis. ‘Take the controller.’
Tiaan couldn’t turn her head far enough to see out. They could have been heading for the sky or towards the ground. She couldn’t budge. All she could see was the floor and part of the side wall.
‘We’re heading straight for a building!’ Irisis screamed.
Tiaan tried to reach the controller but her arm was pinned. The lyrinx was ten times her weight. She tried to push it off but it didn’t move an ell.
‘I can’t move,’ she gasped.
‘Nish!’ Irisis yelled.
No answer, apart from groaning. Irisis forced herself along the side, put her shoulder under the creature and shoved. ‘Any better?’
‘No,’ said Tiaan, panicking.
‘Reach out. The controller’s just here.’
‘I can’t turn my head that far.’
‘But you know where it is, Tiaan.’
Irisis heaved the lyrinx and pulled Tiaan’s hand. It slipped free and Irisis slammed it onto the knob of the controller. ‘There.’
‘Where am I supposed to go?’ Tiaan gasped. ‘I can’t see out.’
‘Left and up.’
Tiaan tried to move her hand but could not. Irisis put her hand on top, jerking Tiaan’s the required way. The thapter banked right and the weight on Tiaan eased enough for her to lift her head. Stone columns flashed by.
‘Ten more seconds and we would have piled straight into that,’ said Irisis, directing Tiaan’s hand in uneven motions. Something rolled across the floor and down the hatch.
‘How are we going to get the lyrinx out?’ Tiaan whispered. She felt as if the life had been crushed out of her. ‘I can hardly breathe.’
‘I don’t know. Nish?’ A weak groan from below. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Bloody farspeaker landed on my head.’
‘Just when we needed you, too,’ said Irisis unsympathetically. ‘Grab hold of something and hang on.’
The lower hatch clanged – Irisis must have kicked it shut. She began fumbling around below Tiaan.
‘What are you doing?’ said Tiaan.
‘Strapping you in. You’ll have to turn the thapter upside down.’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever done that.’
‘Then learn fast. Look out – there’s bloody enemy everywhere and we can’t stop to hurl this fellow out. Wiggle the controller.’
A crashing thump at the rear made the whole thapter shudder.
‘What was that?’ said Tiaan weakly. She didn’t think she could take much more.
‘They’re dropping rocks. You’ll have to bank to the right until the thapter’s on its side. That should drop the weight off you. Then take the controller and turn us upside down. I’ll make sure the corpse doesn’t catch on anything. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?’
If Irisis meant to be reassuring, she wasn’t. Tiaan had no idea what would happen if she turned the thapter upside down. Would the controls work the other way?
Something smashed into the front, knocking the craft sideways.