Bryn cawed and took off like a bullet into the sky. With the stone adding to his power, Priest was too strong for her alone. She needed Fenix. She circled and headed toward the city. Three miles behind Priest, she found Fingle driving two horses at a slapping pace in Quinn’s curricle. Fenix huddled beside him. Satisfied, Bryn banked and shot back to the zeppelin. She had to get there before Priest.
The zeppelin was tied in the middle of the field to at least a dozen different anchoring cables. It tugged at the cables when the breeze lifted it. The silver skin of the great gas-filled aircraft reflected the rays of the rising sun, gleaming silver and pink as she swooped low, searching for Samantha. She found Sam at the top of a ladder, her hands deep inside the engine which sat at the back of the ornate passenger gondola attached to a monstrous propeller. She perched on the edge of the open lid and flapped her wings. Sam looked up, her eyebrows raised. “Bryn?”
Bryn cawed three times.
“Do you want to change back into a person? That would be nice. Then I could talk to you.”
Bryn cawed again and Sam held out her arm for Bryn to hop onto. She carried her that way as she descended the ladder and walked to her wagon. The horse wore a nosebag and munched contentedly as Sam set Bryn on the ground and held a blanket around her. Bryn morphed back into her human form and shook out her hair. Sam reached over the blanket and dropped riding clothes on top of her. “You better get dressed before the men come back around.”
Bryn scrambled into her clothing. “Where are they?”
“Eating their mutton, I imagine. We take off in twenty minutes.”
Bryn pulled on her riding boots and leaped to her feet. “We have to hurry. Priest has the stone and he plans to try to escape on the zeppelin. I want that stone.”
Sam tilted her head. “The passenger list is as full as it can hold. Unless he has a reservation, there are no places left.”
Bryn began pacing. “That’s very bad for someone. He will create a place. We have to stop him before he gets on. He can’t leave with that stone. Everything depends on the Coeur de Flamme.”
* * * *
Draak Priest spotted the zeppelin sitting in the center of a large open field. Passengers were already boarding. Carriages sat in the field disgorging the privileged few with reserved cabins. He stopped the cursed mule in a small copse of trees beside the road and climbed out of the farm cart. The mule immediately began cropping the sparse grass under the trees. Priest ignored the animal, heartily tired of it, and strode toward the waiting gondola carrying his two bags. He walked past a carriage with two people loudly discussing their upcoming flight. When the man picked up a portmanteau and started toward the aircraft, Priest grabbed his shoulder. “Excuse me, are you going on the trip to New York?”
The man swung around. “Why yes. My wife and I are looking forward to it. The journey will be epic. I heard it will set a record for air travel.”
Priest smiled and touched the man’s shoulder. He immediately slumped to the ground. His wife screamed and Priest pointed his finger at her. Black fire shot out hitting her in the face. Priest pointed his finger at the driver and the man froze. As black flames consumed the woman’s entire body, Priest stared at her and smiled. His power had increased to unheard of levels. When the super-hot flames had turned the woman to a pile of ash, he grabbed the unconscious man and searched him. He found two tickets in a black leather folder embossed with the name of the zeppelin, High Flyer. He took one ticket out of the case and tossed it into the carriage on top of the man, then he released the driver. “This man wishes to go home. Please take him.”
The driver pulled his forelock. “Yes, Master.” Then he turned the carriage and whipped the horses into a trot heading back toward New Orleans. Satisfied, Priest tucked the folder into a pocket of his cassock and strode down the path to the gondola. He heard a peculiar whine and glanced toward the sky as a strange aircraft swooped low. Priest growled. Quinnten Blade, curse his soul, sat in the back seat of a crazy flying machine.
He pulled his watch out. Ten minutes to takeoff. They’d never make it if the High Flyer kept to its schedule.
Chapter 19
Sam closed the lid of the engine. “Are you finished?” Bryn asked.
Sam nodded. “It’s ready to take off.” She turned her wrist to consult a watch contained in the leather gauntlet she wore. “Eight minutes left. I am good.”
“Yes, darling, you are. Quinn and his assistant are in that insane machine. See it?”
Sam stared across the open field. Bryn grabbed her arm and pointed. “There.”
Sam gasped and Bryn held her breath. “Oh, don’t let them crash,” Bryn begged. Sam could only stare with evident admiration at a craft flying on the power of steam.
The aircraft had four brass wheels. It hit the ground once, bounced high and circled. Bryn and Sam took off running for what must be his intended landing site. Out of the corner of her eye, Bryn saw him. Draak Priest walked down the path to the loading ramp carrying two valises. He looked smug, like he owned the place. She grabbed Sam’s sleeve. “He’s here.”
“Who?”
“Look,” she pointed and Sam moaned. “We have to stop him.”
“No, he has the stone. We have to get it.”
“Duck!” screamed Sam. As she shoved Bryn to the grass, the aircraft carrying Quinn and Tomlinson buzzed inches above their heads, hit a small hill and buried its nose in the dirt. They leaped to their feet and ran for the flying machine.
Tomlinson was first out waving his arms frantically at them. “Run! It’s going to explode.”
Bryn slid to a stop as Tomlinson dragged Quinn free and stumbled toward them. Flames shot out of the back of the plane followed by a deafening roar. Tomlinson and Quinn were catapulted into Bryn and Sam knocking them down and landing hard right behind them.
Sam struggled to her feet pulling Bryn with her. “Priest,” Bryn moaned. “He’s boarding.”
Quinn pulled himself to his knees and then to his feet. He was bent over breathing hard. “I can’t believe it exploded.”
Tomlinson took his arm. “I told you the fuel was volatile, but hey, we’re safe.”
“So you say,” Quinn groaned.
Bryn grabbed his other arm. “Come on, we have to run. Priest just boarded the zeppelin. He’s going to escape with the stone.”
The four of them ran toward the zeppelin as Fingle drove right up to the gondola and Fenix leaped out of the curricle.
“Priest is on the airship,” Bryn yelled. “We have to stop him.”
There were now six of them headed for the filled gondola of the High Flyer. Bryn grabbed Fenix. “He’s twice as powerful with the stone. We have to work together.”
Fenix held up her wand. “Fingle had it.”
Two conductors were pulling the ramp in as they ran for the gondola. Priest was already inside. Quinn tackled one of the conductors and Sam tackled the other as Bryn leaped through the open door of the gondola, followed by Fenix and Fingle.
A passage led to a hallway on the left lined with closed doors. On the right was an open car with seats and huge viewing windows. At the end of the car on the right was another closed door. The floor shuddered and the right half of the zeppelin began to rise. After another shudder the other end rose. They were airborne!
Bryn turned to look behind and saw Quinn hanging from the open door. She had no time to worry about him or where Sam and Tomlinson might be. She had to find Priest. “Fingle, search the viewing car. I’ll take the rooms. Fenix come with me.”
Bryn turned right and began tearing open doors. Luckily, most of the passengers were in the viewing car watching them ascend. She opened four doors before she found him. He was in room six, bent over an open valise. “Priest, give me the stone.”
He whirled around and faced her. “You! I’d rather swallow it.”
Fenix lifted her wand and pointed it at him. A fire ball leaped out of it. Priest threw up his arm to ward it off as Bryn held both hands in fr
ont of her and sent a wave of freezing water over his feet. The water froze when it hit his black boots pinning him in the room. “You can’t fight both of us.”
Fenix sent balls of fire at him one after the other. He grabbed the stone hanging around his neck and began chanting. Power pulsed as black light glowed in a demonic halo around his body. His eyes were red in his starkly white face and Bryn was sure his body was swelling. Did he plan to turn into a dragon inside this gondola? That would be insane. He’d erected some kind of shield around himself. Fenix’s fireballs began to bounce off. One landed on the bunk and ignited the bedclothes.
“Stop!” Bryn yelled to her. “We’re all dead if the zeppelin’s gas bag explodes.”
Priest lifted his right hand and a black wand snapped out of his sleeve. Black fire shot out of the end and hit Fenix in the chest. She flew backwards and into the corridor as Bryn fought to counteract this new tactic. She could feel pressure building inside her head and had to fight to maintain focus. Priest was trying to take over her body.
She turned around, struggling to control her movements and make her body obey her. But it wouldn’t, and the evil power inside her head made her lift her hands and point them at Fenix lying on the brilliant blue carpet. “No,” she moaned as she fought against Priest’s insidious power. His mind felt filthy in hers. It made her want to vomit. She read his intention to force her to kill Fenix and screamed. “Run, Fenix.”
Her sister rose to her knees and pointed her wand at Priest. It shook as she began chanting and Bryn’s hands rose, palms facing Fenix. Bryn stared at her sister, allowing all the love she felt fill her with warmth. She wanted to close her eyes but couldn’t. The warmth of her love fought with the ice of her power. Priest wanted her to freeze Fenix. Fingers of black power inched their disgusting touch into her brain. She writhed with agony fighting it to the last.
Suddenly Priest was hit by a huge wall of red-gold fire. He released Bryn who whirled around and blasted him with ice. He screamed. His clothes were in flames and the flames encased in solid ice. Fenix collapsed at Bryn’s feet. She’d used all her strength to save Bryn. Bryn lifted her up and handed her limp body to Fingle. “Save her.”
Then she turned to finish off Priest. His body was a sickening blackened mess. His skin cracked and blood and yellow ooze ran from the cracks. Bryn was sure she had finally killed him when suddenly the ice surrounding him exploded. The wall of the gondola blew outwards as Priest morphed into an enormous black dragon, its scales burning with greasy flames, its eyes red fire. Bryn watched in horror as the chain holding the Coeur de Flamme broke and the stone dropped towards the earth. Priest screeched and swooped out of the air ship dropping below the stone on widespread wings. His huge jaws opened and he swallowed the Coeur de Flamme.
Quinn rushed into the room. “We’re going down!”
The zeppelin tilted and headed toward the ground with the wind whistling through the destroyed wall of the gondola. An explosion rocked the back of the zeppelin. It seemed to come from the engine. “Sam’s fuel blew,” she screamed to Quinn as the air ship plummeted.
“Miss Bryn,” Fingle screamed. “Fenix!”
Bryn grabbed the handrail running the length of the tilted corridor and pulled herself to where Fingle crouched over her sister. “Oh no,” she moaned.
Fenix lifted one hand toward Bryn and smiled. “I love you.”
“No,” Bryn cried. “Don’t go.”
Fenix’s smile faded as she began to twist and reshape as she morphed into a golden phoenix. The beautiful bird rose to the roof of the gondola where it burst into flames. The flames burnt blue-white hot for several seconds. Bryn had seen it many times before. She threw up an arm to ward of the intense heat. Fingle did the same. When the flames died, there on top of the pile of ashes lay a baby girl.
Quinn grabbed her elbow. “We’re dropping like a stone but we’re over the lake. Get your sister. We have to jump.”
Bryn scooped Fenix into her arms. Fingle, Sam and Quinn led her to the hole in the wall of Priest’s room. The flaming airship was only a few feet from crashing into Lake Pontchartrain. The shrieks and screams coming from the passengers were terrible. Quinn shoved Bryn hard. She leaped, clutching Fenix, as Quinn, Sam and Fingle followed her into the warm water.
About the Author
I grew up the oldest of a large family. After years of torturing my younger brothers and sister, I left home to make it on my own. Now I’m a mom with three kids working nights as a bartender. I love the nightlife, baby.
I read a lot and I love people. As a bartender, I use my photographic memory to remember people and their names. I never forget a drink.
For fun, I like to hike, read and shoot automatic weapons. I’m deadly accurate with a bow.
I wanted to get into writing so I partnered with my mother, a published author, and together we came up with Erotic Flights of Fantasy I and II, both available from amazon.com and torridbooks.com.
For your reading pleasure, we invite you to visit our web bookstore
TORRID BOOKS
www.torridbooks.com
The Flight of the Zeppelin Page 13
