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"A Tesla cannon?" Dr Barlow repeated "As in that awful Mr Tesla?"

"That’s what Klopp says," Alek said

"But you Clankers didn’t turn us around," Deryn said "Everyone says that the beastie itself turned, because it got scared"

Alek shook his head "Klopp reversed the port engine first, then the airbeast followed suit It seems the Leviathan has more sense than its own officers"

"You said they had a disagreeed course without orders?"

"There wasn’t tiroan No wonder Alek was under guard

"That’s barking mutiny," she said softly

"But we saved the ship"

"Aye, but you can’t disobey orders just because the officers are being daft Especially not in battle - that’s a hanging offense!"

Alek’s eyes widened, and the room was silent for a moment

Dr Barlow cleared her throat "Please don’t say alars to my patient, Mr Sharp He’s no more a member of this crew than I am, and is therefore not subject to your brutish military authority"

Deryn bit down a reply She doubted Captain Hobbes would see it that way This had probably been his worry since the Clankers had coe and pilot the ship whichever way they wanted

Changing course wasn’t like skylarking or learning to fence on duty It was mutiny, pure and simple

The lady boffin sat priers for Tazza to co the thylacine’s striped flank "You say that Klopp was operating the engine So this ’ht for a mouard?"

"When Mr Hirst pulled the pistol, I tried to take it fro an officer - another hanging offense

"Very sensible of you," Dr Barlow said "This ship won’t get very far without its master of mechaniks, will it?"

"Where is Klopp now?" Alek asked

"I reckon he’s in the brig," Deryn said

"And not at work on the engines, thus further delayingher skirts "Don’t you worry about Master Klopp, Alek Now that I have all the facts, I’m sure the captain will see reason"

She handed the leash to Deryn

"Please walk Tazza and then check on the eggs, Mr Sharp I don’t trust that Mr Newkirk, especially with his head swelling up like a melon" She turned "In fact, I’d et better soon"

"Thank you, ma’am I’ll try," the boy said "But if you don’t mind, could Dylan stay a moment?"

The lady boffin’s eyes measured them both, and then she smiled "Of course Perhaps you could amuse Mr Sharp hatever you know about thisTesla cannon? I have souing device"

"I’an, but Dr Barloas already out the door and gone

Deryn stood silently a htning contraption? Or hokirk had almost burnt to a crisp? Or the possibility that Alek would be court-es, and an awful feeling went through her If the gun had been pointed a few inches higher, Alekshot hurt much?" she asked

"Like a h to let that happen"

"Nor have I" Alek sht"

The tere silent again, Deryn wondering how things had gone pear-shaped so fast Before Newkirk had spotted the ironclads, she’d been hoping that Alek would wind up staying on the Leviathan so wounded in bed, or clapped in irons for mutiny, or both

"This is the second tiunners on the zeppelin?"

Deryn nodded slowly Back in the Alps, the daft prince had stepped out into the un Only a hydrogen leak had saved hi their own airship aflame

"Perhaps I wasn’t ht, either"

"Aye, or perhaps you were just barking lucky"

"I suppose," Alek said "Do you really think they’ll hang us?"

Deryn thought a ed "There aren’t any rules for so like this, I reckon We’ve never had Clankers aboard before But they’ll listen to the lady boffin, because of her grandfather’s naain Deryn wondered if it was his wound, or being reminded that Dr Barloas related to old Charles Darwin hi airship, the Clankers were still superstitious about life threads and fabrication

"I e had mutinied," Alek said "And ended that pointless battle before it started Klopp and I thought about stopping the engines andisn’t the sa onto the chair She’d entertained irl, or giving Dr Barlow a smack - the latter more than once The trick was never to let what you were thinking slip out into the world

"And anyway," she continued, "I haven’t heard about thisdead quiet Maybe the captain wants to let you off without looking soft Everyone thinks it was the airbeast who turned us around, for fear of that Clanker cannon"

"The beast did turn us around It- it knee’d all burn"