With the help of Loretta's memory and Walton's map, Bill had the airship close to Gemma's little valley in less than an hour. The navigation up narrow valleys and through the towering mountains didn't bother Karl nearly as much as getting to the ground. He came to love the rickety, swaying walkways and stairs attached to proper tethers that afternoon.
Several men slid down ropes at breakneck speed. They tied the great ship to the barn, the house, the trees, whatever they could find to pull her down and keep her steady. Karl avoided that terrifying method of descent, but riding down on the clever rig of pulleys and a platform was nearly as bad. Loretta and Gemma were delighted by the slow drop. Karl felt far more like the animals: herded and held against their better judgment until they we
