The soldiers disperse, running to either end of the ship and pulling out sheets of white canvas. I make my way to the back, stumbling as Phoenix rolls back and forth. Luca's laugh continues to barrel down the ship's barren expanse and sends a cold shiver down my spine.

I reach Marc and help him and the other soldiers unfurl the canvas, tossing it down the outside of the ship and knotting the ends to the ledge. From the helm I can hear Will bellowing at us to keep our heads down and I glance towards Jaci's limp form, feeling my heart twist painfully in my chest.

The white canvas billows in the wind, rattling against Phoenix's wooden undercarriage. We remain crouched, tensed as we hold onto whatever we can manage, trying to maintain our footing while the pilots grapple to bring Phoenix back under control.

"This better work." Someone remarks through gritted teeth.

"How do we know that Waster's even recognize a white flag as peaceful?" Marc asks before we are thrown violently to the side again.

"How do we know that they would care?" Grimacing, I kick away a discarded pack sliding freely along the floor.

The ship straightens and for a moment the ground steadies below our feet. Everyone falls silent, waiting. Even Luca halts his creepy laughter.

"Are they going to let us land?" I ask to no one in particular.

"Let's try." From across the ship Will signals to the pilots, one of whom nods grimly and slowly begins turning a dial. Bit by bit we begin to descend.

The atmosphere inside the Phoenix is poised and tense. I turn in my crouched position to look at the sliver of sky behind us, the absence of clouds betraying nothing about how high we remain from the ground.

Seconds pass. "I think we're all right." Marc says. "I think they're going to let us down."

At that moment there is a terrifying whistling as an object cuts through the air and a heavy thud as it makes contact with the helium-filled cavity above us. Through my small window I catch sight of a gigantic wooden arrow tumbling back down to earth just before we spin off our axis again.

Soldiers lose their grip and slide across the floor, grasping onto each other's hands and pulling themselves back to the edges of the ship.

Marc and I manage to maintain our holds, kicking our feet in an attempt to bring them back beneath us. "Well, so much for that." Marc grunts.

We pitch forward and I take the opportunity to release my hold, sliding down the expanse of Phoenix past the other soldiers and arriving near Will and the pilots at the very front of the ship.

I hit the helm with an inelegant thump, turning so that my back is to the wall and facing Will. His jaw is clenched as the pilots behind him struggle to right us once again.

"We have to get out of here." He says, grim resignation laced through his voice. "They aren't going to let up." He straightens, yelling towards the pilots, "Get us back into the air! Now!"

"Can those arrows cut through the canvas?" I ask.

Will looks up, startled as though he has just noticed me there. "No. No, of course not."

As if on cue, an ugly snapping sound cuts above our heads and we are rocked violently to the side. There is shouting as men and women are knocked against the edges of the ship and one of the pilots flies is wrenched free of the wheel, landing in a heap in the middle of the floor.

Phoenix tilts crazily, listing heavily on one side.

"The rope's been sliced through!" Someone yells, pointing to where a frayed length of cable is flapping in the breeze, dangling a distance away from us off the side of the helium balloon. The other half of the rope has disappeared into the abyss below.

The loosed rope throws our trajectory dangerously off-kilter. Already I can feel my stomach churning at the movement, trying not to think of how far we have to fall before we crash into the sand dunes below.

"We need to re-attach that cable." Will rises to his feet as best he can, still gripping the ledge. "Grifin, cut me a length of rope off the rappel lines. The rest of you, grab a bow and cover us." He looks over to me. "Kay?"

"I'm on it." I work my way over to the ledge, situating myself in front of a twisting cable coil that reaches from the ship up to the balloon. Will accepts the newly-cut rope Grifin hands over and together they attach the end of it to the ledge. They pull the knot tightly and Will moves over to me, looping the rest of the rope over my shoulder and across my chest so that my hands can be free for climbing while leaving enough slack for me to reach the top of the balloon.

The soldiers next to us loose their arrows but at this trajectory I doubt anyone is able to score a hit. I briefly wonder about the Wasters' aim, considering the fact that they were able to cut one of our ropes from the ground. I blink hard and push the thought aside, concentrating on the task at hand.

I raise myself up onto the ledge and grip the cable, glancing upwards at Phoenix's helium cavity swelling above me. The cable cuts into my hand as I hold it, my grip tightening.

"Be careful." I glance down to see Will sling his bow out from under his shoulder, his eyes on mine.

I nod. "Be right back."

I place both of my hands on the cable and jump up, crossing my feet behind the cord and inching my way towards the sky, hand over hand.

The wind buffets my clothes and hair and I chance a look over my shoulder, noting our soldiers leaning out over Phoenix's edge, peering at the golden sand below them. The sight causes an abnormal bout of dizziness to turn my stomach and I move my gaze back upwards, concentrating as I continue climbing, eventually reaching the bottom edge of the canvas balloon.

The silver exterior of Phoenix is hot to the touch and I wince as my skin brushes against the sun-baked surface, unlacing my legs and pulling myself higher. I feel a line of sweat break out on my forehead and release one hand to run my wrist over it, grimacing at the effort. I set my sights on a spot a few feet above me, where my cable crosses with another length of heavy rope running parallel across the canvas.

I reach the cross-section and pull myself above it, placing my feet on top of the next rope and leaning back against the side of the balloon, catching my breath.

From this vantage point I can see straight below us, noting that the ground is still some distance away. Against the dunes there are some dark specks, lined up one after the other and seemingly gesturing towards us.

Something flies by my head and I gasp, throwing myself to the side and gripping the rope with everything I have. The balloon behind me contracts and re-inflates, pushing me forward with enough force to cause me to lose my footing. I tighten my grip and kick my feet against the canvas, forcefully pulling myself back into position and immediately crouching down, trying vainly to make myself as small as possible.

Will was wrong. Whatever it was that nearly hit me, there is no doubt that it is large enough to puncture the surface of the ship and release our helium. If that happens, no amount of rope will keep us from plowing into the dunes.

I push the thought aside and creep along the length of cable, aiming for the severed rope flapping in the breeze. More than once Phoenix swings dangerously and I whisper a prayer of thanks to the pilots grappling at the helm, continuously righting the gigantic bird with a broken wing.

Finally, the cut rope is within reach. I grit my teeth and sidle towards it, grasping with one hand while the other keeps me pinned back against the side of the ship. My hair whips across my face, torn loose by the wind while my goggles and scarf twist and turn near my neck.

Finally, my fingers brush the loosed cable and I am able to pull it towards me, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I pinch the retrieved cable between my legs as I unwind the rope from around my chest, pulling it taut against the end Will secured to the ship.

Something bounces off the wall behind me but I ignore it, biting my tongue in concentration. I slip one arm behind the cable to hold myself in place as I fasten the two ends of the rope together, triple knotting them and yanking tightly.

At once Phoenix pitches again, abruptly righting itself. I grip onto the secured rope with both hands, contracting every muscle in my body as I fight to stay in place. The figures in the sand below me scatter, maneuvering themselves behind some piece of machinery that has seemingly materialized from between a couple dunes.

The boulder-hurling catapult flashes to mind and my heart constricts in my chest. At this height I can't determine exactly what it is I am seeing, but after what I have witnessed at the City's wall, I don't doubt that the Waster's have every intention as well as the means to knock us out of the sky.

Finally, Phoenix ceases its violent rocking and I am able to inch back towards my climbing rope, the ship below me beginning to rise steadily into the air once again. My legs knot beneath the cable as I lower myself by catching and releasing, grimacing when my hands tear against the rough cord but unwilling to slow my descent.

My feet hit the ledge and I swing back inside, nearly falling over as my legs finally relax and gripping the side of the ship in an effort to stay upright.

There are hoots of triumph and someone claps me roughly on the back, causing a shaky smile to pull at my mouth.

"We're getting out of here!" Marc shouts jovially and ruffles my hair. I push him off me, glancing up towards Will.

He stands at my elbow, pride and relief etched across his features.

"Good work." He says simply.

"Thanks." I quirk a grin at him, consciously willing my heart rate to return to normal.

We wait, alert and stiff inside the ship as the seconds pass, climbing ever-higher, increasing the distance between us and the attackers on the ground. I glance back towards Luca, noting the way his sharp eyes are searching the sky in front of us, muttering below his breath.

Then I hear it. The dreaded whistling as the oversized arrow slices through the air, it's aim true as it buries itself into the cavity above us, landing with an ugly thud and puncturing the canvas.

At first the leak is slow, sputtering above our heads like a weak cough, but the reaction is immediate.

"We're bailing out!" Will yells, signaling to the soldiers to open the hatches. "Everyone, find your line!"

The soldiers scramble and Phoenix rolls forward, throwing us against one another with such force that my breath leaves my lungs. There is a shout and I glance up to see one of the pilots stumbling and falling over the side, disappearing instantly into the golden abyss beyond.

An arm grips me around the waist and I allow Will to push us towards Phoenix's escape hatches, my booted feet finding purchase on the ground as I help to propel us forward.

Someone has managed to lift one of the hatch doors and people are pushing the rappel lines down into the open space. There are flashes of gold and blue screaming below us as Phoenix spins high above the Wastelands, drawing ever-closer to the sand.

"All right, go!" Will barks at the soldiers while grabbing a couple lines for each of us. He hands me one, wrapping his own rope tightly around his fist.

One by one the soldiers drop through the hole, the pulley systems meant to lower them gradually rattling aggressively on their hinges. Marc jumps through the floor and I finally realize just how close we are to impact as I watch him release into a dune.

"Your turn." Will instructs and I scoot so that my legs are dangling free. I look up at him once and we lock eyes. I have only a moment to register the grim determination there when a dull thud sounds from behind and Will suddenly pitches forward.

"Will!" I shout, climbing back into the ship and grabbing the back of his jacket, rolling him so that he is face up.

His eyes are closed and a trickle of blood snakes down from a cut on his head.

"No, Will! Gods damn it." Ignoring the panic constricting my chest I rip the gnarled rappel line out of his hand and wrap it hurriedly around his chest, stumbling over his prone figure and knotting the rope tightly.

With great effort I pull him towards the hatch, positioning him so that he is at the very edge, praying furtively that the pulley will hold and the rope will have enough slack to get him to the ground.

Phoenix lists again and I push Will through the hole, feeling my heart drop as he disappears below me. The pulley holding his rope rattles crazily and I loose my dagger from my boot, watching with strained eyes, poised and waiting for him to dangle just high enough above the dune.

Before I can second-guess myself I bring the dagger through his rope, my every sense constricted and silent as I see him vanish into a puff of sand.

I snatch up my own rope and make to maneuver through the hatch, glancing up once and starting when I lock eyes with Luca.

He remains tied to his chair, red-faced and grimacing, the unmistakable grip of fear laced across his rough features.

"Help me." He chokes out.

A growl of frustration tears from my throat and I cast the line aside, scrambling towards him and sawing madly at the bonds.

Phoenix begins spinning faster, picking up speed. I have to fight to keep myself from being pinned against the sides of the ship, finally cutting through the last of Luca's ropes and stuffing the dagger back into my boot.

With those precious seconds lost our window to escape has all but closed.

I grab Luca's arm and direct him towards the back of the ship, pushing him up onto the ledge and climbing up next to him, each of us holding onto a cable for balance.

The dunes are so close that I feel as though I could brush my fingers against them. Time has officially run out. Without pausing to take a breath I jump, pushing myself out into whatever abyss awaits me.

Landing hard, my legs collapse beneath me and I choke, my breath lost amidst the impact and the suffocating sand. I feel myself tumble and roll, my head and limbs rattling against the unfamiliar surface. I catch glimpses of gold and blue as I fall, my vision slowly clouding over and eventually giving over to a terrifying blackness.