Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles)

by Lara Nance

  “Belle?” Benji joined her at the rail. “Are you ok, k, kay?”

  “Yes, dear. I’m thinking I shall go to bed and so should you and Jasper. We’ve had a very strenuous few days and we must be sharp when we land in Harucca tomorrow to look for clues.”

  “Rett showed me how t, t, to use the compass. It’s fascinating. Once you know that and have the charts you can go anywhere in the world.” His eyes took on a faraway stare. “Maybe one day, I’ll b, b, be an airship captain.”

  When she did not respond he turned to her with worried eyes. “Oh, Belle, I’m sorry. Does it bother you that I am spending t, t, time with Rett? I never thought….I’ll stay away from him if you wish…”

  “No, Benji.” She laughed. “Don’t worry. Learn all you can. I don’t mind.”

  “Thanks, Belle.” His face relaxed. “You know I’d d, d, do anything for you.”

  “I know. Let’s go get some sleep.”

  He nodded and gave a wave to Rett before going below. Rett’s gaze followed them as they crossed the deck.

  ###

  “Are you daft in the head?” Sam said after the passengers had left the deck.

  “What do you mean?” Rett asked with raised brows. He adjusted the lever to increase their speed slightly, feeling the smoothness of the passage in the deck beneath his boots. Gambit glided through the air like an eagle.

  “How did you let a high-flyer like that get away?” Sam gave a low whistle. “She’s a diamond.”

  “You don’t understand,” Rett mumbled. It hadn’t been about Belle that much. It was more the situation and being pushed into it. Although he’d believed she was more enamored with the idea of marriage than she was with him.

  Sam shook his head and lifted the hatch to the engine room. “You’re right, I don’t. A man would be crazy to let a woman like that go.”

  Rett made a small growling noise, and Sam shrugged then went down the ladder.

  Maybe he had been crazy. If he’d married Belle he would have been set for life. Her father would have made sure of that. He had purchased a house for them and by now would have placed Rett in some high level diplomatic job. He could have attended society events with a beautiful, rich wife on his arm, the envy of every man.

  Instead he was on this airship with a one man crew, working job to job just to stay afloat, and the threat of losing his ship along with the risk of death around every corner. But then he looked up at the sky. It was night now with an inky black overhead accented by a spectacular splatter of twinkling stars and a half moon shining down on him. Below, the breathtaking view of the peaks of Kaspan unfolded with their dark gray jagged mountains and tops covered in snow that glittered like diamonds in the moonlight.

  He took a deep breath of the cool fresh air. Sure he lived job to job and he and Sam worked like demons for every cent they earned, but he was free. He could go anywhere he wanted as long as he had coal and water on board. His heart swelled at that thought. Freedom was why he had run away from home in the first place. No one could tell him what to do, except Sam, but that was okay. Sam was his mate.

  He sighed when an image of Belle rose in his mind. No denying her beauty, and full of spirit to boot. But women were trouble. Once they got their hooks into a man you were doomed. Next thing you know you’re buying a house, having kids and your adventures are over. No, he would put those hazel eyes out of his mind. He’d get her to Carabarras and help her find her father, then they would be square. He’d have the money he needed to get out of trouble and he could forget her forever. He hoped.

  ###

  The sun hung low in the sky by the time they reached Harucca. Belle, Benji and Jasper were all at the rail watching the sights of the capital city of Pandistan come into view. The temperature had gone up and they all had shed their coats.

  Belle couldn’t help but feel hopeful they would be able to find some real evidence of her father here. If only she could know for sure that he was all right it would ease the ache in her heart somewhat.

  The scene spread out below them filled with the beige of sand and clay block buildings. Awnings and tents of rust and dark brown draped here and there among the square shaped structures. Patches of green marked areas of wealth: the gardens and lawns of large houses, official looking buildings, public squares, and the huge foreign owned hotels.

  “Look, that’s the palace of the Supreme Pasha,” Benji yelled pointing to a magnificent collection of buildings within a high stone wall. The elaborate arched windows and turrets with conical roofs made of colorful tiles contrasted sharply with the plain, square buildings of the town. Even the canvas awnings of the palace showed every shade of the rainbow. A huge garden spread out behind the palace with lush trees and beds of flowers.

  The flyer pigeon returned and Belle glanced back at Rett and Sam preparing for landing. All seemed to be going well. Ahead of the ship, she could make out the aeroport in the distance. There was a vast difference in this aeroport versus those in Cross Roads and Eagle’s Peak. The landing field was wide and well-graveled, but there was only one large hanger for covered docking. There were about thirty airships hovering low over the ground like strange round birds.

  “Supreme Pasha.” Jasper sniffed. “I fail to see why they can’t have a queen like proper countries.”

  “The Supreme Pasha’s family has ruled in Pandistan for t, t, twelve thousand years,” Benji said. “It’s an ancient dynasty with a r, r, rich history. In fact the first books were p, p, printed here and the old university was a renowned center of learning until a civil war d, d, destroyed it.”

  “Then they should have learned enough to have a queen for a ruler.” Jasper raised an eyebrow and turned away.

  “We’ll be landing soon, My Lady,” Sam said as he came up to their group. “You’ll want to make sure and stay close to the men while we’re here. It’s dangerous, especially for westerners.”

  “In the capital of the country?” Belle said in disbelief.

  “Aye. A lot has changed here in the past few years, especially how they feel about the west. There’s also the problem that the country is divided by all the different tribal factions. The Supreme Pasha rules with an iron hand, but it doesn’t stop the undercurrents of crime he chooses to ignore. Allowing the regional pashas to have some illegal income keeps them off his back.”

  Belle shared an uneasy glance with Jasper. “Very well. But we need to spread out and ask questions here to find news of my father.”

  “We will, but don’t go off on your own. Women aren’t treated the same here as they are in Urbannia.”

  She started to say more, but a shout from Rett called Sam to landing duties and she bit her lip. The dangers of Pandistan were not unknown to her. Its history was tainted with tribal wars that had left the country scarred and poor. Like its neighbor Gandiss, Pandistan had been reluctant to incorporate the invention of steam power into its infrastructure. Only in the last few years had some headway been made by their governments in modernizing the countries.

  This was one of the reasons Gandiss had come to the bargaining table in a treaty with Urbannia. They had decided to move their country ahead in technology and revive its sagging economy. Belle wondered how the breakdown in negotiations would affect that country. What a huge setback. Maybe if her father was found, the treaty process could go forward.

  As the great ship lowered in preparation for docking, the sounds of the city rose to greet them. Animals bleating and honking, the bells of cattle and sheep all wafted up from what appeared to be a large market area just west of the aeroport. Spreading out from the buildings of the city, numerous tents and stalls were visible where the owners called out to passersby about their wares. Dust from the dry sand rose up in clouds with the movement of people and animals on the unpaved streets creating a low hanging haze.

  The dryness irritated Belle’s nostrils along with the mingling scents of garlic and onion from the many cooking pits scattered throughout the market. It was a greasy smell, not entirel
y pleasant.

  There were shouts from the ground as the landing crew caught the tether lines and maneuvered Gambit to its docking area. Jasper had a hold of Benji’s coat tails so he didn’t fall overboard as he gaped at all the strange sights.

  At last they were tied up and Sam approached Belle and her group. “Me and Rett are going to see what we can find out in the aeroport office and around the yard. They should be able to tell us if Blackwatch landed here and when she left.”

  Belle nodded. “Excellent. Then we shall go over to the market and see what gossip we can uncover.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Belle turned and found Rett standing behind her. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re not to leave the ship. It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Especially now that night is approaching.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks in anger. “I assure you I am well able to take care of myself, Captain. And I’m not going to lose an opportunity to obtain information about my father.”

  Rett frowned. “Look, Belle, I know you’re worried about Sir John. But the most information will come from people here at the aeroport who interacted with the crew. Sam and I are best suited to ferret that out.”

  She clamped her lips together in a firm line determined not to argue with him in front of the others. With a huff, she turned back to the rail and watched as he and Sam lowered the gangplank and walked across the field to the aeroport office.

  “Belle?” Benji came to her side, eyes wide.

  She let out a growling sound and pounded her clenched fists on the rail. “He is so infuriating.”

  “But, My Lady, he may be right about going out in the evening.” Jasper gave an exaggerated shiver. “Who knows what sorts of ruffians inhabit such a primitive place.”

  “I would love to s, s, see the market,” Benji said in a wistful tone. “I’ve read that they have t, t, two headed snakes in Pandistan and they can charm them with small spinning wheels that make them as t, t, tame as kittens.”

  “Well, no one said we couldn’t go out in the morning.” Belle squared her shoulders. “We shall rise early and go exploring. With you two fine gentlemen accompanying me, Captain Brockton can have no objection to an outing.”

  Jasper eyed her uncertainly, but Benji beamed, raised his arms over his head, and whistled. She saw a long red mark on his forearm when his sleeve fell back.

  “Benji, what happened to your arm?” She grabbed his wrist and pushed his shirt sleeve up to reveal a fresh cut about two inches long.

  Benji pulled his arm back and gave her a sheepish look. “It’s just a cut I made with the d, d, dagger. You know the man who sold it said it is a b, b, blood blade.”

  “But it could become infected. What made you do it?”

  “Rett told me about the tribes in Carabarras. He said that all the young men receive their blood b, b, blade when they turn sixteen. They have a ceremony and c, c, cut their arms then smear the blood on the blade and name it. From that point on the b, b, blade will be theirs and serve only them,” Benji said excitedly. “It’s my blade now so I had t, t, to do it and name it.”

  Belle struggled to control the urge to voice her concern. But she couldn’t stop the swirl of anger in her chest that Rett had encouraged him in following through on the arcane ritual. She inspected the cut and fortunately it seemed to be healing well with no sign of infection.

  “Well.” She crossed her arms. “What did you name it?”

  Benji stared for a moment as if waiting for more from her, and then said, “Abis. It m, m, means ‘justice’ in Carabarran. It’s a good name, d, d, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, it is a fine name. Justice is an excellent principle.” She turned back to the rail and pulled her distance viewers out of her skirt pocket. “I’m going to take a look at the market while it’s still light.”

  She walked up the steps to the aftcastle. They were high enough in the air she would have a good view from the back of the ship. Benji followed her. At the aft rail, she raised the viewer and flipped down one of the magnifying lenses.

  The market area seemed to be packing up for the night. People scurried about closing up shops, pulling down the sides of tents and rolling up rugs where their wares had been displayed. The women wore colorful scarves on their heads and caftans in multicolored hues. Men wore rimless, round, black hats and long robes of white or tan.

  She scanned the area and could not see anything suspicious. Then she sucked in a breath of surprise. An old woman stood in front of an ornate tent looking in her direction. The canvas of the tent was striped in shades of purple with gold tassels hanging along the edge of the roof. It stood out from the drab colored tents around it. Several strands of gray hair curled about her face escaping from the dark red scarf wrapped around her head.

  Belle flipped over one of the higher magnification lenses and took a closer look. She drew back when she focused on the woman again. It seemed as if the woman stared directly at her from several miles away. She lifted the viewer to her eye again. The woman still looked in her direction, dark grey eyes unblinking. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she wore a caftan in shades of red and orange with gold chains looped around her neck. The woman raised one hand and made a gesture, beckoning to her.

  Belle gasped and stepped back from the rail, her hands shaking.

  “May I look?” Benji asked.

  She thrust the viewer at him without comment. Who was that woman and had she really motioned to her? How eerie. There was no way the woman could have seen her from such a distance, and yet Belle became filled with a compulsion to go to that tent right away. A shiver ran through her.

  “My Lady, tea is served on the main deck,” Jasper announced from the stairway, his back ramrod straight and his chin tilted upward.

  She appreciated the distraction and her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. No doubt the captain did not consider their need for sustenance in his rush to leave the ship. After she crossed the aftcastle and went down the steps to the main deck she drew in a breath of delight.

  Jasper had set up a low round table with several of the wooden deck chairs around it. A gas lantern glowed in the center of the table which he had covered with a white linen cloth. There were cakes, finger sandwiches, cheese slices and soft rolls on silver trays she recognized from her home. She wondered what else Jasper carried in his numerous bags.

  A deep sigh escaped her lips as she sank into one of the chairs and accepted a cup of tea, the rich dark Bellaca prepared exactly the way she liked it with cream and sugar. Benji sat in the seat beside her and took a cup from Jasper as well.

  “I say, Jasper. This is a b, b, bang up tea you’ve prepared.” Benji popped a finger sandwich into his mouth and then reached for a slice of cheese and bread.

  “Your compliment fills my heart to bursting, Master Benji,” Jasper said in a lofty tone. “I do so strive to please you.”

  “It is truly an excellent tea, Jasper.” Belle laughed. “I dare say we would have starved if it were up to Captain Brockton.”

  The sky darkened and the stars came out sparkling above them. Belle experienced an unanticipated lull of contentment. Despite her fears for her father, she couldn’t ignore the allure of the pleasant evening beneath the stars with excellent food and the spice of an exotic atmosphere wrapped around her. Despite her initial misgivings, Jasper had been a real comfort to her so far. She leaned back in the chair and allowed Jasper to drape a shawl over her legs as the night air turned chilly.

  Male voices wafted up from the ground and soon Sam and Rett came through the hatch from below ship. Belle slid to the edge of her chair, eager to hear what news they had uncovered.

  “So, were you able to discover any news of my father?” Belle asked when the two men reached the seated group.

  Rett eyed the tea feast with disbelief. “We found out Blackwatch was here and left only an hour ago. It sustained some damage in the storm and had to make repairs before it could leave. So it seems they are not as f
ar ahead as I feared.”

  Belle jumped to her feet, her heart beating faster. “Then we must leave at once.”

  Sam shook his head and Belle looked between him and Rett. “Why not?”

  “Well, first of all, we can’t refuel until the morning.” Sam looked at Rett.

  “What else?” She sensed there was more to this tale.

  “Well, the story we heard is that an important passenger on the ship was hurt in the storm damage,” Rett said.

  Her heart sank in her chest. Her father? “What else did they say? Was the person hurt seriously?”

  “No one is sure. They only know that they brought a doctor on the ship to look at him,” Rett said.

  “Then we must find the doctor and see what he will tell us,” she said. “Did you get his direction?”

  “Hold on now, Belle. You can’t go running off to see him in the middle of the night. There’s another reason we can’t leave until the morning.” Rett put out a hand. “I have the direction of his office, but the men at the terminal said he won’t be in until nine o’clock.”

  Belle put her hands to her cheeks and found them as cold as ice. She had to wait until then? It seemed like forever. Meanwhile her father could be dead. She caught a flash of sympathy in Rett’s eyes and fury rose in her breast. She didn’t want his sympathy.

  “Give me the address.” She held out a hand.

  Rett handed her a piece of paper. “We’ll go with you. It will be safer.”

  She stared at the paper then put it in her pocket, crossed her arms over her chest and walked to the rail. Benji followed and laid a hand on her shoulder.