by H. L. Burke
Instead of shame, though, cold rage quivered in her belly. She didn’t care that she'd hit Renard. She didn’t care if Renard hit her, knocked her from the air-raft and let her plummet into emptiness.
She sat down hard, her arms wrapped around herself.
Amara pushed forward. “You love him. You’re so … reserved, I hadn’t realized. Oh, Nyssa, I’m sorry.”
Nyssa closed her eyes. Turn to the Rock, Nyssa. Like Mr. C always said … oh Lord, please, please, please, not Ellis. I have no one else. I have nothing else. Give me the strength to get him out of this.
A hand touched her shoulder. She looked up as Amara held out a handkerchief. Nyssa took it and wiped her nose.
“I don’t want to give him Renard … but this is as much my fault as his. Maybe if I go back. He might accept that. I don’t think he’d kill me.”
“No! I won’t risk your life!” Renard grabbed her hand.
“That’s how she feels about Ellis.” Amara wrenched herself from him. “She’s right. This is our fault. We pushed our way into their lives and put them in danger, and I won’t let Ellis pay the price for our love. I was prepared to die for you, Renard, to give up everything important to me, to plunge a knife into my breast over your grave, if needed, but I can’t … I can’t hurt other people. Ellis is a good man. What sort of love would be complicit in letting him die?”
“That’s your uncle’s choice, not ours.” Renard scowled. “I won’t turn myself over to him, like a lamb frisking to the slaughter. It’s one thing to die fighting, to die for love, but to die like that … I … can’t.” His scowl broke, the corners of his mouth quivering.
He’s scared, Nyssa, something whispered to her. Just a scared kid. Give him some grace.
She forced herself to her feet. “Considering past dealings with Blythe, I doubt giving him what he wants will ensure Ellis’s safety.” Her voice came out hoarse, but stronger than she’d expected. “No, we need to do something he isn’t expecting, that allows us to get Ellis away from him … we need a plan.”
Chapter Thirteen
Nyssa checked her gear one more time. Ellis had given Renard her satchel before Amara and Renard fled. Nyssa stroked the familiar leather of the bag. It had gotten her through some rough times. However, she needed to be light on her feet now, taking only the most necessary items. She dug through the air-raft’s emergency kit and brought out a flare gun. It fit nicely at the small of her back, covered by her peacoat. She stuck Renard’s revolver into her belt beside it.
Renard stood at the helm, still avoiding eye-contact. She couldn’t blame him. After all, she had chewed him out, then slapped him, something he’d borne with surprising patience.
Amara hovered over Nyssa. “This stratagem seems unnecessarily complex.”
Nyssa grunted. “Do you have a better idea?”
Amara sighed and wrung her hands. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“You two need to stay close enough to pick us up at my signal and far enough away to avoid any traps Blythe might have set. I don’t believe he intends to let any of us escape.” Nyssa drew a piece of paper from her pocket. She’d sketched outThe Juliet after Blythe’s second call, detailing the arrangements for the exchange. “Renard will pilot us to here.” She tapped the large doors for the passenger loading ramp. “After I’m on-board, you stay off the port side, but low, out of sight, until you hear the shot, all right? When I have Ellis safe, you can bring the air-raft alongside, and we’ll board.”
He shrugged. “This is the fourth time we’ve been over this. I know what to do.”
Yes, but if things go wrong, you get to sail off into the sunset with your lady love, and Ellis and I will pay the price. She bit her bottom lip. It would be nice to send Renard in her place, but she couldn’t trust him with this. She needed to personally ensure Ellis’s safety.
“I seeThe Juliet!” Amara pointed. The clouds parted, revealing the massive vessel hovering over a swath of clear blue sea.
Nyssa swallowed. “Do you think the passengers have unloaded already?” She didn’t know if she could go through with this if there were innocent lives on board, Ellis or no Ellis.
“Uncle Cyril swore he’d have the ship to himself. He’s not the sort of person who risks leaving witnesses.” Amara nodded. “My guess is it will just be him and Barabbas.”
Nyssa tried to take comfort in this, but a rock settled in her stomach.
The Mercutiohummed through the sky. Figures moved about the stern deck, too small to make out details.
“They’ve most likely seen us. We need to be quick.”
They zipped towardsThe Juliet. The wind tore at Nyssa’s hair. She pushed the stray locks beneath the band of her goggles. The x-ray setting might give her warning if any other people remained on board … or if Blythe had any lurking traps.
The passenger doors were near the middle of the gondola, not far from the deck where Blythe lay in wait.The Mercutio’sfabric balloon bounced against the side ofThe Juliet.
“Hold her steady.” Nyssa took out a crowbar. With all her might, she leveraged the doors open.
“Good luck!” Amara called as Nyssa vaulted into the gondola.
I need more than luck. Oh God, get me and Ellis out of this one, please.
She started down the carpeted aisles of the zeppelin, scanning through the walls with her x-ray vision. The only sound was the gentle hum of the great propellers and the hiss of the air-circulation system. She drew the revolver and held it in a shaking hand.
How much did Blythe have to pay the crew to get them to leave the ship in his hands? And all so he can take revenge on Renard. Yeah, Renard’s an idiot, but Blythe’s a piece of work.
Making her way through the crew area, she reached the hall where she’d hidden from Renard only the day before. The door at the end lay open.
She checked to be sure the flare gun was still nestled in her waistband, then started forward.
Blythe stood between her and the open space whereThe Mercutiohad previously been moored. Beside him loomed Barabbas, holding a short-barreled pistol, one hand on the back of Ellis’s wheelchair. Nyssa stepped onto the deck. She aimed the revolver at Barabbas.
Sparks and shocks, I don’t think I could hit either of them unless they were inches in front of me. Why didn’t I learn to shoot?
Blythe’s expression hardened. “Where is Renard?”
“Nearby.” Nyssa kept her eyes on Blythe, though she longed to run to Ellis’s arms.
Barabbas smirked. “That’s an awful big gun for such a pretty little thing. Think you can get off a shot before I splatter this one’s brains?” He pointed his pistol at Ellis. Nyssa’s heart pounded painfully.
Ellis stared at her, his dark eyes worried but his face placid. Nyssa gave him a quick smile she hoped was reassuring before scowling at Blythe again. “With your history of going back on agreements, we felt it inadvisable to hand you what you want without some leverage of our own.” She skirted the deck, keeping her face towards Blythe and her back against the handrail. Finally she was positioned between Blythe andThe Mercutio’s launch-point.
“You aren’t in a position to bargain, Miss Glass.” Blythe nodded towards Ellis. “Tell me why I shouldn’t have Barabbas shoot your friend then you, here and now?”
Nyssa whipped out the flare gun and pointed it towards the fabric of the zeppelin’s balloon. That she could definitely hit.
“Because, if you so much as look at Ellis wrong, I will put a flaming hole in this blasted blimp and send us all blazing into the ocean,” she growled.
Blythe recoiled.
“That’s my Nyss.” Ellis grinned.
“Shut up!” Blythe snapped. His nostrils flared, but he continued in a calmer voice. “You do realize the hydrogen in that balloon will ignite instantaneously. You wouldn’t have a chance to escape.”
“Your mistake is thinking I care … no, actually it was before that, when you kidnapped and threatened the only person I care about, th
e only person who cares about me. I have nothing if you take him from me, and sending you to Hell might not save him or me, but it would definitely let me die satisfied.” She slipped her finger onto the trigger of the flare gun. “So. Let. Him. Go.”
“I told you not to trifle with me, girl,” Blythe said.
Barabbas’s gun hand twitched.
Panic shot through Nyssa. Her hands shook, and a sound like two trains crashing together made her scream. She’d fired the revolver! Barabbas yelped and leapt back. Ellis ducked.
The shot went wild, ricocheting off the handrail with a clink, and tearing a hole in the outer casing of the zeppelin’s balloon.
Nyssa’s body trembled. Her ears rang. “That was a warning shot!” she lied. “Let Ellis go!”
Blast it.Thegunshot would summon the air-raft, but Nyssa wasn’t ready yet.
Blythe’s hand strayed to his ear. He tapped at the device there, at least a dozen times. Barabbas stiffened.
“Let the young man go, Barabbas,” Blythe said.
Barabbas nodded and stepped back to stand beside his employer.
With a confused glance from Blythe to Nyssa, Ellis rolled to her side.
“You do realize you have no way off this ship?” Blythe raised an eyebrow.
“Get upright and attach yourself to me,” Nyssa whispered, motioning towards the leather straps peeking out from below her peacoat. She might need to use her backup plan. Hopefully Renard was a good shot with that grappling gun.
Ellis fiddled with his switches, and the chair adjusted so he could stand beside her. His body pressed against hers as he fastened the straps around his waist.
“We’ll figure something out,” she said. “As mentioned, there are parachutes.”
“And I thought you were afraid of heights.” Ellis chuckled in her ear.
His warm breath soothed and excited her simultaneously, but it wasn’t the time to dwell on that. The possibility of falling from a zeppelin … it was the perfect time to dwell on that. Especially with the opening in the deck less than a yard behind her and the cold air snaking around her face.
I need them to get away before Renard and Amara get here.
“Why don’t you go fetch us a pair of parachutes?” she suggested.
“And leave you young folks unchaperoned?” Blythe laughed. “That wouldn’t be very responsible of me, would it?”
“I think we’ll be fine.”
A whirring noise rose over the steady hum of the airship’s mechanics.
Barabbas rushed to the rail. “The air-raft is coming back, boss. I think it’s your niece.”
The Mercutiorose to hover besideThe Juliet. Close enough that Nyssa could see the look of horror on Amara’s face when she sighted her uncle. Renard stood at her side, holding the grappling gun.
“So, they’ve returned,” Blythe snarled. “Shoot them down.”
The grappling hook rocketed through the air. It clattered against the railing and caught. Nyssa grabbed it.
“Stop them!” Blythe shouted.
Barabbas jerked in a circle, uncertain which command to follow first.
Nyssa gulped. She fumbled with the hook, but managed to secure it to her harness.
“Hold on, Ellis!” she yelled. She raised the flare gun overhead, aiming at the rip caused by the ricochet.
Blythe’s eyes widened. Barabbas shrieked. Nyssa fired.
Chapter Fourteen
The orange flare pierced the balloon. Nyssa kicked off the deck. Her breath escaped when gravity grabbed her. Ellis gave a strangled cry.
With a bang, the hydrogen ignited. The flames roared, sweeping down the length ofThe Juliet. The skeleton-framework of the blimp stood out against the rage of the inferno.
Nyssa and Ellis swung away fromThe Juliet, towardsThe Mercutio. Everything spun around them. First Nyssa faced the airship, then the sea, then the horizon. Ellis’s fingers tightened into her arms.
The world jerked as they hit the end of the line, jarring Nyssa’s teeth together. The rope quivered. They swung like a clock’s pendulum, rapidly at first, finally slowing. Sparks flew about them.The Juliet crumpled into itself, like paper turning to ash. It sank slowly in the sky. Ellis’s arms tightened about her.
A cloud of steam rose as the flaming wreckage hit the water. The rope oscillated … hopefully Renard had tied it to something strong. She made the mistake of glancing down, and her vision wobbled.
“Hang on. Hand over hand,” Ellis said. He let go of her and began to climb the rope. She did her best to help, but with their bodies so close, it was cumbersome, and after several feet, she gave up and let him drag her along.
“Are you all right?” Amara shouted down at them.
Ellis grunted, his face red and the veins bulging in his neck.
“Throw us another line!” Nyssa called.
A second rope uncoiled beside her, and Nyssa grabbed on.
Soon they flopped onto the deck ofThe Mercutio. They lay side by side, with Amara and Renard hovering over them.
Ellis drew in two long, loud breaths then burst out laughing. “I hope I never have to do anything like that again.”
Nyssa snorted, then giggled. She collapsed, exhausted, against his chest. His arms surrounded her.
“Nyss, did you just blow up an airship for me?”
“I guess I sort of did,” she said.
“You know most girls just buy their boyfriends monogrammed handkerchiefs or cufflinks.” He winked.
“I’ll remember that next time.” She picked herself up and offered him her hand.
“I’m all right.” He turned a dial on his hip brace, and his chair reformed.
“Well, at least we’re all safe.” Renard gazed mournfully over the side. Burning debris still floated on top of the crystal blue water. “I’ll hate to tell my family that the Dragon’s Heart is now lost in the seas.”
“Not quite.” Ellis reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the sparkling gem. Renard dove for it.
Nyssa’s jaw dropped. “How?”
“You’re the one who taught me pickpocketing.” Ellis shrugged. “Blythe kept taking it out and fingering it, so I knew where he had it. He didn’t even realize I’d lifted it. Risky, but I thought it might give us another bargaining chip. Besides, I don’t like letting men like him win.”
“You have restored my family’s honor!” Renard held the necklace in the sparkling sun. “How can I ever repay you?”
“Just try to avoid nearly getting us killed again, and I think we’ll be even,” Ellis said.
Nyssa’s shoulders relaxed. The sooner they were away from the tumultuous couple, the better. “How far to San Azula?”
“Right there.” Renard pointed ahead.
A line of green broke the endless blue.
Amara clapped. “Oh Renard! It’s as beautiful as you said it would be!”
Nyssa squinted. They had to still be at least five miles away. How could Amara see anything, let alone judge it as beautiful? Still, Renard stuck his chest out like a strutting cock.
Nyssa rubbed her suddenly aching temples. She hadn’t slept the night before. I’ll just close my eyes for moment.
Ellis touched her knee. “You all right?”
She nodded but found her eyes didn’t want to open. His arm slipped around her and pulled her onto his lap. Part of her wanted to protest the public embrace. When her head rested on his shoulder, however, her breath slowed, and the tightness in her scalp eased. Ellis’s lips caressed her forehead. He rubbed his hand up and down her back as she allowed herself to drift into oblivion.
Something jolted her awake. She grabbed the arms of Ellis’s chair to steady herself, then blinked.The Mercutio bumped up against a mooring tower.
They floated in front of a massive hangar. A dozen or so other airships of various sizes bobbed nearby like children’s balloons floating over a circus crowd.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Ellis chuckled. “Or should I say, good afternoon?”
She blushed.
Renard pulled the rope to lower the gangplank from the tower toThe Mercutio’s deck.
“We’re headed to Renard’s home,” Amara said. “His family has more than enough room for you to stay there. It’s a literal palace.” She didn’t mask her giddiness at this declaration.
Princess Amara is home.
“I think we’d prefer less flashy, more private accommodations,” Ellis said. “Any recommendations for a good hotel?”
“The Palms, down by the boardwalk,” Renard answered. “It caters mainly to tourists from the Continent, so you won’t draw attention to yourselves there.”
“You should purchase some luggage first,” Amara said. “They might wonder how you got all the way here without so much as a suitcase.”
“Actually, you shouldn’t need to,” Renard said. “The zeppelins usually unload all luggage when the passengers disembark. That would’ve happened before Blythe tookThe Juliet back out. Chances are, your suitcases are waiting for you in the hangar.”
Relief swept over Ellis’s face. “Oh, thank God. I’m not prepared to be poor.”
“It’s as bad as you think it would be.” Nyssa laughed. She had more confidence than Ellis in their ability to make their way in the world. Still, the security was nice.
On the other side of the gangplank, an elevator waited, looking a bit like a massive birdcage. When Renard pulled back the door, she entered and turned around to survey the island.
San Azula stretched before them. Beyond the tethered airships lay the dock, crowded with steamships, sternwheelers, and sailboats flying every imaginable color. Golden beaches curved away from the harbor on both sides. White tents, blue and yellow beach umbrellas, and tourists in ridiculous bathing suits covered the sand. Lines of palm trees waved in a gentle breeze while stately hotels watched over the whole scene.
We’re at least three stories up. I should be terrified. Maybe toppling out of a burning zeppelin is a cure for acrophobia.
