by Jim Proctor
The airship settled onto the grass, and Jazeen transferred most of the helium to the storage tank. After shutting down the ship’s systems, she went to her cabin to get her jacket. If anyone questioned her ability to fly the ship, she wanted to have the lapel pins on display. As she climbed the stairs, she heard a man’s voice outside.
“Angus! Are you all right? Angus!”
Jazeen stepped out of the wheelhouse and went to the railing. A truck was parked a short distance from the hull, and a man stood there, looking up at her. She couldn’t make out his features in the dim light.
“You must be Jazeen,” the man said.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I am Rupert Watson, port master. Well, actually, former port master. Where is Angus? I have some information for him.”
Jazeen extended the gangplank. “Please, come up to the wheelhouse where we can talk without yelling for the whole world to hear.”
Rupert nodded and climbed to the deck. Following her into the wheelhouse, he once again asked, “Where is Angus?”
“He’s not here,” Jazeen said.
Rupert stared at her for a moment. “You flew this airship here by yourself?”
“Yes, I did. I’m a certified pilot,” she said indignantly.
“I know very well what your qualifications are. A pilot you are, but a ship’s captain you’re not! You’ve broken countless aviation laws, starting with operating an airship without a license or without the supervision of a licensed captain!”
“I’m sorry. I had no choice. Angus is missing,” she said.
“So he’s in hiding for a while. He’s done that before,” Rupert said.
“No, he’s not. Some bounty hunter found him, and Angus went with him to Terrania. He said something about seeing the Black Witch and settling things for good,” she said.
“He was right, then,” Rupert said softly.
“Excuse me?”
“What? Oh… our fishing trip was cut short when we had to tow an airship to port. Angus said the men on the stricken airship were after him. I delayed them here in port while he got away. How did they find him?”
“I don’t know. I just know they found him and took him to Terrania. I have to help him,” Jazeen said.
“Absolutely not! You are not flying this airship out of this port!” Rupert shouted.
“What makes you think you can stop me?” she asked defiantly.
Rupert returned her defiant stare with a stern look of his own. Then his features softened. “All right, I can’t actually stop you. I’m not the port master anymore. Even if I were, all I could do would be to refuse to sell you fuel and deny you clearance to depart. You don’t need fuel, and I doubt you’ll care whether you have departure clearance when you decide to leave. I’ll just tell you if you’re caught flying this ship alone, you’ll be arrested and thrown in jail, especially in Terrania. Besides that, it’ll take a week to fly to Terrania. You can’t land and tie off for the night to sleep in the middle of the ocean.”
“I don’t care. I’ll figure something out. I’m going to Terrania. I’m going to find Angus and bring him home,” she said.
Fluffy padded across the wheelhouse and sat in front of Rupert. The man smiled and stroked the cat’s head. Fluffy began to purr.
“She likes you,” Jazeen said. “If she likes you, then I trust you. I need your help. I can probably get to Terrania, but once there, I have no idea how I might find Angus, and I don’t know anything about the Black Witch.”
“I know enough about the Black Witch to know not to mess with her. She won’t hesitate to kill you. She kills people just for the thrill of it,” he said.
“Will you help me?” Jazeen asked.
“Me? You want me to fly to Terrania with you to find the Black Witch? Sorry, not interested,” he said.
Fluffy hissed, and he quickly pulled his hand away.
“Captain Watson, I need your help to find Angus and rescue him,” Jazeen said.
Rupert looked into her pleading eyes, and then down at Fluffy.
Finally, he said, “All right, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you!” she shouted. “I’ll get us underway.”
“Hold on! Not so fast. I need to go home and pack some things. I’ll be back around sunrise. We’ll leave then,” Rupert said.
“Why can’t we leave tonight?” she asked.
“Because I’m not ready to leave tonight. You can eat dinner and feed these two, and then have a good night’s sleep. I’ll be back at dawn,” he said.
“All right. I’ll be ready to go in the morning. And thank you for helping me.”
“You can thank me if we don’t both end up dead. Now, throw down some mooring lines and I’ll show you where you can tie off,” he said as he left the wheelhouse.
When Jazeen climbed the gangplank, Captain Watson got into his truck and headed off across the darkening field. Jazeen retracted the gangplank before going back inside. As an afterthought, she closed and locked the door. After filling Occisor’s bowl with coal and lamp oil, she went down the steps to the galley. Fluffy padded after her and sat by the refrigerator. After filling the cat’s water bowl, she took a chunk of meat from the fridge and put it into the food bowl.
After washing her hands, she fixed a sandwich, too tired to make anything more complicated, and too hungry to not eat. Sitting at the table, she ate in silence, wondering where Angus was, hoping he was safe.
Sometime later, Occisor flew into the room and perched on the back of a bench. Jazeen stroked the dragon’s scales absentmindedly while she finished eating. Finally, she got up and went to her cabin, leaving the door open. After brushing her teeth and changing into pajamas, she climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. The fluttering of wings told her that the dragon had come to join her. She heard his talons scrape as he settled in on the shelf above her headboard. A moment later, Fluffy jumped onto the bed, shaking it wildly and nearly bouncing Jazeen onto the floor. After padding around a moment, Fluffy settled in, snuggled up against her, and began to purr.
* * * *
Jazeen heard the truck approach and stepped out of the wheelhouse and looked over the side. Captain Watson and a young man climbed out of the truck. She extended the gangplank and ran down to help bring his things aboard. The young man smiled. He gave a little wave as he walked around the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. Captain Watson handed her a suitcase, while he shouldered a duffle bag and picked up two more suitcases.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The truck backed up and drove away as they boarded the airship. As they reached the bottom of the steps, Rupert pointed to the first door on the left. “Angus let me use this cabin on our last trip.”
“That’s fine. Please, make yourself at home,” she said. “Oh, and my friends call me Jaz.”
“And my friends call me Rupert. I’ll call you Jazeen, and you’ll call me Captain Watson.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, taken aback.
The captain pushed open the cabin door and entered. A moment later, he returned, took the last suitcase from Jazeen, and then closed the door.
Jazeen went to the engine room and began her pre-flight checks.
It was twenty minutes later when she returned to the wheelhouse. The captain was sitting at the table studying a chart.
“Do you know how to operate this ship?” he asked without looking up.
“Mostly,” she replied.
“Wonderful,” he said. “That’s about four times what I know. Let’s hope, between the two of us, that we can get this thing safely to Terrania.”
“I’ve just completed my pre-flight,” Jazeen said.
“Good. I’ll get our clearance and we’ll be on our way,” the captain said. Pulling out his phone, he dialed.
“Hey, kid. We’re ready to go. We’ll stay low and go north until we’re beyond the traffic pattern, and then we’ll turn east and climb.”
A moment later, he said, “Thanks, kid. Good luck.
You’ll be a great port master. I’ll see you when we get back.”
He slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to Jazeen.
“Take us up to fifty meters and go north. I’ll tell you when to turn east. Is the GPS on?”
“Yes, sir. The GPS is on,” she said.
She turned a valve. A short while later, the ship began to rock gently. After another moment, it lifted off the ground. She pushed the throttle forward and adjusted the propeller pitch and the ship began to move. When she turned the wheel and increased the pitch on the port propeller, the ship turned as it crossed the field.
“Nicely done,” the captain said.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I want to get some things straight right now. By all rights, I should have grounded this airship and had you arrested. I would lose my license if anyone found out you flew the ship to my port and I didn’t report you, if I were still the port master. Angus is my friend, and he’s grown very fond of you. That’s the only thing that kept you out of jail. As for helping you find Angus, I’m not helping you. You’re helping me. As long as we’re on this journey, I’m the captain. You will do exactly what I tell you to. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. Perfectly clear,” Jazeen replied.
Rupert walked over and stood beside her. He began fiddling with the display of the GPS. His finger flicked the map a few times until the western coast of Terrania was displayed. He expanded the map and tapped on a red dot.
“This is where we’re going,” he said. “This is Tenebris, the Black Witch’s port. That’s where the bounty hunter will be taking Angus.”
“How do you know about the Black Witch, sir?” she asked.
“Airship captains who fly to Terrania hear stories… warnings not to visit a certain port if you can avoid it. Also, Angus has told me a bit about her, as well. She’s powerful and nasty. She enjoys tormenting people. The only thing she enjoys more is killing them when they begin to bore her.”
Jazeen looked at the GPS screen as it returned to their current position. Their route was highlighted as a purple line. Seeing the blue dot marking their position, she turned the wheel slightly and brought them onto the indicated course.
“Do you think we’ll be able to rescue Angus?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so. She wants something from him,” Rupert said.
“His cumulus,” Jazeen said.
“So, you know about that?” he said.
“Yes. Angus told me what it was, and said she desperately wants it,” Jazeen said.
“He won’t give it to her. Bad things will happen if she gets it,” he said. “The question is, what will she do if he refuses?”
And I’ve brought it with me, Jazeen thought. What a stupid thing to do. But what else could I do? If that’s the only thing she’ll take in exchange for Angus, well, I’ll take my chances with whatever the consequences are.
Rupert scratched his chin. “Honestly, it may be a moot point, anyway. People say the Black Witch can’t be trusted to keep her part of a bargain. If we were to negotiate some sort of deal, she may agree and then kill us just for fun.”
“We’ll have to try,” she said. “I’m not giving up on Angus.”
The captain nodded. “Me neither. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“What sort of bad things will happen if the Black Witch gets Angus’ cumulus?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Angus said he would never give it to her, that the consequences would be dire.”
“Do you know what she looks like?” Jazeen asked. “I’d like to know what to expect.”
The captain pointed to the GPS screen. “We have a turn coming up.”
Jazeen looked at the screen. She turned the wheel to the right and adjusted the propeller pitch controls. When the turn was completed, she readjusted and brought the ship onto the eastward leg of their journey.
“Now begin climbing and level out at one hundred meters,” the captain said. Then he went on, “According to Angus, she can change her appearance. She is obsessed with perfection. I guess she has probably adjusted herself to be some sort of perfect physical specimen. I would say you are probably going to meet the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. Don’t let that fool you. Inside, she is pure evil.”
“Have you ever met her?” Jazeen asked.
The captain shook his head. “No. I’ve always heeded the warnings and stayed far away from her port.”
“When we get to Tenebris, you can stay aboard the airship, if you’d like. I mean, I won’t ask you to risk yourself for Angus. If things go badly, you can take the ship and leave,” Jazeen said.
“That’s very kind of you, young lady. However, Angus is my friend and I intend to help rescue him,” Captain Watson said.
“Yes, but all we have to offer is his cumulus,” she said. “I mean, it’s location, of course. If she accepts the deal, I’ll bring Angus back to the airship and we’ll be on our way home. If she refuses, there’s no point in both of us being trapped,” she said.
“If I offered to go and make the deal, would you be willing to wait on the airship?” the captain asked.
“No, I wouldn’t,” she said.
“That’s settled, then. We’re both going to see the Black Witch to try to save Angus,” he said.
Jazeen looked thoughtful for a moment. “You know, the people who took Angus only have a head start of a few days on us. Angus said this is a fast ship. We might be able to catch them before they reach Tenebris.”
“It’s a broad ocean, and bounty hunters are cunning people. I doubt he’ll take a direct line of flight to Tenebris. He’ll likely fly to another port to hide his true destination, and then he’ll move on to her port from there. We’d have to fly within a few miles of them to be sure it was the right ship. We’d have to see them on deck and be close enough to identify them. If we tried to get that close, any airship captain out here would take evasive actions, changing course away from us. There could be dozens of airships making the crossing. We might spend weeks chasing every airship we encounter and never get close enough to identify them. We know exactly where he’s going, and that’s where we’ll go. We might even get there first,” he said.
“So you know what this bounty hunter looks like?” she asked.
“Yes. Angus and I towed his airship to port. I had close dealings with him and his mate.”
“Would this hunter recognize Angus’ ship if he saw it in the port?” she asked.
“He probably would. I hadn’t thought of that. We’ll need to disguise her, somehow,” he said. “Maybe we can drape balloon fabric over the engine pods like we’re installing a new envelope for the balloon.”
“Then we could surprise them, free Angus from the bounty hunter, and never have to deal with the witch!” Jazeen said excitedly.
“You don’t know much about bounty hunters or airship ports, young lady. You don’t just walk onto a bounty hunter’s airship and take his prisoner away from him. Even if you could, trying it in a port like Tenebris would be suicide. The Black Witch has henchmen everywhere in town, especially at the port. She controls everything. If we want to get Angus back, we need to make a deal with her. It’s the only way.”
“But, if we could get him away from the bounty hunter, we can outrun any other airship, and Angus could go into hiding again,” Jazeen said.
Rupert shook his head. “Angus has been hiding from her for centuries. He didn’t go with the bounty hunter because he couldn’t get away. He could easily have slipped away, unseen, and found a new place to hide.”
“I don’t understand. If he could have gotten away, why didn’t he?” she asked.
The man looked at her without replying.
After a while, she said, “It’s because of me, isn’t it?”
“He had a reason for not running again. Maybe you’re that reason, maybe not. But before you go tying yourself up in knots, think about this—Angus went to see her willingly. To him, that was the better option than running a
way and leaving you. That gives me some hope. Why go to see her just to end up dead? How would that be any better than running? No, he went there with the expectation of returning. I think he expects to settle things with her and then return home.”
“But he left the cumulus on his island. If that’s what she’s after, how would he make a deal?” she asked.
“Jazeen, if he took the cumulus with him, she wouldn’t have to make any deal. She could simply take it and kill him,” he said.
Bringing the cumulus was a big mistake. We may all end up dead because of me, she thought.
“Angus’ cumulus is still on his island, right?” Captain Watson asked.
Jazeen looked away from his gaze. “Yes, of course.” She cleared her throat. “Still on his island, safe and sound.” When she glanced at the captain, he was staring at her, wearing a rather knowing expression, she thought.
Chapter 25
Angus trembled as he lay on the bed. He hadn’t thought this whole thing through. High on his pills, he had pranced out of his house and onto this airship with just the partial bottle in his pocket. There was a full bottle stashed in his cabin on his airship, which he should have retrieved before the bounty hunter arrived. The bounty hunter… he was the reason Angus hadn’t been able to replenish his supply of pills before leaving Port Zebron. If he he’d had a dozen bottles in the house, he would have put a few into his pocket.
His pills had run out five days ago. The trembling started in his hands, as it always did, and quickly spread. Now he had a constant headache, and it was hard to keep food down. He was going to face her, and he could barely walk, and certainly couldn’t think straight. He wasn’t even sure if he could channel magic to his full ability.
When he realized how few pills he had with him, he knew he should have cut back and tried to wean himself off the evil stuff. Each time he opened the bottle, he took two pills, vowing to hold off longer and only take one next time. Always next time. And then the pills were gone.
