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

by Jon Del Arroz

My palms could barely grip each rung, the sweat dripped from me like I was a leaking sieve. I scanned for James, who had already climbed to the bottom of the airship hull. If he could do it…

  I moved up the rungs with determination, hand over foot. Before long, all the others were up on the Liliana’s deck with only Talyen and I lagging behind.

  When I reached the top rung, a couple of the crew hoisted me onto the deck, pulling me up by the shoulders. My legs hovered in the air in a fearful moment.

  Captain von Cravat crouched onto the deck before lifting herself, smoothing down her Grand Rislandian Army uniform. “I find it harder and harder to believe you’re his daughter,” she said under her breath.

  Those words stung worse than the knife wounds on my neck.

  James rushed to my side from where his rope ladder attached to the ship, linking his arm with mine. After the strain of the climb, his muscles were taut as the rope ladders themselves. He held me steady through the heavy wind blowing on the deck. “You know, you could be kinder,” James said to Captain von Cravat. “She’s never done anything like this before, and besides, this is her airship. She might very well order you off it, and it’s a long drop down!”

  I flushed. James defended me so much lately. While nice, after Captain von Cravat had saved our lives, it wasn’t the most appropriate of jabs. Anything I could have said would only make Captain von Cravat angrier, so I kept my mouth shut.

  Captain von Cravat did what I couldn’t expect — she laughed. “That is a good one! I’ll have to tell the rest of the crew about that.” She straightened herself, grinned, and ruffled James’s hair. “You’re a feisty one, I like that. Spunk goes a long way toward being a good member of the team.”

  James did not look amused. Neither did I. What was wrong with her? I glanced at the other crew, who all watched us with curiosity. Were they all this crazy?

  Pity filled Captain von Cravat’s eyes. “Okay, it’s high time we talk. Woman to woman. Come to the mess cabin. Let’s get you something warm to drink, and I’ll fill you in.”

  I followed her inside, recalling the direction to the mess cabin from my previous jaunt. The rest of the crew that had gathered to look at us had scattered, attending to their jobs. I didn’t see Marina. She had a dual function with the ship, though, I’d learned before. I imagined she’d returned to her cannoneer station.

  Other crewmen pulled up the dangling rope ladders. Some descended stairs to the lower decks. Each stopped to salute me as I passed in spite of the scene they just saw. Eyes trailed me as if they expected something. What did they want?

  The mess cabin held four long tables and a serving area that had the food strapped in and covered. The ship’s chef carried a tray and moved to secure it. I was in awe at how many people assembled on the ship so quickly.

  Captain von Cravat called the chef over, ordering him to fix us hot tea. The chef nodded and complied without hesitation. Everyone appeared to be firmly under her command. No wonder she found James’s threats to be amusing. We’d be thrown off the ship before Captain von Cravat ever would.

  James and I seated ourselves on a long wooden bench across from Captain von Cravat. The benches were hard, uncomfortable and immobile, bolted to the floor. Inside the mess cabin, the whirring of the ship’s turbines became a muffled, constant hum.

  Captain von Cravat tugged on her uniform’s tunic as she sat. “At least we’ll be able to talk without too many people bothering us.” She cocked her head at James, concern on her face. “Are you well, Mr. Gentry?”

  I glanced over at James, seeing that he had turned bug-eyed like he wanted to bounce off the walls. This had been one insane evening that neither of us would have believed if the other had told the story. His own emotions must have been as confusing and overwhelming as my own. “Yes… I… ” James frowned. “I can’t believe I’m on a real airship. I can’t believe any of this.”

  “Of course, this is real,” Captain von Cravat said. She paused whatever thought was going to follow that as she inclined her head. “Miss von Monocle, raise your neck some. I’d like to see your wounds in the light.”

  I did so. The stretching motion exacerbated the dull pain that lingered from Major Anton’s knife scraping against me.

  “Not too much blood. Are you well enough, or do you want medical attention?”

  “I’ll be okay,” I said.

  The chef returned with a tray containing a pot of steaming liquid and three metal cups. He set them before us and poured the three cups.

  Captain von Cravat hooked two fingers through a handle and brought the cup just below her face, inhaling. “A floral flavor. Theo used to like more of a bitter, black tea, himself.”

  “I never really drink tea, unless I’m sick,” I said, but took the cup into my hands all the same. She was right, it reminded me of the flowers that bloomed in the spring along the dirt road from my farm to the village.

  “Now where was I?” Captain von Cravat asked to herself before slurping a small sip of the steaming liquid. “Ahh, Mr. Gentry, would you care for a tour? There’s no need for you to be involved in this conversation. It’s… personal.”

  James frowned, but then looked over at me as if wanting my decision on the matter.

  “Don’t get into trouble,” I teased, hoping it would lift his spirits.

  James gave me a tight hug, then stood. “Where do I go?”

  Captain von Cravat waved over another of the crew who appeared to be sitting at a bench enjoying a meal. The crewman didn’t protest when he was ordered to take James around the ship. He waved and motioned to James. A moment later, they departed out the mess cabin, leaving Captain von Cravat and me alone.

  I gazed into my tea, steam warm on my face. What could I say to her? One moment I’d crashed the airship, the next she saved my life. I owed Captain von Cravat, and she was right to scold me. I couldn’t be of any use to her.

  “I suppose you’re wondering how I assembled the crew so quickly,” Captain von Cravat said.

  “More wondering what I’m going to do. My farm…it’s gone. I’m so lost.”

  “We’ll get to that in a moment,” she said, reaching out to pat my arm reassuringly. “I know I was hard on you. I’m used to a military crew, you have to understand. I issue orders, they obey. I may have been unfair to you because of that and because of—”

  “Because of what?”

  She took a longer sip of her tea before replying. “Because you’re not him. You look like him, in a feminine way of course. Your mannerisms, they’re very similar as well. I expect certain things when I hear the words von Monocle, you understand?”

  “I’ve heard enough stories to know he was more of a giant than the creatures in the bedtime stories my mother used to tell me,” I said.

  Captain von Cravat nodded. “Some are exaggerations, but he was also the kind of man who would do whatever it took when there was necessity. And don’t tell him something’s impossible! I swear if I said, ‘You can’t move a mountain,’ he’d find a way to do it.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I sipped the tea. I found this floral blend much better than the tea my parents used to have.

  “When you left, I impressed upon Harkerpal how imperative it was that we get the ship airborne again. I know the Wyranth. If they understood the ship went down, they’d stop at nothing to obtain it. Harkerpal said he needed supplies and men, and so I borrowed Mr. du Gearsmith’s horseless carriage to make some quick arrangements. She’s not in the best shape, but she’ll get us back to the capital.”

  “So you’re returning the ship to King Malaky?” I asked.

  Captain von Cravat focused on me. “That depends on you. King Malaky is very protective when it comes to his subjects’ private property. I would honor his wishes as a loyal subject. This ship belonged to your father, and by all rights belongs to you. Though without an airship, Rislandia would lose quite an advantage should the Wyranth decide to press for war. I would hope you’d consider that.”

&n
bsp; “Mm,” I said. I couldn’t commit without knowing more. My body felt hot, and I wasn’t sure whether that was because of the tea or the conversation. Everything moved so quickly. The day before I harvested crops, played around with James in the fields. I’d almost died out there on the road! And now I was headed all the way to the capital?

  I longed for home, my room, my bed. It occurred to me then I hadn’t slept since the day before. My eyes must have been puffed up like a pastry. They felt heavy all of a sudden. I missed my old life. I missed…

  “Toby,” I said to myself, heart fluttering.

  “You’re not making any sense,” Captain von Cravat said. “What’s wrong?” she asked, standing. “Do I need to get you a doctor?”

  “It’s…my pet ferret. We left him back at the house. I took off in such a hurry from the Gentry’s that I forgot him.” Was it childish to worry about a pet like this? I’d lost much more than that, James lost his parents. But in some ways, Toby was my child. I abandoned him without a thought. But what could I have done differently? If I had stopped, returned to my house to get him, the soldiers would have captured us far earlier. Captain von Cravat and her crew wouldn’t have rescued us.

  Her strong hand squeezed mine. “I’m sure he’s all right. When we have everything cleared, I’ll make sure someone’s sent to look for him.”

  “You’d do that for me?” I asked, confused.

  “You’re Theo’s daughter. That makes you family.”

  Before I could say anything else, Marina bounded in from the deck. She looked so proper in her uniform, similar to Captain von Cravat, and greeted us with a salute. “Captain, Miss von Monocle.”

  “At ease, Commander Willett. Have you made some progress with…” Captain von Cravat shifted her eyes in my direction, appearing to make a determination. “…the prisoner?”

  Marina gave me a once over as if unsure she should talk about it in front of me, but accepted Captain von Cravat’s judgment with a nod. “We have. Apparently, all of the soldiers are given the serum you mentioned to us before. This soldier is either not aware of its purpose or he’s holding out on that fact. Whatever it is, it’s clearly addictive. Without it, our prisoner’s gone into violent fits.”

  I wanted to ask about the prisoner, where he came from, but I knew better than to interrupt. Having a Wyranth prisoner was probably how they knew which direction I’d gone to in the first place. The Liliana was a tight operation, that much was certain. These people were as much heroes as my father.

  “Disconcerting,” Captain von Cravat said. She set down her tea. “We’ll have to report this as well. Good work, Commander.”

  “Captain, there’s one other thing,” Marina said. She shifted uncomfortably. Whatever information she had, it was big. The air seemed to electrify.

  “What’s that?” Captain von Cravat asked.

  “It’s Baron von Monocle, sir. According to our prisoner, he’s still alive.”

  “It’s been nearly a year since I’ve written in this log. We’d been relegated to transportation duty for the most part. A most recent return to the capital brought us new orders, and we’ve set our sights for an offensive within the Wyranth Empire. Mr. du Gearsmith, my attorney, recommended that I formulate a will, just in case. I followed his advice, but poor Zaira has been missing a father for far too long already. What difference would it make should I actually meet my demise?”

  An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log

  Day 13 of the Month of Kings

  16th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign

  After I’d heard the news, Captain von Cravat told me I needed to rest. I had to get some sleep while she conferred with some of the others to determine our plan. The information that my father could still be alive impacted far more than just me. Some of the crew in the mess cabin voiced that they should be heading for Wyranth territory immediately. The thought was that no one ought to be left in the hands of the Iron Emperor for that long. Others, Captain von Cravat included, said that the crew’s duty was to Rislandia, and that King Malaky needed to be informed of both this and our other recent reports of the Wyranth soldiers.

  Captain von Cravat hurried me along before I could get into the discussion. “Go and rest now, before I make you. Trust me, that won’t be pleasant and will result in a lump on your head as big as this airship.”

  I went to my father’s cabin and laid my head down. My eyes wouldn’t close, however. How could I stop my head from spinning?

  My father might actually be alive. Alive! I’d become so used to him being gone, the possibility stopped occurring to me. What would I say to him? How would I react? He’d been gone for so long even before his official disappearance, I barely knew him.

  I wanted him home, to work on the farm and help me become an adult. But wasn’t I an adult already? I had worked hard and provided for myself since he’d disappeared more than two years ago. That had to count for something.

  I frowned, sitting on the large bed that rested in his cabin. If my father lived and I found him somehow, I had no idea what I would say to him.

  Even if I wanted him back home, my world had crumbled in these last several hours. There wouldn’t be a farm to return to. I wouldn’t have Toby. I still couldn’t believe I’d left him back there.

  A knock came to the door of my cabin — my father’s cabin.

  “Zaira, are you awake?” Marina peeked her head around the door.

  I waved to her. “Yeah, come in.”

  She stepped fully inside, glancing around in awe at the room, a perfectly preserved treasure trove of this airship’s past. “I’ve never been in his quarters. No reason to have me here,” Marina said.

  “Well, here it is. The great Baron von Monocle’s personal sleeping space,” I said in a mock-ominous voice.

  Marina moved over and sat on the edge of the bed next to me. “I’m sorry. It must be hard for you with everyone singing the praises of your father. He meant a lot to a lot of people though, so try to take it as a compliment.”

  I stared straight down at the sheets. “I know, I can’t help but feeling—”

  “Inadequate?” Marina asked.

  “Yeah.” I blushed.

  “Trust me, anyone new to this ship goes through that. I still don’t feel like I completely fit in. If you look at people like Captain von Cravat or Chief Engineer Harkerpal, they know their respective crafts so well it’s daunting. I just follow orders,” Marina said. She caught my eye with a small grin and shrugged.

  “I’m glad I’m not the only one, but it still doesn’t help me. It doesn’t feel right for me to be here.” I glanced to the small window at the end of the cabin. The Liliana moved through the clouds like they were waves in the ocean. The clouds themselves looked like mist.

  Marina stood and paced the room, stopping at the large dresser of my father’s belongings. The pictures above the dresser caught her attention, and she took one into her hand. “This one’s of the Baron, you, and Liliana. I don’t mean the ship either,” she said.

  “Must have been a long time ago,” I said.

  She further inspected the photo. “He doesn’t wear a monocle.”

  “Of course not, it’s just a name. You don’t expect Captain von Cravat to wear one all the time, do you?” My words came out defensive, but I wasn’t sure why. All nobility in Rislandia had similar names. Tradition dictated it be so.

  Marina chuckled. “No, I suppose not.” She pointed to my mother in the photo. “You know, he named the airship after her. Did he ever tell you the story of how they met?” Marina tilted her head at me curiously.

  I shook my head. For all I knew, my mother was a country girl from Plainsroad Village. The more I thought about my parents, the more I came to understand I was disconnected from them. It wasn’t my mother’s fault, she died when I was far too young, before I understood the importance of these questions. But my father left me. He had a choice.

  “It was one of the first outings of this ship, far before I came aboard, bu
t it’s a hard one to forget once you’ve heard it. Harkerpal told it me originally,” Marina said.

  I laughed. “Of course, he did.”

  “King Malaky commanded that each of his airship captains name their own vessels so they would be tied to it by a stronger bond than just their oaths to the king. Silly, really, since the Grand Rislandian Army oath is one of the strongest I’ve ever heard. But that’s neither here nor there. The naming, combined with granting each captain ownership over their own ship had the intended effects.”

  “Why would the king do that?”

  “It is odd thinking. But kings and emperors do as they will, not much us little people can do otherwise but to follow as we’re commanded.” She shrugged. “Baron took the ship on its first mission, off to the Tyndree Kingdom, northeast of the Wyranth Empire.”

  I’d never heard of the Tyndree Kingdom before. I tried to picture the school maps but didn’t recall seeing that name. “Wait, there is no kingdom northeast of the Wyranth Empire.”

  “Not now, there’s not. The Wyranth control it. Back during that war, your father’s mission was to resupply the duchess of High Mesa Castle, give her some relief in the fight as her lands were nearest the border. When the Baron arrived, he found the castle overwhelmed by the Wyranth forces. He fought his way into the castle and rescued the duchess. The crew says that he was so captivated by her, even in the midst of a battle that he had to profess his love somehow. And so, he did, by naming his airship right then and there,” Marina said. She reverently touched the glass on the picture frame and set the picture back down.

  I blinked. My mother? A duchess? My heart sank again. She was a wonderful woman, a great cook, but she was simple, just like me. She had never told me anything to the contrary. If this story held any truth, I couldn’t relate to anyone in my family. “That can’t be right,” I said.

  “It’s the truth, as far as I know it.”

  That meant I had royal blood. James would shoot steam out of his ears when he heard. My lineage was anything but comforting to me. “I miss my mother. And my father,” I said softly. I didn’t know what to think anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me Toby invented the airships to begin with.