Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 747
"Axel, don’t let it win."
Axel’s outstretched hand wavered. "Who are you?"
"Axel!" The bast slipped, caught itself then started to
slide. "Axel--who is that woman who looks like me?"
Then it lost its grip, and plummeted silently into the
cloud bank below.
Axel climbed down. For a while he just stood there,
looking down at the stone under his feet. The others were
silent too. Behind them all, Jordan could see a black-robed
woman walking in their direction: Galas. A large crowd of
men followed her quietly.
"Axel," murmured the Voice. "We have to contact the
fleet. 3340 is dead; they have to know."
Axel sat down on the stones. The laser pistol clattered
away from him. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I know, I know."
"You’re the only one here with the transmitter implant."
He grimaced. "I’ve been trying to raise them. There’s
too much interference from all that." He gestured at the sky.
"I know you," said Galas. They looked at her; she was
staring at the Voice.
"You are from the stars, aren’t you? You tried to destroy
Armiger, I saw you shoot him with a silver musket."
"No," said the Voice. "I am not--you see, I am--"
"The question is," said Galas, "do you still have your
weapon with you? Because we must now make a choice:
watch our world be destroyed, or cast Armiger into the flood
and let the Winds have their revenge. The Winds are enraged;
they will not listen to me. Armiger is impotent against them.
We have no choice now."
The soldiers behind Galas began to close in.
"Wait!"
Without thinking, Jordan had stepped between the