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

by Jon Del Arroz

  “You are. It’s in your blood.” James walked over to me.

  I nodded to his reassuring comment. “Thanks, James. We’ll see. Right now, I’m just confused. Captain von Cravat is acting strange, and the king is too busy planning a war.” I shook my head. “I think I just want to be home.”

  James stopped in front of me. His eyes met mine once more, and a long silence fell between us. His facade of happiness broke, and he frowned. “Home isn’t there anymore, Zair-bear.”

  Watching him like that, the pained look in his eyes, everything that he was holding back, it made me want to cry. I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. I had to be strong, for him as much as me. “No, I guess it’s not.” That home had gone, and so, in some ways, had the comfort of being around him. Things were different now, I couldn’t explain it. It might have been because of that princess, but I didn’t have the capability to think about that on top of everything else. Not yet. “I should see if I can take a nap. I couldn’t sleep again last night.”

  James reached and scratched the back of his head. Then he yawned. “Yeah, me too, now that I think about it. Sword training is hard work.”

  “See you later?” I asked, and before we could meet with another awkward moment, I turned and headed back for my quarters.

  I spent the next three days waiting for news of our mission. At least I had the time to get well rested, well fed, and back to normal. As normal as I could be in Rislandia City, that is. After the first day I’d noticed that when no adults could monitor me, servants found ways to confine me to the castle walls and courtyard. It wasn’t a stated imprisonment, but whenever I ventured into the city without the company of someone older, they would be close at hand to distract me and ensure I went somewhere else or obtained a real adult to come with me.

  Because this was the king’s domain, I didn’t fight it. That said, if I were capable of owning the kingdom’s sole surviving airship and allowed to go on a mission to the Wyranth Empire, why couldn’t I come and go as I pleased? The more I thought about it, the servants probably operated for my own safety. Wyranth spies could certainly be lurking outside the castle, waiting for me to misstep again. That thought frightened me.

  James practiced in the courtyard every day from sunrise to sunset. I watched several of his practices, and it both amazed me how much natural talent he had with a sword, and second that the Knights of the Crystal Spire provided someone for him to train with for each of those days. He must not have exaggerated about his conversation with Princess Reina.

  Harkerpal spent most of his time making calculations and repairs. He requested various supplies from King Malaky’s servants, and they provided everything he needed. Airship life was the good life if all it took was a few words to have everything you wanted provided for. He seemed content to tinker with the engines and spend his time doing little else. At least it kept him away from barraging me with stories at every opportunity.

  General Carwell oversaw munitions and arms deployments to the ship. Originally, the Liliana never had much in terms of an artillery component, instead relying on personnel drops and the fear of the ship itself to batter the enemy. Marina and a couple others had been cannoneers, true, but the raw firepower of their older weapons left much to be desired. General Carwell, therefore, proposed a few upgrades with gear-based rotating cannons and a steam-powered crank turret at the ship’s fore, a word I’d gotten used to using when speaking with the Liliana’s crew. I saw the designs for that with its various copper gears on the side both allowing a pitch and swivel. It looked like a lot of fun to fire, though I doubt I’d be allowed to touch it. The ship would be stocked and ready for battle, though it should be a quick in-and-out mission.

  The only person I didn’t see much of during those three days was Captain von Cravat, much to my chagrin. Did she avoid me because she’d given up on the plans to rescue my father so quickly? I had in many ways wished for her approval since we’d met, and now that I’d had some semblance of it, she hid from me. Or at least that’s how it seemed.

  I spent hours of the first day of waiting looking around the castle for Captain von Cravat, but she eluded me. A couple of the servants shared rumors that she disappeared. I asked one of the munitions stockers for the airship if he’d seen her, and he shrugged saying, “The cap’ns always off somewhere. She’s got important things to do, that woman. I don’t question her, just follow orders.”

  Other crew responses were close to the same. After a couple more attempts, I gave up on trying to find her. It could be that her avoiding me was all in my head. Surely, she had to train with her commandos if we had the Wyranth to engage. With their acrobatics and hauling down rope ladders, they had to stay in shape somehow. If I couldn’t keep up, would she honor the way she spoke of me to the king? I could see it coming, her locking me up in my father’s quarters while her team descended onto Wyranth troops without me. Though I couldn’t call myself a soldier, I vowed not to let that happen. I would make myself useful somehow.

  On the third day, a couple hours before we were supposed to have our final meeting with King Malaky and depart, a servant knocked on my door. “Miss von Monocle?”

  “It’s just Zaira,” I said. “Come in.”

  The door opened. I sat on the bed, reading a book on the history of the Rislandia Kingdom and Wyranth Empire’s past wars. I couldn’t find much else to do, so I’d resigned myself to at least becoming knowledgeable of history. I looked up at the servant.

  Before he could speak, the ground trembled, just as it had outside my farm a few weeks ago. But this one quake lasted longer, the ripples across the ground having far more strength. The castle shook and creaked, walls rumbled, and the servant nearly lost his footing, bracing himself in the doorway.

  I gripped the sheets of the bed as the world vibrated, watching my book slide off the bed and hit the floor. I heard a crash, which certainly didn’t come from the book. I glanced to the side where I heard the noise and saw that a vase had hit the floor, shattering glass into bits and pieces. Water pooled and dead flowers sprawled across the tile.

  A scream sounded down the hall. Then the rumbling stopped.

  “That was unnatural,” the servant said, still standing in the doorway. His eyes had gone as wide as bugs. He released his grip on the door frame, moving cautiously away from it as if not trusting his feet to hold upright. “I’ve felt quakes before, but nothing in all my years was like that.”

  Someone ran through the halls. “I saw a building collapse from the balcony! The streets are filled with panic.”

  “I have to go,” the servant said. “If there’s trouble in the streets the king will assign us to help soon.” He turned, then held a finger up. “Oh, the woman, Captain von Cravat. I came here because she is looking for you. She should be out in the courtyard, though after this,” he motioned all around him, “I’d be surprised if anyone was in the same place.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  The servant took off running.

  I slid off the bed and onto my feet. The stone floor felt good, solid. Much better than the rattling bed I’d been on. I frowned, thinking about the collapsed building. People had to have been hurt, maybe worse. I was lucky to be in such a sturdy building. What of the Crystal Spire? That structure was so tall, so thin compared to the castle. Could it have survived the ground shaking for so long?

  It must have, or I would have heard far more than the small amounts of crashing I did. I headed toward the door.

  Out in the hall, I saw more people running, some carrying water, others with swords. I tried my best to keep out of their way and not interfere with their duties. If Captain von Cravat were looking for me, perhaps it was best we left without any fanfare anyway. King Malaky certainly would have his hands full now.

  I wandered through the halls until I found the larger entry room that led to the courtyard. It still amazed me how big the palace was. Over the past few days, I tried to figure out how many people it housed and counted at least two dozen individual
servants.

  “Zaira!” Captain von Cravat called as I entered the courtyard. She jogged in my direction. “I’ve been looking for you. Are you okay?”

  “I heard, and yes,” I said. Having been mostly alone for the last three days, I considered giving her a hug, but I stopped myself. “What did you need?”

  “I had good news and wanted to surprise you. I suppose it’ll be a small consolation now,” she said.

  Glancing around the courtyard, I saw that many people had gathered. Most of the castle’s population must have assembled here, in an open air area where rogue items wouldn’t fall on them. Many of the servants huddled together, but several Grand Rislandian Army uniforms of the Liliana’s crew stood out among them. James waited in his sword practice clothes along with the man who trained him. Several others lingered in their formal poof gowns. Everyone seemed agitated, none paying attention to the luscious gardens and statues that adorned the courtyard.

  I turned back to Captain von Cravat. “Maybe so, it was quite frightening. I think the whole city’s stirred.”

  “I’d be surprised if the whole kingdom’s not frightened.”

  “You think it carried that far? There was a bad one before you came to greet us in Plainsroad Village. Did you feel it?”

  Captain von Cravat shook her head. “It must have been when we were on the road. The horseless carriage bumps enough that I wouldn’t feel much.

  “It brought me to my knees out on my farm,” I said.

  “It’s hard to say,” she said dismissively. “Anyway, the surprise…” Captain von Cravat brought fingers to her mouth and whistled a high-pitched call. Several of the courtyard’s population turned their attention toward us, but a Liliana crewman buzzed over. As he turned, I saw a small crate under his arm.

  “What’s that?” I asked, cocking my head in curiosity.

  The crewman stopped in front of us, setting down the crate to salute Captain von Cravat. She returned the gesture. The crewman opened the crate. At first it was dark inside, but then came a snout and two beady little eyes. A ferret.

  “Toby!” I yelped with excitement. Tears streaked down my face. Toby heard my call and leapt from the box to my shoulders, nuzzling against my hair and neck. I returned his attention with such a tight hug and squeeze that he yelped. “I can’t believe it,” I said, sniffling with joy. “I thought I’d lost him forever.”

  Captain von Cravat smoothed down her leather jacket and adjusted her goggles on her forehead. “General Carwell ordered a scouting party to the area to make sure our estimates of the Wyranth by Plainsroad Village were accurate. I remembered you mentioned a pet ferret and told the crew to look out, even though the odds were very low. Sometimes miracles happen when von Monocles are involved. I’ve learned that lesson long ago.”

  “Thank you, thank you!” I smiled, rubbing Toby’s head. “You’re the best.”

  “I know.” Captain von Cravat winked at me. “Anyway, there was another reason to track down those troops, and we were successful. I’ll show you once we board the airship.”

  “Are we leaving soon? Will we still be meeting King Malaky first?”

  “I just sent a messenger to address that very question. I’d think likely not. The king has far more important things to deal with now, and we know what to do,” Talyen said.

  James had stopped talking to his knight trainer during our conversation and come over. I’d just noticed him. “Hey, you found Toby, that’s great,” he said. His eyes darkened and he looked to Captain von Cravat. “Did you find anything of my parents?”

  Captain von Cravat shook her head. “Nothing. The house has been completely demolished, and my people didn’t linger around long enough to go through the rubble. They looked out but didn’t report anything back.”

  “So, they could still be alive,” he said. Hope still radiated from him.

  I wasn’t about to crush his spirits. Not now, not when the ground below was giving cause for fear and hesitation. “We’ll have to search for them when we return.”

  Captain von Cravat grimaced but nodded. “Yes, we could do that.”

  “You’re leaving now?” James asked me.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Are you sure we can’t get you to come with us?” I could use a friend, I thought but didn’t say to him. I only wanted to show strength around Captain von Cravat, else I would never prove my value to her.

  James glanced back to Cid. “My place is with the knights. I’m making good progress,” he said. His eyes sparkled when he returned his attention to me. Yes, this was his place. I hoped I could find mine.

  A messenger rushed to Captain von Cravat, and they moved a couple of paces from us. The messenger whispered and Captain von Cravat nodded. She returned to us a moment later. “It’s like I thought, King Malaky is far too busy with the crisis to send us off personally. He recommends we depart.”

  I nodded, then looked at James. He was my last vestige of home, and our fates tore us apart already. When would I see him again, if ever? This time, I kept my tears at bay. Be strong. I bit my lip. “Follow your dreams, James.”

  “You too, Zair-bear,” he said, eyes locking with mine.

  We stayed gazing at each other. Was I supposed to kiss him? That’s how the stories ended that my mother told me as a child.

  I didn’t make any gesture, however. It had to be James who took the lead. He made a move toward me, but only for a hug. It was a good hug, but one between friends. No more. I wished I could tell him how I felt, but this was not the time. People counted on me. I had to act however an airship owner should act. Whatever that meant, it didn’t involve gushing out strange feelings.

  I pried my attention from him to turn to Captain von Cravat. “Okay, let’s head to the airship,” I said.

  She motioned and moved through the courtyard. Her fingers pressed to her lips once more for another loud whistle. This time, everyone in leather in the courtyard turned. “Liliana crew, time to move out!”

  The rest of the crew hustled into pairs behind her. They lined up in perfect formation, trained and tried. Everything I wasn’t. I walked with Captain von Cravat, Toby nuzzling his wet nose against my neck.

  As we left the courtyard I looked back, fantasizing that James would come after me, shouting that I should wait. That would be the true fairy tale ending. But he didn’t follow. A quick glance revealed him deep in conversation with Cid, not sparing his own longing gaze for me. He’d already forgotten me.

  Captain von Cravat caught my wistful glance. “Is there something between you two?” she asked. A look of amusement crossed her face.

  As teasing as it may have been to her, the question gave me a lot to think about. Mrs. Gentry often had referenced our inevitable future marriage, but she likely perished when the Wyranth attacked our village. In some ways, I couldn’t be anything but a reminder of pain for James. The knights, his dream, didn’t have room for that pain. For him, it was better this way. If I did love him, I had to acknowledge that and let him go. “No,” I said. “We’re just friends.”

  Captain von Cravat shrugged as she continued on and didn’t press me. I silently thanked her for that.

  The airship landing pad was a five-minute walk from the castle. We had to venture into the city and outside the protection of the castle walls. Smoke rose from a distant section of the city. Several buildings had collapsed, at least in some of their supports. An inn had a huge crack down its walls but still remained upright. Several of the city’s residents hurried down the streets. Tension filled the air with everyone around.

  I glanced up at the Crystal Spire. It remained standing tall, not impacted in the least. It comforted me to think the building made a statement that it was stronger than anything the ground could throw at it. If only the Wyranth soldiers could see that strength in our kingdom. Perhaps they would back down.

  Soon enough, we arrived at the pad. A couple of horseless carriages unloaded crewmen and supplies. Several of the king’s guard attended to the ship. A fuel line pumpe
d whatever strange aether that made the turbines turn, and Harkerpal directed that process. More crew hurried supplies up into the hold.

  Captain von Cravat made a motion to the crew behind us, and they broke their formation, heading for the ship. She stopped to look at the Liliana, and so did I. Toby climbed around me and perched on my shoulder.

  “It feels strange to be on a mission again,” Captain von Cravat said.

  “Without my father?” I asked.

  That caused her to frown. She let out a deep sigh. “Zaira, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  I froze, panicked. Did this mean she meant to leave me here in Rislandia City? Had she been stewing over a moment to rid of me? I tried to stay strong. “Yes?”“This mission, we’re not going to follow the king’s orders.”

  My heart pounded. “We’re not?” My voice couldn’t help but betray my nervousness.

  “No. I’m taking the ship, and we’re going to go look for your father. There’s no way I’m going to leave him if he truly is alive. He would never leave one of his crew in enemy hands like that, and so I owe it to him to return the favor.” Her dark eyes pierced into me. “Are you okay with that?”

  I didn’t know what to say. This whole time I’d thought she had betrayed my father by agreeing with the king. I’d been torn about it, wondering why she wouldn’t talk to me. Now it dawned on me. “You didn’t say anything so I wouldn’t be held accountable if someone sniffed it out.”

  She nodded.

  A voice behind me stopped me. “Zaira.”

  I turned. Mr. du Gearsmith stood there. Toby sniffed at him.

  “Matthias, come to see us off?” Captain von Cravat said.

  He nodded. “I thought someone should be here since King Malaky is indisposed.”

  “Well, thank you.” I looked to Captain von Cravat curiously. Something about Mr. du Gearsmith felt solemn, as it always did. But this was different than when we first had met. I wasn’t sure why.