The farther we went downtown, the more barriers and soldiers we saw. They were thickest in the area below Union Square and around the university. I barely had a chance to look down from frantically scribbling the locations and numbers Mick and Alec shouted to me. Everett cut the engines, and we hovered for a while, taking in the entire situation. After we’d noted it thoroughly, Alec handed me the binoculars and let me look. The streets were red with the coats of soldiers on patrol. Few other people were out at this time of night.

While I studied the ground, Alec went back to talk to Everett. “They’re thick on the ground here, which makes me wonder how thin they are elsewhere.”

“You want to go all the way down to the fort?” Everett asked.

“Think we can? They’re more likely to have lookouts there.”

I could hear the smile in Everett’s voice as he said, “They won’t be looking in the sky for us. They think that’s their territory.”

“We’ve got enough power?”

“We can get there and back, so long as you don’t want too many sightseeing excursions.”

Everett restarted the engine, and we drifted downtown. It was harder to make out landmarks below since these were poorer neighborhoods or commercial and industrial areas that weren’t well lit. Alec tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the graceful arches of the Brooklyn Bridge spanning the river.

“This really is a magic carpet,” I said, tearing my gaze away from the view to smile at him.

“Only without the magic. This is powered by human ingenuity, which is far superior. You like it, though?”

“Very much.”

“Bessie might get jealous if you like this better.”

“It’s impossible to compare the two.”

“Very diplomatically spoken.”

The southernmost tip of the city was mostly dark, with the exception of the lanterns illuminating the rigging of a clipper ship docked at a wharf-side warehouse. “What a beautiful ship,” I said.

“It needs an engine.”

“Not everything needs an engine.”

“It does if it’s to compete with the magisters’ ships and airships. If you put a steam engine in a ship you don’t have to worry about catching a good wind.”

We’d gone out over the water to approach the West Battery fort from behind. The water was inky black, but the wave crests sometimes held an eerie glow for a split second. That gave the harbor a sparkling effect. I could have stared at it for hours, as it was utterly mesmerizing, but then something else caught my eye.