The wind was howling so loud it almost drew out a low rumble of engines. But Celia could still hear the mechanical roar o their pursuers closing in with every passing minute. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but her mind was clear. There was no time for panic or second-guessing. Her life's work and all her sacrifices had led her to this very moment, and though it was not ideal, Celia knew this was a breaking point, a sink-or-swim situation. And Celia de Visher did not give up when faced with overwhelming adversities.

"Ready starboard cannons!" she roared, and with all her might, she spun the helm. Wood and steel groaned in unison when Percy took a sharp turn to the right so abruptly that even crew members gasped in surprise. The manoeuvre took them exactly where she wanted – with the starboard facing the two closest ships.

Their enemies must have assumed that faced with such a dire power imbalance, Celia would try to flee, and they could hunt her down like an animal. But even the most docile prey would fight teeth and nails once cornered, and Celia was no different. She could see panicked soldiers on the closest ship scrambling around the deck to reposition their vessel, but they knew it was too late.

"Fire!" she bellowed, and Percy shook as all the cannons spit their deadly projectiles. One of the pursuing ships got almost out of range, suffering only a few scrapes, but the other wasn't so lucky. The cannon balls wreaked havoc, piercing straight through the hull and crushing wood and metal alike. Celia could hear a small explosion but had no time to admire her handiwork. She was already pulling the leaver to ascend out of the firing range of the closest ship.

"We hit that one pretty bad!" Lyra reported from the crow's nest. "They are out for now!"

"Only four to go," Celia muttered.

Unfortunately, their pursuers were learning fast, and none approached so carelessly after their comrade's assault fiasco. They were also manoeuvring their vessels to surround Percy and put her in the crossfire position. Celia gritted her teeth and spun the helm again, taking another sharp turn, but this time not to rain her enemies with fire but to avoid a closing fast loop. Percy slipped through the seems, once again evading the capture, but the canon balls wheezed far too close for comfort, crushing the portside railing into splinters in two places.

The crew did what they could to keep the assailants away, firing their weapons every time they came within range, but none o them got even close enough to do any significant damage. It was more like dancing around each other now, waiting to see who would lose the rhythm first and stumble.

Even though the wind was relentless, Celia was covered in sweat. It was not easy keeping away from four ships at once, and she knew that any mistake would mean death.

"Captain!" Abner's voice came through her focus bubble, drawing her attention. "The winged guy! He's doing some weird shit! Shall we stop him?"

Celia pulled the lever to take them higher again, out of reach from the closer ship and risked a glance at the starboard, where she left the Stranger. He was indeed acting odd. Instead of loading and firing the harpoon thrower she gave him, the man unloaded and discarded it. He was smashing two blunt ends of metal-enhanced harpoons at the railing repeatedly and ceaselessly. When Celia focused, she could hear the steady rhythm, as if he was beating a battle drum.

"Shall we stop him?" Abner asked again, his tone urgent.

"Leave him be. Just ensure he doesn't get blown off by a stray cannonball."

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

As on cue, Percy shuddered when another salve grazed the hull. Celia cursed, spinning the wheel again. Her distraction cost them another hit; they couldn't afford to take many of those now.

"They almost closed the loop!" Lyra shouted. "We need to go higher!"

The thick black clouds were just yards away, looming like a solid wall of impenetrable stone, illuminated every so often by lightning. Celia didn't fancy entering the space with such limited visibility, but on the other hand, they needed all the advantage they could get.

"Hang on, everyone! We're going in!" Celia pulled the leaver further, and Percy ascended into the darkness above.

All sounds of battle were drawn out as if they had entered some hidden dimension, secluded from the rest of the world. Only a low hum of Percy's engines and a strange rhythm played by the Stranger prevailed.

BAM BAM! BAM BAM BAM!

The air around them was heavy with moisture, drenching their clothes. Celia could sense big coiling shapes around them. They were not yet approaching, as if they were waiting for something.

BAM BAM! BAM BAM BAM!

"We need some extra speed boost!" she shouted to the voicepipe, though her voice sounded strangely muffled in this place. Percy surged forward, bow cutting the dark mass like dark ocean waves. Celia didn't like that they were flying blindly like this, but she knew their current position was at a safe distance from the rocky mountaintops. She wouldn't risk this manoeuvre otherwise.

BAM BAM! BAM BAM BAM!

The lightning illuminated the clouds just in time to reveal the dark shape of a flying ship right in front of them. Celia cursed and spun the helm frantically, but she knew it was too late.

"Brace for impact!" she screamed.

Percy turned slightly, avoiding the bow-first collision into another ship, but she still crushed into it with the port side with a horrible screech of wood and steel scratching at each other. Celia barely managed to keep her footing when the ship trembled in protest.

The enemies did not waste time, throwing hooked lines to secure the vessels together.

"Raise your weapons!" Celia shouted, pulling out one of her revolvers. "Don't let them through! If they overwhelm us, it's over! All hands on deck! Protect Percy!"

And with that, whatever peace this strange cloudy place had was shattered with gunshots, angry screams and wails of pain. But beneath all that, Celia could still hear the persisting rhythm played by the Stranger. It did cease when they collided with the other ship, but now it sounded more insisting and urgent.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Celia could feel her pulse beating in sync with a strange melody. She gritted her teeth and moved her focus to more pressing matters. The soldiers were already trying to board Percy, jumping over the railings and swinging on the ropes from the masts. She raised her gun and shot the closest incoming enemy, who tried to jump his way too close to the helm.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

A loud explosion shook both ships when one of Zed's grenades exploded on the enemy's deck. It stopped the assault barely for a couple of seconds. The soldiers were relentless. They knew the fight would be won once they took control of the ship. One of them managed to slip past the crew, and his gaze stopped at Celia at the helm. He smiled triumphantly, raising his gun. But before he aimed, a bullet cracked his skull open.

"Far too slow," Celia commented, already firing at another assailant.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

When another explosion bloomed in a deadly fiery flower on the enemy ship, Celia thought that maybe, they still had a chance to get out of this alive.

"Another ship incoming on starboard!" Lyra roared from the crow's nest, her voice shaking.

"Rust and starvation!" Celia cursed, letting go of the helm to reload her revolver. It was bad. If the enemies pinched them between them, there would be no escape from them. But they were already securely bound to the other ship and couldn't lose that hold fast enough. "Cut those damn ropes out! We need to get out of here now!"

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

But it was easier said than done. Everyone on the deck had their hands full, fighting for their life and trying to keep the attacking soldiers away. Celia shot down another assailant, trying her luck swinging from the mast, when she heard a heavy stomp behind her. She whirled around and barely dodged a sabre aimed at her neck. Percy shook again, taking another hit, sending Celia, already out of balance, sprawling to the deck.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

The soldier was immediately on her, driving his knee to her chest to keep her pinned and swiped his sword at her. She managed to catch his wrist, keeping the blade inches from her throat.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Another loud shot pierced the air, and the man was thrown off her, splattering her with warm blood. Zed leaned over her offering his big hand. "You alright, Boss?"

"Splendid," she replied, grabbing her dropped revolver and returning to her feet.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

The second ship was almost upon them, and she could see the crew waiting impatiently with their hook ropes and guns ready to charge as soon as they got in the range. They wouldn't dare to use cannons now, as they could accidentally damage their comrades' ship too. Thanks Lady Luck, for the small blessing.

"It's not looking good, is it, Boss?" Zed asked.

"I'm afraid I ran out of my credit with Lady Luck," Celia said with a sad smile.

And then the thunder struck, followed by a loud and bloodcurdling roar that made all hair on Celia's body stand on ends. She grinned like a fool.

"About bloody time!"

Out of the darkness came a massive coiling shape covered in black scales, with a head almost as big as half the ship. It was the most enormous dragon Ceia had seen so far. Huge yellow eyes focused on her, and a low growl that sounded like thunder filled the air. A massive jaw full of sharp fangs opened, revealing blue light crackling deep inside the beast.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Celia did something she would have never thought about a few months ago. She raised her hands in surrender.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

She focused her mind as she did when she tried to communicate with the Stranger, trying to project her intentions. She meant no harm to the Sky Guardians or their people.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

The dragon closed its jaw and narrowed its eyes regarding her.

"Boss..." Zed started, his voice tight.

"Do not harm the dragon!" Celia roared at her crew. The fight ceased as everyone stared at the huge monster in awe and panic.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

The beast's colossal head shot forward, stopping barely inches from the ship's starboard where Celia and Zed stood. The dragon huffed, and Celia was engulfed with a hot air smelling of sweet and pungent ozone. She did not flinch or turn away, even though every instinct urged her to run for her life.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

"Kill the beast!" a shout from the second incoming ship shattered the moment.

The dragon roared, coiled around and jumped straight at the ballons keeping the ship floating. More roars echoed in the sky as if other beasts heard the call of their brethren.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

"Captain! Shall we turn on the noise machine?" Abner called.

"No! Leave the dragons be! Focus on getting us out of binds!"

Unfortunately, the soldiers quickly returned to their senses after the initial shock of Sky Guardians' appearance. A horrible noise filled the air as machines were turned on, revealing that another two ships were nearby too.

Angry roars filled the sky as dragons moved away to keep their distance, breathing lightning at the impudent mortals who tried to hurt them.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

"New orders!" Celia shouted, getting back to the helm. "Try to shut down those damn sound machines if you can!"

"On it, Boss." Zed unstrapped his grenade launcher from his back and trotted away to find a good position to aim.

BAM BAM BAM. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.

Suddenly, Celia heard something else among all the chaos of battle and the cacophony of gunshots, explosions, roars, thunder and hideous noise produced by the machines.

A distant horn. And then another. And another.

"Lyra, what the hell is that sound?" Celia called.

"I can't see anything yet!" Another horn sounded much closer. "Wait! Something else is approaching... It looks like more dragons and... Winged people!" The moment she said it, more shapes emerged from the darkness. Those Sky Guardians were significantly smaller than those they fought before, carrying winged riders on their backs.

Once again, a fight ceased as people were taking in new arrivals. This time winged people looked far better organised. When they got closer to the ships and the noise they were producing, they dropped off the back of their dragons and swooped down in perfect sync, raising javelins ready to throw.

It took Celia a moment to realise that something was missing, and she only realised, once she looked at the Stranger, that he was no longer drumming his odd beat. He raised his hand in a greeting, and one of the winged people saluted back just before diving toward the enemy ship they were bound to and shoving a spear straight into one of the remaining noise generators.

"What are you waiting for?!" Celia roared at her flabbergasted crew. "Stop gawking and cut us out those binds while they are distracted!"

The crew eagerly obeyed, and thanks to the raging chaos of flying people, and dragons keeping their enemies busy, they finally managed to detach Percy from the other ship.

"Theo! Give us some kick forward!" After a couple of seconds, Percy surged forward, and Celia pushed on the leaver to drop them lower.

Once they left the thick dark clouds, they could see the burning remains of one of the ships drifting on the sea surface below them. They were much closer to the Thundering Massive than Celia expected, which meant they got pushed further of her initially planned course than she expected.

Before Celia could feel the relief of slipping away from death's grasp again, a group of winged warriors riding Sky Guardians dropped from the clouds and flew around them like an escort. They did not get too close, but they were leading Percy directly towards the Thundering Massive.

"I'll be damned! I think we're going to make it this time!" Abner shouted, looking at the warriors floating gracefully through the sky alongside them.

Celia turned around to look behind them.

Far on the horizon, she could still make the shape of Little Fish floating about and waiting patiently for the battle's outcome. She could still hear gunshots and roars of Sky Guardians in the clouds above them. She suspected most of their pursuers would probably retreat in search of a better position, but it didn't matter now.

Thanks to the surprising intervention of Winged People, they slipped away.

They would finally find their freedom.

Celia knew that Gabriel would not abandon his conquest plans, and he wouldn't forget her role in delaying his schemes either. But it didn't stop a wild grin from appearing on her face. It was a worry for another day. She turned to look at their escort, and for the first time, she realised how astonishingly beautiful they looked. In the golden-red rays of the setting sun, the scales of the dragons glistened as they gracefully rode the winds, moving in perfect synchronisation of a well-trained army. The Winged people rode the dragoons, proud and tall, their wings tucked close to their backs as they observed Percy and her crew with side glances. Most looked guarded and solemn, but Celia was sure she also saw curiosity on more than one face.

Another dragon descended from the clouds above them. Its scales glimmered golden as it flew straight for Percy. The crew jumped back and raised their weapons in alarm, but the Sky Guardian stopped at the starboard, hovering right in front of the Stranger, uttering a low rumbling sound.

The man raised his hand and stroked the scaly head. Dragon leaned into his touch like a puppy who would show love and appreciation to his owner and floated closer. The stranger touched his forehead to the big scaly head, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he whispered something to the creature. Celia strongly suspected their guest was one of those winged riders, and this beast was his mount.

The whole crew stopped what they were doing and observed the scene mesmerised.

"I can't decide if it's beautiful or terrifying," said Abner, who appeared beside her, rolling his moustache in thought.

"Probably both," Celia agreed, looking at the rocky mountains before them. "Welcome to the New World."