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"And not the diplo introduced the anored the twoaway to Dr Barlow in French, which was daft, as they were all English, but that was diplomacy for you And, as far as Deryn could tell, no one was saying anything about transporting supplies

She wondered how the Dauntless would carry all the provisions the airship needed There wasn’t much room in the howdah, which was all silk and tassels in any case, too fancy for stacks of crates The on like a real elephantine, she supposed, but there was none in sight Maybe when they got to the Grand Bazaar

"Mind if I ask you boys some questions?"

Deryn turned The hts wasn’t dressed like the diplo’s breakfast His jacket was patched at the elbows, his hat a shapelessaround his neck, and so perched on his shoulder

The ambassador had introduced him as a reporter for a newspaper in New York, so Deryn supposed that his strange accent must be American

"You’d best ask the lady boffin, sir," Newkirk said "Midshiphed, then leaned forward and said quietly, "Off the record, then Any particular reason why your airship is here in Istanbul?"

"Just a friendly visit" Deryn nodded at the ambassador "Diploed "And here I was thinking itin"

Deryn raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the bullfrog It had the big-brained look of a s and sessions of parliaineers,all sorts of things Just finished a new palace for the sultan"

"Aye, the lady boffin’s headed there tomorrow," Newkirk said

Deryn silenced him with an elboeen the ribs, then turned to the reporter "What’s your naain, sir?"

"Eddie Malone, of the New York World And please don’t call ain "I won’t ask your name, of course, since this is all off the record"

Deryn shook theif he was full of yackum When the ambassador had introduced the all their names into his battered notebook He’d taken pictures, too, the battered old ca in its flash apparatus

Americans were an odd bunch - neither Clanker nor Darwinist They dabbled with both ways, ies as they saw fit Everyone reckoned they would stay out of the war, unless so them in

"There are Ger at attention beside the approaching airfield gates Instead of red fezzes they wore pointy hel hat

"Those are Germans?" Newkirk said with alarm

"No, Ottoman soldiers," the reporter said "But just look at them They used to have more colorful uniforray, like proper Clankers"

"Who’s that?" Deryn asked

"Field Marshal Liood friend of the kaiser’s The Ottomans made him head of the army here in Istanbul Your diplomat friends kicked up a fuss, of course, and he bowed out" Malone strutted across the hoith a co like Gerlanced at Newkirk The e of their own barking ar tired of being pushed around The French and the British used to run things here, but not anymore I suppose you’ve heard about the Osman?"

Deryn nodded slowly "Aye, the ship that Lord Churchill borrowed"

"’Borrowed’?" Malone chuckled, scribbling in his notebook "Now, that I can use"

Derynherself for a Dugest story in Istanbul! The sultan is half broke, you see, so that dreadnought was bought with money raised by the people Grannies sold their jewelry and handed over the ht shadow puppets of its companion creature Everyone in the empire owns a piece of that ship! Or at least they did, till your Lord Churchill went and pinched it" Theon his shoulder poised to memorize whatever she said

Deryn cleared her throat "I suppose they’re a wee bit angry now?"

Malone nodded at the airfield gates parting before theh"

Through the gates a broad avenue stretched toward the city As the walker plodded ahead, the streets grew busier, the buildings rising up as tall as the howdah People and pushcarts bustled past s full of carpets and dishes, everything decorated with mad checkerboard patterns that dazzled Deryn’s eyes The footpaths were croith stalls selling stacks of nuts and dried fruit, orskewers Powdered spices lay in rust red and dusty yellow piles, or spilled bright green fros Rich and unfaines, so heavy she could taste thereenhouse

Deryn sahat the walker’s trunk was for As the racefully fro pedestrians out of the way The howdah pilot’s fingers moved nimbly on the controls; he pushed carts aside, and even rescued a child’s fallen toy froiant feet

Other walkers pulled wagons through the streets Most looked like camels or donkeys, and one took the form of a horned creature that Eddie Malone explained was a water buffalo A ers through the crowds

Down a narrow side street Deryn saw a pair of walkers constructed almost in the shape of men They stood al arms, and featureless faces They were decorated with striped cloths and strange syiant clawed hands

"Army walkers of soolehborhoods" Malone waved his hand across the crowd "Most of the Otto pot Not only Jews, but Greeks, Armenians, Venetians, Arabs, Kurds, and Vlachs all live here"

"Blisters," Newkirk said "I never heard of half of those"

The man smiled and scribbled in his notebook "And all of them have their own combat walkers, just to keep the peace"