Liberty dared not look down. They were too far up now to give up, and the fall would certainly kill them both.
Besides, the sun was setting and Liberty needed its light to see by to clean her father’s wounds and stop the bleeding. They were both now completely covered in his blood. With his back press up against her, it seeped through his shirt onto her clothes and face, and she couldn’t help but notice that with each missed step and fumble it oozed out faster. Liberty was on the verge of panicking but tried to remember that for once her father needed her to be the stronger one.
Liberty’s voice trembled from her fatigue and fear. “Just a few more steps and I’ll fix you a nice cup of cider.” She lowered her shoulder and nudged him upward again. The moment he reached the railing, she used both hands to push him over, using the last of her energy to follow him.
She took her father’s hand, her heart turning when he managed a weak smile.
“You did good, Daughter.”
Those words and being back on her home turf energized her. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Thank you, Father.” She squeezed his fingers. “So did you.”
She knelt next to him and examined his wound again, drawing in a deep breath at the sight of the blood now freely running down his back.
Not wanting to frighten him, she patted his shoulder and smiled. “I’ll be right back.” When he smiled too, she nodded once and took off running toward the galley. The entire way she mentally made a checklist of the things she’d need, both from there and her cabin. Once in the galley, she grabbed a jug of cider, a wide-mouthed bowl, a small drinking cup and a bag of clean rags she kept in the cupboard to dry dishes. She carried them back to him and sat them next to him. She again grinned at him, to reassure him everything was just fine, before tucking the bowl under her arm and dashing off to her cabin for a needle and thread. She’d soon filled the bowl to its rim with hot water from the drum.
She carefully carried the water to where her father lay and sat the bowl next to him. She filled a small cup with cider and slipped a hand under his head before pressing the cup to his lips. “Try and drink this. It will make you feel better.”
Aapeli sipped at the liquid but most of it ran down his face and onto his neck. By the time the cup was empty he had at least managed to swallow a few drops. But doing so had sapped the rest of his strength. He closed his eyes, and his head would have lolled out of her hand if she hadn’t been quick enough to hold it.
Liberty lowered him back onto the deck and grabbed one of the rags, soaking it in the steaming water before wringing it out.
She smiled and tried not to sound as nervous as she felt. “I know you can hear me.” She took great care not to hurt him further as she pulled off his shirt and then dabbed at the open wound with the cloth.
“So listen up. We didn’t just hike our way out a treacherous tunnel, crawl up hundreds of steps, traverse across dangerous terrain and tug, pull and push ourselves up that damn ladder for you to give up on me now.”
As soon as she had a clean view of the wound, she threaded the needle she used to make her clothes and began stitching the jagged cut closed. By the time she’d finished the sun had all but disappeared from view, carrying with it its much needed light. They were now bathed in long shadows. The wind had picked up and sent a chilly breeze across the deck. Goose bumps popped up on her arms. This wasn’t good. If she was cold then her father had to be too. She hurried herself on. In no time she had finished the stitching and had the area covered in honey, the whole thing wrapped in some of the dry pieces of cloth.
Not once during any of this did Aapeli moan or give any indication she had caused him pain. She was relieved to hear his breathing didn’t sound as labored. Hoping to make him more comfortable, Liberty rolled his bloody shirt into a tight ball and placed it under his head, then ran to her cabin for some bedcoverings to keep the chill wind off him. When Liberty had done all she could to ease his pain and make him comfortable, she sat and waited for him to regain consciousness.
The night passed by in a long blur of checking to make certain the stiches hadn’t broken open and struggling to keep them both warm. At some point during the night exhaustion won over and she dozed off.
“Why are we sleeping on deck, Daughter?”
Liberty slowly opened her eyes and saw Aapeli’s quizzical look. She wiped the drool from her cheek and sat up. “How are you feeling?”
His voice was a mixture of exhaustion and pain. “I feel like shit. What happened?” Aapeli tried to push himself up on his elbow but stopped and groaned.
She touched his forehead and was cheered to note he wasn’t feverish. “You don’t remember?” Liberty stood and rolled him onto his side so she could check his stiches. Seeing the bleeding had stopped, she helped him onto his back again.
Liberty smiled. “You did exactly what you’ve warned against a million times. You took the shortcut. In the dark you must not have noticed that a new section of the subway had collapsed and you took a tumble.”
Even though Liberty tried glossing over the horrific nature of the accident, is was easy to see he was embarrassed, so she tried to sound more chipper. “All’s well, though.”
Liberty offered her hand. “Do you think you can get up?”
Aapeli ignored her hand and rolled onto his side before pushing himself up onto his knees. After attempting to stand and failing, he relented and took her hand.
Once on his feet, Aapeli swayed, so Liberty wrapped her arm around his waist to steady him. “Let’s try and make it to your cabin. You’ll feel much better out of the direct sunlight and resting on something softer than this deck.”
“I’m fine. Help me to the captain’s chair.”
“But…”
Aapeli straightened his spine. “Just do it.”
Chapter Nine
Liberty eyed the ever approaching mountain’s snowy ridges with a clenched jaw and sweaty palms, fully aware that her father’s keen eyes were at that very moment observing her every movement. This was the first time he had ever trusted her to be in charge of Airus during such a dangerous part of their journey. She intended to make him proud, if it was the last thing she did. Of course, if she got any of this part wrong, it would be the last thing either one of them would ever do.
Shaking off that horrid thought, Liberty checked the steam pressure gauge again. Satisfied it was where it needed to be, she increased the rotation of the friction engine and released a plume of steam into the balloon.
Aapeli’s voice was filled with pride. “Looks good. I taught you well.”
Liberty’s smile slipped when she glanced at him and saw he had shifted over to one side and was on the verge of tumbling out of the captain’s chair. She wanted to run over and help him sit straighter, but refrained from doing so since he had nearly bitten off her head earlier for covering him again after his quilt had slipped off.
She focused on the mountain’s peak and whispered, “Damn it.” What was the worst thing he could do if she helped him?
Liberty headed over and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You don’t look comfortable. Let me help you up.” Instead of resisting as she feared he would, he held onto her shoulders as she shifted his weight until he was upright again.
“Better?”
He nodded, but what little color he’d had in his face earlier that morning was no longer there.
Liberty cupped his cheek. “Are you cold? I can grab more bedcovers if you are.”
“We’ll worry about it later. I’ll still be here.” His voice was gruff but he spoilt the effect by smiling.
“Yes, Sir.” She ran portside to get a better view and was pleased to see they were going to make it over with room to spare.
She grinned and shouted to be heard over the howling wind. “Everything looks good so far.”
He nodded, as if he had never doubted it for a moment, but then closed his eyes, as if suddenly too exhausted to hold them open any longer.
Liberty ran over an
d tucked a corner of the quilt under Aapeli’s chin.
Without opening his eyes, he asked, “Have we landed yet?”
“No, Sir.” She took a step back.
“Then land the airship and worry about the damn quilt later.”
Nothing could have made Liberty feel better than those words. If he could still curse then everything was going to be alright.
“Yes, Sir.” She ran back over and checked to make certain they had cleared the range top. Seeing they had, she returned to the helm and released a plum of steam into the air. Airus began its steady descent.
Once safely next to the lake, Liberty turned her attention to her father again. His eyes were still closed and he looked pale. She placed her hand on top of his. “I’m going to take your pistol with me.” Liberty expected him to argue, but he indicated his approval with a slight nod. If there was any doubt in her mind that he wasn’t doing well, it was wiped clear by that nod. Knowing this wasn’t the time to let her worries for him slow her down, she again checked the quilt was secure before heading to the cabin to find the pistol.
With it secure in her jacket pocket, Liberty ran from bow to stern, making preparations for pumping water into the tanks. She tried to visualize the steps her father always took. They often stopped at different water sources during their flights, but Aapeli always did the chores while letting her swim and have some fun scouting the areas he considered safe enough. Now it was her turn to take care of him. That thought filled her with pride but also scared her. Their lives now depended on her not making any mistakes. She lowered the ladder and then stepped over the railing and down, fully aware that with each step she was heading into adulthood.
Liberty made several trips on and off Airus, to the lake and back. As many times as she had whined and complained about being left to her own devices in the hull of the airship during their other stops at Big Lake, it was hard to admit how unnerved this area made her. She was hot and sweaty, and as appealing as the water looked, something stopped her from jumping in and taking the bath she had so longed for. It was impossible to shake off the feeling that she was being watched, but even though she had stopped several times to scan the tree line and up at the caves, she’d seen nothing unusual. But those feelings of unease stopped her from enjoying the water as she had planned to do for days now.
After carrying the hoses and most of the freshly washed clothes up to the airship, Liberty stopped and stared at the lake with the last load of clean washing in her arms. For some reason it all felt different today. Something in the air weighed heavy on her heart. She couldn’t help but feel that everything was changing, and as hard as she had struggled to reach this point, she wasn’t ready.
Knowing it was too dangerous to tarry, Liberty climbed aboard and headed over to her father. “Where should I set sail to now? Are we stopping at Shatters?”
Aapeli reached out and took her hand. “I want to see my old friend, Tinker. There’s something I need to talk to him about.”
Chapter Ten
Liberty watched Aapeli pace the deck. He only spoke when spoken to and only then with the bare minimal of words to complete his part of the conversation. At that moment drops of sweat were running unchecked down his face. Even as short tempered as he had become, she would still have given anything to hear him rant and curse than endure his uneasy silence. He had never acted like this before and she didn’t know why he was now. And each day had only brought a new symptom to add to her concern.
Liberty busied herself checking gauges and wind direction, anything to stop from looking back over each time he paced by her. Their stop at Tinker’s had been brief. She had barely said hello to him when her father insisted she take advantage of Little Lake, to clean up and wash her hair. After enjoying the sun warmed water, she had tried to join in their conversation but was sent directly away to ready Airus for takeoff.
What had the two men talked about? It was clear by Aapeli’s expression, as she had helped him climb up the ladder, that he didn’t want her questioning him. Later, when she finally worked up the courage to ask why they were in such a hurry to reach Golden’s, he had only stared through her, as if he wasn’t really seeing her. That had been three days ago and the only changes she’d seen since then had been for the worse.
Why had her father decided to change their usual trading route? They had always stopped at Waters first, trading for fish, and from there headed to Billy’s for goat’s cheese. They’d never traveled to Golden’s until it was nearing harvest season. Liberty sensed her father was desperate to get there in time, but in time for what exactly – a mystery she couldn’t figure out.
“I’m going into the galley for an apple. Would you like one too?”
Aapeli stopped mid-pace and looked over, but before answering, he rolled his neck as it trying to get out a crick or two. “No, thank you.”
Liberty opened her mouth to argue but clapped it shut when he began pacing again. Why did he look so sad? And if he was worried about something, why didn’t he talk about it? Hadn’t she proven already that she had matured enough to handle even the toughest situation? He had to be trying to protect her from something, but what? She wished he trusted her enough to tell her.
Too upset now to watch him a moment longer, she stomped off to the galley. Since her father had been so busy staring at the deck, as if it held the answers to all of his problems, Liberty doubted he’d even noticed her leaving. Once in the galley, Liberty opened every drawer and cabinet within arm’s reach. There was no doubt that in the end she would eat the apple she had set aside for him that she now came across in one of them, for at least doing something – anything – would keep her mind occupied. When there were no other drawers to peer into, she opened the apple bin and unwrapped one of its apples. Leaving the wrapper on the counter, Liberty headed over and sat on the old wooden bench at the table. All she could do then, though, was stare at the apple in her hand, feeling too distraught to bite into it.
“I’m going back out and ask him what’s wrong.” Too nervous to hold the apple any longer, and afraid if she continued to do so she would only wind up bruising it, she gingerly placed it on the table, but then slapped the tabletop with so much force the apple nearly bounced off. Food was too scarce to waste even one apple so she grabbed it before it could fall to the floor then jumped up from the bench.
“Damn it! I’ve had enough of this shit. Father is going to tell me what’s going on, and I’m not letting him put me off again this time. I’m old enough to know what’s going on.” She rewrapped the apple and placed it back in its bin before heading out on deck – fully determined to find out what the hell was going on.
Liberty pushed through the galley’s swinging door with more force than necessary but all of that indignant energy dissipated when she saw her father writhing on the deck. His neck was extended and his arms were pressed down by his side as spasms rocked his body.
She ran over and wrapped her arms around him. “What’s wrong? What do you need me to do to help?” His muscles were taunt beneath her fingers and his jaw had clenched shut. His horrified expression shook her to the core but she held on, determined to keep him from hurting himself more on the hard planks of the deck. His lip had split and now bled, and the blood from the wound on his back pooled into her palm.
How long they stayed like this Liberty didn’t know, but by the time his muscles finally relaxed and he fell backward out of her arms, she too had a split lip and bruised eye from where he had head-butted her several times.
Nothing in Liberty’s life had ever prepared her for dealing with whatever was troubling her father. At a complete loss, she rushed to do what she knew how. He was bleeding, sweating profusely but at the same time shivering as if he were freezing to death. Liberty rushed around, gathering everything she needed to replace the busted stitches and again keep him warm with bedcovers. But then that was it, and she was left feeling powerless. None of what she had done was nearly enough.
She had re-stitched his
wound and then he’d fallen asleep or unconscious, leaving Liberty this time to pace the deck. She eyed the horizon and wished with all her might that they would reach Golden’s in time. Aapeli obviously thought she could help or he wouldn’t have had Liberty plot their northerly course.
Liberty hoped he was right. She leaned on the railing and studied the white billowing clouds. She had always loved how they concealed the view of the land below. The war had ravished so much but the clouds always made her feel as if the world appeared fresh and clean, although the last few days had aged her too much ever to think that way again. Life and death struggles were now with her right here on Airus and no distorted view from above was ever going to help make her feel safe again.
Chapter Eleven
As soon as Liberty was certain the anchor was secure, she lowered the ladder and climbed down the rungs two at a time. She ran all the way to Golden’s small cabin, refusing to believe she’d not be inside when she got there.
Liberty burst through the door, out of breath and scared.
Golden was standing over an old, cast-iron stove, stirring a steaming pot. She turned Liberty a startled look. “Liberty?”
Seeing a friendly face was all it took for all the fear she had been feeling over the last three days to come flowing out. Her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembled. “Golden, you have to come with me.” She pointed toward the open doorway. “It’s Father.”
The room tilted sideways and Liberty would have fallen had Golden not caught her.
Momentarily, Liberty rested her head on Golden’s shoulder but then pushed away. “He’s dying.”
Liberty didn’t understand how she could still shed so many tears. She had been crying for so long there should have been nothing left.
The Liberty Series Page 4
