The Sinners of Erspia

Treading crushed ore, they crept round the mound until emerging on its further side. Laedo smiled as, by the faint light washing across from the furnaces and filtering through the angular shapes of the catapult machines, he saw his cargo ship.

It lay on its side. Mezzen's efforts had been rewarded with some success, evidently, but not enough. He had managed to turn on the manoeuvring engine, but had been unable to control it.

Laedo wished he could have witnessed the looks on the faces of the gnomes as their ‘experimenting’

caused the cargo ship to tilt over and crunch on to the cinders, creating chaos in the lounge/control room.

Presumably the problem had been left to await the dawning of the next day.

He turned to whisper to the fairies, pointing to the ship. “See that? That's what we're headed for. Quickly now, follow me."

He went loping across open ground, not too fast in case the weary fairies were too weak to keep up with him. He paused before the looming ship, brought out his remote and ordered the steps to descend.

The steps emerged from the foot of the now horizontal doorway, sensed that the ground lay in the wrong direction, and skewed themselves round in order to reach it. Laedo dashed up the crazy staircase and opened the port, then turned and gestured, calling out in a low voice.

“Up the stair, quickly! I'm taking you to Fairyland!"

They hesitated at first, then one of the females bravely took the lead, clambering up the steps.

Encouraged by her example, a male followed. As she reached him, Laedo shoved her through the port and told her to keep going.

"Halt! Stand where you are!"

The voice was vibrant and raucous, a gnome voice. Gnomes were running across the open ground, taking aim with crossbows.

“Hurry!” Laedo shouted. He began to panic as he pushed the second fairy through the port. In the low gravity the gnomes were bounding across the cinders with phenomenal speed, like bouncing balls. At the foot of the stairs, the remaining male fairy gallantly urged his companion to ascend.

With alacrity she did so. Halfway up, a crossbow bolt took her full in the back. She tumbled from the steps with a dying gasp. Laedo glimpsed the tip of the bolt protruding from her chest.

He pulled his gun from its holster once more, and steeled himself to an act of violence.

He fired at one of the advancing gnomes. He had scarcely ever used the gun before, and his aim was bad. The beam missed. He kept it on continuous and sent the beam wavering around until it found its target. The gnome's legs collapsed under him as his life was extinguished.

Laedo was screaming furiously to the remaining fairy, who instead of racing up the stair was examining the female to see if any life remained. He had left it too late. Two bolts hit him at once, one in the head, the other through the ribs.

A gnome appeared at the foot of the stairs, snarling up at Laedo. He had already discharged his crossbow and had no time to reload. He threw it away, trod carelessly on the male fairy, and scrambled upward, reaching for Laedo.

Hurriedly Laedo pointed the emitter of his gun and pressed the stud. The big, ugly face melted and charred. The gnome fell to join the two fairies in death.

Backing at a crouch through the doorway, Laedo thankfully closed the port. It was awkward making his way along a corridor that lay on its side, but at least he was safe now. He grinned as he heard crossbow bolts raining against the hull with banging, clattering sounds. They would make little impact against a hull built to withstand space debris travelling at high speed.

He wondered whether he should feel bad. Two of the fairies had met their deaths because of him.

No, he decided, he should not feel bad. He had estimated the risks and made a calculated decision.

Given time to think, the fairies themselves might regard death while attempting to escape better than a life of misery and servitude.

The two who had survived were in the lounge, squatting in consternation on the wall which now served as a floor. Contriving to gain the control board, he set the ship gravity to a low level and switched it on.

With squeals of alarm, the fairies slid to the real floor and clung to one another.

Laedo switched on the close manoeuvring engine, raised the ship off the ground and brought it upright.

He switched on the external screens and turned them to image intensification so as to be able to see clearly by what little light there was.

The cargo carrier soared idly over the scene below. Gnomes were swarming like ants. Then Laedo observed to what purpose. One of the catapult machines was being frantically cranked. At the same time it was being rotated, on some sort of turntable. It could be aimed.

The cabin was removed. In place of it came a simple bowl, and into this a large rock was being levered with great effort.

Laedo took the ship higher. Seconds later, the catapult flung aloft its projectile.