For Steam and Country: Book One of the Adventures of Baron Von Monocle

by Jon Del Arroz

  “Do you think they’re that clever?”

  “I’m messing with you, Zair-bear.” He laughed, but that came out hollow. “Rislandia City is the safest bet.” He kicked Lightning and steered the mare west toward the capital. The city itself was at least a three day ride, if we pushed ourselves. I already started to feel the effects of weariness, having worked hard in the sun all day.

  We rode on for hours. Every sound along the road made me glance behind us in fear, expecting to see a troop of Wyranth soldiers. After a while, the pounding of my heart subsided back into normalcy. James slowed Lightning’s pace to a trot so she wouldn’t wear out before we arrived somewhere we could rest. I was so tired, I could hardly think straight. Lightning protested even her slower pace, bucking her head and snorting.

  James suggested we pull off the main road, travel a few more minutes and find a nice place to camp by some trees or foliage. Even though sleeping on the ground didn’t sound appealing, any sort of sleep would have been fine by me.

  James found a good clearing soon thereafter and tied Lightning to a nearby tree. She grazed, and I sat down on some long grass. “If only we could have packed a pillow or some blankets,” I said. Then I laughed at myself. “Look at me, we are running for our lives and I’m thinking about the comfort of blankets.”

  I had hoped James would laugh along with me, but instead, he frowned and gazed off toward home. Reality set in for him, his somberness overcoming me. James lost everything he knew. His home. His parents. I’d been through that before and understood his pain completely. Though I could scarcely find any words for him.

  I forced myself to stand, legs wobbling from resting so long atop a horse. I walked over to James and wrapped my arms around him from behind, pressing my head against his shoulder blades.

  James didn’t move. His body held tense, solid as a rock. I would have thought him impenetrable, but he sniffled and wept softly. Once he started, his soft cries escalated into a full a bawl. He shrugged at my touch and I let him go. He collapsed to his knees. Then he started tugging some of the tall grass until the leaves snapped off their roots, as if killing them would ease his pain. He kept at it for several moments, sniffling in between heavy breaths.

  “I’m sorry, James,” I said, reaching down to squeeze his shoulder. I didn’t know what else to say. This was my fault. His life was ruined, and it was all my responsibility because I had drawn the Wyranth’s attention. What more could I do wrong?

  “It’s not your fault,” James said, wiping some of his tears on his sleeve. He stood. “My dad made a decision. He wanted to protect us, give us lead time to get out of there. I…I just hate those Wyranth scum! Why do they keep attacking our kingdom?”

  I swallowed. As much as he said it wasn’t my fault, I knew that wasn’t true. I let him have his space. He probably didn’t want me touching him. “Your father was noble. You heard him, he was a soldier. I bet he did incredible things. Saved many people’s lives,” I said, hoping my words would comfort him.

  James turned to face me. He looked like a wreck. I never wanted to see him in that much pain again. I wouldn’t allow it for as long as I lived, I swore to myself. He started to say something, but his words were stifled by a loud click behind us.

  Something prodded me in the back. “Don’t even think about moving, or I’ll blast you,” said a voice with a harsh, guttural accent. Wyranth. We’d been discovered.

  Three soldiers circled, surrounding us. The rifle dug deeper into my back. What could we do? I didn’t have a weapon, and neither did James. Even if we did, we were outnumbered, and we faced trained soldiers.

  James put his hands up in surrender. I followed suit.

  The soldier behind me lifted his gun and frisked me. Another patted James down. They were not tender with us. The soldier behind me groped my buttocks. By Malaky, I wanted to vomit. I was completely helpless. What if he didn’t stop there?

  “Enough of that,” said one of the onlooking soldiers. He appeared to be an older man, gray in his trimmed beard. The look on his face was anything but amused. “I know you have a daughter, Private. Do you want Rislandian soldiers giving her a feel if she’s captured?”

  The soldier behind me released me, using his rifle to push me. “No, Major Anton, sir,” he said.

  The rifle hit hurt. I was already tired, and I’m not built for pain. I stumbled forward. Were they going to kill me? If they were, what did the leader care how I was treated?

  I side-glanced at James. His eyes caught mine, worry overcoming his face. We had no hope for escape, at least not now. All we could do was wait.

  Major Anton moved in front of me. He gripped my face by the chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. “Zaira von Monocle, in the flesh. Oh, if we would have taken you when you were younger. I bet we could have saved so many Wyranth lives. Your infamous father would have turned himself in with you as ransom.” He grinned at me. All semblance of compassion disappeared from him.

  These men were responsible for destroying my friends’ farm. They likely killed Toby and the Gentrys. Without thinking, I spat in his face. How dare he invoke my dead father?

  Major Anton jerked back and raised his hand as if to strike me.

  I cringed, raising my shoulder to protect my face from him. Perhaps I deserved his slap for my foolish move, but I was in no place to accept that kind of pain.

  Oddly enough, Major Anton’s eyes softened when he saw how I reacted. He wiped the spit from his face. “You’re lucky I’m ordered to capture you and that I have a soft spot for young girls,” he said, pointing to the other soldiers. “Men, bind their hands and let’s get going, the captain will want to see them. And he won’t be so lenient if you’re not cooperative, Miss von Monocle.”

  “I hardly believe it myself, but we survived our recent assault. A third of the crew was killed or captured, but it would have been all of us if I didn’t have my quick-witted second in command.”

  An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log

  Day 45 of the Month of Queens

  16th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  The soldiers led us back toward the main road. One of them took Lightning, commandeering the horse for the Wyranth army. We had ridden so far only to be captured. Mr. Gentry’s sacrifice meant nothing now.

  The soldiers ahead of us spoke with Major Anton, though I had some trouble understanding their words through their thick accents. From what I could make out, it sounded as if little remained at Plainsroad Village. Their artillery leveled nearly the whole town. I snuck a glance at James, but he had his head down, staring at the dirt in front of his shoes. His eyes had a glassy quality to them.

  One good bit of news was that no airship had been found, even though a large number of Wyranth soldiers scoured the countryside. Harkerpal must have been able to get the Liliana airborne.

  Where were we in relation to where I had crashed? My memory became fuzzy when it came to thinking about specifics of that day. If only I had been more cautious, we might not be in this mess.

  The soldiers seemed to content to take me as a hostage and hadn’t asked many questions. Their conversations revolved around the Liliana and further searches for the airship.

  The more I considered our walk, it would only be a matter of time before they questioned me on the ship’s whereabouts. They would probably torture me, and then James if my answers didn’t satisfy them.

  That pressed upon me a need to stall before we arrived at their main camp. The more I could delay them hurting James or me, the better. If I were my father, I’d think of some ingenious plan. It’d make for yet another of dozens of stories where he grabbed one of the soldiers’ knives from their belts and whirled around his guards before they had time to react.

  But I wasn’t my father. So, what could I do? I could only think of one possible way to delay them. I pretended to trip over my shoes.

  This act had to be convincing, so I didn’t brace myself when I came tumbling toward the ground. I yelped in surprise. My
face hit the dirt road, scratching my cheek.

  The soldier who groped me earlier forced me to my feet, rough with his grip. I winced.

  Major Anton stopped in his tracks and turned back. The other soldiers followed suit. “What’s the matter? You’re not getting fresh again are you, Private?”

  The private released his grip of me. “She tripped, sir. I helped right her.”

  I played up my weariness, stumbling and fluttering my eyes like I could barely keep them open. “I’m so tired. We’ve been riding all night, then this. I… I don’t think I can stand anymore.”

  Major Anton frowned, glanced further down the road, then back at us. “A break, then. But we will be walking again in short order,” he said.

  “But sir, the Captain—”

  “The Captain doesn’t know when we found the girl, or even that we have yet. We have time before we can get back to the airship search. Now take a break. If she can’t walk, you’ll be the one to carry her. I’m going to scout down the road.” Major Anton gave a firm nod and started away from us.

  The other three soldiers set down their packs and their guns and seated themselves, motioning for us to do the same. I did as was told and sat next to James. With Major Anton gone, our odds were better if we tried something.

  “You’re that tired?” James whispered to me, sounding concerned.

  I winked at him in return. He nodded, understanding.

  Moments later, a noise rattled in the distance. It was much like we heard at the Gentrys’ home before.

  Whap-whap-whap-whap.

  The noise grew in intensity as each moment passed. The guards rushed to their feet in response, scrambling for their guns. “Where’s Major Anton?” the private asked to the other soldiers.

  A younger, slightly unkempt soldier shrugged. “He went off to scout the road ahead.”

  “I know that, but he needs to be back here. Find him!” the private shouted, taking matters into his own hands by rushing in the direction Major Anton had gone. The soldier he spoke to followed, leaving one final soldier who held his wits about him, staying to guard James and me.

  The noise intensified.

  WHAP-WHAPPEDY-WHAP.

  “The mobile artillery group is still running their machines? Are they trying to alert the whole countryside to their arrival? Maybe all the farmers could have time to band together,” James said, eyes lighting up with his cute idealism. He held onto hope for a moment, and then shook his head. “They’d be overrun, wouldn’t they? Just like mom and Da.”

  We hadn’t had a moment to pause to continue the grieving process since the soldiers had captured us. Poor James. I wish I could give him some comforting words. Instead, I listened to the sound. It didn’t have the same timbre as it did back at the farm. It was somehow softer, a little higher pitched.

  Something about it was familiar.

  The sounds swirled around us in a tornado of noise. Hearing anything else became impossible. Wind picked up, blowing leaves, sending my hair into a frazzled jumble.

  I pushed my hair out of my face. James shouted something, but I couldn’t understand it. The lone Wyranth guard pointed his rifle up toward the sky and fired.

  The shot rang out, but the soldier didn’t appear pleased with the result. I looked up. What I saw was the most beautiful sight I could have imagined. The Liliana. Those sounds came from the turbines!

  Six people in dark clothes descended from the side of the ship’s hull, rappelling down long ropes. They hollered like maniacs, brandishing guns and swords.

  Our guard stumbled backward, mouth agape. He shook where he stood, staring at me. His Wyranth uniform had several holes in it. Before he could do or say anything else, he fell to the ground.

  Blood pooled around his body. I dragged my feet and backed away. Bile rose in my throat faster than I could suppress. I’d never seen a dead man before, let alone one killed so brutally.

  The six commandos from the airship dropped to the ground. They spread out, five of them circling around me and James. One I recognized as Marina, but the sixth member of the party surprised me — Captain von Cravat. She glowered at me, but her attention shifted when more shots rang out.

  One of the Liliana’s commandos collapsed. The three Wyranth soldiers who had left stood with their guns trained on us, using a nearby tree as cover. My rescuers returned fire, several shots hitting one of the Wyranth soldiers in the shoulder. He fell.

  The other two Wyranth soldiers wasted no time. Major Anton moved the quickest, charging the circle of my rescuers. His companion fired his gun behind him to cover him, keeping Major Anton from getting shot. Before I could think to yelp, Major Anton had a knife to my throat.

  “Weapons down, or I’ll kill her!” Major Anton shouted from behind me.

  The five remaining rescuers looked at me. Captain von Cravat’s eyes flickered as if she were assessing the situation for action. Her dark hair was tied back behind her head, remaining still as her head moved. She took a step toward me.

  “I’m serious,” Major Anton said. His hand shook despite his threats. The knife grazed my throat. “Weapons down and hands up. I’ll spare the girl if you comply.”

  “Wyranth soldiers. You all think you’re so smart, so brave. Really, your tactics are anything but. Taking a mere girl hostage? Is this what your empire has come to?” Captain von Cravat asked, scorn in her voice. “Pathetic.”

  Captain von Cravat leveled her gun right at my eye level. It pointed right at me! Could she be so cold as to shoot me to alleviate the situation? It couldn’t be possible. Her finger pressed on the trigger.

  I shut my eyes tight, tensing every muscle in my body. The shot rang out, a deafening noise even with the whirring of the airship above.

  “We retrieved a whole supply wagon that was captured by Wyranth soldiers. They escorted it down the banks of the Border River. I love the looks in their eyes when my team and I descend from above. The others on the ship prefer guns, but I prefer the sword. It’s a more elegant weapon.”

  An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log

  Day 46 of the Month of Queens

  16th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  Major Anton’s knife went slack against my neck, scraping downward. The blade nicked me in a couple of places as he fell to the ground. The wound he’d created stung. My eyes fluttered open. I couldn’t believe I still lived. “You… you didn’t shoot me,” I said to Captain von Cravat.

  “Of course I didn’t. Now get behind me. I have more of your mess to clean up,” Captain von Cravat said. She motioned to a couple of her commandos to flank around the tree the final Wyranth soldier used as cover.

  Everyone moved so fast. I gingerly touched my neck, still in disbelief at the fact I lived. James rushed to my side and steadied me.

  The lone Wyranth soldier became desperate. He stayed behind his tree, but blindly fired two more shots from his rifle.

  “Duck!” Captain von Cravat shouted.

  James wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to the ground. I braced myself with a hand, crashing to the dirt. When I looked up, Captain von Cravat’s commandos had flanked the Wyranth soldier. Captain von Cravat closed her hand into a fist in a pronounced motion, and her crew fired simultaneously. The Wyranth stumbled out from behind the tree, falling to the ground soon after.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. “Zaira, snap out of it,” Captain von Cravat said.

  I looked up, blinking. “What’s happening?”

  “Later. There’s a lot more soldiers out there, and we need to get you back up on the airship before someone notices the commotion we made here,” she said.

  Marina produced a small lantern that had a handle and some gears attached, spinning slowly as the light pulsed inside. She pointed it up toward the airship and flipped a switch. The lantern blinked on and off four times.

  Four more blinks returned from the airship and several rope ladders dropped from the sky. The ladders swayed in the wind, the airship hovering
at least five stories off the ground.

  I stared up at the Liliana. Did Captain von Cravat expect me to climb that? “There’s no way I can get up there,” I said.

  “You’d better, or you’ll be found when the next patrol gets here. Get a move on. I didn’t risk our necks so you could be afraid of heights.” She took the end of one of the rope ladders and shoved it into my hands.

  “Zair-bear,” James said, “You’ll be fine. I’ll be right behind you.” He smiled at me, warm, reassuring.

  I cocked my head upward again, daunted by the prospect of the long trek up to the ship. There was no other choice. I could do this. I had to do this. I started on one of the rungs. Captain von Cravat helped to lift me up. Her men hoisted themselves onto other rope ladders, swinging easily from the ropes and making good time up to the sky above.

  I stopped on the rope ladder, wooden rung slipping beneath my shoe until it caught on the rough grain. My hands sweated, and I tightened my grip on the rung above me. “What about Lightning?” I asked.

  Captain von Cravat climbed the first rungs behind me, stopping when I did. “We can’t descend to load a horse right now. We have to keep moving. She’ll be fine. Someone will find her and will give her a nice home. Now keep moving!”

  I climbed, gut wrenching with each step. The higher I ascended, the more likely a fall would kill me. I moved far too slowly for Captain von Cravat’s tastes. I could see impatience in her eyes when she waited for me in between steps. But what was I to do? I had never tried acrobatics like these before. It was hard enough hold on. The rope wobbled, and the wind pelted us.

  About halfway up the rope, I looked down at the ground and froze. At that point, I noticed that the airship didn’t hover. It moved forward. Dizziness overcame me. “By Malaky, tell them to stop!”

  “We can’t stay in one place or we’ll be a target for the rest of the Wyranth army. You don’t want to get shot off this ladder, do you? Keep. Moving.” Captain von Cravat said, her voice even more stern than before.