John Carter by Stuart Moore Read Free Book Online Page A

against reddish skin. “Where is she?”
    The man said nothing.
    Sab Than raised his hand and fired the Thern weapon. The prisoner screamed, flashed blue, and vanished.
    The next prisoner’s eyes were wide with fear when Sab pulled up his helmet. Sab raised the weapon and held its glowing tip right before the man’s face. “Where is sh—”
    â€œSire!”
    Sab Than whirled to see a crewman pointing toward the captive Helium ship. The gangway between the ships lurched, jerking violently up and to the side. Zodangan soldiers, caught on the gangway, flailed wildly, struggling to maintain their balance.
    The Helium corsair was pulling away, spreading its vanes to gather power. Trying to break free.
    â€œWho’s on that ship?” Sab Than demanded.
    â€œOnly our own men,” the boarding party leader replied. “We left no Heliumites alive, sire. I swear!”
    â€œTo the bridge. Move!” Sab turned, pointed, saw one of the Heliumites give a signal—and then the prisoners were upon them. They swarmed over their captors, and a brawl began.
    â€œFinish them!” Sab Than screamed, firing his hand weapon. Another Heliumite dissolved in blue fire.
    The gangplank snapped. Zodangans screamed and toppled off into the open air.
    Sab Than raced for the bridge, dodging both his own soldiers and the rebel Heliumites. This was not the end, he vowed. Before this day was out, he would possess the Helium princess’s hand in marriage—and Barsoom would be united under his iron rule.
    Sab stopped just before the bridge entrance and glanced over the side of the deck. His sister ship was arcing in toward the runaway Helium corsair, moving to intercept it. But the corsair was moving too fast…
    Zodangan soldiers rained down among the Tharks, their necks snapping and heads crunching as they struck the stone ruins. The Tharks pointed with each impact, groaning in glee and mock sympathy.
    â€œThose ships are gonna collide,” Carter said.
    As he and Tars watched, the Helium corsair picked up speed and struck the second Zodangan ship with a sickening crunch. The corsair listed sharply to one side, its solar vanes cracked and damaged. More Zodangans spilled off the deck, dropping to their deaths among the uncaring Tharks.
    But Carter’s eye was caught by another motion on the corsair’s deck. He snatched the spyglass away from Tars, ignoring the Thark’s protest. Through it he saw an armored, visored figure, dressed very differently from the red-garbed Zodangans, tumble across the deck to pitch over the side. The figure sailed through the air for a moment, then managed to catch hold of the ship’s gunwale projecting off the side. The figure’s helmet flipped off, and long brown hair spilled out.
    Carter’s first thought was: she’s beautiful .
    His second: she’s human .
    The woman was tall and lush, with full lips, strong arms, and a rich red hue to her skin. She hung desperately from the airship, her deep blue eyes searching wildly. For an instant they seemed to lock on Carter’s, through the spyglass.
    Faintly, he heard her cry out for help.
    Carter tossed the spyglass to Tars and took off with a leap, soaring high up into the air. His chain unspooled behind him. Tars reached for it, but the Thark was too late.
    Carter arced down toward a rooftop, almost missing it; the chain’s weight was throwing him off. As he landed, he heard the woman’s cry, clearer this time. He glanced up at her thrashing figure, then around at the various buildings. Only a few roofs stood higher than his current position. Gathering up his chain, he jumped again, gaining a few more feet. If the ship kept drifting…and if he could just get a little bit closer to it…
    For the first time since the Apache cave, Carter felt a sense of purpose—maybe, he realized with a shock, for the first time since the war.
    I won’t fail you , he thought. And