The Sailweaver's Son

When fifteen-year-old Tak rescues the survivor of an airship destroyed by one of the giant flammable gas bubbles mysteriously appearing in the sky of Etherium, the authorities react like a flock of startled grekks. Admiral Scud accuses Tak of sabotage and treason. Tak's father grounds him for reckless airmanship. Rumors spread that the bubbles are weapons devised by the Gublins, a race of loathsome but ingenious underground creatures. The King's advisors call for war, hoping to win much-needed Gublin coal.