Calm down. Itâs me ⦠Mrs. Francis.â She held out her hands to him. âItâs all right. Youâre safe.â
âDonât listen to her. She means you harm. Come to me. Now!â
âMOTHERRRRRRRRRRRR!â The howl ripped from his lungs again. He looked at her, his eyes like slits. The fear had been replaced by rage. âDid you do this to me?â He pointed at the boots. âDID YOU?â
âSettle down, dear Hamish X,â Mrs. Francis soothed, a tremor of fear in her voice. âWeâre your friends â¦â
He seemed to hesitate, confusion twisting his face. âI HAVE NO FRIENDS!â He hooked his fingers aroundthe leather binding of the book. Squatting down on his haunches, he glared at Mrs. Francis. âI want my mother!â
âCome then, Hamish X. Iâm waiting.â
Mr. Kipling interposed himself between Mrs. Francis and Hamish X. His hand strayed to the sword hilt at his hip. âSon. Settle down now. Thereâs a good lad. Weâll find her.â
âThey mean you harm. COME!â
Hamish X barked a savage laugh and snarled again. âYou canât hurt me any more! NO MORE!â He gathered himself and sprang like a cat, hands extended like claws.
Mr. Kipling dove to the side, hauling Mrs. Francis along with him. Hamish X missed him by a hair, but the momentum carried him on to the bulkhead. He swung his boots towards the wooden barrier and it exploded outwards in a rain of sparks and singed splinters. He landed in a crouch and then hurled himself down the corridor towards the cargo ramp, howling at the top of his lungs. Mrs. Francis helped Mr. Kipling to his feet. Hamish Xâs boots trailed wisps of blue fire.
Inside Hamish Xâs head, the womanâs voice was speaking. Her tone was calm but insistent. âThese people mean you harm, Hamish X. You must escape. You must come to me. I am in Providence, Rhode Island. Come to me now.â
Hamish X shouted, âYes, Mother! Iâm coming!â and ran as fast as he could down the corridor.
Outside on the cargo ramp, Mimi and Parveen stood transfixed. âI think it was Hamish X,â Mimi said. âI think heâs coming this way!â
Hamish X burst into the cargo hold and skidded to a stop on the steel plating of the floor. A shower of sparks sprayed where the soles of his boots struck the metal. He clutched the book tight as if it were the only thing ofimportance in the world. Casting his gaze wildly back and forth, he saw the cargo ramp with Mimi and Parveen standing gaping in surprise.
Mimiâs surprise turned to delight as she saw her friend up and on his feet. âHamish X!â She smiled and held out her arms. Then she saw there was something wrong. He was sweating profusely. His eyes darted from side to side. He stood at the top of the ramp, his chest heaving and his eyes filled with panic. When she said his name, he stared at her as if she were some sort of monster.
âYOU! WHO ARE YOU? WHEREâS MY MOTHER?â His eyes narrowed. âAre you one of them?â
âShe is an enemy, Hamish X,â the voice said.
âYes!â Hamish X hissed. He lunged at her, swiping the heavy book like a club.
Mimi reacted instinctively, diving to one side while grabbing Parveenâs shirttail and yanking him along with her. They fell off the ramp onto the wet grass. Parveen grunted as the air left his lungs.
Hamish X leapt down the ramp and landed in the grass. His boots sizzled and steamed. âI WANT my MOTHER!â he roared and the boots flared, casting a blue light in a circle several metres across.
The light revealed the meadow around the airship, the looming gasbag above, and a few terrified, vomiting rabbits. All to be expected. What wasnât to be expected was a group of six figures dressed in dark, tight-fitting bodysuits, black goggles, and balaclavas. 21 They stoodfrozen in the glare, caught in stealthy poses