Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 731
who are to serve us. If your commander will not obey our
orders, then we will take matters into our own hands."
Lavin stepped forward. "What do you--" The bast was
shouting something. Lavin felt a lurch go through the whole
fabric of the moon; he stumbled.
"Sir!" The semaphore man was waving to him. "The
hooks! They’re heading toward the mountain." Lavin ran over
to the edge of the door, and looked down. Giant metal claws
were spiralling away from below them, aimed at the
mountainside.
"We will collect the abomination ourselves," said the
bast. "And remove your army from this place at the same
time."
Calmly, Lavin drew his rapier and ran the bast through
before it could even shout. He watched impassively as it
toppled to the deck. Then he turned to his men.
"Relay the message to the other moons and to Hesty on
the ground. Then send this code word to the moons: Repast."
The other basts shrieked, and bared their claws; Lavin
had posted men to watch them surreptitiously many hours ago,
and now the moon suddenly echoed with musket-fire. The
basts fell, clawing and yowling. Gunpowder smoke wafted
past him and swirled out into the cold air above the mountains.
"But sir, what does this mean?" In the aftermath, the
lieutenant was the only one brave enough to speak up. He
would have made a good marshall, Lavin thought, given time.
Too bad.
"We have known for some time that we are prisoners of
the Winds," he said. "We were wrong--Galas was right all
along. The creatures who’ve enslaved our army do not have
our interests in mind. Nor do they have the right to abuse us.
Our homes are threatened, and if we let them, they will destroy