She shrugged, a muscle beneath one eye twitching irregularly. ‘The weight of the tethers will affect the lift, of course, but they are light, and they are strong. An abundance of silk has many advantages.’

‘Wait, tethers plural? Does the kite need more than one?’

She smiled, loose, deranged, and stepped to one side.

‘Two kites? But …’

‘The munitions we have prepared are small but dense, and each affixing will increase the mass of the endeavour. Our preparations have been rushed and are likely to have incurred a significant failure rate where ignition is concerned, meaning a greater number of munitions may be required for any given target. Beyond a certain threshold, however, it would be simply unsafe to load the vessel any further, given both risk of collapse and accidental detonation.’

‘Aye, that’s reassuring,’ Lemon muttered.

‘Thus, in order to cover sufficient ground given our timescales, two vessels became a necessity. Each can operate independently, dividing the plateau in half.’

Chel stared at the second kite. It looked identical to the first. ‘If there’s another kite, we’re going to need another pilot, yes? Will you be joining me?’

‘The risks are far too great,’ Kosh said, unblinking. ‘It would be an act of terrific stupidity to risk my abilities and expertise on such a thing.’

‘Whereas I, of course,’ Chel said, ‘am inherently disposable.’

He frowned when she said nothing to contradict him. ‘Then who’s coming up with the disposable Andriz? Your friend there?’ He gestured at the former chief artificer, who ignored him.

‘Don’t worry, wee bear, you were born lucky, remember? You’ll be right as rain.’

‘The second pilot needs to be both small enough and light enough to operate the mechanisms without upsetting the flight model, and possessed of enough strength to steer against the volatility of the wind. That rules out my companion, as it does the mercenary, and the large man retreating downstairs.’

Foss was indeed heading for the tower door. He paused, mid-step, a look of shamed apology on his face.

Lemon looked at Rennic. Rennic looked at Lemon. ‘When she says “mercenary”, does she mean—’

‘Me,’ Rennic said.

‘But that—’

Chel split an enormous grin. ‘Oh, my Lemon. You are going to love this.’

***

‘This is against nature’s laws! The Clyde is an earthbound creature!’

‘Be quiet, savage, you are wasting time. Once dawn breaks the camp will begin to disperse.’

‘I’m gonna freeze in that fucken wind!’

‘You should count yourself lucky, you’d be naked for reasons of weight control were it not for the risks of exposure.’

Both kites were aloft, held up by Rennic and a very uncomfortable Foss, while Chel and Lemon were strapped beneath. Kosh and the artificer gave them their final instructions.