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

by Lara Nance

  “I know a lot of st, st, stuff.” Benji scowled at him. “Apparently m, m, more than you.”

  “Well, if you’re so smart, then figure out how we’re going to save Belle from a moving train. Otherwise, we’ll just have to follow it until it stops and she’s taken somewhere we can get to her.” Rett moved back to the wheel and gave it a spin to head north, anger and frustration boiling up inside of him.

  Benji’s shoulders sagged and he went back to the main deck and stared over the rail.

  Jasper watched Benji’s retreat, frowning. “You’ll have to excuse Master Benjamin, he’s very attached to Lady Arabella.”

  “Yeah, what’s the deal with them anyway?”Rett asked. “Why’s he with her?”

  “She found him at an insane asylum. It’s a place she gave money to for charitable purposes. When she toured the facilities six years ago, she saw this young boy sitting on the floor writing numbers on a piece of paper. They thought it was doodling nonsense, but she recognized them as complicated mathematical formulas and asked the superintendant about him. His parents are nobility, and it seems they felt he was unhinged because all he wanted to do was stay in his room, inventing crazy contraptions and reading books. I believe he blew up a few things, as well.”

  “That doesn’t sound too crazy to me. Why would they commit him?” Rett asked.

  “He’s the oldest, but they didn’t want him inheriting the title—a bit too strange for their conservative tastes I expect. The only way to take him out of the succession was to commit him. That way the younger son would inherit, and he is quite normal from all accounts.” Jasper’s lips pulled down at the corners in disapproval. “Lady Arabella was outraged. She bribed the parents to allow her to take charge of him. They agreed as long as he signed a paper renouncing his title. So, she saved him from a life in an insane asylum and allows him to learn as much as he wants. Needless to say, he worships her. She gave him the affection his own mother never did.”

  Rett remained silent as he watched Benji’s stiff back. The young man had undoubtedly suffered a lot being cast away by his own parents. He could just imagine Belle, hazel eyes blazing in outrage, fighting for the boy.

  “I see,” Rett said finally. “Well, help him keep a look out for the train. And tell him we’ll do whatever it takes to rescue Belle.”

  Jasper gave Rett a slight incline of his head and headed down to Benji.

  Rett shook his head as he pushed the lever forward to increase their speed. What the hell had he been thinking to take on Arabella Trunkett as a charter? He should have known he would end up in some kind of crazy mess. Too late now, though. He was in it up to his neck and would rescue her or die trying. Maybe if he saved her life she would finally forgive him.

  Chapter 10

  Belle’s head pounded and her tongue felt like someone had rubbed salt on it. She opened one eye a crack and found herself in a dimly lit room. A rumbling came from beneath her and she realized the room swayed. Her eyes popped open and she sat up.

  She was in the windowless car of a train, the walls and floor wooden slats. Only a couple lanterns offered any lighting. Rugs and pillows scattered around the room and a dozen female figures draped across them either asleep or drugged as she had been. Her gaze settled on the only other person awake—a young woman who looked to be in her late teens. The girl had long black hair and beautiful brown eyes that tilted up at the sides. Her skin glowed a luscious dark gold.

  “Do you speak Urbanni?” Belle asked. It came out more of a croak through her parched lips.

  The girl blinked and then rose. She walked to a table at the side of the car and poured water from a clay vessel into a cup. She brought it to Belle and knelt beside her.

  “My name is Armani. Drink the water. If you were drugged as I was, your mouth must feel like the Muli Desert.” Her voice was tinted with a lyrical accent. She gave a shy smile and offered the cup.

  Belle took it gratefully and drained every drop. The blessed moisture washed the dryness from her mouth and throat. Her head cleared a little and she inspected her surroundings as well as the girl by her side.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “In Pandistan,” Armani said and her smile faded.

  “Yes, but where?” Then it dawned on Belle that Armani must not be from this country.

  “I believe we are being taken north to Faldoral. I overheard one of the mansabs talking.”

  “Mansabs?”

  “The eunuchs who guard us.”

  “Eunuchs? Dear God,” Belle exclaimed. Some hint of her fate lay in that word.

  “Yes, we are to be sold to some rich pasha as concubines. Did you not know this?” Armani gave her a quizzical look.

  “No, this morning I was running from a Sarc, and a man offered to help…”

  “A Sarc?” Armani drew back in horror.

  “Yes, he chased me through the market in Harruca. A man offered to hide me and the next thing I know I’m waking up on this train.”

  “You must be very resourceful to have escaped a Sarc,” Armani said, eyes wide.

  “Yes, but I seem to have landed in even more trouble.” Belle stood and wobbled on her feet over to the water container and poured herself another cup. “My name is Arabella, by the way, but my friends call me Belle.”

  She hobbled back to join Armani on one of the satin pillows and noticed the girl staring at her hand and frowning.

  “Where did you find that ring?” Armani asked. She reached out and took Belle’s hand to get a closer look.

  “I didn’t find it. It was given to me,” Belle said.

  “But this is my uncle’s ring.” Armani’s eyes were full of questions.

  “High Lord Ismatan?”

  “Yes.”

  “The Ambassador of Gandiss?”

  “Yes. It is his official seal of office.”

  “Then you are from Gandiss, not Pandistan.”

  “I was kidnapped from my father’s home while he and my mother were visiting their house at the river. The kidnappers smuggled me out of the country rolled in a rug on a camel’s back. It was horrible.” Armani shivered.

  “You poor dear.” Belle put a hand on the girl’s arm. “And these other girls? Were they kidnapped also?”

  “Yes. The pasha of the Northern province is very rich. He controls the diamond mines in the mountains there and they say his harem has a thousand women in it. He will have his choice of us I understand.”

  “This is a wretched state of affairs.” But Belle wasn’t talking about herself. She couldn’t imagine this destiny for the young girls here and the thousands of others who faced such fates. The idea of such dastardly crimes had never occurred to her in her safe cocoon of Urbannia.

  “But how did my uncle come to give you his ring?” Armani broke into her thoughts.

  Belle took a deep breath and relayed the story of the unfortunate ball and subsequent events that led to this point. Armani’s brows raised in amazement.

  When Belle finished her tale, they were both silent for several minutes, each digesting all the new information they had just learned. One of the other girls moaned and rolled over but did not wake.

  “How old are you?” Belle asked.

  “Seventeen.”

  “But you’re just a child. How can they do such a thing?”

  “Oh, they would consider me old. The pasha wants young girls. The younger the better.”

  “Then why would he want me?” Belle laughed.

  “The pasha of Faldoral is notorious for collecting rare items. I’m sure with your hair and eyes you will be seen as such, and you are quite beautiful despite your age.”

  “Well I don’t intend for this pasha or anyone else to have me,” Belle said pressing her lips together.

  Armani’s eyes narrowed. “But what can you do?”

  “We’re going to escape.”

  “We?” Armani squeaked.

  “Yes, I must return you to your family.”

  “But there will be n
o chance to escape; you don’t know how closely we are watched. The mansabs are with us all the time.”

  “I must think of a way. Perhaps once we reach our destination there will be an opportunity.”

  Armani merely shook her head and looked hopelessly at Belle.

  They spent the rest of the ride talking quietly and when the other girls began to rouse. She offered them water and tried to calm their fears. Many of them spoke Urbanni and were able to tell Belle their sad stories.

  Astonishingly, most of them seemed to accept their fate. It was part of life in this area of the world apparently. One girl said her existence would be better since she came from a poor village and the concubines of a pasha were treated like royalty. Except for having no freedom, of course.

  The train slowed. Belle detected the difference in the rhythm of the rumbles. The captives chattered excitedly, and one girl about thirteen began to cry. Belle put an arm around her and told her to be brave; she wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. When they came to a stop, the side doors of the car slid open and cold air rushed in. Two of the mansabs set up a ramp from the door to the ground and motioned for them to leave the car where four more of the heavyset black robed men waited.

  Belle held the hands of the youngest girl and Armani as they walked down the ramp. She glanced at the faces of the unsmiling eunuchs and found no sympathy in their gazes. This was just business to them apparently.

  They must have traveled all night for the sun was just rising on a new day. In the distance a range of mountains rose with dark grey peaks topped with snow. Her breath came out in a white cloud and she pulled her twill jacket close about her. They had indeed traveled to the far north of Pandistan.

  She wondered where Benji and Jasper were and hoped they had stayed with Rett. Despite their differences she trusted him to take care of them. But, somehow she was determined to escape this disaster and continue the hunt for her father. She had to find a way to get back to Gambit.

  There was little time to look around, as the mansabs herded them into wagons covered with canvas. The men made strange grunting sounds and used hand motions to communicate their orders, never bothering to speak. There were benches on each side of the wagon beds and the women huddled together as close as possible for warmth. Two mansabs climbed in the back of each wagon and pulled a heavy canvas flap across the back blocking their view of the outside world.

  The trip in the wagon lasted about half an hour. They were then herded into a large white stone mansion on the edge of a lake. She barely caught sight of the other elaborate homes perched on the rim the lake before she was hurried inside. The mansabs escorted the line of women down cool, silent halls of tiled floors and marble walls covered with colorful tapestries and mosaics.

  Through double brass doors they entered an enormous room broken up only by carved marble columns and potted trees. In the center of the room a round, tile pool of blue water nestled among potted plants and plush pillows. Around the walls, chaises and chairs gathered in groups. Windows high up the walls had wooden inserts carved in intricate designs that allowed light to filter in through the carvings. Plush rugs covered the floor and plump cushions were scattered around by the hundreds. The mansabs grunted and motioned for them to stay here, then turned around and left, closing the brass doors behind them.

  Belle scanned the room for opportunities to escape. The windows were high. She would have to find something tall to stand on to even reach them. The only door in and out was the one which they had entered. She walked around the room with Armani and the younger girl trailing behind her.

  “What are you looking for?” Armani asked.

  “Something we could use as a weapon,” Belle whispered.

  Armani nodded and headed off scanning the room. The others wandered about looking lost except for a few who settled on chaises resigned for whatever would happen next. They didn’t have long to wait. The brass doors opened and a parade of servants entered bearing everything from trays of food, to armfuls of flowing fabric and jewels.

  They set up a feast on tables beside the pool: skewers of roasted meat and vegetables, rolls and flat bread, cheeses, candied dates and nuts. They poured sweet red wine into silver goblets and handed them out freely as the starved girls gathered around and stuffed the food into their mouths. Belle hung back at first, but her rumbling stomach forced her forward and soon she grabbed handfuls of food as well. She also managed to slip one of the metal skewers up her sleeve as a possible weapon.

  A group of older women went from person to person carrying clothing, jewels and makeup. They stripped away old tattered clothing and soon had the captives swimming in the pool, laughing and splashing each other. Then each young woman was dried off with plush towels, hairs in offending spots were plucked, skin was rubbed with oils, and silky garments were draped about the beautified bodies cinched at the waist with lacy corsets. As a last touch, their tresses were combed and braided, woven with strings of jewels or colorful silken cords.

  Only one girl had protested the ministrations and after she pushed one of the older women, a mansab came and forced her from the room, kicking and screaming. No one else resisted.

  Belle sat on a chaise against a far wall watching the transformations. The older women glanced at her but did not approach. She wondered what fate awaited her and why she was being left alone.

  Once Armani’s makeover was complete she joined Belle. She now wore a filmy long skirt of a transparent material spangled with shiny sequins and a black bustier that hugged her waist like a corset. Bracelets jingled on her arms and her black hair was intricately braided and adorned with jeweled pins. Belle had to admit she was extremely beautiful except for the sad expression on her face.

  “Now we shall be paraded in front of the pasha like cattle,” Armani said mournfully. “If only Qarim were here, perhaps he would rescue me.”

  “Who is Qarim?” Belle asked.

  “The man my father arranged for me to marry. We were supposed to be wed next month.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “Well, I’ve never met him, but I saw him once. He is handsome and I hear he is well respected. He works for the raja as a scribe. My father says he is very intelligent and will have a bright future.”

  Belle did not respond. After being exposed to so many new aspects of different cultures she felt overwhelmed. True, her father had arranged her marriage with Rett, but she had known him all her life and they got along well as friends before the fateful ceremony when he disappeared. And if she had said at any time that she didn’t want to marry him, her father would have supported her decision. However, she had allowed herself to believe she loved the scoundrel back then and was eager for the marriage. But poor Armani had never met the man who would become her husband.

  “We have to find a way out of here,” Belle whispered. But Armani only shook her head sorrowfully.

  After the women finished working on the girls, they removed the trays of food and brought in platters of sweets surrounded by baskets of fruit. Curtains were drawn across the windows casting a dim shadow over the room. Then the servants left and the room quieted as the exhausted and well fed captives settled on chaises and in nests of pillows before succumbing to fatigue and falling asleep. Even Armani slumped over on a plush cushion and closed her eyes. Only the lanterns on stands about the room gave off any illumination.

  Belle sighed and rubbed the back of her neck where anxiety had knotted up the muscles. She decided to take advantage of the absence of their captors to take a dip in the pool. The thought of being clean and floating peacefully in the water was too enticing to ignore. She stripped off her clothes and hid the skewer under them.

  With only the soft glow of the lanterns glinting off the ivory of her skin, she stepped softly around the sleeping bodies and lowered herself into the welcoming water of the pool. She muffled her sigh of pleasure. She dove under the surface and swam to the opposite side. It was deliciously cool without being chilly and she felt immediately refreshed.<
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  Her gaze traveled around the room again. But still no possibility of escape presented itself. She hoped there might be an opportunity during a future transfer if they were to be taken to the pasha and vowed to be ready. And she was determined to take Armani with her. She felt a loyalty to Lord Ismatan and knew she had to return his niece. But did she dare put the girl in danger?

  These thoughts still rolled around in her head when she decided to leave the pool. She felt clean and rejuvenated now that she had eaten and bathed. The servants had left piles of the large towels around the pool, so she picked up one and dried most of the moisture from her hair. The long auburn tresses hung in damp curls down to her hips. Then she toweled off the rest of her body and took a towel to wrap around her as she made her way back to her clothes.

  But she never made it. The brass doors flew open and four mansabs entered followed by the man who had drugged her, Rafi Tarris, and another man in rich burgundy robes embroidered in gold. That man looked to be in his early forties, exotically handsome with his long raven black hair and a short beard. Sharp brown eyes traveled over her body in an appraising manner. Belle shivered.

  The black haired man moved around the others and came to stand in front of her.

  “You were right, Rafi. She is exquisite.” His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her gulp down a breath. “I must have her.”

  Rafi gave a satisfied smile and walked forward. He bowed to the other man and then looked at Belle. “Of course, Your Highness. I knew she needed no fripperies of clothes or jewels to accent her beauty.”

  “You were quite right, my friend.” The pasha said in a low voice, but his eyes never left Belle. “Seeing her naked in the gas light was worth the wait.”

  “And now to settle on a price.” Rafi rubbed his hands together.

  Fury rose in Belle’s breast like a raging fire. This had all been a set up—leaving her alone, letting her think the household had gone to rest. Somewhere they had been spying on her while she bathed. She lost all reason in her haze of rage and before they could stop her, she hauled back her arm and sent a fist into Rafi’s smug face.