by Lara Nance
“Is it okay for Armani and I to take a look around the vendors?” Benji asked.
Belle was impressed that he asked instead of just running off. Maybe he had learned something on this trip. She handed him some money. “Yes, look for some clothes for both of you while you’re at it. Meet us back in an hour.”
They both grinned and hurried off down the street to the open air market which promised a little more entertainment than the staid shops along the main street.
“Let’s see if we can find some clothes for ourselves,” she told Jasper. He and Rett accompanied her to the stores that sold more traditional clothing.
Jasper found her later as she inspected brightly embroidered corsets. He leaned close. “Belle, I heard that man over there say the news from Pandistan indicates they are on the brink of war with Urbannia. Another man agreed and said an east-west war is imminent.”
A chill swept over her. “What? I thought we put an end to the unrest by stopping Dr. Krakov.”
“I’m afraid everyone here is a bit skittish on the topic of Urbannia and war. While we were gone, it seems events have progressed in a frightening manner in the rest of the world.”
“Let’s find Rett.” She paid for their purchases and went out to the boardwalk. Rett emerged from another shop across the street, carrying several packages and hurried over to her.
“Rett, Jasper has some disturbing news.” She gestured for her butler to tell him what he’d overheard.”
Rett’s eyes narrowed. “Likely news of Carabarras and your father has not made an impact yet. It takes a while for information to spread. The political tide should turn as soon as the queen knows what really happened.”
Belle let out a deep breath. “I hope you’re right. It would be a shame if my father died for nothing. I want his legacy to be world peace and I’m willing to fight for it.”
“In any event. The sooner we’re back in Urbannia, the better,” Jasper said. “I’m quite put out with all this intrigue and primitive thinking.”
“I agree.” Belle nodded.
“Are you hungry, Belle? There’s an outside café.” Rett pointed across the street from the clothing store. We can have some tea and wait for the kids.”
“Don’t let Benji hear you call him a kid,” Belle said, thinking that he had matured more in the last week than he had in the past year.
“Yes, I dare say we shall never hear the end of that dreadful king business.” Jasper raised his chin.
They settled at a table and enjoyed tea with sandwiches. A wagon rolled past them heading toward the aeroport. Seated in the back, three men in leather jackets, flight helmets, with goggles hung around their necks, gazed about at the shops. One of them stared at Rett and elbowed his buddy who frowned when he looked in their direction.
She started to say something to Rett about their strange behavior but at that moment Benji and Armani rushed up to their table and recounted all the marvelous sights they had seen in the market, showing her what they had purchased. By the time she thought of it again, the wagon had disappeared around the end of the street.
They returned to Gambit and unloaded their purchases. Belle made her way to her cabin, tired but not as depleted as she’d imagined she’d be. She unwrapped a shirt she’d purchased for Rett and folded it carefully into a neat square. Made of soft brushed cotton, it was a shade of blue that matched his eyes. Hopefully he would like it and understand her need to thank him for standing by her during their recent adventures.
She ran her fingers over the soft fabric imagining how good he would look wearing it. Then she smiled and walked up the hall to where he and Sam had their cabins. His door was open so she walked in and stopped on the threshold, mouth dropping open. He stood there with his shirt off, apparently about to change clothes.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” she stammered as heat rose in her cheeks. “I, I just wanted to give you this, and th, th, thank you for all you’ve done to help me. It’s not much, but…”
She thrust the folded shirt at him and he took it from her, a grin spreading over his face at her discomfiture. “Why, thanks, Belle. That’s very nice.”
He held it up and then turned to put it on his bed, revealing a tattoo on his upper back. She gasped. An eagle, wings spread, and talons poised for attack spread across the skin between his shoulder blades.
She staggered back, unable to breath.
“What’s wrong?” he asked coming toward her, frowning.
“Nothing,” she said curtly. “Nothing.” She retreated and ran down the hall to her cabin and slammed the door behind her.
“What the hell?” he yelled after her.
Chapter 23
Belle made it into her room without collapsing. Once inside, she fell across the bed, her heart beating rapidly and pulse throbbing in her neck.
She closed her eyes and her mind went back to that purple striped tent in Harruca. Momi looked at her palm and told her the visions she had of Belle’s destiny. All of it was true. The men of the flower, the Sarcs, were after her and tried to kill her. Helping people along the way had made a difference she was sure in the case of Armani and her relationship with Ambassador Ismatan. Stopping Krakov and his weapon was instrumental in averting the outbreak of war. So why was she doubting the other part of the fortune?
Momi had told her the man with the sign of the eagle had her heart and would help her. She believed everything until she’d seen the tattoo on Rett’s back. Sure, he’d helped her, but the man of her heart?
She heard footsteps coming down the hall and held her breath. They stopped outside her door.
“Belle?” Rett’s voice came through the door. “Are you okay?”
She sat up, putting a hand on her chest. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. I just got tired.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.”
There was a pause, then his steps retreated and she let out a sigh. She put her hands to her cheeks and heat still burned there. This was totally unexpected. Had fate sent her back to him after all these years? It was hard to wrap her mind around this development, but she had to pull herself together. There was no way she could let him suspect she had been given this hint of destiny or she’d never hear the end of it.
She went to the basin and poured some cold water to splash on her face. With a deep breath, she patted her hair in place, and left her cabin.
On the deck, Benji and Armani laughed over some story Sam told. Rett sat off to one side sipping a cup of brandy and gazing out over the rail, but he turned when she approached. He wore the blue shirt and it drew out the color of his eyes just as she imagined it would.
“My Lady, would you care for something to eat?” Jasper came up from behind her.
“Ah, yes, that would be nice and some wine.” She walked over to one of the chairs and settled on it.
“Feeling better?” Rett asked, his eyes searching her face.
“Yes, thank you.” She kept her gaze down. The thought of him and his eagle tattoo was more than she wanted to think about right now.
Jasper brought her a plate of stew with a heavenly aroma of beef and onions, along with a glass of red wine. The rumble in her belly alerted her to her returning appetite.
“Did you hear any news of the empire when you went into town today?” Sam asked.
“Yes.” Rett told him what Jasper had heard. “I’m glad we made it here before the Imperial Warlord discovered his little secret was destroyed. Capturing us might have given him reason to continue his plans to attack Urbannia. As it is, he doesn’t know who blew up the mountain.”
“Do you really think he was involved?” Armani asked.
“Why not? It all happened in his country.” Benji reached for the wine and poured more in his glass.
“I can only hope he learned a lesson and will cease his desire to start a war,” Belle said. “If not, I will do everything in my power to stop him.”
“I’d bet he’ll start plotting for another one,” Benji murmured. “Once
a scoundrel always a scoundrel, I say.”
Belle glanced at Rett and heat crawled up her neck. How many times had she called him a scoundrel, and yet it seemed he had changed. Was he really the man Momi had envisioned as the man of her heart? As much as she dreaded it, they were going to have to talk this out. Whether destiny or fate, Rett had become part of her life again and she wanted to make sure she didn’t make another mistake in trusting him.
Rett walked by her and paused, resting a hand on the back of her chair, but then continued on to the table to refill his cup. Armani looked between them and Belle shifted in her seat, the air heavy with tension.
“I’m going to try and catch a fish while we’re here,” Benji announced, blissfully unaware of the tension. “We’re very close to the ocean.”
Diverted, Armani laughed and clapped her hands. “That will be fun to watch.”
“Don’t you think I can do it?” Benji asked, offended.
“I just can’t wait to see what sort of elaborate contraption you design for catching them.” She giggled. “Maybe some sort of mechanical arm that scoops them up out of the water or a steam powered spear.”
“Not a bad idea, that spear.” Benji rubbed his chin. That sent Armani off in peals of laughter again.
Belle’s eyes closed and she vaguely remembered Jasper removing the plate and glass from her hands. She drifted off with the sound of Benji and Armani’s banter a soothing balm to her battered heart.
###
In the morning, Belle walked out on the deck, stretching and yawning. Benji tinkered with her brass distance viewer and it seemed to have sprouted some new attachments. Armani wove dried palm fronds into baskets and waved to her. She looked around for Rett, ready to have a conversation with him and get it over with. If he did have feelings for her as Armani said, she needed to know. She had to explore Momi’s prediction once and for all.
An airship rose from the ground at the far end of the field and she put a hand above her eyes so she could see it against the glare of the morning sun. The black inflatable cast a shadow along the ground as it swerved off to the west and moved away. She couldn’t make out the crew at this distance, just a lot of activity on the deck.
Pounding footsteps approaching across the landing field startled her and she hurried to look over the rail. Sam ran toward the ship, his face pale and streaked with fear.
“What’s wrong?” she called.
He reached the side of the ship and looked up at her. “It’s Rett.” He panted. “They took him.”
The breath went out of her. “What? Who took him?”
“Bounty hunters.” Sam ran up the gangplank and in seconds emerged on the deck where they all gathered around him.
“Bounty hunters? Here in Moro?” The unreality of the hunters showing up in this tropical paradise overwhelmed her. But then she remembered the men in the wagon and her heart sank. Damn it, she’d forgotten. It had to be them.
“Yeah, seems the Baron has upped the bounty on Rett and word of Gambit reached the ears of a lot of people. The scumbags were looking for him everywhere.”
“But where did they take him? I can pay his debt, we just need to find them,” Belle said frantically, guilt washing over her in a chill as she realized she might have stopped this from happening if she’d told Rett about those men yesterday.
“It’s no use. They’re gone. Left on that airship.” Sam jerked his head to the one she had just watched take off. “I was in the coal monger’s office and Rett wandered around looking at the docked ships when they grabbed him. They must have been watching him because they had their engines going already and took off before I could run across to the ship and stop them.”
Belle’s hands went to her face. She couldn’t believe it. But she knew they had to do something. She had to rescue him after all he did to help her find her father.
"Sam, get Gambit ready. We have to save Rett,” she said, determination welling in her chest. “They don’t have a big head start. We’ll follow them.”
Sam’s eyes brightened. “Aye, that I will. We filled up on coal and water yesterday so we can leave as soon as I get the engine started.”
“My Lady, are you quite sure you’re up to this?” Jasper asked, brow wrinkled.
“No, but we don’t have a choice. It’s my fault he’s in this mess. If I’d given him the money up front he could have paid off his debt before we left Eagle’s Peak. But I didn’t trust him and wanted to keep some back. Now look what’s happened.” She strode away, tears stinging her eyes. Damn it, she would not let him be hurt because of her.
Sam had the engine running and steam up within ten minutes. He returned to the deck and called for the ground crew to release their tethers. Belle leaned on the rail as the black airship grew smaller and smaller in the sky.
“Ship’s ready, My Lady, but we need a pilot. I can’t handle the engines and steer the ship,” he said as Gambit swayed, rising in the air.
“I can do it,” Benji said stepping forward. “I watched Rett and he taught me how to navigate as well as steer the ship.”
Belle didn’t hesitate. “Very well. We don’t have a choice. You shall be the pilot.”
He hurried up to the pilot station and couldn’t quite hide a smile of excitement as he put his hands on the wheel.
“Pull up the landing lines,” he called.
They rushed fore and aft to haul in the lines.
“Let ‘er fly,” he called.
He pushed the levers forward and Gambit rose, slowly gaining speed as he unrolled a chart and ran a finger over it.
Belle joined him and Sam on the bridge. “Do you know where they’re taking him?”
“I’m not sure it’s a final destination, but I did find out from the coal monger they filed a flight plan for Jelep this morning,” Sam said. “It’s logical. They’ll need to refuel there to go anywhere else.”
“All right then.” She nodded to Benji. “Follow that ship.”
“Aye, Aye,” Benji said. He turned the wheel and Gambit made a swooping turn to the west and soared up to the clouds following the fast disappearing bounty hunters.
Belle said a prayer under her breath as fear for Rett clutched her chest like a vise. She put a hand on Benji’s shoulder and murmured, “Don’t worry Rett, we’re on our way.”
The End…for now.
Look for Book Two - Rescue From The Baron - coming soon!
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