The walker was still half a mile from shore, but already its topside was cresting the surface. Water sluiced across its decks, swirling black with brine and seaweed. But beneath the ocean’s detritus, wet metal gleamed. With a roar of its engines, the machine’s kraken-fighting claws reared above the waves.

Deryn raised the field glasses to scan the deck for gun mounts.

“Doesn’t look damaged at all,” Dr. Busk was saying to the captain. “It must be designed for tremendous pressures.”

The first officer snorted. “A direct hit should make it a bit less waterproof.”

“Best to blow its legs off.” Captain Hobbes lowered his field glasses. “Let’s leave the Americans something menacing for tomorrow’s papers, eh?”

A bit of laughter went about the bridge, but Deryn’s mouth was dry. Tesla’s tower was already visible in the distance, lights shining in every window. The great barking fool of an inventor hadn’t evacuated, after all.

“Alek’s still there, isn’t he?”

“Our young prince would hardly leave an ally behind.” Dr. Barlow stared out at Goliath and sighed. “I’d hoped that Mr. Tesla would not stoop to bravery.”

“It’ll be all right, ma’am,” Deryn said, trying to keep her voice firm. “At least that walker hasn’t any big guns.”

The entire topside of the machine had cleared the surface now, and Deryn could see only a three-and-a-half-inch cannon, like the deck armament of a U-boat. The first crewmen were coming out of the hatches now, working to unplug the seals that kept the barrel waterproof.

“That’s as we expected,” the lady boffin said. “The Germans mean to tear down the tower with their krakenfighting arms. Rather brutish of them.”

“Aye, but it worked for us in Istanbul,” Deryn said.

The captain had spotted the deck gun too. “A bit more altitude, Pilot. Ready in the bomb bay.”

The Leviathan was almost on top of the enemy now; Deryn could feel the walker’s great Clanker engines rumbling through her boots. The smokestacks had popped their water seals, and the machine was roaring at full power.

But there was something shiny in the surf, halfway between the shore and the walker. She raised her field glasses again.