“He knows, Zaira. I told him so he would be able to inform the king and General Carwell. We don’t want to leave the ground troops stranded, expecting support. I wouldn’t do that to those innocent people.”
“Oh,” I said. That made sense. It made me feel a little better about what we were about to do. Though in a lot of ways, I couldn’t help but think our next moves would be stealing this airship. Why should I think that when the Liliana was rightfully mine?
“Zaira, what you’re doing, it’s important. I’m sure you know that,” Mr. du Gearsmith said, eyeing me seriously.
I nodded. “Of course.”
“This isn’t like our jaunt on the Liliana from before. The Wyranth will be targeting this ship. As soon as it’s seen over the border, there will be no quarter. You especially, you’re a symbol, whether you know it or not. I won’t try to change your decision to go with the crew, but you should stay hidden as much as you can. You can still learn much from them, but don’t take undue risks. Let them do their jobs. These people are…”
Adults, I thought.
“…professionals, and they know exactly what they’re doing. Don’t get in their way, and they will bring your father home safely. The kingdom needs that more than you know.”
Though his words stung, he spoke in my best interest. He was my attorney, he’d said so a dozen times. He wanted me to survive this, as much as it sounded like a chastising of my capabilities. I held my head up. “Mr. du Gearsmith, I appreciate all you’ve done for me. This is my ship, and this is my father we’re rescuing. I will do what is necessary.”
Captain von Cravat didn’t interject, but let me have my piece.
His expression held sour, but no different than I’d seen him at any other time. He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “Godspeed. Zaira, Talyen,” he said with the tip of his hat. He turned, walking with that professional and aristocratic bounce he’d maintained since I’d met him.
Captain von Cravat patted my free shoulder, and then turned for the Liliana. A lot less people remained on the landing pad, and so I hustled over to the ramp, Toby digging his paws into my shoulder as I moved.
Harkerpal looked up as he detached the fuel tube. “Just about ready, Baron!” he said with a few bobs to his head.
Even if no one else believed in me, Harkerpal brought a smile to my face. “I’m glad you’re part of the crew, Harkerpal.”
He beamed back at me at that before returning to his work.
I followed Captain von Cravat up the ramp up into the hold of the airship. A few moments later, Harkerpal jogged the length of the ramp. He wound the crank to retract it, and soon we soared into the skies once more.
While we flew, I explored the ship again. It had been a while since my first tour. Last time, I focused on my father’s quarters, the main cargo hold, and the engine room. Now that I’d had some experience with the ship, I wanted to see how the crew lived. After all, dozens of people had spent their lives gallivanting about with my father. It was only right I should try to understand them while I still owned the airship.
There were twenty crew quarters rooms, most of which had double bunks, but a few of which were given to individuals. Captain von Cravat’s room was at the end of the hall, and she had her door open, penning some sort of letter when I passed. I didn’t bother her but continued on, exploring the ship.
Then I found my way into the cannoneer’s hall. Five cannons lined up on each side of the ship, poking out of holes with a view port for the cannoneers to find their aim. These were the new, more robust cannons that General Carwell had his men install. Each cannon rested on a rotating platform controlled by a gear-based crank for aim. Marina sat on a chair by one of the stations reading a book. She looked up and waved at me. That looked like a fun job, but if all went well on this trip, those crew wouldn’t have much to do. Probably why Marina had a dual role on the ship. Still, they manned their stations, giving me respectful nods as I passed.
All that was left was the storage rooms, the fore and aft lavatories, and the kitchen. Having spent some time in the mess hall, the kitchen made me curious. One chef served the entire crew, and he was busy at work, skinning potatoes for the next meal. To cook for that many people on a regular basis had to have been taxing. I’d only cooked for one for many years. Toby perked, sniffing the mouth-watering odors. He was hungry, but I doubted the chef wanted to give my ferret anything but scraps.
I decided not to bother him, and so I made my way up to the main deck. The wind blew hard as ever, but in the daytime the chill didn’t bite quite as hard. Rislandia City disappeared far below and behind us as we sailed through the clouds. I looked back to see the Crystal Spire, now smaller than my pinky finger on the horizon. The view took my breath away, and I doubted I’d ever get used to it.
We headed northwest, to fly out over the ocean as planned so we could avoid detection by the Wyranth soldiers along the border. It would also avoid any confusion for the Rislandian troops on the ground. We’d continue out over the ocean and bank hard east into the foothills behind the Wyranth capital. In theory, we should arrive just after nightfall, giving the ten of us time to descend from the ship. At which point, the Liliana would go back to hide over the vast ocean as we make our way down the coast. The route was circular, true, but it would help to avoid any potential tracking by spies. The ship had more than two weeks’ worth of fuel and food, which gave us adequate time to be careful in rescuing my father.
We wouldn’t cross into Wyranth territory for several more hours, but time felt like it crept up on me. A nervous shiver went down my spine as I paced the deck. The rest of the crew ignored me, going about their tasks, making sure the ship continued to fly.
Two hours into the journey, I stepped outside to see the coastline and glanced back to the bridge. A man I didn’t recognize sat at the helm, with Captain von Cravat at his side, monitoring his maneuvers.
Suddenly, a boom resounded to our port side. Everyone on the deck rushed over to the rail see what happened. I followed the crew, and Toby ducked into my coat, clinging to my shoulder. “What was that?” I asked. Loud noises had been ill portents thus far on my journey.
“Don’t know. Maybe someone spotted us,” one of the crew said.
“But we’re out over the ocean. No one should be here.”
Another boom came. This time, the pilot banked the ship hard to starboard. Several of us lost our footing and slid down the deck.
“Brace yourselves!” Captain von Cravat shouted from the bridge.
I looked up at her and, for the first time I could remember, Captain von Cravat had fear on her face. This wasn’t good at all. Whatever made that noise had to be much worse than I could have imagined.
I gripped onto the port side rail, narrowing my eyes to peer off toward land. No artillery could hit us from that distance, or even come close enough to make those exploding sounds. I couldn’t see anything but ocean from my vantage.
Before I gave up on finding the cause, I lifted my head. A tiny spec grew in the sky, not a cloud or a bird. It was something else, and it flew right toward us.
This will be my final reckoning. I face the full might of the Wyranth Empire today.
An excerpt from Baron von Monocle’s log
Day 21 of the Month of Kings
17th Year of Malaky XVI’s Reign
“What’s that?” I asked to one of the crewmen on the deck, pointing at the bulb in the sky that had been a spec a moment before.
The crewman stared at it for a long time. His eyes widened. “It can’t be. But we’re the only…”
“Enemy airship!” someone else on the deck shouted.
The crew scrambled, rushing for guns and swords. The cannoneers hustled to their posts below deck. Captain von Cravat burst from the bridge and slid down the ladder to the deck in one fluid motion. She turned and raised her sword. “Battle stations, everyone! For steam and country!”
“For steam and country!”
the crew on the deck shouted back.
The gunners took their positions, kneeling and taking aim toward the growing shape. The swordsmen braced themselves, huddling by rope swings. The speed at which everyone had moved to their station told of how well Captain von Cravat had the crew trained.
I, on the other hand, with no duty and nowhere to be, stood there gaping like an idiot.
Captain von Cravat grabbed me by the collar, barely missing crushing a concealed Toby inside my jacket. She shoved me toward the cabin door. “Get into your father’s quarters and lock the doors. I have no idea how the Wyranth got this airship, but I’m not going to lose another von Monocle on this mission.”
“But I want to help,” I pleaded. Despite my words, her orders were right. I wouldn’t do anything but get in the way.
“Now’s not the time, Zaira. Now go, I have too much on my plate to—”
Another boom rocked the ship. This time I saw the cannon ball whiz right past us, finding the wooden rail on the starboard side of the ship. The rail split with a crack. Both the cannon ball and rail pieces fell to the ocean below.
The airship swayed, and I struggled to maintain my balance. That could have taken off my head if I were another few feet to the right! Though Captain von Cravat had moved back to barking commands at some of her soldiers.
The other ship moved ever closer. I backed inside the cabin, watching as it came into full view as a mirror image of the Liliana. The pilot turned the Liliana to face the other ship. The crewman at the front of the ship wound the turret crank as fast as he could. The turret made rat-a-tat-a-tat-a piercing noises as it fired. I plugged my ears.
Two more crewmen rushed passed me, guns drawn. I took the opportunity to duck into the cabin. The door closed behind me, and the blasting sounds from outside were muffled, but reverberated through the ship all the same. Was I any safer in here than I would be outside?
It struck me that this crew had never faced another aerial foe before. Only the Grand Rislandian Army had used airships in combat prior to today. I recalled that one airship had gone missing from the original fleet, one that could have been repaired and brought to life in recent times. Images flashed through my mind of Wyranth soldiers torturing my father, extracting information about the airship technology. I shivered at the thought.
No matter what I pieced together about missing airships, or what might have happened with my father, it wouldn’t help them now. I moved through the ship corridors to my father’s quarters.
Soon I arrived, another boom echoed through the hall. The ship rocked hard this time. As the enemy airship came closer, it would be easier to hit us. I could only imagine what went on outside of the cabin.
I rushed inside my father’s quarters and closed the door behind me. Toby peaked out from my jacket and let out a frightened chirp. “Me too, Toby. Me too,” I said to him, squeezing him close to my chest.
I glanced around the room. Everything had stayed much the same place as I had left it. What if a cannon ball came flying through the room? I’d be just as dead as I would be outside. I paced the small area by the bed, finding myself too antsy to sit still. After a few minutes, the sound of cannon fire had stopped, both from our ship and from theirs. The ship swayed hard to one side like it never had before. I stumbled, gripping onto my father’s bedpost to hold me upright.
I went to one of the portals on the port side and pressed my face against the glass to get a look.
The enemy vessel had butted right up against ours. The rocking must have been from when the two ships collided. I could see the soles of shoes from people jumping across both ships. Others swung on ropes from one ship to the other. My vantage was below them, but I still caught small glimpses of gunfire and sword fighting going on outside.
“Hmm,” I said to Toby, who jumped out of my jacket and onto my father’s bed. “If someone makes it in here, I’m going to need a way to fight them off.”
I reached into my father’s drawer and grabbed the sword that I had left the first time I’d visited the cabinet. It rested firmly in its scabbard, keeping me safe from any cuts my clumsiness might have caused. Then, I moved over to the closet, opening it up. The hat and cape that signified my father’s garb had been placed there. I wondered who had taken these items back after my first airship mishap. Regardless of who had returned my father’s attire, seeing those items got me thinking. King Malaky had said that even rumors of his presence were enough to throw the enemy off at times. I picked up the hat and placed it on my head. It still didn’t fit right, so I set that aside. Then I took the cape and wrapped it around me.
I glanced in the mirror. When I had tried on my father’s accessories before, Mr. du Gearsmith seemed pleased, but I still was surprised to see the cape fit me well. The cape flowed around my shoulders, the bottom hovering inches from the ground. It complimented my white blouse, and my hair looked better without the hat. It still needed something, though. Perhaps a nice pair of goggles? I made an angry face at the mirror as if trying to intimidate my own reflection.
I heard the door creak open behind me, and I spun around. Out of the surprise of hearing someone come in, I dropped the sword. Before me stood a Wyranth soldier, just as I had feared. His eyes widened when he saw my garb. “Baron von Monocle himself? But he was captured!”
In that moment, he froze, giving me time to reach for the sword on the floor and draw it. I had no experience with the weapon, and its weight made my arm shake.
The Wyranth soldier didn’t stay stunned for long. He drew his pistol, though fear still lingered in his eyes. My father did have the reputation everyone kept boasting to me about. That would be my saving grace if I survived this encounter.
I yelled a visceral holler and charged, pointing my father’s sword in the direction of the soldier. The unexpected move made the man step backward and lose his footing. He fired his gun. I closed my eyes and dove for him, driving the sword with all my might. At the very least, I would slow him down so he couldn’t hurt anyone else on the ship.
I heard a loud crash.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself on the ground in front of the soldier, who laid crumpled on the floor. His shot must have missed, as I felt no pain. I would know if I was hit, wouldn’t I? Glancing behind me, I saw that his bullet had hit the mirror, shattering it and leaving a hole in the wall. The confusion of my attack made him misfire. I’d survived!
For the first part of a first battle, at least. Overcoming the Wyranth soldier filled me with pride. I scrambled to my feet, tugging hard on the hilt of my father’s sword, now stuck in this man’s belly. The moment of elation from my small victory evaporated. The sight of blood, coupled with the feel of the flesh reverberating against the sword, made my stomach knot.
Toby scampered over to the body, sniffing it. He looked at it curiously.
I turned, closing my eyes tight. I killed someone. Me. Little Zaira the farmer girl. I needed to get out of here. I needed to—
Another boom came from outside, followed by an ominous crack. The ship stuttered in the air, and I had the distinct impression from the rapid shift of everything toward the back of the room that we were falling. The pictures frames flew off the cabinet. Intense vertigo replaced my sickness, and I doubled over onto the bed, dropping my father’s sword on the ground. Toby slid across the floor, smashing into the wall.
It was all I could do to concentrate on breathing. In and out. In and out.
The Liliana regained its stability. Whatever had hit us had only felled our vessel temporarily. But it made me think how easy it might be to shoot us out of the sky. That would amount to a much better and more permanent strategy than swashbuckling between ships. Why weren’t the Wyranth focusing on that?
Because no airship had ever done battle against another. This was the first time in history. I’d learned that back at the castle, when I had read those books at the about the wars between the Kingdoms. The Wyranth were unskilled at aerial battles. Even the Liliana’s crew was used to fi
ghting against a ground force.
Had I thought of a strategy that no one else had? No one else could? It seemed far too simple to knock the enemy ship out of the sky while the hand-to-hand fighting waged on. At the same time, when people were caught up in the heat of battle, thinking tended to evaporate. I’d been victim of that myself. At the moment, I would be the only one on the ship out of danger and not engaged in fighting. That gave me time to consider that we should still be firing those cannon balls! I had to find Captain von Cravat again. She needed to know.
Or did she? It was simple, just like I’d thought, and I’d only conceived of a generality that could be a waste of her time. To be of any use, I needed to bring her more than simply fire the cannons. How could one knock the enemy ship out of the sky in a quick shot?
Harkerpal would know.
I righted myself, using the bed for balance. Toby gave me a curious chirp. He jumped onto the bed and hid between two decorative pillows, snout sticking out and sniffing toward me. “It’s all right, Toby. I stopped the bad man, but I need to stop the rest of them, so wait here, okay?’
Toby retreated into the pillows. He’d be safe.
I turned around, avoiding looking at the dead Wyranth soldier in the doorway by cocking my head to the side, keeping focused on my father’s dresser. I fumbled for the sword beneath me, carefully making sure I grabbed the hilt. Once it was back in my hand, I leapt over my prior adversary. My cape flowed behind me as I entered the hall.
The corridor outside remained empty. It held an eerie quality, but I told myself silently that it’s better empty than filled with Wyranth soldiers. I counted myself lucky as I bolted down the hall, then descended the steps toward engineering.
When I arrived from the stairwell, I heard the clicking of a gun to my side. Steam filled the floor of the room, obscuring some of my view of the engine room. “Drop the sword!” someone shouted.
I complied. The sword clanked to the ground. I put my hands up over my head slowly. Sudden movements could be bad. I wanted to be careful and not cause a stir.
For Steam and Country: Book One of the Adventures of Baron Von Monocle Page 14
